I want to try a mold made of something other than aluminum...so, iron or brass?

[WALLNUTT]

I find 4 cavity brass too heavy. I like brass molds as I have several but limit them to 2 cavity. I only purchase iron or steel molds nowadays when they are vintage Lyman, RCBS, or my favorite iron mold, Saeco. If I need a 4 cavity mold, aluminum gets the nod. They all cast different depending on material, size of block, number of cavities and size of bullet. All will produce excellent bullets. I do preheat on a hot plate and usually keep the first bullet cast.

[glockfan]

I coat the inside and out, all parts with Liquid Wrench Dry Lubricant, it does not have to be removed , it acts as a release agent, it protects them from rust. And does not contaminate the cavities.
Gary

which one is it? i need to try it. the '''don't have to wipe it before use''' is interesting to me haha

[Ausglock]

Be aware that these type of products will prevent coatings from bonding to the bullets.
HITEK coating will fail to stick. Most of these contain Silicone, and therein lies the problem.

[glockfan]

Be aware that these type of products will prevent coatings from bonding to the bullets.
HITEK coating will fail to stick. Most of these contain Silicone, and therein lies the problem.

i hadn't thought of that!!thanks for the reminder.

[mozeppa]

my molds are made out of a 5 billion year old meteorite.

[Drew P]

my molds are made out of a 5 billion year old meteorite.

Really?

[Moonie]

I like Aluminum, brass and iron, in that order. Yes aluminum is softer than the other two but it doesn't rust and is lighter. Brass holds heat better than aluminum, just like iron does but doesn't rust, it is however heavy. Iron casts very well but requires the most upkeep and is heavy.

[mozeppa]

Really?

naw!

[redhawk0]

I have both Iron and Aluminum molds. I wrap my molds in a WD40 (Water Displacement) soaked papertowel. Then I slip this into a plastic baggie leaving the end open so air still circulates to the mold. (The plastic bag reduces the speed at which the WD40 evaporates. I live in the northeast and the humidity gets pretty high here near the river. I don't have any rust issues with my irons.

redhawk

[Drew P]

naw!

That would be kinda neat though lol.

[brassrat]

I poked around for hours on Amazon and found a, rather large, dry box, like a pelican, cheap and also a bunch of no-rust paper. Think GM factory size on that lol

[Cosmic_Charlie]

I like my 4 and 6 cav. aluminum molds. I have a 2 cav. RCBS iron mold for .44 K boolits and I like the boolits it drops enough to put up with the slower production. But a 4 cav. brass or iron mold would be too heavy for me I think. If I were casting for a 45-70 it would be a 2 cav. Iron for sure.

[Elkins45]

With no disrespect to your assertion, I am a firm believer that ALL moulds react from whatever "treatment" they're subjected to by the owner. A Number 1 "no-no" I was severely instructed in was to NEVER dip any part of the mould into the pot, under any circumstance. Perhaps there's nothing wrong with it, but I heeded said warning and have too much money and love in my wee mould collection to give it a try. I used iron (H&G, Lyman, & RCBS) moulds for years with no need for dipping, no inverted coffee-can, or any added gizmos to produce workable bullets. After getting a brass mould or two, I kind of fell in love with using moulds of this material -- but, it may possibly be due to the very highest quality of those I have, produced by NOE and MP. Imho, too. If moulds are not subjected to rapid changes in ambient storage temperature which may lead to condensation and rust -- no problem. Keeping your mould(s) in an air-tight plastic box with a few grains of rice added is all I've ever needed re rust prevention.
While production is quite high with a 4-cavity mould of brass or iron, it -- for me -- gets heavy enough after a couple hours casting that for the past year or two I have made the preference-switch to two-cavity moulds. An added "plus" is I often use two 2-cavity moulds in sequence -- one after another -- and if I didn't have to add replacement alloy to the pot as the bullets get cast -- probably exceed the production rate of just using one 4-cavity mould.
Good luck -- this IS a hobby. Richard Lee has quite a section on his casting, using Lee aluminum moulds; and, I suggest you read (it's free) the Glen Fryxell book at http://www.lasc.us/articlesfryxell.htm. Both will surely make anyone's casting less problematic.
BEST!
geo

Most of my molds are aluminum, but I own several brass and a few iron ones as well. One thing they all have in common is that I have stuck their noses and the ends of their sprue plates into the melt to bring them up to temperature. Every single one, every time I cast. I have been doing this for 30+ years now and haven’t harmed a mold yet.

Regarding the choice of materials: I think iron is easier to cast with in terms of temperature control. All of my brass molds except one are hollow point designs and I have to run them quite a bit hotter tha iron to get good fill out and good release off the pins. Plus, if you have arthritis in your hands a brass mold will get heavy pretty fast.

[Hootmix]

I cast years ago--just started back. Never used alum. molds mostly Lyman DC's. I have had problems not getting the same weight of bullets out of my last set of ( Lyman ) molds,,same lead mix,,poured one side of mold then the other didn't make no diff. never the same weight?????? SO I have a DC LEE ( .452-215hp it came in some other stuff ) and using the same lead mix -same heat - I heated the alum. mold to temp cast 6-10 ...UGLY..the next 10-20 perfect fell out of mold with just a lite tap...the sprue is rusty -don't cut close -but the bullets are " very nice ". SO ! I grabbed another set of LEE's ( came in the same stuff ) "Heated them up to temp. "WHAM" poured a perfect .58 cal. HP 515-523 gr. bullet ( my mix is not pure lead ) lite tap dropped right out . I'm think'n might have to try a NEW set of these here alum's.

coffee's ready,,,Hootmix.