Finally got a aluminum mold

[Garbler]

I have had lots of old molds over the years but all were iron so that’s what I’m used to casting with. I have ten molds now but not one is aluminum and I’ve heard lots of talk on how they heat and cool real fast. So I just bought a nice used Accurate alum mold and looking for some casting tips and advice.

I realize my regular casting tempo will be different so I’ll have to work that out. I was told they need to be smoked first does this sound right ? I have an old carbide front sight blackening lamp so figuring this will work if it’s necessary. I work out of a Waage 50# melting pot and have always pre-heated my molds on the top of the pot. So do you pre-heat these molds on the pot or work up the temps casting or pouring hot lead on the top and sprue plate ? This mold is single cavity so do they lose casting temp real fast and have to be brought back up while running a batch. Would you need to have the mold like 800° or more or less. What about the sprue plate cooling off how do you handle that ? Any help is appreciated
Rick

 

[white eagle]

never smoked a mold in my life
yes preheat it helps as far as casting just go to town
eventually the mold will heat to the correct temp and start dropping bullets that will make you proud
sprue plate make no difference just cast

 

[Shorty]

I now have 4 molds, 3 aluminum and one steel. Smoking the aluminum mold acts like a release agent, works really good until there seasoned and drop out by themselves. Use a wooden match or 3 and blacken every nook and cranny. Use never seize for alignment pins and sprue plate bolt once mold is hot. 800 degrees sounds on the money.

 

[user 31408]

Yes I have a Lee aluminum mold and it helps a lot to smoke them with a wooden match. It even says in their directions to do this to act as a release agent.

 

[Les Harris]

Preheating the mold on an electric hotplate helps bring mold and sprue plate up to temp.

 

[Decay]

I set my aluminum moulds on top of my Lee hot pot to pre heat and I have my molten lead over 900 degrees. Perfect bullets.

 

[Tony gilbert]

I now have 4 molds, 3 aluminum and one steel. Smoking the aluminum mold acts like a release agent, works really good until there seasoned and drop out by themselves. Use a wooden match or 3 and blacken every nook and cranny. Use never seize for alignment pins and sprue plate bolt once mold is hot. 800 degrees sounds on the money.

I want a stone mold anybody ever used one

 

[bronko220002]

I smoke all my alum molds with either a candle with a large flame or a butane lighter.
But first I spray the whole thing down with Gun Scrubber and wipe it all off.
Once its cleaned and smoked I heat it up and lube the sprue screw and alignment pins with by touching them with a piece of beeswax.

 

[white eagle]

Preheating the mold on an electric hotplate helps bring mold and sprue plate up to temp.

Bingo that goes along way
out of the hundreds of molds I have owned (aluminum, steel, iron) not 1 smoked all bullets released on their own and rather quickly
heating and pouring does most of the work in prepping the mold