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Thread: Smoke a lee mold?

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
    Petander's Avatar
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    I do a few pre-heat cycles for all new molds to build some patina. Any material.

    All mine are being kept totally clean.


  2. #22
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    Got in a new Lee mold 2 or 3 months ago. What the heck I went ahead and read the instructions. It said to clean the cavities with q-tips and lighter fluid; so I did. Then lightly smoked them with a butane long stemmed lighter. Didn't hurt nothing. Been getting superb castings out of it - Lee 430 - 240 gr SWC mold.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

  3. #23
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    I just saw your comment about contacting youtubers. Normally you can leave a comment and they can respond to you. Fortunecookie45LC actually replied to me several times a few years ago. Best to ask a question on a recent video, that he’ll be sure to read sooner than later.

  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by 45DUDE View Post
    I smoke mine with a candle when needed.
    Same here, seems better than plain lighter.
    ...Speak softly & carry a big stick...

  5. #25
    Boolit Buddy Doubles Shooter's Avatar
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    I've never smoked a Lee mold either. 90% of the time the boolits just drop when I open it. Usually a tap with my hand on the handles will do the rest.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  6. #26
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    What alloy you using doublesshooter? Very shiny bullets!

  7. #27
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Driver man View Post
    Lee recommend smoking their molds.
    They also recommend using alox bullet lube for lubing the sprue cutter. I tried that when I started too, I liked to never got that crap off my moulds.

  8. #28
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    Well, I have molds that I didn't smoke that work well. Just the other day I was casting some Lee Key Drive slugs. If a mold IS likely to give you problems, it would likely be a complicated one like that, with the slotted core pin and all. But I didn't smoke this mold, and the slugs dropped easily and came out very shiny.

    Mostly I was just curious as to why a very experienced caster, like FortuneCookie45LC on YouTube, would be against smoking the mold. I wondered if there are any negatives to doing so.

    The other thing is I machined out an old Lee 9mm tumble lube mold to cast .501 boolits for my 50 Beowulf. I smoked that one before using, and it works great, but the bullets come out dull instead of shiny. Not frosted; just a dull grey instead of the normal shiny. Otherwise, they are perfect. Drop right out of the mold, are smooth, round, and the correct size and weight.

    Vettepilot
    Last edited by Vettepilot; 12-30-2020 at 05:03 PM.
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
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  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by FLINTNFIRE View Post
    Well you guys got me to give it a whirl was hard to light at first and really was hard getting a decent smoke , had a bitter taste and durned tongue feels burnt , was not the worst of it kids came out thought I was smoking pot ( not sure how to get the porcelain and water to burn )
    anyway back to smoking that mold I am bound and determined to get it to draw good , now I know why we have to have those californicators warnings about cancer and reproductive harm on everything .
    Sounds like you are using the wrong rolling papers. It's harder to roll them without the sharp edges tearing the papers, but good papers do smoke better...

    Vettepilot
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
    Benjamin Franklin. (A very wise man!)

  10. #30
    Boolit Buddy Doubles Shooter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bazoo View Post
    What alloy you using doublesshooter? Very shiny bullets!
    25-1 pipe lead to tin.

  11. #31
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    Darn , I had better lay off smoking them for awhile , I have lightly smoked a mold NOE had the smoking them in there instructions when I bought some of there molds , whatever works for each person and if it works for them then great .

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vettepilot View Post
    SNIP...

    Mostly I was just curious as to why a very experienced caster, like FortuneCookie45LC on YouTube, would be against smoking the mold. I wondered if there are any negatives to doing so.
    There has been some that mentioned Patina in this thread. You may see the patina or you may not, but it will develop on a clean mold after 3 or 4 casting sessions. The Patina acts as a mold release.

    Smoke acts as a mold release. Smoke looses it's mold release effectiveness after a while, so you need to reapply it. Smoke will inhibit the formation of patina. That may be seen as a Negative by some...I think it is a negative, but not a major negative. I prefer a clean mold with patina, that I never need to smoke. If you don't mind putting smoke on a mold on a regular basis, then it is not a negative for you...Hence all the conflicting options on the matter.
    That's my 2˘
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  13. #33
    Boolit Master
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    I might smoke this mold if I was casting with cold lead in the wilderness on open fire, surrounded by wolves,polar bears and communists.



    Any modern CNC machined mold... they are so well made, we don't need to "fix" them.

  14. #34
    Boolit Master
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    SwedeNelson
    02-18-2013, 11:13 AM
    This is my take on smoking after four years of making Aluminum moulds.

    When we cut a cavity it exposes new material.
    Aluminum starts to oxidize the instant it is exposed to air.
    This oxidization seems to be a real advantage to making bullets.
    Heating and cooling it promotes this oxidization.

    Most casters like to take a mould out of the box and cast with it.
    Clean well with soap and water and start to cast.
    This is great but your new mould that just came off the mill three days ago
    hasn't had time to get that good coating of oxidization - that it needs.

    To help kick start "oxidization" you need to heat and cool your mould.
    This is were a very light coat of smoke from a BIC or propane lighter comes in.
    And I mean a very light coat - something that just looks like a good sun tan.
    To much and you sill the cavity from the air and stop the process.
    The smoke takes the place of the oxidization until it has had time to form.

    This only needs to been done for the first three or four times you use a new mould
    After you have got a good coating of oxidization built up you will be well on your way

    So smoke does have a place if you use it to your advantage
    And it is not just used to cover up a "bad mould"
    And I agree "A PROPERLY PREPARED MOLD does not need anything
    applied in the way of release agents."

    I'm sure I will be kicked in the pants for this but it is what I have seen
    and it works 98% of the time.

    Swede Nelson
    I got this mold yesterday. Not aluminum, not perfect yet but okay, carefully cleaned up, then cast after some heat cycles:


  15. #35
    Boolit Master
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    I have a bunch of molds, many that cast nicely without smoke an some that don't cast well until smoked. I'm not able to tell the difference in diameter with a good mic from a smoked or clean mold. I do whatever it takes to get the job done.

  16. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by rbuck351 View Post
    I have a bunch of molds, many that cast nicely without smoke an some that don't cast well until smoked. I'm not able to tell the difference in diameter with a good mic from a smoked or clean mold. I do whatever it takes to get the job done.
    same here, whatever the mold needs.

  17. #37
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    I have seen many lee molds smoked casting great looking projectiles, i have recently acquired several new old stock lee molds from a friend and am going to clean them as should be done and then try them without smoking as they have a nice shiny patina to the aluminum. it does not look newly machined as in new stock would show. We will see how they work.
    KW
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  18. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Petander View Post
    I got this mold yesterday. Not aluminum, not perfect yet but okay, carefully cleaned up, then cast after some heat cycles:

    This picture made me think of an interesting twist. That is the possible question of mold anodizing. Anodizing creates a layer of aluminum oxide. This layer of aluminum oxide is very porous when it is formed. The part is then dyed whatever color. The color sinks into the porous aluminum oxide layer. Then, the color is sealed in by either treating the part to an extended boiling water bath, and/or with a sealer. This closes the pores of this new aluminum oxide layer, capping off and sealing in the color dye. (Note that aluminum parts can also be anodized and not colored; just sealed after the anodization without dying the part.)

    So if the patina spoken of, and/or a layer of natural oxidation is needed for good mold performance, would not anodizing the mold accomplish the same result?? Which begs the question, is there any evidence that anodized molds work better, or tend to work better right out of the box? Has mold anodization ever been tried?

    This is a very interesting question, and I'm anxious to hear input on it.

    VettePilot
    "Those who sacrifice freedom for security, have neither."
    Benjamin Franklin. (A very wise man!)

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