Should i smoke it?

[shootzemm58]

Have always used aluminum moulds. That said i got a Lyman 225646/55gr/gc and i`m having a problem the inner cavity not dropping the bullet, hell, i`ve got to pry it out. No problem with the outer cavity. I`ve checked it with a magnifying glass and found nothing to speak of. Should i smoke it? Are their mold release agents for iron moulds? All help appreciated.

[georgerkahn]

On occasion I, too, get boolits hangin' in the mould. Yes re mold release agents, ranging from one Brownell's purveys to simple silicone; and just about as many formulas as their are persons who use them...even Kroil. I've read that Mike Venturino keeps a butane lighter handy for smoking -- matches do have wax in their mixture, so by the time that's burnt off there's not too much matchstick left without you burning your fingers... Yes, the butane lighter works well. I once had an RCBS iron mould which would almost alternate which boolit stuck for about the first 500 boolits. Then -- magic? -- they started dropping beautifully. I've been TOLD, by caster-friends, that timing plays a bit, too. As the boolit cools/solidifies it changes it's overall size, to afford dropping ease, dependent upon the mix of lead/tin/antimony in your pot. Also, how "clean" (well-fluxed) your mix is. In a nutshell, I'm not learned enough to provide you a succinct answer. But, hopefully, food for a few ideas and thoughts. Casting surely is not a boring endeavor. One last thought might be to change -- from inner to outer, or the other way -- you're filling your mould; interesting if the "other" cavity begins sticking after this switch?
BEST
georgerkahn

[JSnover]

Scrub it with q-tips. Then check to see if the edges of the cavities pulled any fuzz. It probably needs de-burred.

[mrbill2]

Try it. It won't hurt anything. You can clean it off if it don't work.

[zuke]

Try it. It won't hurt anything. You can clean it off if it don't work.

:goodpost:

[bangerjim]

I smoke all my molds.....always have......always will. ONLY ONCE when they are new.

Your problem may be deeper. Inspect the cavity(s) VERY closely and feel with your fingertips (best tool you can find!) for any dings or burrs that will hold the slug in the cavity. I have seen that before. A touch-up with a Q tip and a bit of abrasive (very fine) will polish it and should solve your problem. Some use a Dremel, but that can be too aggresive in my book.

Hope you find your problem!

banger

[Ben]

They won't stick after they get this treatment :

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?47669-More-quot-Lee-Lementing-quot

[MtGun44]

Never found smoking to anything besided make the mold dirty. A sticky
mold has problems with burrs that smoke will not help.

Waste of time. Also slightly reduced cast diameter, almost never helpful.

I NEVER smoke a mold now that I know something about it. Did it a lot
when I was still learning.

Bill

[Maven]

"...I got a Lyman 225646/55gr/gc and I'm having a problem the inner cavity not dropping the bullet, hell, I've got to pry it out. No problem with the outer cavity. I've checked it with a magnifying glass and found nothing to speak of. Should i smoke it? Are their mold release agents for iron moulds?" ...shootzemm58

Bangerjim & Ben's advice should be heeded. That said, let me say that (a) smoking helps some molds cast better, but it doesn't eliminate rough edges around the cavities or venting issues; (b) I too smoke most of my molds, but found that certain ones, LBT's particularly, cast better without it. As for your recalcitrant Lyman mold, you can try spinning a new, but slightly oversized copper bore brush (in an electric drill) in the rear cavity for ~30sec. in each direction. Scrub/degrease the mold, smoke it, and then try casting with it again. If there's no improvement, follow the aforementioned advice. Btw, Comet cleanser + ATF make a nice polishing compound if you lack the stuff Ben mentioned.

[shootzemm58]

My thanks to all of you for replying to help the new(to the site)guy. I`ve bookmarked the thread and will explore each suggestion/experience. @georgerkahn, it would be interesting if pouring inside then out made a difference. Comet and ATF i have and the wife says we aren`t going anywhere Xmas day! Will post my findings.

[dubber123]

Never found smoking to anything besided make the mold dirty. A sticky
mold has problems with burrs that smoke will not help.

Waste of time. Also slightly reduced cast diameter, almost never helpful.



I NEVER smoke a mold now that I know something about it. Did it a lot
when I was still learning.


Bill

************************************************** *********************************************

This exactly mirrors my personal experience.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Yup, I never smoke my molds. But, everyone has their own way of casting.

[white eagle]

Should i smoke it?
might be hard to keep lit.........sorry couldn't help myself

[gunoil]

Ya mama told ya not to smoke.

Alrite, l use mold release from jerry & donnie miculek:
bayoubullets.net

http://www.bayoubullets.net/

[tazman]

Should i smoke it?
might be hard to keep lit.........sorry couldn't help myself

I'm glad you posted that. I have been resisting that for 2 days and now I don't have to.

[leadman]

Check to make sure the base of the boolit is not hanging over the top of the mold. It takes very little on a 22 cal. boolit to make it hang.

[shootzemm58]

Christmas morning i went out to the shop and gathered up the recommended supplies to solve the wont drop problem. Under strong light and a hand magnifier i spotted a problem right off, A chip of missing metal, right at the edge of the meplat on the left side mold. It`s irregular in shape, kind of comma shaped, maybe 1/32nd long yet shallow, funny thing is it doesn`t show up on a bullet. But while i was at it i continued the inspection and found the air vents(?) clogged flat, the sprue plate with an excessive number of tool marks on the cutter side, a layer of very fine rust in the nose and lower shank areas and more tool marks in the forward cavity/center of shank extending away from the grease groove(band), like the cherry cracked! Definitely a defective mold! and i will contact Lyman and demand a new one. The thing that gets me is i`ll probably have to pay shipping back, plus shipping to get it the first time. For the money i could have gotten a LBT mold, and problem free! And for the record i always clean a new mold with Acetone before putting into service, aluminum or iron. By the way, i have a lyman thermometer that has no adjusting nut and it reads 920-ish at lead melt temp. Think i`ll try and get the money back and buy an RCBS. My thanks to all who responded to part 1, all that info is in my note book.