A mold is provided having a porous metal insert through which a mold release agent can be pumped to provide a desired, precisely metered quantity or coating of the release agent at a desired location along the inner surface of a mold cavity, or at the inner surface of an injection port, between or at periodic intervals of successive moldings of parts. The need to manually apply mold release agent between successive moldings, for example to the injection port of an injection mold, is reduced, thereby reducing or substantially eliminating inconsistent applications of release agent that are characteristic of manually applied coatings. A method of molding using the disclosed porous metal insert also is provided.