Hi all, cast up a little over 200 bullets yesterday and going along fine till I dropped my mould and broke the handle, that brought it all to a halt. anyway, I was cleaning up the mould looking for what was making my bullets look like poop, found a spot on one side that has some lead stuck to it, it doesn't seem to be making a great deal of difference in the bullets weight wise, as they are inside of two grains from heavy to light, but it makes them not want to fall out freely. the mould is a forty cal, smooth side(PP), .395 dia.-379.5 grains, flat bottom.  Now, how do I clean the mould without any damage to the mould? can I heat it up and brush it out with a small brass toothbrush? the mould is a iron, hoch nose pour, and does anybody know if there is any difference in the smoke from, say a kitchen match and a parifin candle?? is there anything that is better than the standard smoking??  I am getting better at this, the temp guage made a world of difference!! the dipper was a waste of time for me, burnt myself several times in quick succession so gave it up pretty quick.   Dave.

Dont smoke! Thats a nasty habit and a good mould dont need it to cast properly.

Cut a (small) piece of hardwood and pick at the lead with that. If there is a small smear left then take a cast bullet and file a fairly large groove in it lengthwise. Insert it in the mold and drill a hole in the nose for a woodscrew. with the screw in place put a dab of toothpaste in the groove and spin the bullet in the mould with a cordless drill. It will be spotless in no time.

Dave, the hardwood toothpick is a great idea, I always have a pencil or two handy, so if some lead sticks to the inside of the mold I can pick it off with the pencil lead. I often use a penny to scrape lead off the sprue-plate. If I get an old mold with dried or burned on grease, I spray it with Zipoff oven cleaner and let it sit overnight, then you can wash it off with hot water and a soft brush. 

There are 2 types of lead sticking to a mold:
* A piece or pieces ... you have to break the adhesion of the lead to the mold.  My method is using Eezox that breaks the adhesion and on a flat surface - scrap off using a razor blade.  Also, if lead is in the vent lines - Eezox & a razor blade
* Smeared lead ... use Eezox and bronze wool that can accumlate when one does not let the sprue puddle FROST before cutting it with a sprue plate

Dave if you are running the mold hot, ie. 800 degrees, which I have never cast that high, however long it takes for the sprue puddle to frost - Wait!

IMO, there is nothing wrong with the mold - you should practice using a ladle - have a thermometer in the melt for a constant temp - pour into the mold for 5 seconds and when the sprue puddle frosts in 5 - 7 seconds - cut the sprue - casting with a consistent rhythm and unless you screw up, you'll have perfect fully formed bullet 99% of the time with a Bell Curve less than 1 grain

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Nope.  You can lap a mould with 240 grit Clover Compound long enough to enlarge it by .002 and not hurt the edges.  I just did.


Vitamin E on the burns, and get a set of cheap welder's gloves from Northern Tool or Harbor Freight.

Phil