Brake Cleaner on a hot alum mould ...DON'T!

[JWFilips]

Hi Guys,
Had a rough time this past two weeks. Before then I was golden; plain basing my moulds. Finally decided to go for it on my last mould ( a NOE 8 mm Ranch Dog) Again I pulled it off rather well but not exact so the Devil inside told me to try a fix it ( which it didn't really need) well I aligned it again an favored the mis-cut side...again I would have been golden..... but since it was already drilled I did not experience the "when to stop point!". Needless to say I took out the lower lube groove that time!

Again not a disaster. I was in the middle of casting up some test boolits quickly with this new cut and somehow got oil in the mould... instant wrinkles! But could not wait to burn off so I gave the cavity a spray of Brake Cleaner! Yes the banned in California type! Chloro ...what's its name!

Cleaned the problem ..cast some more then put it away with cavities filled.

Tonight I tried to open it up...it was frozen!.... a few hard wraps then it opened and I had to extract the PB boolit from it! Massive oxidation and pitting! Very nasty.
Spent the evening trying to hone out the cavity with white diamond compound on a few boolits!

So word of warning no Brake cleaner on a hot Aluminum mold!

 

[Ian]

Phosgene comes to mind as a reason not to do that as well. Sorry about the mould, I have a few too who have suffered from my, well, enthusiasm.

 

[JWFilips]

Phosgene comes to mind as a reason not to do that as well. Sorry about the mould, I have a few too who have suffered from my, well, enthusiasm.

Fitting!...The boolits are used in a WWI rifle! I did remember all the warnings (as I sprayed it in the mould!)

I think I have the cavity polished out ok. Now to figure out what to do on the blocks. Looks like I will have to clean out all the vent lines wit a razor knife

 

[quicksylver]

JW ....Good things can come from disasters.
Your posting of this mishaps is a warning to the wise and should
help others avoid the same fate....Thank You

 

[JWFilips]

Well Dan, I don't think I'm in a position to give "words to the wise" but maybe it will help another enthusiastic dummy

 

[quicksylver]

Jim I do not know if this will help at all, but back when I was restoring Harleys and Indians for the Base Ballplayers on the West coast
I took a bunch if vintage and expensive trim ornaments over to the plating shop.
Never had any trouble before with parts, but theses were made of some sort of pot metal common for the vintage of the bikes.
We treated them like all the rest of the parts as far as prep went but after drooping them into one of the tanks and waiting when we pulled everything back out,
where the ornaments should have been there was only the wire hanging.
I guess we should have tried one first, but hey, THIS WAS BEFORE THE INTERNET.
Back then each and everyone of us had to learn by our OWN mistakes.

 

[JWFilips]

Dan,
Really going to drift this thread; but your note above stuck home.
A number of years ago I was completing a Custom flintlock rifle for a client.
He sent me a silver "Cross of Loraine" to inlay into the brass trigger guard. Said it was pretty expensive.
I cut the mortice in the brass and went to solder the cross into it.
Only seconds went by when I heard a pop! A geyser of grey liquid metal sprayed across my workbench and the silver crust that was left just crinkled up like a burst toy balloon!
Aauugghh! I ended up duplicating the design and cut it out of a piece of sterling silver stock with a jewelers saw! ( sent the silver crust back to him in a plastic bag with a note to "find the guy that sold it to you!!!"

 

[Elric]

Not quite the same fun of brake cleaner on hot aluminum, but I tried brake cleaner on a Lyman mould to degrease it... Feeling pretty slicky-slick, I then went to smoke it... Imagine my disappointment when the carbon from smoking started to moisten and clump. Dunno what the long terminology is, but every time I have used brake cleaner on irom moulds, they invariably act like they have an oil on em and there is a moisture like beading of carbon... Extra flaming from my grill lighter does not dry it out.

Went to boiling 'em... do not use detergent, foaming, boiling water on my stove is not my cup of tea...

 

[JWFilips]

I have used Chloro Brake cleaner on all my mould in the past When they were cold. Steel / brass / aluminum.... no problem Just don't do it on a fully heated mould ...How stupid was I.
I boil steel parts for ML's in chlorox to obtain an aged & Pitted appearance Ya think I should have known better!!!

 

[fiver]

not all is lost.
that stuff they sell to coat the inside of your molds and make them smaller [mold release]
is pretty good at filling in the pits on a worn down mold.
give it a spray them polish out the mold, then another spray and another polish.
just enough to remove the release agent in the mold, this will fill in the pits and stuff.

oh starting fluid is really good at removing oil from a mold too.
I generally use a spray de-greaser in my molds followed by starting fluid [when it's hot] to wash everything away.

 

[JWFilips]

Thanks fiver ....That sounds like an interesting concept

 

[62chevy]

I just use tooth past and hot water to clean my molds.