How I Prep a Lee Mould

[Bazoo]

Here is a video I made of the way I prep a new Lee mould for casting. I probably am not the first person to come up with it, though I haven't seen anyone else say they do it this way. Hope this helps everyone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8SLQ_euhH8

[Big Boomer]

Interesting! I have some Lee moulds & had my own approach to preparing them for use but nothing like you've done. Going to give it a try. Thanks. Big Boomer

[Bazoo]

Interesting! I have some Lee moulds & had my own approach to preparing them for use but nothing like you've done. Going to give it a try. Thanks. Big Boomer

Thanks. I hope it works as well for you as it does for me.

[Charliemac]

I’ll bet it would be good to use your technique on any new aluminum molds? I’ve had problems with lead sticking in the cavities right at flat surface of the mold usually where the lube groove feature meets a bearing surface. Once the lead starts sticking it’s hard to get removed. The boollits don’t drop from the mold. I have had this problem with Arsenal and MP molds

[Bazoo]

I do use it for all aluminum moulds, and I've used it for the sharp edges and corners of the driving bands before. I don't normally do it to the interior of the cavities though as routine, only if I have a problem mould.

[barsik]

excellent mold prep tip. thank you.

[Bazoo]

Thanks barsik. I hope it saves folks many an hour of headache.

[MT Gianni]

Nicely done. I also use the butt of the pencil to rake across where you have drawn the burrs out to. It sure is easier to do with the current alignment system than with the roll pins.

[horstie]

Thanks for the tip and the video, gonna “prep” a few of my sticky Lee molds before the next use

[gwpercle]

Bazoo ... Thanks for posting this video ... very helpful !
I'm going to use the carpenter's pencil , while casting , on the underside of the sprue plate and top of the blocks ... this is where I get some galling / smear's when in the middle of casting and the blocks are hot . The pencil will not affect block heat and be quick easy to apply !
I hate stopping too long to clean and lube this area ... things cool off ...
The Carppenter's Pencil may be just the Ticket !

Well Done Video
Gary

[MT Gianni]

Back when the board started Felix Robbins suggested using an older #2 pencil as the wood was usually Osage Orange. He would then break the tip and burnish the lead with the wood. What we get now is a fake rubber and who knows what kind of graphite. Carpenter pencils are one hold out to what school kids write with today.

[Maven]

Years ago we used soft lead pencils, IBM pencils (tan body) for what Bazoo does. You can also get graphite blocks (/`1/2" square x 3") from art supply stores for mould tops and sprue plate bottoms.

[405grain]

That was a good video, and it gave me a good idea. I don't much care for Lee molds, and prefer iron & brass over aluminum anyway. I de-burr my molds with an ink eraser, then blow out any crumbs with compressed air. For me, the insightful part of your video was using a carpenters pencil. Before every casting session I always draw all over the bottom of the sprue plate and the top of the mold blocks with a #2 pencil. Lead alloys won't stick to graphite, so doing this will help prevent lead smearing between the sprue plate and the mold blocks. You gotta make sure that the alloy has completely solidified before opening the sprue plate, but when casting several hundred bullets in one session some lead can start to build up.

Using a carpenters pencil is genius. It can cover the sprue plate and the top of the mold blocks way faster. Also, because it's fatter, graphite can be drawn on the mold while it's still hot because it's easier to hold a carpenters pencil while wearing gloves.

[Bazoo]

I appreciate the kind comments everyone.

When I get a lead smear, I wipe with a rag, then use the carpenters pencil to scour off any remaining lead particles and re-coat the mould top and sprue plate. It works great.

[gwpercle]

Back when the board started Felix Robbins suggested using an older #2 pencil as the wood was usually Osage Orange. He would then break the tip and burnish the lead with the wood. What we get now is a fake rubber and who knows what kind of graphite. Carpenter pencils are one hold out to what school kids write with today.

I remember elementry school pencils being much larger than standard #2 pencils you see today ... So I did a search ...
and found places selling ... Large , Extra Large , Jumbo and ...
Giant sized pencils ... Geeze Loueeze ... I had no Idea they made pencils in so many sizes and the Gaint size is a Whopper...
1"dia. X 13 inches long !
That one might be too big for casting needs !
Gary

[Bazoo]

I also use the pencil when doodling hot bullets around the landing spot. I don't normally cast with gloves though.

[downzero]

I am going to have to try this. I have some really problematic molds.

[waksupi]

I had a puzzle this past week when casting with a 6 cavity Lee. In the past, it had always worked fine, like shucking peas. Well, for some reason the bullets were hanging up in the mold. I came to that I had put the handles on the mold upside down. I have no idea why it made a difference, but once I turned the handles over, the mold worked fine again. Go figure.

[gwpercle]

I had a puzzle this past week when casting with a 6 cavity Lee. In the past, it had always worked fine, like shucking peas. Well, for some reason the bullets were hanging up in the mold. I came to that I had put the handles on the mold upside down. I have no idea why it made a difference, but once I turned the handles over, the mold worked fine again. Go figure.

I'm looking at a set of six cavity handles ...

Which way is up ?

I usually install them with the joint adjusting nut up and bolt head down ...

But it looks like they should work either way ...

Which way is up ?
Gary

[Bazoo]

I've never heard of handle orientation causing issues before. Thanks for sharing that. I always put my handles with the bolt head up and the nut down.