First damaged mold - gentle help please

[aviator41]

I'm new to casting but my wife is even newer (and just as hooked). We've been throwing 358 125gr rnfp bullets from a 6 cavity Lee mold. We've cast several thousand bullets with great success.

We are getting great accuracy, mild reports and easy handling for our younger CAS shooter who is 13. After putting a few miles on the mold, it started sticking so a very light toothpaste lap was in order and got us up and running. During inspection, we noticed that the base lines on the mold that meet up at the sprue plate is nicked and dented in many places. There are a few rounded corners and we are now developing less-thant-acceptable bullets out of these molds.

The nicks and suck are very small, I'm thinking that decking the mold on the milling machine might be able to fix that, but I have one real problem cavity. I managed to touch the base of the mold with a screw, essentially leaving a nipple on every bullet cast from this cavity. It's my fault I screwed it up.

So, how would one go about fixing this problem? Mill a trough for a pin to make up the new top of the bullet mold? Give up on the cavity and not cast with it?

Finally, I've noticed that the sprue plate doesn't always want to sit flush to the mold. It takes a little tweak on the sprue screw to get rid of the tails that the mold is throwing.

So we've lost consistency. The only way we can throw all good bullets is to fill 4 of the six cavities. Mold like this: (1 2 3 4 5 6 ==handles) we fill 3,4,5 and 6. 2 is jacked up and one will never get up to temp, so we don't use it without the @2 hole.

Advice? I know that these problems are caused by an amateur caster, I want to know how to get this mold 100% in service and casting great bullets again. Be gentle on a new guy.

[Love Life]

The easiest way I can think of is to saw it in half and buy a NOE!!!

[jmort]

Several thousand Boolits, you got your money's worth. I recommend the ACE replacement sprue plates and cams for the molds which are in the group buy section. Get a new mold or send it back to Lee precision and they will sell you a new one for half price. That is a most useful Boolit.

[Mk42gunner]

Read through the Leementing sticky thread, that may give you some ideas.

For myself, I have noticed that my Lee six cavity molds perform best when I close the sprue fully, but do not touch the sprue lever while filling.

Worse comes to worse, you can use it as a four cavity.

What does a stock Lee six cavity cost now, some thing like $40.00? Buy another one and a set of handles and you can make a lot of boolits in a short amount of time.

Robert

[zuke]

Is it still casting properly but for some cosmetic flaw's?

[DLCTEX]

I have repaired a screw dent in a mould by using a center punch to raise the metal and close off the dent. The center punch will push metal to the side. I don't quiet understand the sprue plate problem, but wonder if drilling and tapping a set screw for the hold down bolt would allow you to back off the bolt and hold the adjustment with the set screw. If the sprue plate is warped, level it with sanding on a flat surface or replace it.

[country gent]

The screw ding may be causing most of the problems, dings dont ussually remove any metal but relocate it and cause raised areas. Lay a flat plate on top of the mold and see if you can see light thru the joint. If you do slowly work over the high spots with a small radioused faced flat punch and light hammer just tapping lightly. Same around the cacity with good magnification llook for raised metal and slowly move it back where it belongs. As to the top remove sprue plate and very lightly polish the mating surfaces on a flat surface with very light pressure and 600-800 grit sand paper and a water or a very light oil to keep paper from loading up. A light polish on the sprue plate will remove any burrs or dings scoring the mold. Work slow and easy. a qutip pulled along edges will show raised metal.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

From my personal experience from damaging a Lee mold or two early on in my casting career, unless you are a machinist, I found that trying to 'fix' a aluminum boolit mold led to disaster.

I've noticed that the sprue plate doesn't always want to sit flush to the mold. It takes a little tweak on the sprue screw to get rid of the tails that the mold is throwing.

I'm not sure what kind of 'tweak' you are doing...but once a alum sprue plate warps, (usually from over heating), I doubt there is no real way to bring it 'back' permenantly.

I'd suggest it's time for a New mold.

[HeavyMetal]

I'll add that a few pic's, whenever possible, help clear up descriptions of problems as well as let us see what it really is.

The Lee molds are a little more fragile than steel or brass but most small issue can be fixed.

Of course the real question is what was a screw doing near a mold cavity?

It sound like most of your problems can be cured with adjustments to the sprue plate and top of mold but again without a visual it's just a guess.

[aviator41]

So here are a few photos. While taking these, I've realized why the sprue plate doesn't sit flush. I've had to make a sprue plate handle for this most, the handle has pushed on the mold so many times, that it's left a ridge that the sprue plate is now riding on. see photos.

So here's where the handle is bulging the mold
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv234/aviator4/20140524_112440_zpsymc5ml5f.jpg

you can see where the sprue plate is wearing by riding on this bulge
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv234/aviator4/20140524_112502_zps1sij5bl0.jpg

cavity 2nd from the left is where the 'nipple' is. It was created by running a screw too deep into a bullet to use as a lapping tool. the cavity is 'dirty' because we're not using it anymore.
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv234/aviator4/20140524_112415_zps8ovp48bl.jpg

Here's the top of the mold. you can see nicks and dents at the lips of some of the cavities.
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv234/aviator4/20140524_112905_zps7feh445c.jpg

Here you can see galling at the sprue plate hinge bolt. tightening this bolt helped some with the tails.

http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv234/aviator4/20140524_112452_zpswxfzzqyf.jpg

[azrednek]

The simple fix, send it to Lee with 50% of the retail price and get a new one. A few bucks cheaper than buying one new online.

I've cast thousands of the Lee 125 RNF. Use it both 9MM and 38 Special, it is one of my favorites. Some time in the future I want to try it with a hard alloy, flat base aluminum gas checks and hop it up in 357.

[yondering]

I think the bigger concern should be - why are your mold cavities getting nicked and dented? Mold blocks need to be handled more carefully than that; when used correctly that mold should have lasted years and years, not just a couple thousand bullets.

One thing that's obvious from your pictures - whatever you're using as a sprue plate lube isn't working. Locate some good sprue plate lube from Mihec or NOE, or try AC ester oil or 2-stroke synthetic oil. Running the mold dry results in a lot of the damage your mold has.

[Bent Ramrod]

The bump on top of the one cavity and the little fin on the base of the other should go away when you put them through your sizer/lubricator. A flat top punch will squish the bump to nothing and the sizer die will shear or iron the fins off. A little file work should take care of the ridge where the sprue plate rises up.

Have you tried prepping the mould before casting as the Lee instructions direct? Aluminum is going to gall on top when rubbed against about anything and a coating of soot or Mould Prep will at least reduce this tendency.

If you are actually seeing real differences in grouping on a 15 or 25 yard target caused by these little pocks and dings in your castings, your family are already better pistol shots than about 95% of the country.

[Mk42gunner]

Actually that doesn't look as bad as your first description made it sound. I think you can fix it, if you are at all handy with tools.

As Bent Ramrod said the bump should flatten out if you are using a Lyman type lubrisizer.

This link to Buckshot's Lee six cavity thread is probably better than the Leementing thread, for your purposes:http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?4790-This-is-a-Lee-6-cavity-mould

I would use a file to clean up the top edge of the mold, where the cam lever has beaten it up, then install a steel screw for it to cam against.

Robert

[aviator41]

Right now I'm not running them through a sizer as they are dropping at .358 exactly so I'm just lubing with LLA and having good results, no leading and good accuracy. Since I'm not running them through a sizer, the tails and imperfections affect the ability to load the bullets into the brass without bulging the case. If I don't catch them before they're loaded, I end up with rounds that won't chamber. CAS target are MUCH closer than 25 yards. Accuracy isn't a problem.

I do understand that I need to use a better lube mold.I followed the lee prep instructions and have been lubing with beeswax per the instructions. It doesn't seem to be working worth a flip.I've also tried sooting with wood, wax candles and a kerosine wick with the results you see. I have some synthetic 2 cycle oil I will try.

I've learned a LOT about how to treat a mold, how gentle these aluminum blocks need to be handled and how carefully thew halves needs to be brought together so prevent this. I was more concerned with keeping safe around the lead. It was my mistake and this mold is the result.

The steel screw is a great idea. I think I'll install a set screw for the cam to rub on. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

[Pb2au]

As mentioned earlier, don't discount Lee help out. Give them a call and ask them what they an do for you. I'll be willing to bet that they will be very willing to help.

[HeavyMetal]

That mold has been rode hard and put away wet!

Not going to do much with that screw damaged cavity, a slight milling of the top of the mold and installing a steel screw for the cam lever to press against will save the rest of that mold.

As for lubing a mold, Lee hasn't a clue! Use the 2 stroke oil, sparingly, on all piviot points a needle oiler is called for here.

600 to 900 grit sandpaper, used wet will smooth up the bottom of the sprue plate.

What caused the problem was cutting your sprue too soon and dragging lead burrs across the top of the mold, scaring it.

[35remington]

Yep. That mould has been beat pretty hard when it was used. I've some with way more miles on them than yours that that look like they have way, way less miles than yours. Some lube like sold by sources here is helpful, and you need to be more gentle than your were, as the signs of ham handedness are everywhere on this particular mould.

Sink a screw in the block where the sprue cam bears agains the blocks to provide a harder surface for the cam to pivot against. Not a big deal.

[aviator41]

Not gonna make excuses. Yes, I feel I've destroyed the mold. I'm learning from zero knowledge so it's gonna happen.

I will give Lee a call next week, see if they're willing to give me a hand. If they don't, I won't blame them. this one is all on me.

[HeavyMetal]

Hey I wasn't down on you, sorry if it sounded that way.

A lot of us started out with no help and blundered our way here, LOL!

I've broken a few things along the way, just never a mold....yet.

Yours isn't dead it just needs help, if your going to swap it in to Lee ya get a new mold for half price. If ya keep it ya get "Life Experience" which is priceless.

A win either way and you learned something.

Next mold see Lee menting, Both Buckshot's and the other one in the sticky's and prep the mold before you cast.

My tip is use two molds and a hot plate: this gives you a rotation while casting keeps the molds hot but allows cool down of the sprue to minimize galling on the top of the mold.

Keep asking questions thats how we all got here.

[TXGunNut]

You got a lot of good use and education out of this mould, time for a new one. Read the mould prep thread above to make the new one run better and last longer. If after all that the young'n still outshoots you it's all on you, we tried. ;-)

[aviator41]

I certainly appreciate all the advice. No apologies necessary! It was certainly rode hard and put up wet, there's no doubt! I do have another mold on the way, it's the 105gr 38 mold. I currently have a 230gr 45 mold currently and a Lee REAL 50 cal. mold, but neither of those have been used much. Good thing too, as I would have probably damaged them like I did this one.

I will spend this evening reading through the threads mentioned to see what I need to do to keep from ruining them. Good thing is I have almost a thousand ready to go from this mold and all is not lost, I will try to clean this one up and get a second ordered. Hot plates are easy to come by, so I'll pick one of those up as well. Honestly, I was under the assumption that these molds were much tougher than they are. Lessons hard learned. At least it wasn't a one-off custom steel mold that cost hundreds!

What procedure (or sticky) do you recommend using with the two mold method?

Also, is an infrared point-and-shoot non-contact thermometer accurate enough to measure molten lead temperature? I'm currently using a high-temp thermometer built into a nice ammeter I own and would like a better way to maintain temperatures in the pot. My concern is that it would just measure surface temps, but the lead at the base of the pot would be very d

I've thought about picking up a PID and using it to maintain temperatures, but i've not looked into the project too far yet. I can tell you I'm not happy with the temp control that is built into the lee pot I'm using. Maybe I'm straying too far off the topic of this thread . . .

[HeavyMetal]

The issue with the point and shoot temp guns are they don't work well on shiny surfaces, guess how I know this,LOL!

But you can float a dirty piece of steel on the melt and shoot that for an accurate temp.

However I feel a standard Lyman lead thermometer works as good as any and better than most, just wear a good leather glove dip and hold for a reading then pull it out and set it aside.

Most of us started out with out a thermometer, bought one and use it as a guideline. To many here think the lead needs to stay with in 2 or 3 degree's of a certain temp but I haven't felt the need to be that picky. I've found anywhere between 720 and 750 works great and the pot will get hotter and cooler as the alloy level drops and raises.

Spend your money on lead and powder! As you get better you can get a good electronic scale and sort castings by weight, which is another thread for another time.

I have posted a couple times how I use two 6 cavity Lee's but no sticky to my knowledge, Try searching my posts ya might get lucky and find them or PM me and I'll bore ya that way.

[azrednek]

The temp can vary from the bottom of the pot to the top. The infrared will tell you how hot it is on top but if you're using a bottom pour pot you will not an accurate reading. Some are going to disagree as heat rises but I have seen a different reading using both the gauge and infrared tool.

The difference might or might not be critical. I prefer the gauge especially when I'm melting clip-ons making sure the temperature at the bottom next to the heating coil remains below zinc's melting point. The infrared tool is handy for measuring your mold's temp and letting you know if your air cooled castings can be handled.

Another consideration of the different reading from my two gauges. My infrared tool is a Harbor Freight cheapie. My Lyman gauge I have 100% confidence with and it never gives me an "ERR" reading.

[yondering]

I do understand that I need to use a better lube mold.I followed the lee prep instructions and have been lubing with beeswax per the instructions. It doesn't seem to be working worth a flip.I've also tried sooting with wood, wax candles and a kerosine wick with the results you see. I have some synthetic 2 cycle oil I will try.


That makes sense. Only use a tiny bit of 2 cycle oil though; just barely enough to dampen a q-tip is enough for the whole mold.

Just FYI, soot is useful for better mold fillout, but it is not a release agent or a lubricant, as you found out. Also, if you use soot for fillout, don't use a wood, wax, or kerosene flame; gas flame only, generally from a bic lighter. The others can deposit wax or oils on the mold, and be counterproductive.

[aviator41]

Well I spent the afternoon working on this mold. I did a very light face sanding on the top of the mold (base of the bullets) to remove the high spots, galling and the bulge near where the sprue cutter presses against the mold, then did the same on the side of the mold where the sprue cutter actually pushes to get a square face. I then beveled each outside corner and did a light sanding on the sprue plate itself to smooth out high spots and square it up.

I then added the hardened screw as detailed in one of the posts I was pointed to, making sure that it was flush with the side of the mold and that the underside of the head was evenly touching the relieved hole in the mold.

During reassembly I used a q-tip dipped in 2-cycle oil and squeezed until almost totally dry. surfaces of each bolt got a light coating, each spring washer was re-formed, then heat treated and relieved. the sprue plate was lubed where it slides against the mold was lubed as were the handled.

I carefully removed any high spots on the mating surfaces of each half of the mold, then cleaned the cavities with brake cleaner and a new toothbrush. There was nothing I could do to make save the one cavity I screwed up with a screw, so I'm just leaving it. a very VERY gentle lapping using a set of freshly cast bullets, then another cleaning with brake cleaner and the toothbrush and it was time.

I started casting boolits using the inside 4 cavities, leaving the outside two empty. First couple of drops were junk (as to be expected) but then it started making very nice bullets. They dropped from the mold without tapping, or shaking most of the time. They just dropped free and looked great.

Thanks for all the help from everyone! Lessons hard learned, but learned none the less.

[AlaskanGuy]

I think you did good, and learned well...

:)

[Old Caster]

I am going to guess that most of your problems were not from being too rough but being too fast. If your sprue ever breaks or crumbles when you open the mold, it is because you are not giving the mold enough time to cool before opening it. This will cause molten lead to smear on the top of the mold and bottom of the sprue plate and make the plate have a gap because the lead smear is holding it up. It is difficult to clean that off of an aluminum mold too. The first thing that will wear out on one of these molds is the sprue plate where it hits the cam lever and there is a guy that sells them on the group buy site that are made out of better materials which will last much longer.

[aviator41]

Thank you. I will check them out.

Speed could have been the reason. I was trying to bump production on a saturday afternoon when issues started cropping up.

[yondering]

On that bad #2 cavity - if cavities 3-6 are hot enough to cast with, #1 will also be hot enough. Aluminum transfers heat very well, so the blocks won't stay cold at one end. If it were me, I'd probably cast with all 6 cavities, and just sort out the bad ones from #2. If you can get one to stick in that cavity and stay there, just cast the other 5 normally.

[aviator41]

I was under the assumption that leaving a completed bullet in that cavity could lead to problems getting a good, solid seal between the halves as the bullet will deform over time,

Cavity #1 is still dropping good bullets, but it's sticky so I'm not going to mess with it. I'm okay with 4 cavities making good boolits, so I think I'm just going to leave well enough alone and keep using it as it is.

[Blammer]

try turning the sprue plate around, not sure if the bolt holes are the same but it may help.

[aviator41]

Not sure what you mean by "turn it around" - the bolt holes will line up, but there is only one slot milled in it. If I turn it around I can't close the plate all the way.

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Aviator41: You're not alone. My first Lee mold (452-200-SWC) looks about that bad. Glad I made those mistakes on a $40 mold and not a $100+ one. BTW, the mold I'm speaking of drops ugly bullets. But they still shoot sub 2" at 20 and sub 5" at 50. Not going to win me many contests, but no terrible either.

[Blammer]

Not sure what you mean by "turn it around" - the bolt holes will line up, but there is only one slot milled in it. If I turn it around I can't close the plate all the way.

Ok, the hinge pin and the stop pin on the top of the mould. Can you swap them?

these that are circled

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=106252&d=1401214401

[aviator41]

Ah! Yes, I see what you mean now. Yes, they could be swapped.

[Blammer]

I'd do it and ALSO research about putting a screw where the sprue handle pushes against the mould.

I would also NOT cast any bullets until the mould is HOT so you won't have to gorilla arm the sprue open on cold sprues. :)

[Blammer]

like this

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=lee+6+cavity+mould+picture&qpvt=lee+6+cavity+mould+picture&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=5BCB954376E736E133A8DB397F2A87FFC0F2872B&selectedIndex=32

[aviator41]

Already put a screw in it like that. Did that this weekend and it works great. The mold is throwing good bullets now. Instead of throwing 6 it throws 4, that's all (it could throw 5 but it's no biggie). If it starts getting bad again, I will look at swapping the sprue plate. For now, I'm up and running again.

[Red River Rick]

Those LEE moulds can be troublesome at times.

Best fix is to stand your mould on top of a fence post with the cavitiy side facing you and the sprue plate off. Then try to re-insert a bullet into each cavity at about 1000 fps from 20 feet away.

That usually takes care of the problem.

RRR

[aviator41]

My 105gr 358 mold arrived today so I decided to prepare it to the "T" using the instructions here. Being a smaller mold, I knew it would have to be extra hot to fill out

So I washed the mold thoroughly with soap and HOT water, as hot as I can get it.
I then blow dry the molds using compressed air
Then, using 2-cycle oil, I sparingly lube the moving parts, keeping it out of the cavities
Then I let the mold heat up on the pot, with a final corner dip to finish the heat-up.
After casting a couple molds worth, I'm making great bullets that drop on their own from the mold.

They shiny and have clean crisp corners.

I will be much more gentle with this mold!

[aviator41]

Something interesting that caught my eye last night:

When I cast, I wear a set of welders gloves. They're lightweight gloves that I use to Tig with, but they are dirty - very dirty - which is why they were retired from the Tig station. At one point, I though I saw a piece of lead stuck to the face of the mold. As I began reaching for it, it hit me. I was reaching for a 500 plus degree mold with an oily, dirty glove. just touching the face of the mold with these gloves would cause a transfer and baking-on of oil grease and grime, causing more problems than I could have potentially solved.

I stopped, took the gloves off and changed over to a brand new set of Lincoln welding gloves, just in case I came in contact with the face of the mold. (turns out what I thought was a spec of lead was a hard water stain)

I cast about 100 good boolits from this mold (and about 50 bad bullets!), being as gentle as possible and cleaning (with brake cleaner and a nylon bristle brush) and inspecting as I went. I never let the mold halves slam together and paid close attention to fill-out and sprue lever position. I had to run my pot close to 775 - 800 degrees and had to soot the cavities with a butane lighter and keep a faster than normal cadence before I started getting crisp bullets that had no wrinkles, watching for mold overheating and sprue smearing. I took several breaks to let the mold cool slightly and to put more lead in the pot and bring it to temp, flux etc. Eventually it started dropping crisp, clean bullets without the need for sooting. Just open the mold and out the came with a little shake!

When I was done, I let the mold cool to room temp, then disassembled and washed it with soap and water again to remove any soot that was left over on the faces, blew the mold out with compressed air and re-oiled the pins hinges and the top of the mold with 2-cycle oil very sparingly. There was no galling, but I did get a few streaks on the top of the mold from the sprue plate, but they're not deep. just aggravating.

So question: as I was casting my first few rounds, I noticed I was getting bases that were pock marked. I'm assuming that this is coming from the 2-cycle oil since the bottom of the sprue plate picks some up as it is closed. I kept on casting until I had smooth bases with a sharp sprue cut and no wrinkles. Is my assumption that this is essentially base contamination from the sprue plate oil correct? am I using too much?

I'm dipping the TIP of a q-tip in the oil, then squeezing out as much as I can so that only the smallest, thinnest film is left when I swab the mold parts (pins, sockets, sprue plate hinge, mold top and handle hinge) trying to be very aware of not getting it into the cavities.

[lesharris]

We all start somewhere. I have ruined several Lee molds also.
Nice part is Lee has good customer service. Send it back with a check and try again all lover.
You have to love the system.

[Blammer]

yep pock marks are from teh sprue plate oil. IMO should only need to oil the nut/bolt where hings the sprue.

Hone the edge of the sprue plate that contacts the block, that should help, make sure your sprue is not too tight when opening or closing as that will gall it also.

[yondering]

So question: as I was casting my first few rounds, I noticed I was getting bases that were pock marked. I'm assuming that this is coming from the 2-cycle oil since the bottom of the sprue plate picks some up as it is closed. I kept on casting until I had smooth bases with a sharp sprue cut and no wrinkles. Is my assumption that this is essentially base contamination from the sprue plate oil correct? am I using too much?

I'm dipping the TIP of a q-tip in the oil, then squeezing out as much as I can so that only the smallest, thinnest film is left when I swab the mold parts (pins, sockets, sprue plate hinge, mold top and handle hinge) trying to be very aware of not getting it into the cavities.

Sounds like you're doing it OK, although I wipe most of it back off again with the other end of the q-tip. Also, I lube the mold when it's hot. Cut the sprue, but leave the blocks closed with bullets in the cavities, then apply the lube. The next cast or two may have pock-marked bases, but they're still shooters and should clear up in a couple casts.

[HeavyMetal]

I've used the 2 stroke oil but it really isn't up to my speed and I do get some "traveling" of it as I cast.

Years ago I tired an unusual product anti-sieze / never-sieze as a mold lube.

Read the tube and be amazed at how much heat it will survive!

So for me a new mold , or a clean up on an old one, gets anti sieze applied to pivot points and the sprue plate where the pivot bolt goes through. Just like 2 stroke oil you can over do it and a little of this stuff goes a long long way!

Up side is it doesn't run, at least not for me, and provides a good lube for a mold.

On the Lee six banger thats sprue plate Pivot area, cam pivot bolt, tip of cam where it contacts the steel screw you put in, and a very little bit in each align pin area.

Do this after you clean the mold with both Brake parts cleaner and Dawn dishwash soap in boiling water ( boil the mold halves while they are apart for upgrade!)

I have also found that Lee's do not like being tinkered with constantly, once Lee- mented leave them be unless you have a problem. So cast, let them cool, down then put them away as is.

They won't rust but do store them in an airtight container, like an old ammo box with seal intact and add a mositure absorbing material to the contents as well.

Some day you'll have both steel and brass molds store them the same way and do not oil them ( steel anyway) it only makes them harder to use next time around!

I'm sure you already know this but I'll add it just in case: pre heat your mold on top of your casting furnace if you can, electric pots are easy to do this with. Or buy a cheap coil exposed hot plate,add a 1/4 to 5/16 thick steel plate to the top of it and set it for just under medium after you turn on your casting furnace, this will bring your mold up to speed at just about the same time you alloy is ready to go.

[yondering]

I've had to clean up several Lee molds that were "lubed" with anti-seize, that were badly galled under the sprue plate pivot. I won't use it on my molds.

That said, I use Bullplate, not 2-stroke oil. Some guys are using AC ester oil, that is supposed to travel less than 2-stroke oil.

[aviator41]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll pass on the anti-seize. I use to on things like Lug Nuts and exhaust manifolds, but couldn't see using it on a soft lee aluminum mold. While it will keep threads from seizing up, there really are no anti-galing properties - at least not in the stuff I use.

I like the idea of honing the edge of the sprue plate. I may it that with a medium stone to take the edge off. With the exception of the pock marks on the bases of the bullets, they came out great. I wasn't too worried about them. I'd much rather keep the mold in excellent condition and deal with the pock marks than ruin another mold. Besides, at the ranges we're shooting those little imperfections make zero difference. We even shoot mildly wrinkled bullets without problems.

Next purchase for me will be a lube-sizer. that is a whole different post though.

[yondering]

Next purchase for me will be a lube-sizer. that is a whole different post though.

Or buy an extra toaster oven instead, and powder coat your bullets. The process is basically the same as using Lee tumble lube, but with baking instead of waiting for them to dry. Better results too, and no more leading whatsoever, not even a lead wash in the bore. It's so easy to do, I haven't lubed a bullet since figuring out the powder coating.

[aviator41]

Have been reading about the PC. I've powder coated parts for ATV's and other projects but have since sold my equipment. I understand it''s gotten cheaper since I last messed with it. Could be an interesting direction.

I do like the matte black PC'd bullets I've seen.

[yondering]

You don't need any powder coating equipment for bullets, just shake-n-bake, like tumble lubing. My writeup here: http://10mm-firearms.com/reloading-10mm-ammo/goodbye-bullet-lube-goodbye-leading/

Don't use matte colors, you want high gloss.