Best lube for mold alignment pins???

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Last Post 10 March 2013

CBA President

John Alexander posted this 24 December 2012

For years I have been using little black sticks of waxy stuff that look like the old Listo Leads (for anybody that remembers them.) It may be Listo Lead. I got it from Walt Melander when he ran NEI. It works well enough if you are careful to not let it migrate to the bullet cavities and then it does what waxes and greases do if they get in the cavities.

So I was careful until this afternoon when a mold was binding on the pins upon opening and I got overenthusiastic and that was the end of the casting session. I am about out of Walt's little sticks and am not so enthusiastic about them right now anyway.

What is the best lube to use on mold alignment pins and the sprue plate pivot.

Thanks for any suggestions.

John

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18 Comments

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CBA Member

RicinYakima posted this 24 December 2012

Before Walt sold that stuff, he recommended to me: refined beeswax with colliodial graphite. I made up a very small tin of it 20 plus years ago and I am still using the last 1/2. I use my sharp #2 lead pencil, that I use for scraping between the top of the mould and swinging plate, to touch the lube, then the pins.

Yep, get beeswax into the cavity and that means lots of cleaning!

Ric

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CBA Member

R. Dupraz posted this 24 December 2012

For years, I have used a product called “Lock Ez” only because I once was in the telephone business and one of my jobs was to take care of pay phones and to empty the money boxes. This stuff was used to keep the locks free.

It is graphite based suspended in a high temp clinging liquid carrier. Inexpensive and avaiable everywhere. Works very well but use very sparingly and don't get any in the cavities. One drop on the pins and hinge is all you need.

A while back, I had Veral Smith make me a mould and when he sent it, included was a thin black stick of lube for the pins and hing. Don't know what it is but it works very well

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CBA Member

nimrod posted this 24 December 2012

I like the stuff called bull plate that NOE molds gives you with a mold purchase. You can get it at http://bullshop.weebly.com/ and ATF works almost as good.

Richard

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Standard Member

Antietamgw posted this 24 December 2012

I use Veral Smiths' mould lube and like it on the pins and sprue plate screw. I've also used Bullshop's Sprue Plate lube. It's a bit easier to use near the cavity, apply it with a Q-Tip. I tend to use Veral's stuff more often as I like to lube the pins a couple times during a casting session and it's a bit quicker to apply.

Keep your plowshare and your sword. Know how and when to use them.

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Standard Member

onondaga posted this 24 December 2012

Products with any petroleum or petroleum distillates give casters that don't follow instructions the most grief. Heated petroleum spreads and gasses out. If used very sparingly, you'll likely have no problem. If petroleum flows and gasses into your mold cavities, this raises your chances of casting flaws looking like rounded wavy wrinkling or smooth rounded craters.

I have my favorite products. Some inexpensive easily available products work well too. Recently, I have tried all synthetic 2 stroke motor oil. It has no petroleum and can be applied sparingly and rubbed to a shine with a Q-tip.

The most stubborn mold I have is a Lee 12 Ga slug mold with a self centering base pin assembly. That is a lot of surfaces to keep clean and operating smoothly and mine is particularly old and worn from use. I use clear automotive dielectric silicone grease on this mold with the same sparse application method I use with the synthetic 2 stroke motor oil. The silicone has no petroleum in it either.

Many casters just swear by Kroil for lubricating mold alignment pins. Some curse the stuff for that job. It really is a matter of application. Kroil has petroleum distillates that will spread with heat and gas out, but careful minimal application will make it work fine.

I also have some medical grade pure silicone fluid, that has no petroleum or fillers. This is the old stuff that was used to fill breast implants before modern saline fluid became popular. The low viscosity of my particular silicone fluid makes it easy to apply sparingly and buff out to a shine with a Q-tip. So, sometimes I use that...I have a couple gallons of it and it even works fine for waterless/soap-less facial shaving when camping out. Gillette uses this in their Military combat shaving kit. I also use it as a fly line cleaner/conditioner and dry fly floatant...it's super for that.

Gary

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Standard Member

CB posted this 24 December 2012

I use the LBT graphite sticks too. I order a few extra with every mould. I know a guy who uses automotive dielectric silicone grease with complete satisfaction too. Before I used Verals little sticks, I was completely happy with a touch of plain old beeswax.

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CBA Member

Ed Harris posted this 24 December 2012

I have always used a tiny bit of beeswax applied with a toothpick and it works fine. If no beeswax was handy, pure mineral oil USP works fine, and is good for protecting iron molds from rust, and sublimes away quickly if you pre-heat blocks on an electric hotplate.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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Standard Member

highstandard40 posted this 24 December 2012

I use synthetic 2 stroke oil with excellent results. Using a single drop on a Q-Tip, I apply the lubricant to the alignment pins and their recesses and then wipe the same areas with a dry Q-Tip to remove the excess and prevent lube migration. The underside of the sprue plate gets the same treatment. This is done to a mold that is up to operating temperature. One treatment normally lasts through a casting session but can be re-done as needed. I keep the lube in a small squeeze bottle. Used at this rate, a few ounces lasts a very long time.

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CBA Member

Uncle Russ posted this 24 December 2012

Walt Melander sent me a bottle of lube with a mold I bought probably 15 years ago. When he was in Oregon. Works great and probably have 2/3 of it left as a “Q tip” full goes a long way. He said, if I remember right that it was a high temp silicone mold release product, a by product of the space program. I just put it on the sprue plate and hinge never in those precious little cavities.

Merry Christmas to all, And may God bless,

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CBA President

John Alexander posted this 24 December 2012

Thanks for all the interesting suggestions. Now I am on the hunt for some of the suggested products. I am a sucker for new elixirs. The suggestions of a silicone lube reminded me that I still have about a thimble full of a Dow Corning High Vacuum grease left over from another life. If that works that should “see me out.” (Old Maine saying)

I also have almost a quart synthetic motor oil (Mobile 1) that claims to be “fully synthetic". That should last me several lifetimes if it works.

I cursed when I screwed up yesterday but it has lead to interesting ideas.

Thanks.

John

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Standard Member

CB posted this 24 December 2012

I use the graphite mold prep from NEI, it is applied cold and dries to a film and can be used to coat the pins, cavities, sprue and outside of the mold to prevent rust for storage.

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CBA Member

tturner53 posted this 24 December 2012

Hey John, note above post mentions synthetic 2 stroke oil, not motor oil. I use Bullplate or 'Mold Prep' or bullet lube. Depends on my mood. All have worked, but migration is an issue if not dealt with. I've read that synthetic 2 stroke oil and Bullplate have similar properties.

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Standard Member

CB posted this 24 December 2012

One of the things I like about the graphite mold prep is that lead will not stick to it. Those fine vents lines and other difficult places lead adheres is no longer an issue.

If also aids in bullet drop out, and fewer flawed bullets. I can cast much faster and cast much better quality bullets.

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CBA President

John Alexander posted this 26 December 2012

Even more suggestions!

I did notice that Gary said two stroke oil but I was trying to get all synthetic and the two stroke oil I have on hand says “synthetic blend” and the Mobile 1 says “fully synthetic” so I though it might be worth a try.

It is beginning to look like there is more than one way to skin a cat (just like with almost every other problem) and one thread running though all is that it only takes a little.

John

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Standard Member

rsrocket1 posted this 12 January 2013

This is the stuff I use and it works great. Just use enough to dampen the end of a Q-tip and no more. Use that Q-tip on the pins, the sprue plate joint and the top of the mold ensuring it doesn't get close to the cavities.

Somewhere near $2 at a chainsaw store. I picked up the last bottle at Lowes before they stopped carrying it and it was on clearance for <$1.