Hot and Cold Options to Remove Lead Smears?

[Grump]

The thread where I asked this sorta died.

Cleaning up moulds the day after and when they are cooled, I've tried three different bore cleaners, 3:1 peroxide/vinegar mix (hazardous for iron if left soaking...), wood Q-tip sticks, bamboo skewers, and case mouths of brass cases and nothing really seems to work that well for anything other than the lightest lead deposits.

So I've decided to go with cleaning up the moulds while they are hot.

Is beeswax on a hot mold THAT much better than, say, wax bullet paraffin or other waxes or synthetic oil on a Q-tip for getting lead off? I don't think that the Three Amigos' SL-61 or 62 leftover lube chunk I have laying around would work that well. The extra I've tried as flux doesn't seem to flux that well...

[a.squibload]

Try a wood stick while the mold is hot, just scrape a little, should rub off.
I used to get smears on top where the sprue plate drags across.
A little hotter mold temp might fix that.

[220]

Noticed lead smears on one of my moulds last time I went to cast, tried the skewer and lead remover cloth, neither wanted to shift it.
Once it was up to temp I just ran a stream of lead over it from my bottom pour for 15sec with a tray to catch the run off and the smears were gone.

[Ickisrulz]

When I get smears, I slow down a little allowing a little more cool time. After a few cycles the lead smears disappear. For me, there is no need to find any alternate methods.

[montana_charlie]

With the mould good and hot, swipe the lead with a very damp (natural fiber) cloth ... coarse cloth, like between denim and burlap.

CM

[MtGun44]

Lube top of mold and bottom of sprue plate with BullPlate lube and
it clears up by itself in a casting session.

Bill

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I have successfully used the corner of an ingot from an RCBS or Lee ingot mold to rub a smear on the block tops or the underside of a sprue plate when cold or hot. When the corner gets too flat just change to another corner. The best preventative however is to watch the temp on the alloy and/or slow down a bit before the smear happens. LLS