MidSouth Shooters SupplyLee PrecisionRepackboxWideners
Inline FabricationRotoMetals2Load DataTitan Reloading
Reloading Everything
Results 1 to 17 of 17

Thread: Midway mold prep

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Kaneohe, HI
    Posts
    5,561

    Midway mold prep

    Got this, in a box of stuff, from a friend.
    I remember seeing it, but never got any.
    Smoking works fine for me.
    Good or not so good????
    What is in it????
    Attachment 251706

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

    dannyd's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    1,139
    don't use it keep on smoking

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
    jimkim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Dodge Co. GA. Between the Ocmulgee and Little Ocmulgee rivers.
    Posts
    1,341
    I don't use it in the cavities. I use it as a sealant when I store my moulds. It seems to do a good job as an oxygen barrier.

    Sent from my VS880 using Tapatalk

    US Govt mantra: If it's moving tax it. If it's still moving regulate it. If it stops moving subsidize it

  4. #4
    Moderator


    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Just outside Gun Barrel City, Texas
    Posts
    9,479
    Its dry graphite in a spray can.

    I used it a couple times, that was long enough to not want to do that again.
    It clogs the air vent lines in a mold very very well.
    In school: We learn lessons, and are given tests.
    In life: We are given tests, and learn lessons.


    OK People. Enough of this idle chit-chat.
    This ain't your Grandma's sewing circle.
    EVERYONE!
    Back to your oars. The Captain wants to waterski.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master


    Walks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    3,028
    Please don't use it.
    I HATE auto-correct

    Happiness is a Warm GUN & more ammo to shoot in it.

    My Experience and My Opinion, are just that, Mine.

    SASS #375 Life

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master

    gwpercle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    Posts
    9,251
    It mucks up a mould and is the devil to clean off .
    I have found a couple good use for it...I spray my Lyman Casting Ladle's with a nice even coat ...
    inside and out ... lead no longer sticks to the ladle or spout .

    Spray the insides of your cleaned melting pot , keeps crud from sticking to sides .

    I bought a can years ago and hate to throw stuff away so I find other uses .
    Gary
    Certified Cajun
    Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
    " Let's Go Brandon !"

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Posts
    779
    garbage

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    East Arkansas where I55 & I40 come together and then split
    Posts
    689
    I have messed up a mold or 2 with that stuff. The only thing I use it for now is to coat the pins of a stubborn HP mold.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master


    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    SE Ohio
    Posts
    768
    I've seen moulds that were basically ruined by this stuff. I bought a mould on Ebay years ago that was coated with Drop Out. I never could get it cleaned. I soaked it with every nasty chemical I could lay my hands on. Don't use it!
    Chuck

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master

    gwpercle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Baton Rouge, Louisiana
    Posts
    9,251
    It's good for a few things ... See Post #6 ... just not boolit moulds !
    And to those you can use it on the inside of smelting pot and ingot moulds like muffin and mini-muffin pans . Using it to coat a casting ladle is where it really shines .
    Gary
    Certified Cajun
    Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
    " Let's Go Brandon !"

  11. #11
    Vendor Sponsor

    Chill Wills's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Was-Colorado, Wyoming now
    Posts
    3,149
    I agree with all of the above DO not use for casting bullets. The graphite is a very course grind and is like gravel in the cavities. Will change as cast diameter. I did not get through one can and found it was better as a lube for things unrelated to casting. Who ever said "garbage" is right on.
    Chill Wills

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    El Dorado County, N. Ca.
    Posts
    6,234
    I bought a little used SC HP mould once, seller said 'good mould'. When I received it, I cleaned it with some brake cleaner and went to casting...what I couldn't see in the cavities was the layering buildup of that mould release from over the years past.

    The casts would fall out alright but this is what the very first ones looked like...I had never seen mould release used before, I certainly don't use it, don't even use smoke.


    The down side to this crap is that it will take quite an effort to get it all out of the cavities.
    I could see that the mould needed more heat for proper fill out but there was no reason to proceed any further after seeing this.
    a m e r i c a n p r a v d a

    Be a Patriot . . . expose their lies!

    “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” G. Orwell

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    East Texas
    Posts
    167
    I used it a few times in the past, makes a good lube. I brushed it in a 2 cavity mold that cast fat trying to get the diameter down just a hair, worked fine. It cleaned out easily with a tooth brush and Eds Red.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
    sundog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Green Country Oklahoma
    Posts
    3,497
    I like it a lot for iron molds that tend to be cantankerous.

    BUT...,

    It works best if sprayed on a q-tip and the offending cavity is swabbed. A little goes a long way. If the cotton tip gets too wet, give it a shake before swabbing.

    Not for use in aluminium or brass.

    Used in this manner, I've not ever observed a measurable change in diameter.
    It ain't rocket science, it's boolit science.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
    Bent Ramrod's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Southern Arizona
    Posts
    4,284
    I’ve used a can or two in the past. For me, it seems at its best on aluminum moulds, retarding the heat transfer slightly so the cavities can fill up before any molten metal starts to cool and harden. It also eliminates any galling on top from the sprue plate.

    I use any coating of anything as a last resort on an extremely cranky iron mould; it interferes with the yellow, violet or blue oxidation that forms with use in the cavity. Most of the time, this “seasoning” results in good boolits, with no external application of coating needed. Typically, if anything is needed here, it’s a touch of Bull Plate Lube, to retard lead smears on the top and the sprue plate, and keep the alloy from flowing into the vent grooves and sticking, chipping the boolits at the parting line. Not in the cavity, though.

    Of course, a certain application technique needs to be developed. It’s not like painting a car fender at Earl Scheib’s. Holding the can a certain distance away is necessary; shake well and continuously; a very thin, even coating is enough. When some of it starts wearing off and more is needed, I wipe the rest of it away with a soft cloth and acetone before spraying the new layer on again.

    But I use candles for fluxing, so typically have one lit around the casting pot anyway, and it’s more convenient to smoke any troublesome mould with candle soot while it’s hot than cool it off and spray it. It works just as well, too. But I guess everybody’s mileage varies, and past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, and lead pots contain lead, and lead is an addictive chemical; etc, etc, etc.

  16. #16
    Vendor Sponsor

    Chill Wills's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Was-Colorado, Wyoming now
    Posts
    3,149
    Good info Bent ramrod. Rapine - out of business now, made a micro-fine mold prep graphite product that is not spray-on. It was fine graphite in some kind of volatile carrier. Applied with a Q-tip, is great for lubing a galling sprue plate and can help a grumpy mold cast good bullets. It does not change the size of the casting.
    All that is moot unless you have access to old stock.
    Chill Wills

  17. #17
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    35
    I follow Mihec's website methods for prepping molds. So far so good! I make sure I clean my molds with alcohol after use.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check