A small rant

Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Never had to use soap and water on a mold, let alone boil one. Spray on brake cleaner with handles attached. Toothbrush is optional.

Before the internet, never heard of or used sprue plate lube. Back when I started casting, it was with iron molds, only. A piece of burlap, canvas glove or 0000 steel wool, kept the bottom of sprue plates clean. As well as, removing any stray lead from the top of the mold surface.

Softer mold materials (brass & aluminum) require less abrasive techniques. Bamboo skewers, piece of sprue metal or burlap/canvas.
 
Kevin Stenberg

Kevin Stenberg

Well-Known Member
My worst borrowing story. My BIL ( about 16 at the time) asked to borrow my everyday working shotgun. A couple weeks later its returned with many small rust spots starting.
 
L Ross

L Ross

Well-Known Member
I dunno, I loan stuff out all the time.Yeah I get minorly burned once in awhile, but what the heck. Trailers, guns, tools, my Stihl Combi-Tool with the paddle sweeper just came home this morning. I loaned a mould out to a gentleman here on the forum. He sent it back good as it left and he included about 3 lbs. of freshly cast bullets. He can admit this if he wishes, but it was a single cavity .32 for the S&W short and he did a lot of casting to do that return favor for me. Unexpected but deeply appreciated.

I've got an RCBS 20 lb. pot floating around out there somewhere along with the Lee 312-155-2R two cavity. I can get it back with a phone call. I mentioned one day I was going to cast some up with my newer two cavity and the borrower stopped over and dropped off 800 bullets. I felt pretty good as I went through them as this is from the kid I taught to cast. The 800 bullets were just barely given a visual by him as they dropped from the mould, and I to reject only about 5% upon a thorough examination. If I never ask for the pot or mould back it was a good investment. I really need to get a will written and this young man will get all of my casting and reloading stuff. May God have mercy on him. His future wife will curse the lead alone about the second time they move it.

I've loaned out things I've never gotten back, again, oh well, I'll live.
 
CWLONGSHOT

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
I loan stuff all the time.
My usual criteria is replace "ability". (As well as THAT persons ability to replace)
I need to have much trust in someone to lend something not easily replaced. I Usually wont lend non replaceable things.

I lend molds and have been receiving end of this many times. I have also "lost" molds a few times. I regret a LBT 325g 454 mold. I do not even remember where it went. It been years.

CW
 
D

dale2242

Well-Known Member
I do loan other casting/reloading items just not my molds.
I currently have a .454 size die, my Fox Pro call loaned along with other items.
Make a list of what is loaned out and who has it.
 
J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
Winelover said:
Never had to use soap and water on a mold, let alone boil one. Spray on brake cleaner with handles attached. Toothbrush is optional.

Before the internet, never heard of or used sprue plate lube. Back when I started casting, it was with iron molds, only. A piece of burlap, canvas glove or 0000 steel wool, kept the bottom of sprue plates clean. As well as, removing any stray lead from the top of the mold surface.

Softer mold materials (brass & aluminum) require less abrasive techniques. Bamboo skewers, piece of sprue metal or burlap/canvas.
Click to expand...

Before the Internet, I did use Dawn and HOT water to clean aluminum moulds when new, bamboo skewers worked well and I was putting welder's soapstone on sprue plates. Brake cleaner and a chisel-pointed section of brass brazing rod for iron moulds. Didn't even know they made brass moulds.

I had NO IDEA how badly I was messing up and tried a bunch of stuff, which just didn't work out for me, so I am now back to doing everything "wrong" again and all my problems went away - with the exception of an occasional "humbling moment." Right back where I started.

The one thing the Internet DID improve in terms of casting, for me, was that I learned about mould-makers other than LEE, Lyman and RCBS. I may never have heard of NOE and Arsenal if it weren't for the Internet, so I benefited in expanding my knowledge in that way.
 
RBHarter

RBHarter

West Central AR
I once used everything I had available to me to clean up some stencil protection coat ......it's a wonder I didn't destroy the surface .........plain water takes that blue stuff right of the white side walls and letters on tires ........

I was young and stupid then .......I'm older now .

I loan very little that I don't go with .
I loaned a brass mould to a machinist with the understanding that if it was damaged it would cost xxx to replace and that of he didn't do xxx it was a whinny sniveling PITA to run .......he lost or otherwise mangled the box but returned the mould with one of it's less endearing traits fixed . He cast about 25# of 462-420 MP with it and ran through about 45# of alloy to get them so he probably cast something like 75# of alloy which helped with the oxide building which was something I just didn't spend enough time casting it to do .
Losing the box wasn't a big I have a whole drawer of iron moulds without boxes for it to sleep with . The little baggie of spare parts is a hassle w/o the box though . There is room in the MM box though so as long as they stay close ........
 
P

PED1945

Active Member
Acetone is the strongest common solvent available.
If soap and water or brake cleaner do not remove the offending crud, try soaking the mold blocks in acetone.
Acetone will also dissolve any other lubricants as well as varnish on handles.
 
Creeker

Creeker

Well-Known Member
Bret4207 said:
Sounds about right. People told me I was nuts when I said that if you smoke a mould real heavy it will reduce diameter- but it's true. I have no doubt that a coating of anything in the cavity will reduce diameter.
Click to expand...
I agree. Even a lite coating of Midway Drop Out will make a smaller bullet.
 
W

Walks

Well-Known Member
I used to smoke molds, then I tried midway mold release.

NEVER AGAIN !!!!

Went back to heat cycle and smoking.

I've loaned molds twice. 1st guy was a noob and good friend of 20yrs. Returned half, then came back and stole 2/3 of Lyman molds and all H&G and Saeco molds.
He then skipped town.

2nd Man was our own CWLongshot. Loaned him several molds, they came back better then they left along with about 75lb of the most perfectly cast and Powder Coated bullets I 've EVER seen.
 
P

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Ian said:
I kept a list of loaned-out tools and such at the truck shop. It was pinned to the center post of the front parts counter with a 15" Nepalese kukri.
Click to expand...
"If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or he is a Gurkha." - Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw,
 
farmboy

farmboy

cookie man
I have never loaned out things with the expectation of ever seeing them again. So that tells you I don't normally loan anything out.
 
W

Walks

Well-Known Member
Next month By neighbor on the east side will have moved in 24 years ago. I loaded him my small electric chainsaw 3 months later. About the same time my Wife gave his wife something in a covered casserole dish to try.
Haven't seen saw or dish since.

On the other side, 2 weeks after My neighbor passed his Wife came over and asked Me to check their garage to see if there was anything He'd forgotten to return.

Different generations.
 
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