care and feeding of a Lee mould?

[chemist308]

Now that I've casted quite a few 38s, I should clean my mould--I believe it to be dirty as it doesn't give the nice boolit shape of a new mould.

How does one clean a Lee aluminum block mould?

Also, what is the life expectancy of a Lee mould? Do they last if not abused?

[lwknight]

I would bet on you using your alloy and getting more that might need a bit more tin. I casted (if thats a word) about 6000 358-158 RFs in my Lee molds and after about 500 I was getting 100% beauiful keepers. So I kept casting ( several sessions) till had maybe 6000 and they onlygot better all the way.

[Tom W.]

When I finish a casting session, I leave the last bullet in the mold. I have two Lee molds that have had extensive use, and were not abused, that I bought when I got my Security Six, and I bought it NIB shortly after they were available...
So with care the Lee mold will last.

[armyrat1970]

Originally Posted by chemist308

Now that I've casted quite a few 38s, I should clean my mould--I believe it to be dirty as it doesn't give the nice boolit shape of a new mould.

How does one clean a Lee aluminum block mould?

Also, what is the life expectancy of a Lee mould? Do they last if not abused?

If you lubed the mold with a little to much the lube can get into the cavities over time and cause problems. How many boolits have you cast so far? What type of lube? What is the difference in your boolits? Same temps for mold and alloy? A little more info would help. Denatured alcohol is good to clean Lee Molds, although others use different methods.

[Bret4207]

The question is- What do you mean by "dirty"? A Lee mould will not remain new looking once you start using it. They generally end up looking like they're stained with tobacco juice and other brownish to greyish looking burnt on type stuff.The top surface, sprue plate and interior of the mould are all that matter.

A picture would help.

[chemist308]

It could just be too much lube. It could also be that I've been sooting the moulds with a candle--don't knock that unless you've tried it, as you should see the beautiful 9mm stuff I made from my new mould. They just fall out of the mould. But the same alloy in the 38 mould, which has had 4 previous casting sessions but didn't see a candle until yesterday, gives boolits that have what look like faded microbands instead of the well pronounced ones.

[mooman76]

You shouldn't need to reclean your mould after use just because you used it except for what is visible on the mould. I have a brass brush that I use while the mould is still hot to gentally wipe it off. Some use a leather glove or other things. Sometimes when you use a mould things don't come out as good especially when you are new to casting and it could be as simple as not having the heat up enough. Try it again and see if they come out better. Like stated sometimes lube gets in the cavities and that will effect how your bullets come out. If that is the cas it wouldn't hurt abit to clean you cavity again. I have Lee moulds that are over 20 years old. Some I bought new and some used. With care you can expect them to last many many years.

[Mk42gunner]

Poor fillout can have a number of reasons. Since you are getting decent 9mm bulets with the same mix, it probably is not your alloy. You 38 mold might need a slightly higher temp for better fillout. It could be mold venting,not letting the air escape fast enough.

On the very rare occasions that I smoke a mold; I use a butane lighter, the long ones that are sold for lighting BBQs are just about perfect for this.

Like Bret said, pictures would help.


Robert

[Wally]

I just bought a new one---a 90305 356-102-1R. This mold makes the lightest bullets of any that I own. I cleaned the mold with carb cleaner--let it dry..greased the edges, dunked a corner in molten cast metal and it made clean in sharp bullets after the first few casts. I did have to run the melt temperature on the hot side.

I hope to use it on a light 9mm load for can plinking---3.5 grains of Bullseye.

[Rocky Raab]

As the Lee instructions plainly say, don't use a candle if you decide to smoke your mould. They recommend using a wooden match.

I don't smoke mine at all. I give them a shot of carb cleaner, lightly lube the spruce bolt and the alignment pins with a tiny touch of bullet lube and start casting. If mould and metal are at the right temp, they'll produce perfect bullets until you run out of alloy.

I also leave the last bullet in the mould. It might not help, but it can't hurt.

If all esle fails, follow the "Lee-menting" method described in a stickie above.

[chemist308]

Originally Posted by Rocky Raab

...They recommend using a wooden match...

Actually, they never said a wooden match. Now it makes sense. That's probably why smoking the mould per Lee instructions never worked well for me... So the plan is to clean the mold in mineral spirits then get me some wooden matches!

[Bret4207]

If the mould is nice and clean and hot and used with good clean alloy then you won't need to smoke the mould. THe smoke produced a smaller boolit and it insulates the mould from needed heat. Smoking is a last resort method after all else fails.

[lwknight]

Chemist, I got a drop of candlewax on my mold and that stuff migrated into every cavity even after wiping it off. I was getting wrinkled boolits even with the molds so hot that I was frosting the boolits and the spru was not even setting up hard. I almost never got the mold to working right again. I used brake cleaner and even thought that mold release would soak it up. Finally after 3 or 4 cleaning and short casting sessions, it started casting 100% again.

I'm thinking that if your lube bands are not filling out, you either got some kind of oil/wax or something in it or you need a bit more tin. I can cast at low temp and lower tin in some molds than others. 2.5% tin should work any mold. Some cast well with 1%.

[Papa smurf]

chemist308----Run your mix hotter. I have two Lees that want to run real hot.
By the way I've allways used a candle to smoke with no problems.
Good Shooting-----------------------Papa Smurf

[Rocky Raab]

You are correct, it does not say wooden match. What it does say on page 121 of my Lee manual is:

"The mold should also have a light coating of soot from a match. A butane lighter is better. Don't use a candle as it deposits an oily coating, which gasses off when it contacts the hot alloy. This keeps the mold from filling properly."

[JIMinPHX]

I clean them only when they need cleaning. I use brake cleaner & paper towels. If I have a particularly tough patch of burned on lube, I may use a little 000 steel wool carefully in that area. Be sure to get ALL the brake cleaner off the mold before putting the heat to it.

I find that if my mold is good & clean, then I don't need to smoke it. The boolits just drop like they should.

I haven't been casting for eons like some people on the board here, but I have filled several peanut butter jars with boolits from a single 2-cav Lee mold. I haven't worn a mold out yet. I haven't even seen signs of wear yet.

[armyrat1970]

Originally Posted by Rocky Raab

You are correct, it does not say wooden match. What it does say on page 121 of my Lee manual is:

"The mold should also have a light coating of soot from a match. A butane lighter is better. Don't use a candle as it deposits an oily coating, which gasses off when it contacts the hot alloy. This keeps the mold from filling properly."

+1 on that.