Brand New Lee Mold

[Buzz64]

Nice job, 2112. Every time you cast (or break-in) a new mold you'll learn more. Secret is to cast more and buy more molds!

[Deep Six]

I just dunk them in acetone and wipe the residue out of the cavities with a paper towel. After the acetone has been wiped off and/or evaporated, I touch a q-tip with lube on it to the alignment pins. Next get it hot by holding it in molten lead. Once it is hot, open the sprue plate and lubricate the pivot pin and underside of the sprue plate. After that it's ready to go. It usually takes about 10 casts before it's up to temperature and the remaining junk/lube gets worked out of the cavities. After that the bullets are usually keepers. I do find that the lee molds need to have the sprue plates re-lubricated more often than other molds. The one I was using the other day needed it after about 25 casts.

[1bilmr59]

I think it is time for a mold is harder to cast hp boolits

[warf73]

This is how I do my molds,

I take the mold apart and apply dish washing soap

Scrub it up really good with a toothbrush.

Now that its all pretty

I reasemble the mold buy using BP or 2 stroke oil at the pivot point.


Then preheat the mold and cast away


Might not be the best way but it works for me.

[DLCTEX]

I've had new Lee moulds that cleaned easily and dropped good boolits right off. I've had three that dropped wrinkled boolits despite repeated cleanings and pre heating, until I dunked them in the melt and got them way too hot, then allowed to cool. They then cast normally.

[capt.hollis]

Ive got a Lee 6 banger, and have tried not cleaning it. Anyhow after a few hundred cast with it, its still chunking wrinkled bullets. Guess I better clean it, lol.

[Dales66Ford]

I do it the same as warf73, works for me so far

[gwpercle]

The heat cycling thing (bringing mould up to casting temperature and slowly cooling ) and scrubbing in between seems to help Lee moulds get to throwing unwrinkled boolits. I did this twice with two new moulds and after the second scrubbing they both were dropping good boolits without wanting to stick in the cavity, dropped right out with no smoking or anything.
I did the scrubbing with acetone and a toothbrush, not crazy about getting water in mould, sprue plate , pins and handles...don't want anything rusting.
I used synthetic 2-stoke oil for luberication and that worked perfectly. Appreciate the tips.
Gary

[colt 357]

spray with brake clean and sit on top of my pot to heat up

[enfieldphile]

spray with brake clean and sit on top of my pot to heat up

Spray brake clean (walmart brand) is my method to clean the mold too.

After cleaning, I sit the mold blocks aside for a few minutes. then I take a metal rod (2.5' long) and wrap an old cotton rag soaked in gasoline around the end. I secure the rag w/ a bit of metal wire. I stand the rod in one of those hollow bricks. The burning rag will really coat the inside of the mold w/ soot! I also coat both sides of the sprue plate. Assemble the mold, sit it on top of the pot to warm. Have the pot @ the highest temperature to begin with. A bit of beeswax or Boolit lube on a toothpick is touched to the pivot points as the mold warms. Once you begin casting watch the boolits and bring the pot temperature down as you cast.

Perfect boolits every time!

[Maven]

I ordered 2 Lee molds from Titan Reloading (top of screen) and highly praise their service. I ordered late Sat. PM and rec'd them today. The molds are a 160 gr. roundnose "ballette" (nominally .452") which I want to try in my Rem. 1858 cap & ball replica and a .454" RB also for the Rem. 1858. Both molds are the new design. While the former was perfect right out of the box with only a small amount of Leementing needed, the latter (RB mold) was just the reverse. The blocks wouldn't close tightly so I decided to manipulate the locating pins. That didn't help. I next removed the pins entirely and filed and trued the mating faces of the blocks. That didn't work either as there was still a visible gap. At this point I knew I couldn't return the mold to either Titan or Lee. As I had nothing to lose, I placed the mold in my bench vise and tightened it with all my strength...several times, with the blocks in normal position, inverted, reversed, etc. I'm happy to say it now closes as it should with no gap when held up to a light source. Btw, the sprue plates on both molds needed minor filing and truing so they wouldn't gall or otherwise drag on the mold top. In short, 1 perfect mold and 1 imperfect one don't inspire a lot of confidence in Lee Precision's quality control.