Frankford arsenal mold release

[isaac0071]

Hi I'm new to casting has anyone used Frankford arsenal mold release.

[isaac0071]

Sorry I should of asked with the above question. Has anyone added a lock washer to the lee spruce cutter screw.

[LAH]

I use the mold release for mold storeage & sprue plate lube but not inside the cavities.

[bobthenailer]

I used some brand of spray mould release years ago that i got from Gil Hebbard guns ! a waste of money.

[LAH]

Agree with Bob. The only thing which should be needed to release the bullet is a tapping tool..

[isaac0071]

Thank you all for your help.

[DLCTEX]

A lock washer on the sprue plate screw would not work as it "bites" in one direction and will gall the sprue plate. A better fix is to drill and tap for a set screw into the side of the block to lock the plate screw. I got a tap and drill bit in a package from Ace Hardware for about five bucks and a hex socket screw (#8 I think) for .22 cents.

[MBTcustom]

Ah, this brings back painful memories of how I used to jack up my molds.
Please listen to this advice:
Your mold is a precision instrument. Don't put anything on, or in it, that you would not put on your calipers or micrometer.

[LenH]

Be careful with that stuff, it can make your boolits too small. That was one of my biggest mistakes and it is hard to remove from the cavity.

[Casting_40S&W]

Great for old rusty iron/steel molds, not needed on a precision machined aluminum mold. Simply smoke cavity with a wood match.

[jeepyj]

It can be a battle, Some moulds release with the greatest of ease some not so much. Sometimes you have to fiddle with the temperature for both the melt and the mould. As for the spray it's been my experience that it takes me a while to get the wrinkles back out when I get any into a cavity. I usually go outside and wash them down with brake-clean when I get a little oil in them.
Jeepyj

[docone31]

If your castings are hard to drop, then cast some with the sprue plate off and put a sheetrock screw down the sprue. Lightly coat with lapping compound and turn with a screw driver. Doesn't take much, doesn't remove much but it makes all the difference. All the residu comes out with casting. No smoking, no tricks, just cast away.

[Prospector Howard]

Midway mold release is a very misnamed product. If you spray that stuff inside a mold with vent lines you'll plug up the vent lines and then you'll have a hard time casting and not get wrinkled bullets. What it is good for is protecting the tops of aluminum molds from the steel sprue plate. If you take the sprue plate off before you start casting and spray the top and bottom of it with the mold release, the graphite puts a layer of protection and lubrication between the sprue plate and the top of the block. The sprue will fall off the sprue plate easier too.

[MBTcustom]

Great for old rusty iron/steel molds, not needed on a precision machined aluminum mold. Simply smoke cavity with a wood match.
No.
Simply quit putting janky stuff in your mold and cast with it with clean cavities. Smoking the mold is an old wives tale, and a bad practice that does nothing but mess up the surface finish and size of your boolits.
I would like to point out that we are casting molten metal and not adhesive or plastic. If your Boolits are sticking, your mold is not hot enough, or it was cut wrong and needs "leementing".
Regardless, smoking just coats the problem with carbon and you still have a problem. It's just fuzzy now.

[isaac0071]

Thanks for your advice I was just wondering why my spruce plate was cutting into the top of my mold. I lubed the spruce and pins with bees wax.

[MBTcustom]

Thanks for your advice I was just wondering why my spruce plate was cutting into the top of my mold. I lubed the spruce and pins with bees wax.

I feel I'm being mocked.
Yep, I'm definitely being mocked right here.
LOL!

[MBTcustom]

Seriously though, if you haven't read this sticky, you really should. You'll never use beeswax for a mould lube again.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?227043-Mould-lube
Love this stuff!

[MtGun44]

No need at all to smoke mold cavities or to add silly 'release agents'. As previously
stated, they make your boolits smaller and bigger is usually needed. Plus, they
are hard to remove once you see the light.

If the mold will not release, it is a burr - not a lack of some magical coating.

Beeswax or boolit lube are terrible mold lubes - burn into nasty guck that is
difficult to remove. Use Bull Plate lube from BullShop, VERY sparingly or
some of the mold makers are supplying similar lubes. Some use synthetic
2 stroke oil, but I have not tried it, sticking with BullPlate Lube. Leaves no
residue, a good lube.

Bill

[Moonie]

Actually I've found that using PC I can use the Frankford mold release to reduce the size of my boolits enough that bore riding boolits will chamber just fine after powder coating. I do not recommend the stuff otherwise however and agree with the rest of the guys here, it will only cover issues with the mold, fix those and you will not need release agents (unless you need to reduce the diameter intentionally due to an oversized mold)

[Hardcast416taylor]

Waaay back then when I was trying this & that for whatever reason in the hope of making casting easier I tried several better ways for boolet drop out. I tried the Midway mold spray method and a small bottle called "Mold Prep" by Rapine or some other company that I can`t remember. Anyway the findings I came to is that these "Helps" are not a help but are a problem in the offing. They put a coating in the boolet cavity that in effect makes for a smaller boolet cast. Next is they are a real pain to try to remove with anything short of sandpaper. Thirdly they will clog up vent lines by getting in them when applying the stuff causing wrinkles in the boolets. Finally they are expensive for being a not needed carbon fixative that is better served by a wood match and soot the cavity if indeed it even needs this step.Robert

[WALLNUTT]

I do use the old NEI mold prep on my iron/steel molds. But only on the outside and on the sprue plate not in the cavities.I apply it with a Qtip.

[ubetcha]

I had a problem with the sprue plates scarring my LEE moulds also. So what I have done was , remove the plate and work it smooth on a sharpening stone. Then slightly radius all the edges. Drill and tap the side of the moulds for a set screw to lock the sprue plate screw from moving.

[WALLNUTT]

ubetcha ubetcha

[Hardline]

Frankford Arsenal mold release makes a noticeable difference in keeping lead from soldering to the faces and top of the mold. Moly-Dri Lube Plus from Certified Labs works even better. It's more necessary for casting machine molds then hand cast molds as you want to be able to run for hours without having to clean the molds. It will take .0005-.001" off the bullet diameter depending on how thick of a coat you apply. Acetone removes it from the mold very nicely. As far as making bullets drop from the mold easier we've never noticed any difference from the moly, and the other replies are more relevant for that.

[MGnoob]

It's more necessary for casting machine molds then hand cast molds as you want to be able to run for hours without having to clean the molds. It will take .0005-.001" off the bullet diameter depending on how thick of a coat you apply.


I have to agree with hardline. Also others who say it's a miss-named product.

I am going more and more fond of the stuff with my ballisticast mark X.If the projectile are having trouble dropping you have other problems that this product won't address.I use it everywhere other than the cavities, and sparingly on the faces/ventlines..When an autocast is running you can hear if a sprue is being trouble some on one perticulater mold in the set. You can spray it near the sprue bolt and the 2 points on the autocast sprue that contact the "posts".It make a huge difference when used properly, and carefully spayed so it only gets on the molds and not everything else.. I try to make sure all sprue have even pressure/tightening.

I don't really remove it.. i soak all my molds for a very short period in hoppes #9 solvent and would never go near the mold faces with anything other than a wooden toothpick or pencil eraser. when done i wipe as much of the #9 off as possible and wash them off with break free and store that way... I worry overusing or storing the #9 will pit the cavities with time. i think it far more likely i'll wear out the molds before it will be an issue though.

As far as the lockwasher......that's not the right thing for the job.. You wan't one or several "Belleville Spring Lock Washers" like these from mcmaster carr. http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/120/3236/=txct0d

*edit* it can help with the sprue waste sticking to the sprue.. although i'd rather clean this area than keep adding the stuff there.. too much can cause problems and it has tendency to wind up in the cavity spraying it there.