sticky to open mold

[oley55]

I'm still way new to casting and as I experience something new or different I try to mentally catalog what it means. I was casting a bunch of 124gr round nose 9mm in a Lee 2 cavity. Well into my casting session I began to have occasions where the mold seemed to stick just a bit when opening. When it did feel sticky both bullets would almost pop out.

I was thinking perhaps the mold was getting too hot, but the sprues were still hardening within 3-4 seconds. Thoughts??

Unrelated question, do you open and dump bullets with the mold facing up or down.

[45DUDE]

The boolits will be frosty looking if too hot. I never turn my molds over when casting. I do turn them a little sideways. I use a piece of wood<hammer handle> to whack the sprue plate and whack the mold lightly to remove boolits. Looking at your post #271 I drive down highway 271 going to town. When I whack the sprue plate the lead comes off in front of me then I move a little left and the boolits fall into a tray. About every 20 boolits or so the excess lead goes back into the pot. 2 large spoons are good for this. Some of my molds are a little sticky at times but that is just part of it. xxx UP DATE XX I cast some tonight and I do turn the mold over sometimes to remove some lead from the sprue plate that don't come off like it should but not to dump boolits.

[Robertroadking]

I find it easy to hold molds in my left hand, pour from ladel with right. Put ladel in pot, pick up stick to bump spruce then turn mold over to dump in container on my left side.

[gamedog53]

Did you lube your pins? I use the lube from NOE

[Bazoo]

I have a mould or two that does the sticky thing. I just push the handles apart with my thumb while I give the handle a couple taps. I think it's normal for it to happen occasionally. If it happens every cast, dunno bout that being normal.

[Conditor22]

Is your handle hinge bolt tooo tight or need a little lube?

[Mk42gunner]

I think your alignment pins need just a touch of lubricant. I normally cut the sprue with a glove on my right hand; and I don't turn the mold over when dumping the new boolits, unless I am casting with a Lyman removable pin style HP mold.

Robert

[DHDeal]

I do pretty much what Mk42gunner does. I do use a lot of MP Molds so I do turn them upside down but they're HP molds. If your mold is just occasionally sticky, do what all of the other posters suggested, lube the pins and handle bolt. If it is sticky most pours, take a look at the mold faces to make sure there isn't any lead there.

I don't know if you use a mold mallet or not but I use a leather mallet for a while and it has made my casting sessions easier. I cut the sprue, tap the handle bolt while flicking the mold open and usually the bullets rain down. The tapping of the handle bolt also helps open up the mold halves.

[Bazoo]

I hadn't thought about lead specks keeping the halves from opening, thanks.

[Soundguy]

I do almost exactly as 45dude does.

[oley55]

after reading some comments, I think the occasional sticking was lack of lubrication. After cleaning and before use I lube the top of the mold and sprue plate with pencil lead. I do not recall rubbing any pencil lead on the alignment pins this session. This is an older mold that has the longer pins press into the face versus the protruding pin heads.

[country gent]

If the blocks are sticking cold or hot it mat be lube on pins or hinge If they are only doing it occasionally with bullets in the cavities Than it may also be the cavities blocks cooiling and grabbing a little. Look close at the sides of the bands for rub marks on the ones that opened sticky,. I had a lyman that at times would pull part of one band out.

I use a small 8 ounce dead blow mallet for cutting sprues. A tap / push to open sprue then a lit tap on hinge pin when opening. Another thing is to habe a light piece of angle iron 6-8" long sitting there point up. Rest the bottons of the blocks on it when closing to help pre align them when closing.

[charlie b]

I made the mistake of using a very small flake of beeswax for sprue plate hinge lube. After a while that stuff had spread down into the blocks and made them sticky to open.

Now I use graphite only.

[leadhead]

The pins on the mold may need adjusting. If a pin is a little "long", it might
keep the mold from opening.
leadhead

[oley55]

The pins on the mold may need adjusting. If a pin is a little "long", it might
keep the mold from opening.
leadhead

This is an older type mold that has the long alignment pins pressed long-ways into the face versus the protruding pin type. I can't imagine how they could be adjusted.

[Mk42gunner]

The best thing I have found for lubing the old v block style Lee molds is aluminum anti-seize. Just a light coat with a Q-tip on both the steel pins, and the aluminum v shapes. I too use a pencil or soapstone on the sprueplate.

Robert