Just curious, I plan to try out my "patina'd" MP mold tomorrow and wondering if I need to smoke it or not.
Just curious, I plan to try out my "patina'd" MP mold tomorrow and wondering if I need to smoke it or not.
I only smoke a mold as a last resort.
if you are ever being chased by a taxidermist, don't play dead
Very rarely. It has been my experience that brass molds like to run hotter than aluminum molds. I have to run some of mine up around 800 degrees. I usually run my aluminum molds just under 750. Just keep running the heat up until the mold acts right.
Good Luck,
Rick
I never smoke any mold. I tried that early in my casting career and never found it to be a benefit.
Nope
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Ditto, I haven't smoked a mold in years.
Wayne the Shrink
There is no 'right' that requires me to work for you or you to work for me!
Same here. I used to do that a lot in the old days. Then I learned that just cleaning them well and finding the right temperature for them is a better way to go, even for my Lee molds.
I don't think I've smoked a mould in 25 years or more. I never felt it do anything to help and I learned that heat was the key to casting a good boolit.
Chuck
I don't smoke 'em. I heat cycle my new brass molds several times, which starts the patina process, I would think that smoke would obstruct that process.
BUT, if a mold doesn't start casting good after 2 or 3 casting sessions, I'll then give the smoke thing a try.
Lastly, a boolit caster I respect very much will say to put a very lite smoke (using a butane lighter) on a new mold, I don't think you'd even see any soot from that? He claims the lite smoke will last long enough for oxides (patina) to develop, hence not needing a second smoke application...I don't recall if he does the heat cycle thing first or not?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
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Like most above, I tried smoking a mold once but it really had no effect. Higher casting temp cured sticky bullets. Casting temp affects fill-out and diameter which can cause sticky bullets.
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Not with my brass molds. Seldom with LEE aluminum molds.
Nope, especially with brass molds. If the mold and the alloy is at the correct temperature, there should be no need for smoking the mold as they will just drop from the mold with a light tapping.
Only time I smoked a mold was the first Lee mold I bought, since then I learned as others mentioned that clean and temp are keys.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |