How do l get moulds REALLY clean?

[John Boy]

The best cleaning solution for molds is … Micro-90. Free sample on the Internet website. It is a concentrated solution so make a 5% solution. Wet the mold under hot tap water and scrub the mold with a tooth brush and Micr-90 … do it 2x times, rinse with hot water, wipe dry and bring the mold up to temp

It is a laboratory cleaning chemical. Been using is for about 15 years. And once cleaned … don’t smoke the mold just lube the pins with paraffin

[BRobertson]

The info on Micro 90 website states do not use on aluminum!

Bob

[bangerjim]

How often should I need to smoke my molds?

Never.....according to most on here. I used to smoke coat my l molds ONCE when new - using a beeswax candle. Now I do not at all.

(If you feel the need for a high, light up and smoke a mold a day,dude!) HA.....ha!

[jsizemore]

How often should I need to smoke my molds?

Never.

Get your mold to 400degF and your alloy to 700-725degF. I add about 1% tin.

[JSnover]

How often should I need to smoke my molds?

I'm another one who gave up smoking molds a long time ago. I started doing it because they weren't releasing. De-burring will solve most of your releasing problems. If it doesn't, lap the cavities, you'll get nicer boolits that just fall right out.

[Shopdog]

In a previous life.... mid 1970's;

To keep rust at bay,would take a Q tip and put a wee bit of bullet lube(50/50 BW vaseline) in the cavities whilst still warm. This was at the end of a cast,putting them to bed(storage). Then,would warm them just a bit,say halfway to casting temp,and then blast them with brake cleaner. I cast THOUSANDS of really nice bullets that way. Do what you want but,within reason,most make way too big a deal about minor cavity contamination.

These days,moulds live in climate control with several "layers" of desiccant's. Good luck with your project.

[PhilC]

I'm a real rookie, but get good fill and nicely formed boolits from new and used moulds I've accumulated. I clean all new moulds with same lacquer thinner I use in my air powered gun washer to clean my paint guns. Not hardware store stuff, auto paint supply store. Place a mould half in a clean paint mixing cup, pour in a couple ounces clean thinner, brush well with soft bristle brush, and spritz with fresh thinner. Spotless and oil free so you can lube the important parts yourself.

I cast at 725 using a PID controller on my pot, seems to be just right for my use.

[17nut]

Soda blasting!

[gwpercle]

I can also pressure cast from a bottom pour... but I still wonder about cleaning solutions

Acetone soak , and scrub with an old Oral-B Tooth Brush ... Oral - B wont melt .
After a acetone soak , good scrubbing and clean acetone rinse ... it will be as clean as a whistle .
You can substitute Lacquer Thinner for Acetone if you like ...get same clean results ... just as good !
Gary

[AlHunt]

Stop with the brake parts cleaner. If it's non-chlorinated it's probably OK. The older stuff leaves a residue.

Do the Dawn and toothbrush and stop.

Tin may help.

HEAT. Almost all my wrinkly, rounded bullets problems have been not enough heat. I once ran afoul of that stoopid chlorinated brake parts cleaner (of which I used to be an acolyte)

Myself, I run my alloy up around 700 and flux. I've been preheating my mold across the top of the pot. I'll cast the first few throws when the alloy is around 750, while letting it run up to 800. My first 4 to 10 casts are slow to allow heat to transfer to the mold (Though I pop the sprue plate right away so it doesn't get too hard). By now my bullets are looking good and starting to show frost. Frost is my heat check and I start to let the alloy drift back into the 700's. As the mold gets hotter, the sprue will take longer to set and break easier and easier.

I believe antimony is required to get the frost reaction. If you're running pure lead, I don't think you'll get it.

Smoking sprue plate lube is another good heat check.

A hot mold is a happy, forgiving mold.