Can I fix this?

[armoredman]

I never noticed this before. I used this yesterday, and will do so again this week sometime, to see if this damage was there before. If so, this is why this Lee TL 125gr 356 drops .360 boolits, and probably why I have a high reject percentage. So, can I fix this tofull close, should I, or what?

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/damagedmold3.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/damagedmold2.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/damagedmold1.jpg

[Bret4207]

My opinion? It's what, a $14.00 mould? I'd get a triangular file and go to it.

[rkwrichard]

My opinion? It's what, a $14.00 mould? I'd get a triangular file and go to it.

But first go ahead and order your new one a Lyman steel.:castmine:

[armoredman]

Cannae afford Lyman, laddie. :(

[manleyjt]

take a picture of the blocks open so we can see what may be lurking around the alignment pins. There may be some burs that can be removed or ??? who knows what is in there. many things can cause some issues with lee moulds.

[IcerUSA]

Just work it bad slow with a file as suggested , file a little and check it to see if there is no light between the halfs . If you have to you can Leement it afterwards so it should be good to go for you .

Keith

[Pavogrande]

That is a pretty big gap -- bullet must come out with fins like a 57 caddy! It would appear the two extrusions are different lots -- This looks like original defect rather than wear or damage will Lee replace?

[grumpy one]

The bottom center of that mould seems to have been hit awfully hard, way worse than dropping it off the bench onto concrete. It's collapsed the corners of both halves, and flattened the hole the alignment pin was inserted through as well. I can't see how that is likely to be Lee's fault; they don't usually drop anvils on their moulds before they sell them.

If it was me I'd just file away the deformation around the squashed corner so the mould would close. Looks like about ten to fifteen minutes work, if you're careful, or five if you're not. I'd see it as a pretty normal operation to get a beaten up Lee mould back into operation - surely most of us have rescued sicker ones than that.

In other words, what Bret said.

[mechdriver]

Great close up pictures. What did you use?

[Chargar]

What the heck.... I would put it in a vise and mash it together... make the sign of the cross first!

[BudRow]

What grumpy one said - that mould has been hit hard!

[Chargar]

What the heck.... I would put it in a vise and mash it together... make the sign of the cross first!

[armoredman]

I have a file around here somewhere...guess I can do that. I don't know what hit it, I don't drop my molds, and that's an odd place to hit, unless my 7 year old used it as a warhammer. I'll do that this weekend, and see what happens.
Thanks, all.

[wonderwolf]

gotta watch dem 7yo'ers....they do stuff like that...

[ssn vet]

did you pick it up used?

I'm wonderin' if the aluminum gets a little soft and muluable at casting temps.

maybe some one burned them selves and did an "oh S#&#" maneuver as they jetisoned the mould accross the room onto a concrete floor.

I'm a total newb. so I'm just speculating and wondering out loud (if that's permisable).

[mooman76]

It looks allot like a Lee mould I once had problems with. Seems to me if I remember right a hammer got involved but I'l not sure. Anyway I had a change of heart and fixed it just for gee wizz purposes and it worked fine although the bullets weren't the purtiest when I got done but they still shot fine none the less.
Like Bret said , It's a $14 mould so what have you got to loose? You might ruin it? If it is a desireable bullet you like, I would order a new one and try to fix the old one in the mean time and if it works you have a spare!

[trickyasafox]

how old is the mold? i may contact lee- they have a pretty solid warrenty.

[Glen]

I like Charles's suggestion. I'd try that approach before I removed any metal.

[armoredman]

I could do that - I got it brand new, don't remember any damage, but I didn't really look for any.
mechdriver, (what mech?), cheap Vivitar 5 megapixel digital, same camera I use for everything. $18 dollar tripod, and it does wonders. :)
I do like that boolit, will contact Lee, with total honesty. I am thinking my son probably wouldn't have done that, as he knows not to touch any of my reloading stuff. Hmm.

[454PB]

For any of you that have digital cameras and don't know it.......

The way to get good macro pictures like this is to use the macro setting, crank it up to the highest resolution, get as close as your camera will focus, then crop the picture to include only the portion of interest.

ssn vet, I've used Lee moulds for 30 plus years, and even at the highest reasonable temperature settings, heat doesn't affect them this way. Now heat and a little abuse, that's another story.

[armoredman]

Well, the only file I could find was the one on the ol' Leatherman, but wonder of wonders, it works just fine. I got the corner carefully filed down, and the ends lock up tight, but I can still see daylight right in the middle, between the two cavities, not on the ends.
One of the alignment pins was way off because the damage wouldn't let it close - closes up like a bank vault now!
454PB, I love playing with my cheap digital camera, and WalMart freebie editing program. :)
Kin ya tell?
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/911x4.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/PICT0059.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/armoredman/silverplatter.jpg

[armoredman]

OK, finally got the mold back in action, hoping I didn't un-Beagle it to produce smaller boolits. I casted in the garage as discussed in a previous thread, with lots of ventilation, and the mold worked fine, dropping 133 perfect boolits, and my usual handful of OOPS boolits.
And, halleluja, they are still dropping at .360. Wonderful, I have a favorite mold for 9mm AND 38 Spl! Well, that and the 158gr semi-wadcutter, and the 166gr semi wadcutter, and the 140gr wadcutter, oh, OK, never mind.... :)

[Castinoff]

I have that Lee mold. Makes a good 9mm round. I'd contact Lee. What have you got to lose?

[armoredman]

Oh no, it works perfectly! I love oversize boolits, because I can use them in two calibers, 9mm and 38 Spl. I was quite unhappy about the damage, but all is good now! :)