June 9, 2009, 08:03 PM | #1 |
Member
Join Date: April 24, 2009
Posts: 90
|
lee aluminum die question
i just ordered up a couple of lee six cavity aluminum bullet mold dies. i have read in the lee reloading manual thay i am supposed to "smoke" the die cavities before casting a bullet. is this something i need to do for every time i fill the mold cavities? or once per casting session? or just once in the life of the dies? anybody know from experience? i do not want to ruin a new set of dies!
|
June 9, 2009, 08:22 PM | #2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 4, 2006
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 2,258
|
Smoke the mold when you start to cast and then when the bullets start sticking.
Rusty
__________________
I don't ever remember being absent minded. |
June 10, 2009, 01:03 AM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 20, 2001
Location: Oshkosh wi.
Posts: 3,055
|
I don't smoke any of my lee molds. I have little to no trouble with boolits sticking, failing to fall clear. Nor do I use a mold release. They're not dies, though I guess you could call a mold a die.
__________________
The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly? |
June 10, 2009, 08:28 AM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 25, 2005
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 288
|
I've had several Lee 6 cavity molds. If I had a problem with bullets dropping out, smoking never seemed to work very well for me.
To solve the problem, I cast six cavities, left the bullets in the mold, drilled a hole in the center of the base and screwed in some sharp pointed screws with the head cut off. Don't drill too far or your drill bit will go through the bullet and drill into the mold making it a 5 cavity mold. I then removed the bullets, coated the cavities with very fine grinding compound, chucked the bullet "stems" in a drill and spun 'em up. This did a good job of polishing the cavities and the bullets dropped much better. (I think a tap works a bit better than a cut off screw, btw.) This will also work to enlarge the cavities if you get a mold that drops small bullets.
__________________
Cloudpeak |
June 10, 2009, 10:53 AM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 1, 2007
Location: Tabor City , NC.
Posts: 1,969
|
mold care & useage
|
June 10, 2009, 11:03 AM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 7, 2004
Location: Beatrice Nebraska
Posts: 613
|
I have found "smoking" the mold to be helpful on some stubborn molds, in order to get good fill out. Use some spray graphite on the bottom of the sprue plate to prevent galling the top of the mold.
I've used Rem-Clean bore cleaner on a bullet to polish cavities for better release. Andy |
June 10, 2009, 12:41 PM | #7 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 20, 2001
Location: Oshkosh wi.
Posts: 3,055
|
Quote:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ght=leementing Just be darn sure you use a very fine MILD abrasive. Powdered kitchen cleanser, like comet, and bon-ami both work well. Also teethe paste,(ya I know it's commonly called TOOTH paste, but I have more than one TOOTH.)
__________________
The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly? |
|
June 10, 2009, 02:47 PM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 7, 2009
Location: Southern Oregon!
Posts: 2,891
|
Get a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. All the info you'll need to start casting. I'd suggest a lot of practice casting, temp. adjusting, alloys, etc. before you modify your mold.
__________________
My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees... |
June 10, 2009, 06:41 PM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 16, 2008
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 11,061
|
You can smoke them or preheat the mold, either works
__________________
Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071 |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|