I've been using Lee moulds since they first hit the market, and I own about 20 of them. I did the lubing as instructed by Lee for the first 5 years or so, and got the resulting buildup of carbonized crud. So....I quit lubing them all together. I've found that using the proper technique, it's not necessary. I use my hardwood knocker to align the block halves as I close them, and it works perfectly for me. Some of my moulds have cast 5,000 bullets and are still going strong.