Lubing a Lee 6 banger?

[buck1]

Well I now have the 434250(thanks Bill)!
I have a good bit of deburring to do.

This is my first ALUM mold. Lee says to lube it with nra 50/50.
How and ,where , and with what do you guys lube em??
I never had a mold like this before, and I rember reading they are fairly fragile.
I read Bruces Leement thread(thanks bruce) and will preform it as needed.
Any and all advice is welcome!!! Thanks guys....Buck

[David R]

I would pour some first and see how it works. I think they get some bad press. My C311-150 2R 6 cavity cast perfect boolits right off the bat after it was good and clean. I didn't touch the mold, not even with a tooth brush. I just sprayed it with cleaner, smoked it with a butane lighter, touched the warm pins with boolit lube and away I went. No sticking cavities, no problems at all.

[Willbird]

I am not an expurt by far, but I use liquid alox for lube on mine...on the pins, on the sprue plate pivot, and where the sprue plates latches down, and where the sprue cutter cams against the mold block. The pins seem to need more lube about once an hour of casting.

Also IMHO the fragility issue is more with the single and double cavity LEE molds, The 6 bangers are a lot more robust.......

Bill

[13Echo]

Lee's package insert with their molds recommends beeswax or beeswax-alox lube but recommends that liquid alox not be used as a mold lube. The insert says the liquid alox will build up on the surfaces and may prevent full closure of the mold. I've always used beeswax or NEI mold lube and both seem to work well. My 2cents.

Jerry Liles

[Willbird]

Well heck I guess I ought to read the destuctions, I have had to clean it off the pins now and then with the green grocery store scotchbrite and re-apply fresh. I'll drag out a stick of solid earwax (50-50) next casting session and try that.

Bill

[Springfield]

I sell thousands of bullets I cast with Lee six gangers, and in my humble opinion the less you lube the pins the better off you will be. I use a little bullet lube on the pivot and lock pin, whatever you call the post that locks the rear of the sprue plate in place. But it seems whenever I get overzealous with lubing the pins , from lube to anti-seize to straight beeswax, it builds up and the mould won't close after awhile. The dang things are hardened, how much lube can they need, anyway?

[boogerred]

i dont know about the 6 holers but with my 1&2 holers i tried to lube a hot mold with a whole stick on the pins, v-grooves and sprue plate bushing and it went everywhere. my bullets had wrinkles,felt sticky and smelled like lube when they were cool enough to pick up. now i set a thimble full of lube on the edge of my lee bottom pour and when it melts i lube the mold with a Q-TIP. i also pre-heat my molds on a walmart hotplate and a piece of 1/4" steel i found in my welders junkpile

[buck1]

Thanks! I guess I will just use a tad of 50/50. ....Buck

[Willbird]

Boogered, that was pretty much my experience too, I will remember your idea next session and give it a whirl.

Liquid solid alox hehe

Bill

[boogerred]

i,ll tell you what willbird, before i found this forum, i was about ready to throw the whole mess in the river. the only reloaders ive found here are the cops(they wont tell you anything) and a SASS shooter(he only knows 45LC). the only melters- fiishermen-if it sinks,its good.they dont even know WW,s have crud in them.ive got a bunch of books, but theres nothing like having someone look over your shoulder.this isnt the same,but its as close as i have found to having somebody standing behind me

[MARCORVET]

I have 2 six cav's and several 1 and 2 cav's from Lee. I lube them with an old stick of red rooster lube. The only problem I have had was with one of thee alingnment pins working it's way out . the mole like to drove me crazy feathering three of the bullets before I put a straight edge across it and found the pins shoulder out about 2 thousanths of an inch. Tapped it back in. Worked fin ever since.