Midway Mould Release

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  • Last Post 17 July 2011
Fg1 posted this 01 December 2010

Today I was argueing with a Lee mould that just didnt want to fill out ! Went round and round , temperature speed cleaned it several times with denatured alcohol , hot soapy water .................it just didnt want to fill out ! I remembered having some of that spray release  and set the mould aside and used another mould for a while . When I could handle the mould with ease I stepped out side and sprayed it , came in and continued csating while it dried . About 15 minutes after I looked at it and it looked dry so I run a couple bullets in it just dumping them with the sprus while it heated up after 1/2 dozen or so casts I looked and found the ugliest gnarly looking things when I opened the mold ! The bullets were all shrivled and wrinkled looking , although they did fall out of mould easy !

I looked in the mould and it looked like pictures of the moon only worse ! I knew the mould was toast , I just knew it ! Needless to say I was pretty well ticked at this point over ruining that mould ! I figured It was toast , so out to the shop I went and looked to see what solvents I had and found I had some acetone . I had a soft brass toothbrush that I dipped in the acetone and gently scrubbed all that goo out of the cavity and cleaned and rinced several times and got back to square one ! Found some stick matches , smoked cavity and we're back in business !!:D:)

Ill remember that , and NOT do it again ! 

 

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DAMRON G posted this 01 December 2010

"Today I was arguing with a Lee mould"

I like the way you put that!I had similar experience with mold release and dont use it anymore unless i want to make the mold cast smaller bullets.Then it works wonders.

George

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Fg1 posted this 02 December 2010

Well , I won that arguement :D:cool: I think that the release hadnt quite dried even being there a good spell and my can of goo was 10 years or more old . It was a light coat and smooth until it heated up . After heating is when it got uuuugily !!

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MT Bob posted this 11 January 2011

I've tried Midway mold release and its hasn't been a great asset as a mold release,BUT. I tried it as a dry bullet lube and it turned out to do an amazing job. I took clean, just cast bullets and sprayed them so they had a smooth even coat. Then I ran them through a Lee push through bullet sizer. The first one didn't look too good but after that one, all the rest came out like polished obsidian. I ran them through a Glock 45 ACP, a ruger Redhawk 44 and a ruger Security Six and never had any leading at all. They were as accurate as the guns had ever been and I think the black bullets look really neat. They did leave a black coating inside the barrels but it had no negative effect on accuracy that I could tell. I think it probably works like moly coating. Some folks liked that and some didn't.

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CB posted this 11 January 2011

I use a mold prep that used to be sold by Rapine.. Applied to a cold mold and then allowed to dry. I put it everywhere, in the cavities, the top and interior surfaces and both sides of the sprue plate. Then I dip the corner of the mold into the melt for about a minute.. Takes a long while to the sprue to solidify, but after that, nice perfectly filled out bullets. The mold prep is a graphite / hi temp polymer in an alcohol suspension. Keeps all kinds of gunk off your mold. I use it on my ladle as well, nothing sticks to it. I think NEI also sells a similar product.

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32ideal posted this 11 January 2011

Jeff putting mould release on ladles is the absolute best idea/tip :idea1: I've heard in a long time, I will bring my ladles in tomorrow morning clean them up and give them a shot, other than using prep on both sides of the sprue plate I never had any luck with Midways!

Thanks again Jeff, guess I need to BS :wnk: more at the matches, 32ideal  

Jeff Bowles wrote: I use a mold prep that used to be sold by Rapine.. Applied to a cold mold and then allowed to dry. I put it everywhere, in the cavities, the top and interior surfaces and both sides of the sprue plate. Then I dip the corner of the mold into the melt for about a minute.. Takes a long while to the sprue to solidify, but after that, nice perfectly filled out bullets. The mold prep is a graphite / hi temp polymer in an alcohol suspension. Keeps all kinds of gunk off your mold. I use it on my ladle as well, nothing sticks to it. I think NEI also sells a similar product.

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CB posted this 11 January 2011

Anytime Mike... Now rememberI dont use the midway stuff, dont know what results you would have, but if you have a can of the midway stuff with no use for it, now it at least has some use cause it s**ks on the inside of a mold..

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cityboy posted this 11 January 2011

I find that a coating of carbon works well. At first I used large wood matches but would up burning my fingers. What works best for me is a BBQ igniter. They are long, put out a good flame and fingers don't get cooked.

Jim

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32ideal posted this 12 January 2011

Just so everyone knows, the Midaway Mould Release comes out of the can as black sticky silly string after being frozen. :shock: Have to wait for a new can from them or NEI before I can try it on my ladles! 

 But did have another thought for its use, :idea1: anyone try coating the inside of their lead pots with it, if so what results? 32ideal

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technojock posted this 05 April 2011

I wasn't going to mention this but I did spay down the inside my my Lee 10# pot after wire brushing it out.  I hadn't used it in a long time and it was a bit rusty.  The Midway mold release will stay put in the pot unless I flux with Marvalux (sp?) casting flux.  Anyway it seems to have stopped the pot rusting problem.

I now save the Marvalux for when I'm smelting scrap lead on my camp stove in a stainless pan.

Tony

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Tom Acheson posted this 05 April 2011

My newest mould is from Paul Jones, a .40 cal. single cavity, 416-grain “Money” bullet nose, custom mould. Talked with him on the phone and he gave me some great casting tips. One of them was the use of the Frankford Arsenal “drop out” (the same Midway stuff you guys are discussing).

One of his suggestions was to stick a Q-tip in sprue hole and keep the mould tightly closed. Spray the entire exterior of the mould, sprue plate, top, bottom and edges. It will prevent lead splatter and other stuff from sticking to the outside of the mould and underside of the sprue plate. But, he said, never let it near the faces of the blocks or the cavity.

He also suggested the inside treatment of the ladle with the stuff. I might have to try the inside of the Lyman 20-pound pot application noted above.

Tom

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billglaze posted this 06 April 2011

Before I saw this thread , I bought a can of the Midway Mould Release stuff, and applied it to my RCBS mould for the 6mm 95 gr. bullet. I'm now scared to use the mould, but I guess all I'm looking at is some vigorous work to get the stuff off. And, I need another batch of 6mm bullets for the 50XB Remington. So, in the next couple of days............... here goes. I'm going to start out with the acetone treatment, and see how it goes.

In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. My fate is not entirely in Gods hands, if I have a weapon in mine.

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RicinYakima posted this 06 April 2011

An alternative is to use a dry tooth brush, not yours but the better half's, and dry brush all of it out that you can. A small amount doesn't hurt anything, but most people put it on too heavy. Just enought to change the color. HTH, Ric

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Dicko posted this 02 May 2011

I don't understand any of this. In another thread on this forum somebody said some guys like to complicate things ! I have been a commercial caster for a long time. I cast with dry molds, nothing applied to them, and have no trouble getting perfect bullets from all of them. The only reason a mould might not drop its bullets easily is the mechanical lock from machining burrs at the edge of the cavity. I've seen quite a few of those. The remedy is to polish the cavity with very fine (1000 grit) abrasive on a rotating mandrel. That cures it every time. Forget the mould releases and other concoctions !

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technojock posted this 09 July 2011

Dicko wrote: The only reason a mould might not drop its bullets easily is the mechanical lock from machining burrs at the edge of the cavity. I've seen quite a few of those. The remedy is to polish the cavity with very fine (1000 grit) abrasive on a rotating mandrel. Where do you buy your abrasive grit for polishing molds?  That's a lot finer than the valve lapping paste I can find.

Tony

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ubetcha posted this 09 July 2011

Had a Lee 158grswc in 357mag that didn't want to throw good bullets.Used the Kroil trick.Perfect bullets each time when up to temp

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CB posted this 09 July 2011

technojock wrote: Dicko wrote: The only reason a mould might not drop its bullets easily is the mechanical lock from machining burrs at the edge of the cavity. I've seen quite a few of those. The remedy is to polish the cavity with very fine (1000 grit) abrasive on a rotating mandrel. Where do you buy your abrasive grit for polishing molds?  That's a lot finer than the valve lapping paste I can find.

Tony Try Comet or Bon Ami. Especially on aluminum moulds

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codarnall posted this 09 July 2011

Casting with an aluminum is indeed tricky. Expertly done I see others cast perfect castings quickly. I though am just getting too old for all these new little quirks. I will stick to iron or bronze!

Charlie

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jimkim posted this 10 July 2011

I use Frankford Arsenal drop out, but I only use it as a storage sealant for cast iron or steel moulds. I have tried it as a drop out agent, but wasn't altogether happy with it. In order to get the coating light enough, so as not to affect the diameter and quality of the bullets, I think I would have to spray it on from geosynchronous orbit.

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technojock posted this 10 July 2011

I use it on the outside of old Lyman molds that the finish is gone.   I've also found that it works well on the underside of sprue plates to help cut friction when opening and closing aluminum molds.

Drop out is an absolute disaster for what it's sold to do.

I'm looking forward to trying it as a bullet lube.  I think it would also could be used as a temporary gun finish when the bluing is worn off and you don't have the bux to have it done up right. It can't help but be better than cold blue...

Tony

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WyrTwister posted this 17 July 2011

     I quit using mold release ( spray can ) as it reduces the OD of the bullets cast from that mold .  I usually try for bigger bullets .

     I used to use soot from a ” propane match ” .

     Quit doing that too .

     I now clean new molds and any mold that has problems with liquid dish soap and water .  Scrub with an old tooth brush & rinse .    Scrub with an old tooth brush & tooth paste ( mild abrasive ) & rinse .  

     Let dry very well .

God bless wyr

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