Mold Release

Potashminer said:
Lee recommends soot - from a burning match, or similar. Smoke from a candle didn't work very good - something in the candle I used? Soot up the aluminum mold and can cast hundreds of bullets before needing another coating.
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I found with candles you needed to get the flame up on to the mold to make it sooty, not just rely on the smoke that rises from the flame.
 
candles leave a wax deposit when you hold them to close to get a quick soot job.....no good...acetone toothbrush clean mould ,,,hot enough temp on lead.....experiment,,,,,tap on mould hinge bolt only with small brass hammer......roll sprue plate off with welder glove ,,,,,,feel the lead hardness as you cut sprue off,,,,, to easy to fast or to hot never beat on your mould ,,,it will get better as the numbers mount......lots to learn read lots
 
Quigly said:
I forgot to mention that 4 of the molds I have cast shotgun slug molds, that have and insert to cast holllow base slugs. Has anyone had any difficulty removing the hardened slug from the pin/insert after casting? These are russian shotgun slug molds, not Lee.
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These molds need to be hot. My neighbour has the Russian 410 slug mold. I have Lyman molds and the pin needs to stay hot to release smoothly.
 
coreyd said:
These molds need to be hot. My neighbour has the Russian 410 slug mold. I have Lyman molds and the pin needs to stay hot to release smoothly.
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You have obviously done some casting before. HB molds need to be run hot to work. Bùllets will drop off the pins if they are at the right temperature.
 
I only use Lee moulds and occasionally smoke one with a wooden match. Clean moulds usually don’t need it.
 
I find molds that haven't been used for a long time can be sticky for a while when you use it again. I don't know if it's a buildup of crud from the air or oxidization, but it's there. Storing molds in a sealed container helps, and on molds I haven't used for a while I scrub the mold face using an old toothbrush, boiling water, and a few drops of dish soap in a plastic yoghurt container. Rinse with boiling water and let dry.

I have never smoked a mold or used a release agent.
 
After a casting session, I spray my molds with mineral oil, and then into a plastic bag. Next time I use them, they get placed on a hot plate to heat up, and the oil burns off. Never use mold release at all. I find it changes the dimensions enough to matter on my long range rifles. Pistols would be ok, but I prefer to fix whatever is causing the bullets to stick in the first place.
 
hatman1793 said:
Where did you obtain the Russian slug mold?
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You can buy them a number of ways. Directly from Russia, or eBay. I suggest direct from Russia. There are two companies. One (Svarog) you can order from through the link that was posted on here. For the other company, you need to order through Facebook. If you are are interested in ordering from the company on Facebook send me a PM.
 
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