Smoking the mold

[EDP1]

What is the reason for this? I'm new to casting and just asking. And is there anything else I need to do to the mold before casting?

[John Boy]

Yes, buy a copy of the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 4th Edition ...
http://www.amazon.com/Lyman-Cast-Bullet-Handbook-Edition/dp/B004DWBKQY

[MtGun44]

Do not smoke your mold. Entirely unnecessary, just makes a mess, likely cause
contamination and smaller diam. Smaller is almost always bad.

Scrub cavities with Comet and a toothbrush to completely clean. If a Lee (and you
would probably not be talking about smoking otherwise) this does a useful
light deburr, too.
Lube the bottom of sprue plate with Bull Plate Lube (from Bull Shop, member here)
VERY sparingly, same for alignment features.

Bill

[Wayne Smith]

Read the stickies here. The Lyman book is a good one, Ingot to Target is a free download and well worth reading. Are you a reloader? If not get a good load manual, Lyman, Sierra, or other complete reloading manual including equipment instructions. Read first and make fewer mistakes.

[462]

If it's a Lee mould:
1. Throw the instructions in the trash and forever forget what they said.
2. Search Lee-menting or leementing and follow the directions.

If any other brand, follow MtGun44's advise.

[Larry Gibson]

Do not smoke your mold. Entirely unnecessary, just makes a mess, likely cause
contamination and smaller diam. Smaller is almost always bad.

Scrub cavities with Comet and a toothbrush to completely clean. If a Lee (and you
would probably not be talking about smoking otherwise) this does a useful
light deburr, too.
Lube the bottom of sprue plate with Bull Plate Lube (from Bull Shop, member here)
VERY sparingly, same for alignment features.

Bill

Bill is absolutely correct.

Larry Gibson

[williamwaco]

Bill is absolutely correct.

Larry Gibson

Yes he is.

[USMC87]

Scrubbed up a lee 429-200 today, cast good without any smoke added to cavities. These guy's know way more than I'll ever know about casting.

[dromia]

Do not smoke your mold. Entirely unnecessary, just makes a mess, likely cause
contamination and smaller diam. Smaller is almost always bad.

Scrub cavities with Comet and a toothbrush to completely clean. If a Lee (and you
would probably not be talking about smoking otherwise) this does a useful
light deburr, too.
Lube the bottom of sprue plate with Bull Plate Lube (from Bull Shop, member here)
VERY sparingly, same for alignment features.

Bill


Concur!

[Mooseman]

Funny, i been smokin' my molds lightly for 40 years and they cast beautiful boolits. The old timer that taught me said it was poor mans graphite to seal pores in the metal and acts like an insulating barrier to allow the proper fill out before hardening. I heat mine and a light smoke from a bic lighter or a wooden match in the cavities and I start casting.
To each his own.

[P.K.]

Funny, i been smokin' my molds lightly for 40 years and they cast beautiful boolits. The old timer that taught me said it was poor mans graphite to seal pores in the metal and acts like an insulating barrier to allow the proper fill out before hardening. I heat mine and a light smoke from a bic lighter or a wooden match in the cavities and I start casting.
To each his own.

Same here, spark the kitchen match and wick the flame just below the cavities to "carbon" the mold. Works just fine.

[dromia]

What happens if you don't smoke the mould?

[dragonrider]

Smoking a mold is and old idea, that sound good but isn't. A properly prepared mold does not need anything applied in the way of release agents.

[SwedeNelson]

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

[44man]

Wash the mold and cast. Nothing needs done at all to the cavities.
I use Bullplate or Mold Prep on places that need lube to prevent wear. Pins and plate, etc. I DO NOT use Bullplate to cut molten lead.

[dromia]

When I get a new mould I use a sloppy version of NOE's instuctions for seasoning the mould.

I thoroughly clean the moulds with hot soapy water, dry them and put the moulds on top of the cast iron stove in the living room, when they get hot the first time I treat the pins and sprue plate with bull plate as per the instructions then leave the moulds on the stove for w few days they heat up and cool down with the fire in the stove and then are ready to cast with. A couple of more sparing applications of bullplate during the first few casting sessions and the moulds are fettled.

[Bullshop]

As does Dromia that is what I do as well, cook the clean mold to get the oxide layer.

[Mal Paso]

When I get a new mould I use a sloppy version of NOE's instuctions for seasoning the mould.

I thoroughly clean the moulds with hot soapy water, dry them and put the moulds on top of the cast iron stove in the living room, when they get hot the first time I treat the pins and sprue plate with bull plate as per the instructions then leave the moulds on the stove for w few days they heat up and cool down with the fire in the stove and then are ready to cast with. A couple of more sparing applications of bullplate during the first few casting sessions and the moulds are fettled.

Brilliant! That's a free ride! (Grandfather was from Arbroath up the coast from you.)

[dromia]

Arbroath is a great place for smokies, haddocks not moulds!

[williamwaco]

. . .


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.


. . .

Swede Nelson


YES.

I find that my aluminum molds cast best when they are oxidized to a "light golden brown" .

I can accomplish this with a propane torch but the best method is to cast until it is very hot then open it up and let it cool.
Repeat this three or four times.

Takes longer but works better for me.


.

[Gelandangan]

I chopped them up, roll them and smoked them, but not my molds.

I do not smoke my molds.

[Bullshop]

If you have a hollow point mold you can smoke in it.

[Recluse]

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.

Swede Nelson

I'm the biggest proponent around here of "concentrate on the result more than the technique so long as you stay SAFE doing it."

So, no kick in the pants from me.

However, I've had miserable luck smoking any mold, and especially the Lee two-bangers that I seem to be in absolute love with (I love their boolit designs except for the wimpy little lube grooves).

What I've found works excellent for me is once I've cleaned the mold up and Lee-mented it, I dunk it in the molten alloy for twenty to thirty seconds, then set it on the sopping wet towel I have clamped to a porcelin tile off to the side and below my furnace. Then I proceed to cast thirty to forty boolits and every other cast, cooling the mold on the wet towel. Almost without fail for every single Lee or aluminum mold I've ever purchased, by the end of those first thirty to forty boolits, I'm casting fantastic boolits with complete fillout, no wrinkles and of a proper size (or larger if I've lapped the cavities out as I often do).

Gives me kind of a win-win situation as I'm getting the mold "seasoned" while also figuring out what/which techniques seem to give me the best boolits (big sprue/small sprue, fast pour/slow pour, tilt the mold versus completely horizontal while filling, how long to let the sprue cool, etc etc etc). By the time it all begins to come together, the mold is nice and seasoned and giving me beautiful boolits.

:coffee: