Sure-Fire Lee-Menting Technique (Aimoo Post Revisited)

[MTWeatherman]

I'm not trying to repeat myself here...however, by request...

The title and following text are a copy of a sticky post I made on the old Aimoo Cast Bullet forum on 03/20/2004.

...well at least for my 6 Lee moulds.

I lik Lee molds for their price and light weight...and in general their bullet designs (most are well tested copies from over the years). I have disliked them because they've never dropped bullets to my satisfaction and frequently suffered from poor fill-out. One was so bad I resorted to prying the bullet out of one of the cavities with an awl applyed to the bullet base. I checked for burrs, smoked it, cleaned it, used mold release, all I could think of...to no avail. I was ready to throw it, when I discovered the following solution quite by accident. That was three moulds ago. I now apply the following lee-ment to every new mould. It's worked every time. Bullets drop as well as they do from my RCBS and Lyman molds...first time, every time.

In my opinion, Lee moulds suffer from three main flaws...bad cavity finishing, poor venting, and bad handle to block fit. Higher end moulds don't...but the extra finishing and quality control adds to cost. So...expect to spend a little time to improve the Lee mould

Those of you who've given up on Lee moulds, I recommend you give the following a try. In addition to usual tools, you'll need a carbide tipped scribe and an aerosol graphite mould release (not for the reasons you suspect), and "Comet" cleanser. Several of the "lee-ments have been described by others and I used their experience in developing it. It's an hour well-spent to avoid "Lee frustration"

1. Look for any obvious burrs in the mould cavity and remove them with a sharp knife. Clean and lube the mold per instructions, smoke the mould if you wish, and begin casting. If your bullets fill out drop as advertised, consider yourself lucky, you need read no further. If not, cast 4 well filled-out bullets(hopefully the handle bolt pounding trick will free them) and save them (you'll likely need only two, the others are spares). While the mould is hot, carefully loosen the spue plate screw until it falls free under it's own weight. I've found that if I do this cold, it's too loose while hot. It you back it off too much, you need to tap a screw to hold the spue plate screw in place. Carefully (you don't want to drill the mould), place two bullets back in the mould and using about a 3/32 bit, drill a hole about 1/4 inch deep in the bullet base.

2. Clean the mold again. Now spray the entire cavity and mould face with graphite mold release. Let it dry and spray a second coat. The surfaces should be black. Remove the bolt holding the handles together so you can easily get at the mould faces. With a cloth, and "Comet" clean the block faces. The fine venting lines will stand out...filled with graphite. Take the carbide scribe and run it down each vent line, deepening and widening them (not too much but enough to be noticeable) between the mould cavity and the edge of the block. Put the handles back together. Fill-out problem solved.

3. Screw a 1 to 2 inch long screw into the hole in one of the bullets, wet the bullet, and sprinkle some Comet on it. Place it into the bullet cavity and with a drill at slow speed and the mould closed on the bullet, rotate the bullet in the cavity. Continue until the mould fully closes on it. (Comet as a polisher is another board members idea...don't remember who...but thanks...it works). Repeat a second time. Use another bullet for the other cavity, if you have one, and repeat. Now rinse the molds and with a toothbrush clean them. Carefull inspect the mould cavities. Burrs and high spots that were previously unnoticed will be seen easily as bright spots surrounted by black...depressions as black surrounted by white mold metal. With a sharp knife, scrape the burrs off and smooth any sharp depressions that represent an imperfection. Go back and repeat the Comet trick twice more for each cavity, clean and inspect the mould for burrs once more. Most of the graphite will be gone, some will remain but will be highly polished, and will help fill the inperfections...it is an aid...not a hindrance so leave it. You now have a polished and repaired cavity...it will drop bullets with the best of them. I don't need to smoke the mould...my old "impossible mould" now works beautifully...it had several imperfections in one cavity that I couldn't spot without the graphite trick. I found it by accident, In desperation had tried the mold release (don't use it for its advertised purpose...bad release problems lie elsewhere), but discovered its real value while trying the Comet mould polishing trick. Bullet release solved.

4. I use a 6 gallon plastic bucket when casting. I fill it with water and place a cloth with a four inch slip in it for water-quench bullets. For air cooled, I fill it with rags as a cushion. However, I lay a flat piece of wood (1X4) across the back half of the bucket. Most Lee moulds have bad handle alignment...especially the double cavities. They frequently don't meet squarely when opening or closing. This wears the block face as the two rub together ...eventually wearing off the vent lines. If you lay the rear of the mould blocks on the flat board when opening them, they will open squarely...same for closing. This saves the mould and aids in bullet release. Handle alignment solved.

Sorry about the long post...however, thought it might be of use to those of you who've given up on a Lee mold. If you're not satisfied with the performance of your Lee, I suggest you give it a try. I've had 100% success to date...it works!

[Bucks Owin]

This is an informative post and I may give this treatment a try with a couple of Lee moulds that are kinda "sticky" with slight imperfections....

One thing I've noticed about Lee moulds is that when the blocks don't want to align after a casting for awhile, a litttle lube on the "Vs and pins" will fix it....

FWIW,

Dennis

[Dale53]

Bucks Owin;
I have been using BullShop's Sprue Plate lube for this purpose and have found it a superior lube on the Lee aluminum moulds. Anything else that I have tried has "burnt on" and actually caused a build up which is detrimental to good casting. BullShop's lube does NOT do this.

Dale53

[Bucks Owin]

Bucks Owin;
I have been using BullShop's Sprue Plate lube for this purpose and have found it a superior lube on the Lee aluminum moulds. Anything else that I have tried has "burnt on" and actually caused a build up which is detrimental to good casting. BullShop's lube does NOT do this.

Dale53

Thanks for the tip amigo!

Dennis

(What a great forum....) :drinks:

[motorcycle_dan]

Lee mould maintenance. I just got back into casting. Very pleased with the lee 6 cavity I have. Some issues cropped up but I'm working on them. The last casting session it seemed the alignment pins were sticking. It would go all way together but you had to squeeze hard and then opening was equally difficult. Where does a caster acquire some of this "Bullshop's sprue lube"
Thanks, Dan

[Bullshop]

motorcycle_dan
Scroll to the bottom of the page to shootin links and you will see a link for bull shop. Go there and click on links and you should find a contact link.
There ya go.
BIC/BS

[redneckdan]

C5-A works good too, you might just have that handy.

[rigmarol]

Lee mould maintenance. I just got back into casting. Very pleased with the lee 6 cavity I have. Some issues cropped up but I'm working on them. The last casting session it seemed the alignment pins were sticking. It would go all way together but you had to squeeze hard and then opening was equally difficult. Where does a caster acquire some of this "Bullshop's sprue lube"
Thanks, Dan

Same problem here only what I found was the alignment pin wasn't seated all the way. Try tapping your alignment pins to see if they seat a little more. Use a soft faced hammer (mine is plastic ) fixed my "sticky" opening and closing right up.

[Ranch Dog]

Where does a caster acquire some of this "Bullshop's sprue lube"
Thanks, Dan

Dan,

I actually ordered my Bullshop Sprue Lube earlier today by sending a check to them after receiving an email in reply to my question about how much $$$ to send.


The shipping is $5.40 (postage and insurance) for up to 4 bottles. You can send payment to

Tina Congiolosi
The Bull Shop
HC 62 BOX 5640
Delta Junction, AK 99737

[rebliss]

I recall reading about someone putting a steel screw in the corner of their Lee 6-holer for the sprue cam to press against, but can't find that post.

Anyone who knows how, could you please post instructions on how to do this? Thanks.

-Rob

[Boomer Mikey]

I recall reading about someone putting a steel screw in the corner of their Lee 6-holer for the sprue cam to press against, but can't find that post.

Anyone who knows how, could you please post instructions on how to do this? Thanks.

-Rob

I believe this is the thread you're looking for:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=4790

Boomer :Fire:

[Boomer Mikey]

I use the same process with lapping compounds with some of my iron molds to resolve release problems and mild rust issues. This process can do wonders to restore an otherwise useless mould to better than new condition with round cavities.

You can imbed grit on the body bands of your lap boolits to get an extra .0005" in the body or imbed grit on the nose of your lap boolits to increase nose size. You have absolute control over this process by selecting the grit size you imbed your lapping boolits with.

I use 600 for light surface rust removal and polishing, 320 grit works well for body and nose size modifications followed by a polish with 600 or 800 grit.

You'll be surprised how long it’ll take to enlarge a boolit cavity .0005" with 320 grit.

Brownell's has polishing compounds as fine as 1200 grit. I'm going to guess that Comet Cleanser is twice that at 2400 grit.

To prevent surface rust store your iron moulds in a Rubbermaid food storage containers with airtight lids or an old GI ammo box and throw some of those silica gel packs (aka descant) that came in the packages of your electronics items.

Boomer :Fire:

[MTWeatherman]

That’s a great post yourself with some good information!

Sorry to be late in responding…been occupied recently…not enough to miss checking in fairly regularly but did somehow overlook your post until now.

The method you describe is certainly the preferred method of lapping moulds. With care the finished product will produce an upsized mould no more out-of-round than standard factory versions. Good information also for those many posts I’ve seen questioning the best method to remove rust from steel moulds. Appears you’ve turned the mechanics of mould lapping into a fine art.

I’ve lapped out more moulds than I’ve cared to do. I’ve had the bad luck to have more than my share of oversized groove diameter firearms and minimally sized moulds. First time around I used a method similar to that described in the Lee-Ment post, but changed it in using lapping compound, embedding it by rolling it between steel plates, then carefully wiping off the excess compound. I used 320 grit bore lapping compound…as I remember, I didn’t get .0005 in two hours of work so switched to 220. I spent the better part of a day in lapping .0015 out of the SAECO mould. I couldn’t agree with you more…ITS SLOW. The required time was compounded by the extra bullets needed, mould cleaning, and mould heating and cooling required.

However, since honing has become such a regular event for me…and far from a favorite hobby, I’ve found the need to shorten the time involved. Now, before beginning I don’t just determine the minimum size of the bullet is, but where that dimension is. Using a micrometer, I measure the dropped bullet at the parting line and perpendicular to it…if it is sized OK at the parting line but undersized perpendicular to it, it works great to simply Beagle it (thanks for posting that information Beagle). If it is undersized at the parting line (and most of my undersized moulds have been) or in both dimensions, I then hone it. Since Beagling increases bullet size perpendicular to the parting line…and honing with the spinning bullet method (even with care) tends to increase bullet size more along the parting line than perpendicular to it, I use a combination of the two to yield a much more rapid mould hone. Depending on whether its iron or aluminum, I embed coarse (120 grit) or fine (280 grit) valve grinding compound and leave some excess on the drive bands. I then hone until I get the desired diameter at the parting line (You’ll get a relatively fast cut so if anyone tries this use some care the first time around…you obviously can’t undo it). Once I get the desired diameter at the parting line, I recheck the diameter perpendicular to it. If it’s close to that of the parting line…great, I’m finished. However, odds are that it’s narrower in the perpendicular by .001 or so (due to a faster cut at the parting line). If that’s the case, I simply Beagle at this point to round the bullet out.

I realize that, to some, using coarse valve grinding compound on a mould is not unlike using an axe to accomplish brain surgery. NO, I’m not recommending this for everyone. It is certainly not the method to use if you want to keep your mould as near to round as possible. Your method, Boomer, is definitely the way to go there. However, if the intent is to turn a useless undersized mould into one that produces a decent bullet in a relatively short period of time…it works well.

[georgeld]

I've been casting at least 40 yrs almost steady, mostly with Lee molds.
Have at least ten 6 holers.
The only problems I've ever had is they don't dump well.
I've just rubbed the edge's with some hard wood and knock the burrs
off and they're fine after that.

They get problems, or worn, damaged etc. send 'em back to Lee and they'll
replace w/new one's.

[EMC45]

Had the drop problem on a 160 gr. .309 mold I just got and a WC mold .359 both from Lee. I started casting then smoked casted then smoked casted then smoked. It seemed to help. After they started dropping ok the thing was turning out some good bullets. That was with the rifle mold. I got upset with the WC mold after the first cast and haven't used it since. I like my 158 gr. RFN better and they drop like a dream.

[deadguy]

The tip about going over each vent line has got to be some kind of sick joke. There has got to be over a million vent lines in a Lee 6-holer, which would make days, if not weeks, worth of work to get every single one! I was just going over one of mine, and there are a couple hundred lines per inch cut into the thing, they are so small that you can barely see them, and the tip of a carbide scribe doesn't even fit inside them. Did Lee change their vent lines after this post was originally made?

[MTWeatherman]

Although not directlly stated, that original post was directed at the one and two hole Lee moulds...particularly those creating problems. Quality of the six-holers is significantly higher and and need for the various phases of Lee-menting is not nearly as common. I haven't picked up a new six-holer lately so can't address any issue of changing vent lines.

One of the issues with Lee moulds is shallow cut vent lines that frequently don't vent at all because cutting of the mould cavity itself produces burrs that effectively dam up those vent lines...or for the simple reason that poor quality control fails to cut the lines completely to the block edge. (Again...we're primarily talking single and double moulds here). This causes poor venting and results in poor fill out of the bullet...a common Lee complaint. The purpose of the carbide scribe is to open these lines up enough to produce venting lines more characteristic of a Lyman, RCBS, Saeco mould etc. No the scribe will likely not fit well inside those lines...however, the lines serve as enough of a guide to allow the scribe to run down the line and carve a deeper and wider line and thus do its job.

The imprinted Lee vent design puts a cross hatch pattern on the block. However, the actual vent lines on the Lee are diagonal and run at about a 30 degree angle to the block face...between the cavity and the edge. These are ones to open up. I haven't counted the number of vent lines on the Lee moulds but the density is at least twice that of a Lyman. However, once I've cast a couple of bullets from a Lee double mould and let it cool, it takes me little more than an hour to do the whole Lee-menting method described...to include every one of those vent lines.

To shorten the time further, would expect you could cut every other vent line...with the result likely just as positive.

I'm in the habit of Lee-menting all Lee moulds when new. Those vent lines are a major reason for that. Once the mould has been used a significant amount, those lines tend to abrade off the mould surface. Without those existing lines, the cutting of vent lines becomes much more of a chore.

Unless you're having problems with that six-holer, I wouldn't see the need for you to touch those vent lines at all. However, if you've got fill out problems opening up those vent lines goes a long ways toward providing a solution.

[mauser1959]

OK , this thread does not seem dead , but where do I get the aresol graphite mold release; no I have not taken time to look in my midway catalog . Is there any other aresol that would be available locally; I just got back a mold from lee that had screwed up and now you about have to beat it with a ball bat to get it to drop the bullets.

[IcerUSA]

1959, did you try a light lap of the cavities ? As far as spray graphite I would check out a locale auto parts store, they should have it in the dry powder form also, just don't get the de-icing stuff for locks, they should have the graphite lock stuff tho.
If you need a lapping compound and have some baking soda around make up a little paste with water and give them a light polish as you only want to remove the burrs and go slow, cast a few and when you have a full fill out of the bases leave the boolits in the mold and let it cool down, drill a small hole in the center of the bases and get a decking or long sheet rock screw and cut the head off it, chuck it up in a variable speed drill and let it seat in the hole, might have to open the mould a bit to get it to turn at first tho, just go SLOW and EASY and you should get a mould that drops or one that takes a couple taps from your fingers to get them to drop, at this time I only have 1 mould that I have to tap lightly with a stick to get the boolits to drop out of, and you might have to do it a couple times, one other thing I would do is take a nice flat sharpening stone and lightly go over the face of the mould also as them burrs can stand up and the lapping won't touch them, nothing hard and heavy tho as you just want to knock them over so the lapping will take them off.

YMMV but remember SLOW and EASY works best as fast and furious make it go oblong and we do like round boolits :)


Good luck and don't get frustrated, patents makes for a nice dropping mould here as it does with most anything we do with our weapons.

Keith

[mauser1959]

Thank you very much , I shall try that today.

[IcerUSA]

Sorry bout the miss information it should read baking soda and not baking powder, the powder won't work, my bad, the soda is gritty and should polish and the powder will make a clump of stuff.


Keith

[Buckshot]

Sorry bout the miss information it should read baking soda and not baking powder, the powder won't work, my bad, the soda is gritty and should polish and the powder will make a clump of stuff.


Keith

..............I changed it for you, but you can edit your own posts. Just click on the "Edit" button.

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

[mauser1959]

I did not see the original , it had already been edited , that being said , toothpaste would probably be as good of a polisher as straight baking soda (most tooth paste use baking soda as the polishing compound). Baking soda is one of the most used chemicals in the world ... I used to have a cousin who worked in a trona mine. I really appreciate the fact that so many people here are willing to help people so much , I may have cast for a few years , but each new post has interesting information if for only entertainment value.

ON a slightly differnt note, baking powder would probably work as well as baking soda as it is composed of baking soda , Sodium Alumiunum Sulfate and Calcium Phosphate.

Also on a completely off vein subject , I have noticed that some have mentioned differnt grits of polishing compounds that can be used on moulds . I have found that most of those polishing compounds can be found for the cheapest prices at one place in the Rocks and GEMS magazines , there are several advertisers who beat prices that I have found anywhere else : with everything from cerium oxide to currumdum powder AlO2 (emery), with all kinds of grits availble. Not sure if that helps anyone , but just figured to throw that out.

[IcerUSA]

The main reason I suggested baking soda is that almost every household has some and the head cook don't usually get upset with a teaspoon of soda missing :). Would have suggested tooth paste but alot of people use the gel stuff nowadays .

I use a lapping compound of green grease and carbide powder I got at work plus for finishing I have some 2000 and 8000 grit diamond paste plus the carbide lapping compounds do cut pretty fast as the baking soda would be more like a polishing agent I would think or tooth paste .

Think I even used some rubbing compound once , the stuff you use on auto finishes to make them shine and get rid of scratches .

The main jest I think was to use something that wouldn't enlarge the mould much and just remove the micro burrs that all moulds have, even the expensive moulds have them but they also have been prepped to drop the boolits well and you do pay for it, if we could look at any mould at 40, 60, 80, or 100X magnification the cavities would look like it had mountains in them :) . All in all we just need them to drop boolits out with little or no help so we can shoot .

Done ranting for know :)

and as always if the Mods want to they may delete if appropriate .


Keith

[mauser1959]

OK first Keith , why would a moderator want to delete your post? it was not in a mean spirit. Second question , with what you said , would cloverleaf valve grinding compound be a better polishing agent on the fine side... I know that my returned .150 grain mold is a ways out of round and it might take a while to get it to where it needs to be. A strange thing too , since I have had my mold returned to me from LEE , I have noticed that I have had to cast my bullets at a higher heat to get good fill out : not sure what that is about. I have cast 1000 bullets so far and still need to polish the molds ; losing 30% of the cast bullets due to improper fill out. And then next I have a couple of other molds that need polished ; as I do not want the same kind of thing to happen again.

[mauser1959]

OK , it has taken me a while to get to an auto parts store ; due to being disabled and down to only one car. But I looked for a spray graphite lubricant today . Does anyone have the name of the company or the name of the product that I need. I have both an O'Riellys and an Auto Zone here in town ; any and all information appreciated.

Since my last post I have cast a couple hundred more bullets and after getting my heat up a bit got a better fill out , but the bullets are still dropping hard ( ok I beat them out with a hedge baton on the henge bolt ( before this site I used to beat on the mold itself).

One other thing , years ago I found an old rusted steel mold , and today I spent a bit of time trying to find it ; I would sure like to restore that old mold , even though I do not know what caliber it is; though at the time I found it , I supspected a .22. or a .25 .

[IcerUSA]

OK, been awhile since I've been to this post , sorry bout that , back to the the polishing questions , I would use the Valve Lapping Compound for a real ruff cavity as the carbide in it will cut fast and hard , some times too fast , especially in aluminum , steel it will work a little slower (even had one mold that had new lines put on the nose of the boolit , over did that one a touch) .

All the auto parts stores carry the coarser stuff , 800 to 1200 grit usually , I use it on the rougher cavities or if I need to open one a tad . Then I start using the good stuff here for the smoothing of the cavities , I use a diamond polish that is used in injection mold finishing , can get it in grits upto 12,000 I believe , but I use 3,000 grit for my final polishing , just do a search on the web for polishing compound and you will find bunches of suppliers , go slow as stated before , cast a few and see how they fall out , if not to your liking just polish again and repeat , slow process but you get out of it what you put into it , I like the smile on my face when it gets to where I want it :) .

As a side benefit it sure does speed up the amount of boolits that drop , just think of the time it takes to pick up your tapping stick and knock out a boolit that is sticking .

Hope my ramblings make a little sense to you :) .

Keith

[mauser1959]

Yes , your ramblings made a lot of sense to me. And today I believe that I found the graphite spray that I needed at ace hardware... it is for locks , but came in a aresol can instead of an injector. I sure do appreciate all the help... it is a real bitch when a mold is not doing as it is supposed to. I should have gotten some anti- seize compound too , but was to happy about the graphite spray after going to the auto parts store. Tommorow I shall start the polishing process and if It takes more work than baking soda , then I will go buy some polishing compound. It is strange for the first time today I bought some corn cob polishing medium , always before I have used cracked corn or other medium.... maybe I am finally really serious. Once again thanks so much for the help; I sure appreciate the help from all you guys who have been though the ropes.

[IcerUSA]

As to the graphite spray I would make dang sure it hasn't got any oil base to it , bad-bad news if it does , I use the straight powder stuff on a q-tip to work into the work at hand , works for me :) .

Most of the corn cob , actually all of the corn cob I find around here is a little on the large size for me , packs into bottle neck cases really bad sometimes , I have since went to ground walnut , 20/12 size I think it is and am very pleased with the results with it :) .

Good luck with your mold (mould) and when you get it to behave like it should I would like to see the smile on your face , I know mine gets pretty big :bigsmyl2: .


Keith

[mauser1959]

I am still curious on why some molds are called moulds and some places list them as molds ( I was recruited to a major univisity while quite young to study molds and fungi) but they do not seem to cast boolits worth a damn . I know that is a strange question , but it has fascinated me as to why differnt people spell moulds/molds the way that they do. Sure I know that if off the topic , but it still bothers me a bit.

BTW Icer , I really appreciate the help , besides glen and LAH , you have helped me as much as anyone else has... means a lot to a newbie. I love how the casting communty comes together so well to help the newbies, even if at times I feel like I have been taken to school. And the graphite spray has supposedly just a hydrocarbon propellant that completely eveporates so as not to leave a residue. And the corn cob medium came from wally world for animal bedding , cost more than 50 lbs of cracked corn or wheat, but I do not have a ready access to walnut hulls until one of my buddies goes down to graf or midway ... and that crap is expensive ; but might still be the way to go.

[IcerUSA]

Check at your locale pet supply store or a granary in your area for the crushed walnut , you want the stuff that is small enough not to clog up an unprimed case , just incase you get a couple in the tumbler , the pet store - Wally World corn cob to me is too coarse , especially in bottleneck cases , way too much work to get it dislodged :) .

Keith

[Bad Water Bill]

I think this has got to be one of the longest running topics. Try Lapidary Journal and Rocks and Gems and you will find diamond paste up to 100K grit. Also you can get silicone carbide from 12 ( really cuts fast ) to at least 1200 grit. You will also find many oxides either in paste or powder forms. Beware rock hounds sometimes go crazy and buy the grit in 100 # lots. Do NOT ask me how I know.... Check out some of their tumblers as they are very dependable. Mine has been running in my house for over 20 tears and I bought it WELL used. BWB :castmine:

[PineTreeGreen]

WOW the information available here is unbelievable. I fought with an RCBS 30-115 mould for about 2 months. One cavity would drop fine ,the other gave me fits. Also had a Lee 30-130 that sticks a little.
With a little abrasive that my father used to tumble rocks ,a few drops of motor oil ,a couple boolits ,and the Lee mould showed signs of a new life. If it didn't work it was going in the trash.
The process worked so good on the Lee that I decided to do it to it on the RCBS ,that also has a new life. The RCBS may need a LITTLE tap once in a while ,but most of the time they just fall out when the blocks are opened. I am thinking of doing it to every mould I own.[smilie=1:[smilie=1:[smilie=1:

[ForneyRider]

Pics would be great for this thread.

:-D

[shotman]

The BBQ grill paint will work but you need to be very carefull to get a LIGHT EVEN coat . Here is what I did clean mold do the prep as said If it dont drop fair. I like MEK there is no film left . Heat mold with a torch to where you cant hold it [around 200] if you want take hinge bolt out . lay mold on bottom where you can get a good look at face . Take the spray and a piece of card board . Start your spray on the card board and move till it looks light and even then cross the mold. This has to be ONE pass, if it dont work the first time you need to clean and do it again. I you do this right it will last a long time . Most of the paints say to fire the grill I just heated mine on the top of furnace. rick

[docone31]

What I do,
I take a 1/4 20 machine screw nut. Slide the sprue plate out of the way, heat my mold waaaay up. I pour into the mold thru the nut. Let it freeze and remove.
I do this twice.
I got some valve grinding compound, the fine stuff, smear a little on the casting, get my electric drill with a nut driver in it, and spin the casting in the mold. A couple of seconds will do it.
I do this to the other hole with the other casting.
I go real light on the grit. The next thing I do is sharpen the bottom of the sprue plate. I just slide the plate off the mold, and take a few strokes with a stone on the bottom of the openings. There are always feathers there.
Clean with brake cleaner, smoke the mold, and cast a few.
Seems to work fairly well for me.
I remelt the original castings.

[Rocky Raab]

Mauser, anyone who properly uses the word "shall" deserves an explanation of "mould" versus "mold." (Although a website that bastardizes bullet to "boolit" may not give a rat's patootie...)

A mould is a shaped cavity used to produce cast objects.

A mold is an object cast in a mould.

So bullets are the molds produced in our kind of mould. (Or - Webster help us - "boolits")

[waksupi]

Now Rocky, don't be running down the term "boolits". Bad juju, ya know?

;o)

[HamGunner]

I use Rapine Mould Release on my iron moulds. I recently started using some of Lee's aluminum moulds and it works great on them also. No sticking problems and they fill out great. I usually get good bullets with the first pour but the stuff needs to be put on when the moulds are cold.

I also never oil my iron moulds, I just coat them inside and out with the Rapine Mould Release after they are cooled down, just before putting them up. They are then ready to cast when you are. No cleaning needed. Of course, if one were to want to store an iron mould for some extended period, it would be best to oil them, just in case.

[crashawk]

great information. gonna use some of it to help a couple of my moulds. Lee's quality must be getting a little better, I have two new ones, a .452 and .356 six holers that the bullets drop out on opening just great. I've used the cast off mold release with some success before but am out right now, havent seemed to need it lately. recently I found that I can use parrifan wax to lube the allignment pins and the sprue cutter while it's hot. drag it across the sprue cutter and just touch the pins once in a while between drops. I was having trouble with my new ones sticking together at the pins and this cured it. the sprue flies off with the wax, before I had to hit it or once in a while pick the sprue off. my new moulds fill great once they are hot.
this is a great forum, glad I found it.

Jason

[Gee_Wizz01]

Well a I finally got around to Leementing a some molds today. So far it I have done 4 sets and tested 3 of them, and what a difference it has made! The first mold was a C429-240 SWC, which I have owned for about 15 years. This mold was a problem child from the day I bought it. I had to furiously beat on the mold handles with my leather mallet just get the bullets to drop and when they did two of the bands were always rounded. Well today I got my carbide scribe out and worked on the middle band which had always rounded out when cast. Then I drilled a couple of bullets and put them on a headless screw coated them with paste made from Comet (per the instructions) and ran them on slow till the cavities were nice and clean. Then I boiled the molds for about an hour with some dishwasher detergent and water. Finally I put them in my Ultrasonic cleaner with clean water and ran them about 30 minutes. They came out looking new. The next molds were 2 different Ranch Dog molds which cast perfectly; but, don't drop bullets without beating on the hinge pin. I gave both of them same treatment as the first mold, with the exception of scribing the vents. I proceeded to cast with all 3 molds this afternoon and it was pure joy. All three molds dropped their bullets effortlessly and the C428-240 SWC had great mold fillout on the middle band. The top band, which I didn't clean out the vent lines, still had rounded edges, so this evening I will have rescribe all of the vent lines on that mold. This is a great thread, thanks for all the info!f

G

[oldtoolsniper]

I used the instructions as well but I used rottenstone that can be found at online stores for buffing out wood working finishes. I had a non dropping beat with a stick or club mould that now drops like rain.

[lifeon2]

great stuff I now have 2 molds that have been saved from the trash pile :bigsmyl2:

[joeb33050]

PatT wrote:
"There are several posts on maintenance of the Lee aluminum molds on Cast bullets under the title "Lee-menting" . Seems like these would make a nice addition to the mold maintenance section, if you could get the author's permission.. .

Pat"
This about adding the info to "Cast Bullets For Beginner And Expert".
Would the author summarize/write the total story to date and give permission to include the info?
Thanks;
joe b.

[MTWeatherman]

Pat"
This about adding the info to "Cast Bullets For Beginner And Expert".
Would the author summarize/write the total story to date and give permission to include the info?
Thanks;
joe b.

Joe,
Some time ago, I rewrote the original Lee-Menting post as an article for CastPics. As you are likely aware, that site is linked at the bottom of the Cast Boolits page. You will find the article under "Articles by Members" in the second column, third down from the top entitled "Fixing a Lee Mold." Is this the type of thing you are interested in?

Permission is happily granted on my part to include that information. Other posts have elaborated on and complemented my original, especially in regard to various polishing compounds tried successfully. Some of this information could be added as footnotes to the original, or incorporated into the original as successful variations used by others...or selective posts could be added to give credit to the provider. Your publication...your choice, let me know what is needed.

P.M. sent

[kbstenberg]

Well i did my next first tonight. I LEE mented my first moulds. A friend an neighber who showed me the basics to casting ( the bearest of basics) had 2 moulds i used for my first ever experience last spring. One Lee the other Lyman. Even for my first experiance i knew there had to be a better way.
After moulding with myown moulds i decided to be a friend an try to fix my friends moulds. Besides i wanted to experiment an what better than on someone elses stuff (not realy). Bolth moulds only took an hour to do. An the boolits fell out every time i opened the moulds. The most it would take is a LITE shake of the handles.
The auto store i went to had a blister pack with 2 types of Valve Lapping compound for under 3$. An i didn't even use eough to cover a match head.
ONCE AGAIN i have to give my thanks to all my brothers of the silver stream
Kevin

[philthephlier]

Anybody try Simichrome, the German polishing paste found in Motorcycle shops, as a polish for Leementing? I am getting a new mold delivered this week and I plan to give it a try. It has a superfine abrasive of some kind in it and it works wonders on almost everything that needs a polish.

[felix]

It's my standard for everything. ... felix

[Marlin Hunter]

I found 2 new techniques to Lee-Ment my molds.

1) I file 3 flats spots, 120 degrees apart, parallel to the axis of the boolit. It allows a place for the lapping paste to go and not jam or lock the boolit while you are trying to spin it in the mold. This is for removing a lot of material, like several thousands of an inch. I opened up a C452-300-RF to .458-.460. It's not perfectly round, but that is what the sizer is for, and it is cheaper than a custom .458 mold. Lee does'nt make a gas check for .458 booliots :cry:.


2) For just a polish to remove light burrs so the boolit drops out easily, I used scouring powder like Bon-Ami, Ajax, Comet, Bar Tenders Friend, etc mixed with liquid dish soap to form a paste. I cut a thin piece rectangle patch from an old T-shirt, and roll it up tight so it will fit into a drill chuck. I then make the patch a little wet with water. I put some scouring paste into the mold cavity with a toothpick. I open the mold and lay the cloth patch along the cavity with some of the rag going past the pins in the base. I then lightly close the mold and turn the drill on real slow. As the drill and patch center itself in the cavity I start to slowly pull the drill out until the mold closes, than I try to push the drill and cloth patch back into the mold, Once it is in there you can speed the drill up to it's fastest speed. Be careful you don't run the drill chuck into the mold, or pull the patch out and spray scouring paste in you face. It takes practice, but it is a lot easier than drilling a hole in the base of a boolit and trying to lap the mold that way. I have done it on my .54 REAL boollit down to .40. I have not tried .358 or 9mm yet. That will require a slightly different approach. I might have to wrap part of the patch around a shortened dowel or broken pencil so the chuck has something to grab onto. I might also try different diameters of heavy string or rope as the polishing carrier.

[Big Dave]

never been a big fan of Lee and after reading this thread still not. I'd rather buy a decent mold than horse around fixing junk that I paid new price for. Only Lee molds I have were given to me. Lot of useful info anyway.

[Marlin Hunter]

never been a big fan of Lee and after reading this thread still not. I'd rather buy a decent mold than horse around fixing junk that I paid new price for. Only Lee molds I have were given to me. Lot of useful info anyway.

One thing nice about the Lee's is that they can easily be made larger if needed, an if you mess up the mold, it isn't a big loss. Steel molds are harder to open up.

[Ben-WSU]

Well, I tried to polish one of the cavities in my Lee TL-358-158gr 6-cavity mold. I have included a link to a video of the attempt below. I tried some casting after this and couldn’t tell if things improved or not. The entire mold needed a little breaking in, and once it got hot all of the cavities were dropping well.

Any suggestions on how to improve the technique?

I saw some aluminum polish for autos at the store (Mother’s brand). Any idea if that would work?

Thanks,
Ben

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcuzAu0kQ9M

[Depdog]

Nice video. I hope to do some soon.

Glenn

[vinceb]

everyone seems to have their own ideas on what to use . my readily available ones are bon-ami , semichrome , tooth paste .
any secret stuff i don't know about ?

[afish4570]

I'll try on my 311041 group buy mould to ease sticky cavities.....Great mould can really make a bunch of bullets compared to my old 2 cav. Lyman and Lee moulds. Nice video. afish4570[smilie=1:[smilie=1:

[mold maker]

The same process works equally well on your expensive iron molds that can have the same problems as LEE's, at a much higher price.
I've never seen a mold that couldn't be improved, no matter the cost.
Those that throw off on LEE molds haven't, had to live on SS and still try to enjoy our hobby.
I can take a properly prepared LEE 6 cav mold, and cast twice as many good boolits, in a given time, than with any iron mold at 2-3 times the price. Plus my arm wont be half as tired or sore from handling the extra weight.
No I'm not a brand fanatic, I'm a common sense, 67 yr old gun nut with no money to waste.

[collyer]

I found some graphite in a spray at NAPA. I would be careful the spray will ignite from extreme heat.

[7of7]

For my TL-358-158gr 6-cavity mold, I took a 10-32 tap, and wrapped it in two 2x2 cleaning patches, the edge of the tap catches nicely on the cleaning patches when it is chucked up in a drill...and leaves about 1/3 inch of cloth over the end of the tap... I then run this on my bar of red rouge, and run it in my closed mold... It really polishes the inside nicely...
I then clean it off, (Dawn, and a tooth brush) dry it. I use a propane torch, and a hardwood dowel to smoke the mold...
It drops fine, and the boolits are purdy!!!

[Scramjet]

Thanks for the Lee six cavity info.I am new to casting been reloading a few years which is what has lead me to the casting end of things.I put an ad in at the local gun club I belong to and was overwhelmed with helpful responses.Last week I was invited to a gun club members home for hands on casting with two and six cavity Lee molds which is where I ran into this problem(next weekend is sizing and lubing).

Point being is this older gentleman is so excited to see someone younger getting into casting and sizing that he told me he plans to sell me everything once I cast him enough backlog not to mention he then knows where to go for more castings.

Thanks Again.

[PAI-Scott]

Good info, cast my first boolits in the last two weeks, used 2 different Lee 6 gang molds, one had sticky boolits, I had to beat the handles to get them to drop, the other dropped OK but opening and closing was tuff, and one of the cavities drops a boolit with a wrinkle.

I walked away thinking I had purchased my last Lee mould, now I am thinking if I can tune up these molds, I may stay with the Lee's.

Now this leaves to to wonder, do you have this kind of problems with other mold manufactures?

[Colt .45]

Just got my first 2 molds and casted ~ 600 rnds yesterday. Similar to the kroil trick, WD40 can be sprayed onto a mold when it is at temperature, then let it sit until all of it is steam/burned off. In conjunction with smoking this had one of my bad chambers dropping quite well. Although I think I might go try to polish that one chamber before next time...


Also is it just me or is dropping temp based? after sorting a hundred or so rounds I just started up the casting again without completely re heating it and from cooler (still damn hot) it dropped rounds much easier. I also noted that there was some other temp sweet spot ( around where the bullets came out frosty) where they dropped like a dream...

[okksu]

Quote: "......is it just me or is dropping temp based?"

Noob with limited experience, but mine seems to do similar. Also, despite letting it set across the top of the pot for 20 minutes or more bfore starting, my 6 cavity seems like it needs three or four fills before cavities will completely fill out. Before that, most of them dropped are culls. Once it gets going though, it will produce bunches in a hurry. So maybe I'm preheating the mold too much?

[fryboy]

i tend to agree that there are "sweet spots" but like a barrel every mold will be different lolz once i do find a groove with a mold it's hard to stop until i get lower on alloy than i had planned lolz one of my fav molds ( 4 cav lyman 452374) seems to work best just under or at the frost spot yet i have a few 2 cavity lee's that do best long before they get hot enough to frost
as for the 6 cavity lee...alot of folks get a hot plate to warm it up with ( as it takes a bit as u found out )

[Whistler]

Well, my six cavity Lee mold is now a five cavity Lee mold.

I followed instructions and when I started spinning the bullet with the screw in it, the bullet didn't start spinning but instead the screw ate through it and into the mold.

Too bad it was my favorite mold, the rare 90333, the only one dropping bullets slightly too small.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

For my TL-358-158gr 6-cavity mold, I took a 10-32 tap, and wrapped it in two 2x2 cleaning patches, the edge of the tap catches nicely on the cleaning patches when it is chucked up in a drill...and leaves about 1/3 inch of cloth over the end of the tap... I then run this on my bar of red rouge, and run it in my closed mold... It really polishes the inside nicely...
I then clean it off, (Dawn, and a tooth brush) dry it. I use a propane torch, and a hardwood dowel to smoke the mold...
It drops fine, and the boolits are purdy!!!

I tried this today on a two Lee 2 cav. molds... a .365 and .309 200 gr
I used Flitz since I didn't have red rouge.
I knew flitz would leave a waxy feeling protective coating.
I wasn't sure if this would be good or bad (I kinda figured bad)
I did clean them well with Dawn/water/toothbrush,
then re-smoked them with a match.
I got raisons for the first 20 bullets, I made sure I got the
mold quite hot while casting...then backed off the temperature
after the wrinkles went away.
Then I got nice looking boolits and they dropped
with just a light tap.
Jon

[DeanWinchester]

Bought a used Lee mold from a member here. I'm very happy with the deal, but I couldn't get it to fill out with WW. I started off taking a bullet, drilling tapping a hole in the back, and using a screw as an arbor, I lapped it using semichrome polish. I didn't want to take off much material, the bullet is for a .308 and they are falling .311.
Next I followed the instructions of the OP and followed all the vent lines. WHAT A PAIN IN THE A@@!!!!

Boy she sure makes some purty boolits now though.:mrgreen: Thanks for this sticky!


An extended length drill bit carefully sharpened makes a righteous scribe BTW. I have used this one for nearly 15 years.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/iluvmyferrets/photo-2.jpg

[Donor8x56r]

Other then Lee-menting process,the best solutions to sticky boolit was casting with 2 (two) different molds at the same time.

Pour lead in one,count to 5,set aside and do the same with next mold. Than get back to first,drop boolit in water and repeat process.

Above technique fixed my biggest worry:over od underheating of the mold(proper temp of the mold)

[turbo1889]

This is a post put up on another thread in this section that I felt was worthy of adding to this sticky:


I realize for the people who have been forum members here for a long time that this information isn't going to be very interesting to you.

However, we are adding new members at a rapid rate now. Many will be on a budget and trying to cast good bullets with economical Lee double cav. and single cav. molds.

I had a 41 Mag. single cav. mold that was over 25 yrs. old. The sprue plate screw would not stay tight ( I know that isn't new is it ? ). I decided to do my standard modification to this particular mold and get my dig. camera out and shoot a few photos that might make it educational for a " newcomer " that has never seen the process before.

As many of you are aware, Lee often ships molds that have the sprue plate screw so tight that within just a few opening and closing of the blocks, you've got damaged, galled blocks.

The sprue plate is far too tight on many of the Lee molds and there was no lubrication ( need to use Bullplate ).
All this combines to render the molds un serviceable in a fairly short period of time.

By removing the screw plate hold down screw and removing the sprue plate and drilling and tapping a 10-24 threaded hole, this problem can be fixed permanently. This allows you to put any amount of sprue plate tension on the plate that you need and then lock the screw down just as you would a Lyman , RCBS, or SAECO mold.

Here are photos showing how I do this modification. I hope this is helpful to
many of you young casters :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lee%20Mold%20Modify%20-%20Set%20Screw/PICT0001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lee%20Mold%20Modify%20-%20Set%20Screw/PICT0003.jpg

It is very possible that there are other sizes of taps and drill bits to do this job with.
This size works well for me however :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lee%20Mold%20Modify%20-%20Set%20Screw/PICT0002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lee%20Mold%20Modify%20-%20Set%20Screw/PICT0004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lee%20Mold%20Modify%20-%20Set%20Screw/PICT0005.jpg

He is a poor quality movie ( took the movie with my cell phone ) that will let you see the end result of this work.

Thanks,

Ben

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WAnEcgdFJk

[akmac]

Thanks for the info in this thread. I had a Lee .375 mold that I would not cast a good boolit but after following your advice I poured some really nice ones. Tomorrow I get to see how they shoot. Thanks again.

[Rokkit Syinss]

Two tips for Lee-menting.

1- use a carbide sight smoker to darken the vent lines, grease free and easy to use just don't apply the flame directly to the mold.

2- good tool for scribing the vent lines here: http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=SQ10202

[beerbrewr]

I have to say that I am really glad that I ran across this thread a few months back when I decided to get back into casting after almost 9 year break from casting/reloading. Following the hints, tips listed in this thread really helped me drop a lot of bullets really fast.

I purchased a lee 6 cavity 358-125-RF for my 9mm. I received it last week and took the time to scribe the vent lines with a carbide scribe that I picked up at my local Harbor Freight store. The scribe was only 5 bucks, but it is only available in store.

I had a hard time seeing and following the lines on the 6 cavity mould to scribe them. I used a 10x jewellers loupe and worked under a desk lamp so that I could follow the lines without gouging across the lines or scratching a cavity. I went slow and took my time with the scribing, spending 2-3 hours to get it right. I didn't want to rush it and screw up something. Everything worked out just fine in the end.

For the graphite, I could not find any locally specifically sold as mould release. I did find some at my local Napa. The label on the can says "Dry Graphite Film Lubricant". Looking on the can it does not have any oils listed as ingredients, however I noticed that one of the ingredients was synthetic graphite. I used it on the mould when I polished out each cavity and it seemed to work just fine. I did make it a point to clean out each cavity with a q-tip and acetone to be sure each cavity was clean after I was finished polishing.

Polishing for me was non eventful. I found it to be stressful of all things. I was just worried to death about running a screw through a cavity. But in the end, everything worked out just fine.

For smoking the mould cavities, I found that a piece of fatwood from a pine stump in the back yard produced the best black soot. Better than anything I have used previously. I can light a chunk of that pitchy pine with a match and it burns like a candle. As I got into casting the soot wore off the cavity somewhat, but enough remained that you could see it in the lines of the mould.

I wanted to get casting right away, and didn't want to wait to receive some BullShop sprue lube, so I used some Bel-Ray H1R synthetic 2 cycle oil that I use on my 27 and 45 cc model airplane engines. It seemed to work just fine. I did have to re-lube after dropping 150-180 Bullets. The lube seemed to smoke off pretty fast I think due to running the temp a bit higher on my Lee pot. I didn't have a thermometer, so I set it at what I remembered seemed to pour good bullets previously. I think just about any 2 cycle oil would work for sprue lube. It's just a matter of what happens when the heat starts breaking down the oil. I think a non synthetic would not burn off clean, and would carbon up a bit. some oils will probably burn off faster than others.. etc. This probably wouldn't be much of a problem if you wiped off the sprue plate and re-applied lube every 30ish minutes, or when you notice things not closing easy and smooth.

[gwpercle]

lee-mented my first dbl. cavity mould today and was sucessful using following method:

1) placed bullet nose down on oven pad, with nail as center punch eyeballed as best I could and tapped with small hammer. First one was off but 2nd one looked good.

2) Used screw tipped mandrel from Dremel kit for arbor. The screw is short and a little wide with a shoulder that prevents the screw from drilling through and ruining a cavity. I had to drill a small pilot hole to get the bullet on the screw, but after doing that it screwed right on and snugged up to the shoulder and ran straight with no wobble.

3) Chucked it into variable speed driver and coated bullet with Turtle wax auto rubbing compound , it's red, and did both cavities

4) Cleaned mould and bullet and repeated with Turtle Wax auto polishing compound . the white stuff. Spending more time using the polishing compound.

Both cavities are now smooth and shiney. I did not have an issue with casting , but am trying to get them to look better. If I can do a little polishing like this and make good looking boolits I'll be a happy caster.

[Scramjet]

I've used Air Croil in my moulds (cotton swabbed) and works wonders. It has taken those sticky ones that won't fall out to a simple open and release without any imperfections with the castboolits.

Tom

[rexherring]

I just did the leementing on three of my molds and it worked great. I used a little "Scratch Out" for paint finish swirls and a little fine 800 grit then finished them with the swirl remover. I then washed them good with Dawn and soft toothbrush, smoked them a little and the boolits fall out very nice. Great method.

[FrontSite]

I just read this thread a couple days ago, as I had a Lee 312-185 that needed a ball bat to get the bullets to drop. I was so discussed with the thing I was ready to throw it into the trash and take the loss.
I figured what the heck, can't hurt to spin a little J-B Bore cleaner compound in it.
Man, what a difference. After it was scrubbed up with a bit with a old toothbrush and Dawn dish soap and dried real good. I went to casting, a light tap or two and the bullets fall right out.
Thanks guys for the helpful information, this one really made my casting chore much more pleasant.

[FergusonTO35]

Great post. I have a 140 grain SWC mold that will not drop short of using an air chisel. I wonder if valve lapping compound would work also?

[FergusonTO35]

Does it matter what kind of Comet cleaner you use? I went to get some today and they only had the kind with bleach.

[Fudpuckerynot]

I'm not trying to repeat myself here...however, by request...

The title and following text are a copy of a sticky post I made on the old Aimoo Cast Bullet forum on 03/20/2004.

...well at least for my 6 Lee moulds.

I lik Lee molds for their price and light weight...and in general their bullet designs (most are well tested copies from over the years). I have disliked them because they've never dropped bullets to my satisfaction and frequently suffered from poor fill-out. One was so bad I resorted to prying the bullet out of one of the cavities with an awl applyed to the bullet base. I checked for burrs, smoked it, cleaned it, used mold release, all I could think of...to no avail. I was ready to throw it, when I discovered the following solution quite by accident. That was three moulds ago. I now apply the following lee-ment to every new mould. It's worked every time. Bullets drop as well as they do from my RCBS and Lyman molds...first time, every time.

In my opinion, Lee moulds suffer from three main flaws...bad cavity finishing, poor venting, and bad handle to block fit. Higher end moulds don't...but the extra finishing and quality control adds to cost. So...expect to spend a little time to improve the Lee mould

Those of you who've given up on Lee moulds, I recommend you give the following a try. In addition to usual tools, you'll need a carbide tipped scribe and an aerosol graphite mould release (not for the reasons you suspect), and "Comet" cleanser. Several of the "lee-ments have been described by others and I used their experience in developing it. It's an hour well-spent to avoid "Lee frustration"

1. Look for any obvious burrs in the mould cavity and remove them with a sharp knife. Clean and lube the mold per instructions, smoke the mould if you wish, and begin casting. If your bullets fill out drop as advertised, consider yourself lucky, you need read no further. If not, cast 4 well filled-out bullets(hopefully the handle bolt pounding trick will free them) and save them (you'll likely need only two, the others are spares). While the mould is hot, carefully loosen the spue plate screw until it falls free under it's own weight. I've found that if I do this cold, it's too loose while hot. It you back it off too much, you need to tap a screw to hold the spue plate screw in place. Carefully (you don't want to drill the mould), place two bullets back in the mould and using about a 3/32 bit, drill a hole about 1/4 inch deep in the bullet base.

2. Clean the mold again. Now spray the entire cavity and mould face with graphite mold release. Let it dry and spray a second coat. The surfaces should be black. Remove the bolt holding the handles together so you can easily get at the mould faces. With a cloth, and "Comet" clean the block faces. The fine venting lines will stand out...filled with graphite. Take the carbide scribe and run it down each vent line, deepening and widening them (not too much but enough to be noticeable) between the mould cavity and the edge of the block. Put the handles back together. Fill-out problem solved.

3. Screw a 1 to 2 inch long screw into the hole in one of the bullets, wet the bullet, and sprinkle some Comet on it. Place it into the bullet cavity and with a drill at slow speed and the mould closed on the bullet, rotate the bullet in the cavity. Continue until the mould fully closes on it. (Comet as a polisher is another board members idea...don't remember who...but thanks...it works). Repeat a second time. Use another bullet for the other cavity, if you have one, and repeat. Now rinse the molds and with a toothbrush clean them. Carefull inspect the mould cavities. Burrs and high spots that were previously unnoticed will be seen easily as bright spots surrounted by black...depressions as black surrounted by white mold metal. With a sharp knife, scrape the burrs off and smooth any sharp depressions that represent an imperfection. Go back and repeat the Comet trick twice more for each cavity, clean and inspect the mould for burrs once more. Most of the graphite will be gone, some will remain but will be highly polished, and will help fill the inperfections...it is an aid...not a hindrance so leave it. You now have a polished and repaired cavity...it will drop bullets with the best of them. I don't need to smoke the mould...my old "impossible mould" now works beautifully...it had several imperfections in one cavity that I couldn't spot without the graphite trick. I found it by accident, In desperation had tried the mold release (don't use it for its advertised purpose...bad release problems lie elsewhere), but discovered its real value while trying the Comet mould polishing trick. Bullet release solved.

4. I use a 6 gallon plastic bucket when casting. I fill it with water and place a cloth with a four inch slip in it for water-quench bullets. For air cooled, I fill it with rags as a cushion. However, I lay a flat piece of wood (1X4) across the back half of the bucket. Most Lee moulds have bad handle alignment...especially the double cavities. They frequently don't meet squarely when opening or closing. This wears the block face as the two rub together ...eventually wearing off the vent lines. If you lay the rear of the mould blocks on the flat board when opening them, they will open squarely...same for closing. This saves the mould and aids in bullet release. Handle alignment solved.

Sorry about the long post...however, thought it might be of use to those of you who've given up on a Lee mold. If you're not satisfied with the performance of your Lee, I suggest you give it a try. I've had 100% success to date...it works!

I found this fairly informative. When I'm casting bullets with Lee molds, I keep the mold HOT and after I pour(usually between 750-800 degrees) I give it about 10 seconds and the tap the mold somewhat sharply with a screwdriver handle or a piece of dowel rod. Rarely have a non-fill or "wrinkled" bullet. To lube mold, I follow Lee's instructions and, when I add some parafin to the pot, I "smoke" the slightly open mold over the flame from the wax. Don't know, works for me....

[millsa2]

Thanks for the tips. I am going to bookmark this page.

[ken s]

Comet huh? I'll try it...good idea. to increase the air release grooves, try a NEW razor box cutter. start from the mould to the edge..Been doing that for decades. It works...
to polish the mould, get a rubber eraser pencil, and put 'comet' on the point and polish away while you're watching TV. you can hit rough spots and not do damage....Ken

[monmouth]

Just got my new 6 cavity, going to look it over. Great thread.

[GARD72977]

Great thread! I was thinking that taking one half of the mold and stripping it down to just the aluminum then tumble in the S/S media for about 15 mins and check then tumble longer is needed. As long as the single block was not hitting anything but the media it would help smooth out any rough edges in the cavity without the risk of getting it out of round. Just a thought . I have not done this yet.

[trying2learn]

Great thread! I was thinking that taking one half of the mold and stripping it down to just the aluminum then tumble in the S/S media for about 15 mins and check then tumble longer is needed. As long as the single block was not hitting anything but the media it would help smooth out any rough edges in the cavity without the risk of getting it out of round. Just a thought . I have not done this yet.

Wouldn't you also run the risk of damaging the faces and the cavities. From the pins hitting it? I haven't used ss media as of yet. But that would be a concern I would have. Also the pins holding the halves to the handles are not removable and reinstallable. If that's a word. Lol. Just a few thoughts I had while reading your post. And thought I would toss out as a second thought.

[GARD72977]

The cavities are what I would like to clean up. Keep in mind that the mold and media are suspended in water. I would try this but all I have in lee are round ball molds. and they cast very good. I got rid of all my Lee bullet molds. I may have to buy one and try this.

[meshugunner]

After reading this thread, I worked over two of my Lee 6 cav molds that were sticking badly. I own about 6 such molds and they all stick but these were the worst. TL358-148-WC & TL358-158-SWC. First, I lapped the sprue plate on a piece of 200 grit paper stuck onto a very flat surface. This took care of the flashing at the base which was a contributing factor for sticking bullets. For the lapping cores used short hex head sheet metal screws so that there would be no danger of them driving down through the bullet nose. I was careful to keep each core with it's cavity. The first one, the 148 WC , I did with Comet,turning first by hand and then slow spin with adrill. Improvement was very slow. It took four sets of castings and lapping before they would drop out easily. Even now, though much much improved, they still take too many taps on the mold handles to drop. I may rework it. The second mold was done with 320 carbide grit and did a better job with just one set of lapping cores. Using parting compound, bullets all fall out with a shake or sometimes just a tap. Not as nice as some people have described but easy enough. The main point is that it allows a nice fluid rhythm when casting without having to interrupt to struggle with a reluctant bullet. I was able to quickly build up a pile of about 500 nicely cast bullets.

This process took me several hours for each. A fair amount of time was spent waiting for things to heat up. Next round I think I will do two sets together. For sprue lube I used Permatex Antisieze and then, when it arrived, Bullplate lube. Both seemed to work well.

For $40 what I got was a mold "kit" My six bangers really weren't useable as they came from the factory. I don't complain. I really don't see how Lee can sell even these partly finished 6 cavs for that price and make a buck. IMO the effort was well worth the increased productivity. It's not just the time taken to pry a sticky bullet out, but the cost in repeated hassle and frustration.

Thank you for this thread

[PepeLapiu]

I'm one of the frustrated guys with the Lee mold.
Will be trying your tricks on my next Lee 7/8oz slug mold....that will be my 3rd one this week.
Grrrrŕ

[BSJI]

I did my "first" long run of casting with my new 356-120-TC.

http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq114/BSJ_photos/Casting/photo_00869_zpshn9vt3fo.jpg (http://s439.photobucket.com/user/BSJ_photos/media/Casting/photo_00869_zpshn9vt3fo.jpg.html)


My "real" first attempt was over rather quickly. I was having to beat the hinge to get the bullets to drop. So I quite for the night. I had cast some pure lead bullets previously so that I could fire lap my 9mm carbine and the mold if needed. I used six of them to lapp the cavities with JB bore paste...

Things went really smoothly after the Lee-menting! 16.2 pounds of bullets in 2.5 hours.

http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq114/BSJ_photos/Casting/photo_00873_zpstsg6beer.jpg (http://s439.photobucket.com/user/BSJ_photos/media/Casting/photo_00873_zpstsg6beer.jpg.html)

I just shake the mold handles and they drop out. Except for one, that won't always drop. I'll re-lapp before the next time.

I didn't smoke the cavities at all...


Instead of a drywall screw I used a steel pop-rivet. Sits a little above the side of the mold, but not too much.

This was my first time using a thermometer too. Made it so much easier to know what was going on with my pot!


http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq114/BSJ_photos/Casting/photo_00872_zpslz5kyb4v.jpg (http://s439.photobucket.com/user/BSJ_photos/media/Casting/photo_00872_zpslz5kyb4v.jpg.html)


I'm gonna need more pistol powder!

[FergusonTO35]

I'm planning to Leement all my molds this year and get them working right. Comet works well but is quite slow. I wonder if Mothers mag wheel polish would work? I use it on trigger parts for pistols and it really shines them up.

[Bob in St. Louis]

I've thoroughly destroyed a 1oz Lee slug mold due to lack of knowledge. I've watched countless videos on how to use the mold, but was unaware of how to "break-in" a mold, so therefore completely ruined it in less than 200 casts.
So... I've since bought a brand new 7/8 ounce mold and will be performing the items listed in this thread this weekend (thanks for the heads-up on this, Dusty) and casting some slugs.

[AllanD]

Now you have me thinking... I have a 2lb bottle on 0.1 Micron Aluminum oxide polishing powder (made for polishing Optical lenses)
That sounds like just the think for making the cavities of my new Lee six-cavity 311-141

[retrobass]

Can anyone confirm if Mohers Magwheel or Flitz are appropriate at all? That’s what I’ve currently got to work with. I’ve been fortunate in having a 120 TC that seems to have broken in in its own and rains boolits. I have a 95gr six banger on the other hand that is driving me nuts. The cavities seem to want to stick, all on one particular block/side.

[Spaceball]

Can anyone confirm if Mohers Magwheel or Flitz are appropriate at all? That’s what I’ve currently got to work with. I’ve been fortunate in having a 120 TC that seems to have broken in in its own and rains boolits. I have a 95gr six banger on the other hand that is driving me nuts. The cavities seem to want to stick, all on one particular block/side.

I put money on it if you look at the top of the bullets the split line is not in the middle. Therefore one side of the mold is more of a C shape and not a perfect 1/2 circle.
I have a mold like this that needs a few hard raps to get them to fall.