mould alignment pin fell out

[popper]

Casting yesterday, Lee 2 hole 401175 TC. alignment pin fell out. I noticed it was loose and pushed it back in but short time later it was gone. The bolt handle seemed very loose. I kept on casting and getting GOOD boollits, actually cast as fast as I could - seemed like faster was better. Caused by wear or overheated mould? I've cast ~5k so far. I can put it back in and peen it. Any precautions before doing this and is it really needed? Send it back to Lee and get it fixed? It's the pin close to the handle.

[45-70 Chevroner]

If it works use it. If it bothers you send it back, they are very good about fixing thier stuff. Sometimes they will just send you a new one.

[rexherring]

I had that happen on my Lee .45 200 gr RNFP, I just slid it back in and gave the mold a slight peen with a small punch and very light tap. It's very soft aluminum so careful. If it works great without it, I wouldn't worry.

[GT27]

I had that happen on my Lee .45 200 gr RNFP, I just slid it back in and gave the mold a slight peen with a small punch and very light tap. It's very soft aluminum so careful. If it works great without it, I wouldn't worry.

That's how I fixed mine also,peen the aluminum a little above the pin, and no more problem!:coffee:

[paul h]

Time to upgrade to a six cavity lee :D

Honestly I've never cast enough from a lee 2 cavity to wear one out. If I like a lee design enough to shoot alot of them I get a 6 cavity mold.

[popper]

Sorry I got this in wrong forum, must be getting dyslexic. Yes to the 6 x, have enough of these for the summer so I can look for a good 145 & 180 mould - and save for them. As long as the other pin is there I'll probably leae it alone, just wondering if I did something to cause the problem or it's the nature of the Lee 2x moulds. Thanks.

[paul h]

The 2 cavity lee molds are really a genius design in terms of being produced economically, but they are fairly fragile. If you cast over 5k from the mold, you more than got your $'s worth.

[geargnasher]

I'd say you got your money's worth as well. I have a large fleet of Lee two-bangers that get used a lot but taken care of with proper lube and Leementing, and have NEVER had a pin come out or get loose, even the ones I have to tap to get the boolits to drop due to the boolit shape.

I suppose you could peen the pin gently back in, but if it tries to pull back away from the block face you might have to rework the metal on the triangular ridge that the pin passes through in order to get the mould to close properly.

Gear

[fcvan]

20+ Lee molds and have only had one pin fall out. I use the heck out of them! I put the pin back in and put a dab of alloy on the opening and kept casting. I always figured I'd peen the pin in but the dab of alloy has held for 2 years! I guess I should dig it out and peen but hey, it isn't broken :) Frank

[Frank V]

I had that happen on my Lee .45 200 gr RNFP, I just slid it back in and gave the mold a slight peen with a small punch and very light tap. It's very soft aluminum so careful. If it works great without it, I wouldn't worry.

I did the very same thing with one of my Lee moulds too. The aluminum is soft so a gentle tap will peen it.

I replaced the center pin in the mould handles with a bolt too. Be careful not to overtighten it.
Frank

[popper]

dab of alloy has held for 2 years How did you get a dab on it? Sounds like a reasonable fix, I was thinking JB weld or locktite red.