LPS 842 dry moly lube and other sprue plate lubes

[mtngun]

I have been forced to abandon Dow 321, not that there is anything wrong with it, but because Dow jacked up the price -- it's currently going for $46 at Enco.

Soooo ...... I tried LPS 842 ($20 at Enco). Compared to Dow 321, LPS 842 is thinner and runnier. But I like that it dries faster than Dow 321. I wouldn't say that it works better than Dow 321, and I'm not even sure that it is equal to Dow 321, but it works satisfactorily, so for half the price of Dow 321 I can live with it. From now on it will be my new standard dry lube, until something better or cheaper comes along.

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In other news, I've been experimenting with synthetic 2-stroke lube and with moly grease. I apply a tiny bit to the underside of the sprue plate (using a q-tip), concentrating on the hinge area, and wipe off the excess before attaching the sprue plate to the mold. Both help. The 2-stroke lube is a bit thin and doesn't last long, mixing it about 50/50 with moly grease seems to be a good compromise. You can use the 2-stroke lube in addition to a dry lube, but be aware that it may dissolve some dry lubes.

[mtngun]

I've been testing "Jet-Lube Moly Mist" lately.

It dries to the touch quickly, but that can be deceiving because it's soft when it first dries and will rub off easily. It seems to last longer if you let it dry 15 - 30 minutes.

Even fully dry, it still has a tendency to rub off onto the mold, particularly at the sprue hinge. However, as long as there is lube between the sprue plate and the mold, that's all that matters.

Here's how it holds up after an hour long casting session. The moly has rubbed off the sprue plate around the hinge -- but now there's moly on the mold in that area, so it still gets the job done.

What impresses me is that there was absolutely no lead stuck to the bottom of the sprue plate at the end of the casting session. It seems superior to other lubes in that respect. All in all this is an acceptable sprue lube. I bought it from Zoro on ebay, or you can get it directly from Zoro's website.

Note that there are specs of lead stuck to the top of the mold. This is a common problem and perhaps could be prevented if I had also sprayed lube on the top of the mold (with bullets in the cavities so lube doesn't get into the cavities).