What should I lubricate my Lee aluminum mold with?

[AJ Dual]

Do I need some kind of super duper bullet molding lubrication? Or is there something I'm likely to have around the house?

I'm not talking about the cavity itself, smoking that with a candle works just fine. I mean all the pivot points in the mold, like the sprue plate hinge or the actual molding hinges. I clean the mold off with brake cleaner spray which leaves a completely dry. So I need something that will keep both parts lubricated but can withstand all the heat.

[mtnbkr]

There is a special mould lube out there, but I've never used it.  Frankly, I don't have any lube on those points at the moment.

Chris

[Jim147]

Clear dielectric grease. Like used on automotive ignition parts.

jim

[RoadKingLarry]

I use a syringe and put a drop of synthetic motor oil on those points.

And just in case someone doesn't know about it

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/

[AJ Dual]

Clear dielectric grease. Like used on automotive ignition parts.

jim

Looks like it's good up to 500 degrees. And some teeny $1.95 tube from the automotive store is just the kind of thing I'm looking for.

I use a syringe and put a drop of synthetic motor oil on those points.

And just in case someone doesn't know about it

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/

I thought about motor oil, figured it was used in a pretty hot environment, but didn't know if cars get as hot as bullet molds with the water cooling etc.

[lee n. field]

I mean all the pivot points in the mold, like the sprue plate hinge or the actual molding hinges.

I use a touch of Alox type bullet lube, while the mold is hot.

There's a guy in Alaska, who's on the Cast Boolits forum, that sells a sprue plate lube that's supposed to be just the thing for the Lee molds.

[zxcvbob]

I use a tiny bit of high temperature grease, applied with a matchstick.  (and I don't smoke the mold cavities)

[AJ Dual]

I use a touch of Alox type bullet lube, while the mold is hot.

There's a guy in Alaska, who's on the Cast Boolits forum, that sells a sprue plate lube that's supposed to be just the thing for the Lee molds.

I'm reading the LEEmenting thread right now and saw the link to that guy's sprue plate lube. I'll go the route with a proper recommended product, but just wanted something cheap and short term that wouldn't burn up or polymerize, and I could get right away and does not require mail-order.

This is my single-cavity 12ga 1oz shotgun slug mold. I was kind of worried about it because it's actually a three part mold with the split cone in the middle to make the drive-key bar across the deep hollow on the inside of the slugs. Even LEE's own instructions talk about sanding it if slugs won't drop free, because besides the halves they can hang up on the center cone and bar.  However, out of the first 110 I did, only one had to be pried out with an awl and tossed back into the pot. The rest dropped nicely into the folded towel pad I laid out.

I do see what people say about Lee molds being "adequate" but not the best. At certain temperatures, the halves didn't line up quite 100% and I had slugs with extra sprue and flow that went out the bottom of the mold at times. However, for $18 I'm not complaining, and just tossed those ones right back in the pot, and closed the mold more carefully.

I use a tiny bit of high temperature grease, applied with a matchstick.  (and I don't smoke the mold cavities)

I only smoked it twice, at the beginning, and halfway through when it started taking more than two or three whacks to get the slug to drop free of the center cone.

[brimic]

However, for $18 I'm not complaining, and just tossed those ones right back in the pot, and closed the mold more carefully.

That's the right attitude to have. Much better than omgwtfbbq!111!!! this $18 mould is teh suxxorz becuase it sometimes makes a bad bullet.

I put an occasional small glop of 50/50 alox lube (not Lee Liquid ALOX!) on the sprue pivot and the alignment pins on the blocks.

My neighbor's dad used to work for Lee before he retired cutting and repairing moulds. He said the #1 reason for mould returns was from scoring/galling on top of the moulds from people not lubing the sprue plate.

I have 2 moulds that get high usage- a 200 gr .45 6 cavity mould and another .200 gr .309" mould. Both have been hit once with Drop-Out, never had to lube them again- it sort of a graphite spray that seems to bake itself into the cavity surfaces.

[Jim147]

I haven't tried the Bullplate lube. It is supposed to be the stuff.

I used to use 50/50 but if I get just a little too much on the mold it can get in the cavity and make me more then a little upset.

The dielectric is close to it's limit if you get going fast and hot. If the mold starts sticking cool it off on a wet rag or slow down and turn the lead down. A one ounce slug can drop the lead level fast and raise the the temp up on you.

jim

[zxcvbob]

Why would scoring on the tops of the mold matter?

[Pharmacology]

I use some Lucas, high temp, super duper grease.

Works pretty well so far

[Bogie]

We've been working on a large aluminum mold where they use powdered graphite. Lots of powdered graphite.

[mtnbkr]

I haven't tried the Bullplate lube. It is supposed to be the stuff.

That's the stuff I was referring to earlier.

Chris

[French G.]

Bacon grease. Smells great while you're casting, makes your bullets more tactical and jihad disapproved too! 

[brimic]

Why would scoring on the tops of the mold matter?

It only matters if the scoring runs into the cavity.

[AJ Dual]

It only matters if the scoring runs into the cavity.

If the galling/scoring gets bad enough, lead can also run between the sprue plate and the top of the mold block, gluing the whole thing shut.

[brimic]

If the galling/scoring gets bad enough, lead can also run between the sprue plate and the top of the mold block, gluing the whole thing shut.

Lead will also run between the sprue plate and mould is you ladle pour and hold the ladle to the sprue plate too long.
For my 400gr .476" bullets I couldn't get good fill using bottom pour so I used a ladle for the first time. It works very good for filling those big cavities (using Lyman ladle).

[Nick1911]

We've been working on a large aluminum mold where they use powdered graphite. Lots of powdered graphite.

+1, this was my first thought.

[AJ Dual]

Lead will also run between the sprue plate and mould is you ladle pour and hold the ladle to the sprue plate too long.
For my 400gr .476" bullets I couldn't get good fill using bottom pour so I used a ladle for the first time. It works very good for filling those big cavities (using Lyman ladle).

One thing I already figured out is that when using bottom pour from the spout, let the thin stream of lead hit the edge of the funnel opening to the sprue plate instead of letting it go straight into the hole and it'll spread the lead out and/or kind of swirl it around the mold for a nice even fill without folds voids or inclusions.

The one issue I have is the Lee #10 production pot only has a numbered rheostat from 1-10, it's not calibrated in degrees. (I guess few if any are?) and IR non-contact thermometers don't do well on reading the shiny molten surface of the lead either. Trying to figure out an inexpensive pyrometer that works well at molten lead ranges I can just drop the probe into the pot.

[brimic]

One thing I already figured out is that when using bottom pour from the spout, let the thin stream of lead hit the edge of the funnel opening to the sprue plate instead of letting it go straight into the hole and it'll spread the lead out and/or kind of swirl it around the mold for a nice even fill without folds voids or inclusions.

Yep. You can not get a long skinny bullet like a 170 gr 6.5mm bullet to fill out without doing that.