Smoking the mold with a BIC

[miestro_jerry]

I have been using a messy, smokey wax candle for years to smoke my molds. A little while ago, I tried Flicking my BIC and that method worked just as well as the candle, without the mess also.

Jerry

[imashooter2]

Candle is right up there in worst ways to smoke a mold. The residue is greasy. Butane lighter is amongst the best ways, and a barbecue lighter even keeps your fingers from getting burnt.

[Ben]

Ditto on the Bar-B-Q lighter.

" THE WAY TO SMOKE A MOLD ! ! ! "

Ben

[runfiverun]

how do you keep it lit, when smoking it?
i just put lead in mine and make boolits with them..

[beanflip]

what does smoking a mold do?

[Morgan Astorbilt]

I smoke molds the way I smoke my sights, with a strip of masking tape. You fold the tape down the middle, so it's half width, and light. This is what most International Pistol shooters use. Cheap, and really puts out the smoke.
Morgan

[runfiverun]

it acts as a release agent to let the boolits drop easier, supposed to anyway

[454PB]

Smoking a mould sometimes alleviates the symptoms of a mould that has something wrong with it. I haven't smoked a mould in 20 years, instead, I figure out what is wrong and correct it.

[miestro_jerry]

I smoke mine once, when they are new and that gets rid of anything from the manufacturing process. After that it's cast away.

Jerry

[warf73]

I smoked a Lee mold ONCE made me cough for a week never again will I make that mistake.

[EMC45]

I too have found the benefits to using a Bic! I used a wooden match for a while, but the steel on my mold would get flash rusting on it. I figured it was from the phosphorus in the matchhead. Now I smoke with Bic and all is well. I use Lee molds BTW.

[miestro_jerry]

Here is something from another thread that says to smoke them with a BIC.

http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting2006/swwheelgun2/pdf/swwheelgun2.pdf

Jerry

[trickyasafox]

I just use wooden matches- not because I think they are better, probably because I just don't know better.

the guy who showed me how to cast used wooden kitchen matches, naturally I assumed them to be a fine choice :)

[Salmon-boy]

I have a box of Ohio Blue Tips on my casting "tray". When I get a new mould, I tend to use them for the initial smoke and use the leftovers to flux the melt. I also use the long fireplace matches every so often so I have something to stir the pot with.

Bics are good for the occasional touchup, but get too hot for my pre-blistered fingers. The BBQ lighter is a good idea though.

[mtnman31]

I prefer wooden matches. Don't know why but, they seem to work best for me. Better than book matches or lighters. I have not tried the masking tape method. Maybe this weekend.

[wolfspotter]

I smoked a Lee mold ONCE made me cough for a week never again will I make that mistake. Well I've used a Bic but didn't inhale. [smilie=1:

[Buckshot]

..............Not only does the soot act as a release agent, it is also a bit of an insulator retaining heat in the just introduced hot alloy a bit long to aid in fill out.

.............Buckshot

[Miner]

Bic Burnt fingers... BBQ lighter??? Missed the easy button again.:-?

[LAH]

Smoking a mould sometimes alleviates the symptoms of a mould that has something wrong with it. I haven't smoked a mould in 20 years, instead, I figure out what is wrong and correct it.

+1. I use nothing in mould cavities. If they don't cast correctly, smoke's not the problem.

[JIMinPHX]

When I started casting, I smoked every mould with a Bic every time I used it. Since then, I’ve gotten better about cleaning my moulds & I haven’t touched the lighter in about 6-months. I've gotten good boolits both ways.

[trickg]

Smoking a mould sometimes alleviates the symptoms of a mould that has something wrong with it. I haven't smoked a mould in 20 years, instead, I figure out what is wrong and correct it.

I smoke mine once, when they are new and that gets rid of anything from the manufacturing process. After that it's cast away.
I have very little personal experience with this, (I'm on this forum to learn the things that I never had a chance to learn from my Dad) but I used to cast bullets with my Dad (after he got things set up) and I watched him cast thousands of bullets while I was growing up. I never saw him smoke a mold. Dad, like so many others here, had developed his own way of doing things that worked for him, and I don't think he needed to smoke his molds. They were almost all Lyman molds and he would simply give the hinge pin a light rap with a lightweight nylon tipped hammer and that was that - they always dropped right out of the mold.