Do you NEED sprue plate lube?

[FISH4BUGS]

Is sprue plate lube REALLY needed?
I use mostly H&G moulds and they seem to work fine, and I have cast THOUSANDS from the moulds without any issues.
Opinions please.

[lightman]

I started a thread about mold lube a few weeks ago that you could search for. There were a lot of recommendations for different types of lube.

I have only recently started using lube on my molds. Like you, I literally cast 1000's of bullets without lubing the mold. Early on, I used beeswax, and it pretty much was a disaster and turned me off of using any lube. I have recently used synthetic 2 cycle oil and also some of the high temp air condition compressor oil. Applied lightly, it does not cause the problems I had with beeswax. The only problem I have seen from using no lube was a buddy that gaulded the top of a couple of Lyman molds.

Love those H&G molds! I have a few and have a "want to buy" ad in swapping and selling looking for a few more. Just something about that old world craftsmanship!

[popper]

Lube is for several purposes. Attempts to prevent little spots of alloy from sticking to the plate and gouging the top of blocks or plate. Reduces metal on metal contact between the plate and blocks. Keeps pivot pin from freezing up (or from rotating). Used 2 stroke then changed to AC oil. I use oil in the car and moulds, same reason.

[farmerjim]

I never used it on my lyman molds when I started casting back in the 60's. After a long time off from casting, I started back with some Lee molds for my 45-70. I cast about 20 boolits without lube before I galled the top of the mold. I now use anti seize, 2 cycle oil, and AC oil. No more destroyed molds.

[mold maker]

When I started out, nobody told me that molds needed lube. About 40 years later I read that all molds needed lube, especially the new aluminum kind.
I'm more protective of the brass and aluminum molds and use synthetic 2 cycle oil on everything. It's being safe rather than sorry.

[jmort]

Yes, especially with aluminum
I use Red Line 2 stroke synthetic

[dragon813gt]

Think about it in simple terms. It's metal on metal contact. Would you not lube the ram of a reloading press? I'm sure you can get by w/out it but lube will make the work better and last longer.

[rintinglen]

It will reduce wear. I have several molds that have scoring that would not if I had used a lube.

[pjames32]

Started casting in the 70's with Lyman molds. Seldom if ever lubed the sprue plate. With my new to me aluminum molds, yes I lube! Even use a little lube on the old Lyman molds.

[GhostHawk]

Like the others above it took me a while to figure it out.

2 things that made a big change for me. I took a file to the leading edge of the sprue plate as it closes. Just rounded it lightly, half a dozen light strokes. So it is not a square edge that can grab. With a rounded edge sprues no longer galled the top of the mold.

The other thing was finding the right lube. For me that is Liquid Wrench dry lubricant.

2 drops on a q-tip, work the cavity's, then the faces, sprue plate, everything. It goes on as a thin liquid, evaporates in less than a minute. But leaves a thin dry lubricant behind that does not migrate, or cause problems. No wrinkled bullets, bullets fly out of the cavity's, no fuss no muss.

For most of my Lee 2 and 6 cavity molds I have only treated them once, and it still works great. A couple of my problem children have a sticky cavity and after somewhere between 500 to a thousand bullets I retreated.

That is what works for me, YMMV.

[RMII]

++++me too. Just a couple drops keeps pain away

[kmrra]

I use 2 cycle motor oil and a Q-tip and put just a smidgen on the under side of my plates , it works great , I use mostly Lee molds and if I go too fast I will get just a little bit of leading , I got this tip right here on this forum ....great bunch of guys here and a few gals too.

[jrmartin1964]

Just a little -a very SPARING little - beeswax is all my sprue plates have ever known. Just enough to keep the alloy from sticking and streaking. But then all of the moulds I use are iron. YMMV

[mozeppa]

i use ester oil.

a very tiny amount on the pivot .....this oil does NOT migrate to everywhere.

applied with a very small syringe needle.

[tazman]

When I started casting(40+ years ago) no one ever mentioned mold lube. I went decades without it. Now I use 2 cycle oil on all of them. Makes working the mold much easier.

[gtrpickr]

always good to learn the tips and tricks of what others are doing.

[Ken in Iowa]

Is sprue plate lube REALLY needed?
I use mostly H&G moulds and they seem to work fine, and I have cast THOUSANDS from the moulds without any issues.
Opinions please.

Apparently your moulds don't need it. There has to be a reason H&G moulds are legendary.

Personally, I use the oil supplied by NOE (2 cycle oil?) on steel and aluminum moulds applied with a Q-tip. I sense a difference after a few hundred casts and reapply.

[toallmy]

It may not be necessary , but it don't hurt a thing as long as it doesn't get into the cavities . I use just as much on the top of the plate as the bottom it helps realising the cut sprue .

[gwpercle]

My first moulds were Lyman (iron/steel) no mention was ever made of lubing top of block / underside of sprue plate, so I never did.
Then came aluminum blocks (Lee) and steel sprue plates....that's when the need to lube them became apparent. I ruined my first lee mould , galling the top and scoring it so badly that the need for lubrication with aluminum blocks became very evident. Synthetic two-stroke oil and anti-seize compound has proved it's worth in keeping a aluminum mould in working order. Steel moulds can get by without it but not the aluminum ones.
Gary

[Mr Peabody]

Is sprue plate lube REALLY needed?
I use mostly H&G moulds and they seem to work fine, and I have cast THOUSANDS from the moulds without any issues.
Opinions please.

If you don't have any issues...... smile and pour.