Alcohol To Clean New Lee Molds

[forrest-hunter]

Can I use plain alcohol to clean new lee molds - do I still need to smoke them after cleaning

[longbow]

Personally I do not tend to clean new moulds other than a wipe down with a rag or paper towel. However, most folks do a thorough cleaning and nothing wrong with doing that.

I do not think alcohol would be adequate to remove any petroleum based oils from a mould though. Varsol or mineral spirits, brake cleaner, degreaser, or some use dish soap with Dawn being a favourite. I have used mineral spirits and brake cleaner in the past. Both worked fine and took any remaining oils off the moulds.

So simple answer, if you want to throughly clean the mould your best bet is mineral spirits or Dawn dish soap and scrub with a toothbrush. Brake cleaners and degreasers will work too but they both have some pretty hazardous chemicals in them.

Once clean you should use some sprue plate lube SPARINGLY under the sprue plate, on sprue plate pivot screw and alignment pins. Then before casting pre-heat the mould to near the melted alloy temperature. Don't overheat the mould though. I pre-heat until the sprue plate lube just starts to smoke which is a bit hotter than you need but after a few casts the mould settles to the right temperature.

You should not need a mould release or to smoke the mould. If boolits do not drop out easily or with a light tap to the handle pivot then there are likely burrs on the edges of the cavities. Take a cotton swab and drag it around the edges of the cavities and if fibers pull out there are burrs. If so read the Lee-menting sticky. Pretty easy to fix.

I hope that helps.

Longbow

[bangerjim]

IF..................you MUST clean them alcohol will NOT dissolve manufacturing oils & grease. Laq thinner and then HOT soapy water. Same thing to remove grease lubes B4 powder coating them! Do not use brake cleaner, as it can/will contain TCE which is not good for you!

I, like longbow, do not clean my molds at all! Never have, never will. They cast perfect wrinkle-free boolits the 1st time because I heat them to full casting temp on a hot plate. Cold molds & cold lead make wrinkles.......not grease or oil in the cavities. Many thousands cast that way by yours truly.

And I DO smoke all my mold when they are new with a BEESWAX candle, not a regular one or a BIC lighter. Beeswax makes a finer smoke akin to a "lazy" acetylene flame.

But if you must clean them, have at it.

Lube as said above. I use 2 cycle motor oil (the blue stuff from WalMart). A drop on the hinges is all you need.

Have fun casting! And find what casting methods works best for your needs.

Heaven knows, there are enough opinions about this on here to fill Noah's ark.

bangerjim

[Duster340]

I dip mine in hot boiling water w/some Dawn dishwashing liquid then swish em around and swab the cavities with Q-tips. I smoke them the first time I use them (Just because that's what Lee suggests LOL!). In any case they drop perfect boolits every time. Like longbow & bangerjim note, a bit of lube, heat em well, make sure lead's up to temp and have a ball forest-hunter.
Be well

[13Echo]

Like Longbow I like a toothbrush and dish washing soap with hot water. Heat the blocks with hot water from the tap, apply soap to the brush and have at it. Rinse and repeat. Wipe off with a dry paper towel and preheat the mould so all water is gone (really cuts down on excitement to have a dry mould). I preheat the mould on a hot plate with a bit of tin folded to hold it off the coils about a quarter inch with a small box of tin covering everything to hold in the heat. A BBQ thermometer monitors the temp in the box which I like around 450*f. I'll also give the mould a lite smoking if it doesn't start making good bullets almost immediately.

Alcohol doesn't work well. Brake cleaner is hazardous. Soap and water is quick, easy, cheap, and safe.

When finished I wipe the blocks to get rid of the smoking and any crud and then wipe down with a lightly oily rag.

Jerry Liles

[cuzinbruce]

Acetone or lacquer thinner are what I use to clean molds. If you choose to smoke them, use a butane lighter, not a candle. There is grease or something in the soot from a candle. Smoke from the lighter is dry. I usually only smoke them if they are a problem getting to fill out. Usually long bullets, like a 250 grain for 35 caliber. I think the soot (carbon) acts as an insulation and keeps the lead molten longer.

[bangerjim]

Acetone or lacquer thinner are what I use to clean molds. If you choose to smoke them, use a butane lighter, not a candle. There is grease or something in the soot from a candle. Smoke from the lighter is dry. I usually only smoke them if they are a problem getting to fill out. Usually long bullets, like a 250 grain for 35 caliber. I think the soot (carbon) acts as an insulation and keeps the lead molten longer.

That is why I said I use a beeswax candle and NOT a greasy paraffin candle. The beeswax seems to be more like acetylene smoke as I said above......fine texture and not greasy.

And I only smoke them the 1st time. That is all that is needed.

bangerjim

[williamwaco]

Break cleaner or if you don't have any 409 and a toothbrush.

smoking is rarely necessary.