psilvers Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 I have been pouring some big lead jigs (1-3 oz) using a Do-It mold. On many of my jigs the surface is a bit rough - usually this shows up as minor creases in the jig surface. They are not major imperfections, but some of them do show through even after a coat of powder paint. What can I do to smooth out the surface of the jig? I was thinking of two things- 1- Polishing the mold surface with my Dremel, or 2- using the bullet lube that Cadman has discovered. Any input from any of you guys? Thanks, Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 Pete, This is my two cents worth. #1 Definitely get the Frankford Arsenal mold release spray. It will improve the flow of your pours greatly especially when you are pouring such big jigs. The reason for the imperfections, is the lead cools before it has a chance to fill out and you get cuts or gouges in your jigs. It is more pronounced when you pour big jigs like you mentioned. #2 I would not use a dremel. I have tried to no end, to get it to do what I want and I did not like the results. If you turn it down low it doesn't want to polish the lead, if you turn it up high it will not cut lead but it melts it from the high speed and friction. Add to this that the lead is soft and you have bigger problems. Also I was using a dremel cutter bit not a sanding disc or drum. Forget a sanding disc or drum it builds up too fast and is useless. My suggestion to cleaning up a jig with gouges is to use a bastard cut half round file. It does an excellent job of cutting the lead fast and you can control it easily on which way you want to shape your gouges. If you have a 1/16" deep or deeper gouge well nothing you can use will work to remove it without filing half the lead away. I then use J B weld. Mix the two components, fill the gouge, let dry, file smooth then paint. This is a last resort and very time consuming and not practical, however it does work and yes it does work with powder paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psilvers Posted July 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 Cadman, I was thinking of using the Dremel to polish the mold - not the jig. I will try the Frankford Arsenal spray. I also think that I will try heating up the mold even more than I do now. Thanks for the input. Pete Pete, This is my two cents worth. #1 Definitely get the Frankford Arsenal mold release spray. It will improve the flow of your pours greatly especially when you are pouring such big jigs. The reason for the imperfections, is the lead cools before it has a chance to fill out and you get cuts or gouges in your jigs. It is more pronounced when you pour big jigs like you mentioned. #2 I would not use a dremel. I have tried to no end, to get it to do what I want and I did not like the results. If you turn it down low it doesn't want to polish the lead, if you turn it up high it will not cut lead but it melts it from the high speed and friction. Add to this that the lead is soft and you have bigger problems. Also I was using a dremel cutter bit not a sanding disc or drum. Forget a sanding disc or drum it builds up too fast and is useless. My suggestion to cleaning up a jig with gouges is to use a bastard cut half round file. It does an excellent job of cutting the lead fast and you can control it easily on which way you want to shape your gouges. If you have a 1/16" deep or deeper gouge well nothing you can use will work to remove it without filing half the lead away. I then use J B weld. Mix the two components, fill the gouge, let dry, file smooth then paint. This is a last resort and very time consuming and not practical, however it does work and yes it does work with powder paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlaery Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 (edited) Cadman, I was thinking of using the Dremel to polish the mold - not the jig. I will try the Frankford Arsenal spray. I also think that I will try heating up the mold even more than I do now. Thanks for the input. Pete I use these Widget Supply to polish the inside of the cavity. They are rubber, you will wear one out in 1 or 2 cavities, but they work nice.They do cut/remove aluminum. Be careful around the edge not to round off the edge, this will cause more of a parting line. They don't work very well on lead. Edited July 9, 2010 by dlaery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdsaw Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 I have been pouring some big lead jigs (1-3 oz) using a Do-It mold. On many of my jigs the surface is a bit rough - usually this shows up as minor creases in the jig surface. They are not major imperfections, but some of them do show through even after a coat of powder paint. What can I do to smooth out the surface of the jig? I was thinking of two things- 1- Polishing the mold surface with my Dremel, or 2- using the bullet lube that Cadman has discovered. Any input from any of you guys? Thanks, Pete I'm pouring jigs up to 4ozs. Before polishing your mold surface try a few things out Mold release spray(as previously mentioned) or good old candle soot Get the mold warmed thoroughly(keep pouring practice parts till they come out right Your lead may not be hot enough (I don't attempt to pour until the temp reaches over 500 deg. F.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 Sorry Pete and Guys. I guess I should have read the thread more carefully. Didn't mean to throw the thread off topic with my reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psilvers Posted July 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 Cadman - That's OK - I appreciate the reply and the input. I do heat the mold and I pour a bunch of blanks (no hooks) before I pour the ones with hooks. In fact, the mold gets so hot that I have had to let it cool down so that I don't get any leakage. I will try turning up the heat on my lead anyway. I have noticed that some jigs are not great and others are fine. It may be the difference in the temp. I thank everyone for their help. Pete Sorry Pete and Guys. I guess I should have read the thread more carefully. Didn't mean to throw the thread off topic with my reply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted July 10, 2010 Report Share Posted July 10, 2010 (edited) Cadman - That's OK - I appreciate the reply and the input. I do heat the mold and I pour a bunch of blanks (no hooks) before I pour the ones with hooks. In fact, the mold gets so hot that I have had to let it cool down so that I don't get any leakage. I will try turning up the heat on my lead anyway. I have noticed that some jigs are not great and others are fine. It may be the difference in the temp. I thank everyone for their help. Pete Pete, try scoring the mold with thin lines to allow any trapped air to escape and improve the flow. They can be very fine and won't effect the castings, one bit. Just make them extend to the outside of the mold, from the cavity Edited July 10, 2010 by Husky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
