Mould Tappers?

[scotner]

This^^^^^

Rawhide mallet.

[jdfoxinc]

I too use a rawhide mallet. It has lasted years where hard wood lasted months.

[iomskp]

A couple of years ago the local trade school was throwing out a box of wood mallets for doing lead flashing, I got the box I think the first one will only last about another 20 years.

[coloraydo]

I use the butt end (6-8") of an old pool stick.

[GregLaROCHE]

I use a sawed off broken shovel handle. I couldn’t ask for more.

[kevin c]

Maybe it's my technique, timing or mold prep/maintainence, but I can't get my MP 8 bangers to consistently drop from all cavities with one tap on the hinge bolt, no matter what I use (dead blow, plastic mallet, weighted wooden dowel or a flat side of a pair of pliers). Sometimes it takes half a dozen taps, sometimes none at all. It's been throwing off my casting cadence to the point where now I lay the opened mold on a towel and nudge each cast out by a gentle touch of the nose of the pliers onto the bases. That risks marring the mold if I slip, I know, but it's fast and consistent. It also saves having to transfer tools in and out of my right hand.

I'm certainly open to suggestions , though.

[lead-1]

My rawhide mallets are 20oz, too heavy, 4oz too light.
Can't win

I use a combination of the rawhide mallet and the hammer handle, literally. I didn't like using the mallet head (too heavy) so I picked it up by the head with the handle sticking out between my middle fingers and tap with the end of the handle. As goofy as it sounds, it just works, for me at least.

[LenH]

I use a lead hammer that is homemade. I found a sticky on this site. I use a piece of all thread for a handle that I wrap with tape. The body of the hammer is molded out of a copper
tee split length wise. I made 2 different sizes one out of a 3/4 tee and one from a 1" tee. Those get beat up pretty bad and I just hold the head in the pot and let it melt away and cast
a new one. I don't use the 1" one except to open the sprues on an 8 cavity H&G mold but the 3/4" one will do the job too. I cast those out of what ever alloy is in the pot, usually hard
ball.

[RogerDat]

Duke in Florida handles had were turned with a cast bullet handle end. Especially nice wood too. They were being sold to fund travel to chemo as I recall so not sure if still available but very nice. Before those I was and still sometimes grab a piece of 3/4 x 1 cut from oak flooring, the flat sides and less weight seem to suit certain molds.

Living in northern climate I'll have to keep an eye out for a broken hockey stick. I think that would be a lifetime supply cut into 10 inch pieces. Could even feed some round bar solder or lead into the end to have one for extra heft in one or two. I like that idea. So many great ideas come up it's a wonder I have any time left for chores like yard work.

[Bazoo]

Lowes sells dowel stock in oak which would work well. I have a piece of cherry bout 12 inches long and 1 3/4" diameter. I like the extra weight of the bigger diameter for cutting sprues. I originally used it for whacking the lee classic set. Works great for both.

[Flailguy]

I use a small, very dried out rubber mallet. Works great so far...

[rbuck351]

I use a glove and lightly leement molds that don't drop easily.

[2011redrider]

I use this nylon teardrop hammer from Harbor Freight, very light and works well.

[Shopdog]

Been using this since the 1970's.

Short pce of L.J.Smith 6011 handrail with a wooden ball peen hammer handle stuck in. Gotta look at the 6011's profile. Hammer handle goes in the rail's bttm. Both ends get used. Heck of a nice,lite,extremely well balanced mallet.

[Eutectic45]

Hammer handles are available in any size to suit your use. I have small ones for single cavity molds, larger ones for multiple cavity.
I find the weight a little light so I drill a 1/2 inch hole in the but end, fill it with lead shot and seal with epoxy.
They last many years and are cheap and easy to replace.

I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of
fools. Let's start with typewriters.
- Solomon Short

[Shawlerbrook]

A section of a broken shovel handle.

[MaLar]

This is what I have been using for a couple of years.
Seems it's going to last awhile.

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-inch...let-66205.html

[Papercidal]

I use a tiny little plastic faced hammer similar to the one Lyman sells as a gunsmithing hammer that I found in the .99 cent bin at the hardware store and it works brilliantly.

[Echo]

Kevin, in opposition to common practice, I don't tap the hinge area, I tap the side of the mold, actually the handle on the side. Just made sense to me, that a lateral swat with my light plastic mallet, would tend to knock the boolits AWAY from the mold, or actually, knock the mold away from the boolits. So far, no problems. Give it a try...

[jonp]

Bought a couple from DukeInFlorida. One sits on the bench and shows no sign of wear. The other is in my semi as a tire thumper.