Cutting the sprue by hand, not with a mallet

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Just wanted to share a little tip I’ve started doing recently. Instead of beating the sprueplate open with a wooden mallet or other club-shaped thing I picked up a pair of these heat resistant oven gloves – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GRC2JS6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They were a little tight on my hands at first but loosen up to a comfortable level pretty quickly. Once I get my molds up to around 450 degrees I can open the sprueplate by hand, gripping the mold and pushing the sprueplate with my thumb. If I grip the mold tightly I can feel the warmth but just opening the sprueplate I don’t get anywhere close to an uncomfortable level of heat. 

Unlike oven mitts I can still manipulate the allen keys to adjust the sprue plate bolt if I need to, which should give you a good idea of the detail work you can accomplish in these gloves. The main benefits I can see with opening the sprueplate this way are:

1) a much better tactile feel for when you need to reapply sprueplate lube
2) No more loud whacking with the mallet
3) better control over where your sprue goes. I can gently drop it back into the pot directly from the mold.

Sometimes I’ll get a bullet that doesn’t want to drop directly out of the mold when it opens. Instead of tapping the handles I just use my knuckles and rap on the half of the mold where the bullet is stuck – like i’m knocking on a door. Bullet falls right out and I’m not beating the mold with anything hard. The gloves provide enough cushion I can do this and not worry about my knuckles getting beat up either.

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[robertpedersen1]

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My preferred method, as well.  But I use welding gloves.

Not as tactile, but cheap, always available, and usually clean.

[Full.Lead.TacoKeymaster]

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I sometimes do the same, but with the thicker welding gloves.

[jimwilliams]

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3rd on the welding gloves.

[teemuParticipant]

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Also use gloves and thick leather piece. Works for me.

[MaxParticipant]

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I used to use a welding glove now I just use standard all leather gloves and it works fine!!

[terrancejohnsonParticipant]

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I haven’t used a mallet for sprue cutting for years. I use leather work gloves. The ones with a thin layer of insulation for winter use work very well and cost about $10/pr. Using them you have about 10 seconds to cut the sprue before the heat starts to come through in any noticeable amount. Plain leather gloves work ok too but the heat comres through a bit faster.

[adamsutherlandModerator]

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I don’t use gloves when casting, I have little sensation in my fingers and I just can’t work with gloves on.

When using a striker to open the plate you don’t need to pound and whack it, a light tap just cuts the sprue and then I open it by gently pushing it with the mallet, I use a rawhide hammer.

It is not so much the tool but how you choose to use it that beats up moulds.

[charlesgilbertParticipant]

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I start out with a 12″ furring strip to tap it open. It is some sort of soft light wood, almost like balsa wood. When the mold and plate get hot enough (usually a couple dozen pours), then I switch to opening with my gloves.

[Author]

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