Lead stuck in aluminum mold

[Colorado4wheel]

Just little flakes of lead in the cavity. How can I get it out. I tried a leather glove when hot, tried to pour some hot lead just on that spot to melt it out, tried a pencil and a little wood. All on a hot mold. Those tricks have always worked in the past. Don't know what else to do.

[swamp]

I would try this. With the mold good and hot, run the flame of a propane torch over the flakes . Hopefully it will melt the spots and blow them off. I have small pencil torch I use when I need small flame and allot of contral.

Good luck,
swamp

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Wood or a Bamboo skewer.
Heat mold of necessary.
If still a problem, maybe it's tinned ?
Although I've never seen an Alum Mold that 'tinned', I'm sure de-tinning a alum mold would be the same as a brass mold...I use a Bamboo skewer and beeswax on a well heated (350º) brass mold to de-tin it.
Good Luck,
Jon

[AlaskanGuy]

I use a tiny wooden dowel, and i know this sounds a bit funny, but grab the dowel and just snap it about 4 inches long... Dont cut it... Break it with your hands... Then heat up the mold good and hot, and take the broken end and scrub it against the flake.... Works every time... The jagged edge works like an ultra stiff tooth brush... And the wood is too soft to hurt the mold...

AG

[dkf]

I put some Hoppes #9 in the cavities with a q-tip and let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes. Then use a mechanical pencil (the "lead") to push the lead from the side to flake it off. Clean all the Hoppes out with dry q-tips and then a rubbing alcohol q-tip.(more alcohol the better) The alcohol will remove the oily film from the hoppes and the marks from the pencil lead. I do all this on a cold mold.

[Toymaker]

Sweets - apply, let sit, Q-tip wet with Sweets; soap & water wash, alcohol rinse, acetone rinse; re-smoke the mold or reapply release agent. Birchwood/Casey Lead Removal Cloth - gentle rubbing; soap & water wash, alcohol rinse, acetone rinse; re-smoke the mold or reapply release agent. Kroil - wet thoroughly, sit overnight, Q-tip wet with Kroil; soap & water wash, alcohol rinse, acetone rinse; re-smoke the mold or reapply release agent. When I first started casting I smoked my molds over a candle flame - bad choice. Changed to a kerosene flame - bad choice. Wood flame - made my own sticks. Worked well, but don't use pine. I smoked each mold before every use. Finally went with Rapine's Mold Prep and never looked back. I check each mold before use and apply as necessary, especially the sprue plate and top of the mold. Haven't had any problems since I started using it.

[fcvan]

I've used wood with great results. My tool of choice is the disposable chopstick from the Asian buffet. I mostly use them to apply 2 cycle oil to mating surfaces and sprue plates, but also for cleaning mold surfaces. Good luck!

[bangerjim]

Lead will not alloy or "tin" to aluminum.

It will just plain "stick". Use any of the above many suggestions as you wish.

I prefer just a PWS (pointy wood stick!)...........KISS.

DO NOT use anything metal.....even aluminum. Al/Al will gaul and create even more problems with the cavity than that bit-o-lead.


banger

[John Boy]

Lead will not alloy or "tin" to aluminum. It will just plain "stick".

It's called adhesion. Kroils or Eezox breaks the lead adhesion and can be scrapped off the outsides with a razor blade and the insides with any soft material pick. Do it all the time with cold molds before they go back into storage

[leadman]

I had some lead stuck that just did not want to come off. I finally used a quilters needle and put the point on the lead away from the edges. Worked in in a couple of directions and the lead came off.
You could try a pencil eraser on the lead to see if it will loosen it also.
Smoking the molds after they are cleaned seems to have prevented this from happening again.

[bangerjim]

I had some lead stuck that just did not want to come off. I finally used a quilters needle and put the point on the lead away from the edges. Worked in in a couple of directions and the lead came off.
You could try a pencil eraser on the lead to see if it will loosen it also.
Smoking the molds after they are cleaned seems to have prevented this from happening again.

+1 on smoke!

Those "in the know" on here seem to always flame the tried and proven process of smoking a mold. I have smoked every one of my over 30 Lee molds and never had lead stick to the cavities. It WILL stick to the end if I stick it in the pot to heat it up. No smoke there. I now use a hot plate to pre-heat.

But I feel smoking does form a very thin layer of carbon that prevents and sticking. It has been done for many many years by our forefathers. Just do not overdo it! And use a beeswax candle for best results. Bigger flame, better carbon deposition than standard wax candles.

And (at least for me) bee's wax works as a mold lube for pins, joints, and sprue. Been used for many years.

bangerjim