Lee Mould Dies Like a Hero

[NVcurmudgeon]

The other day the sprue cutter and screw of my Lee SC 8mm 175 gr. mould leapt into the sprue box. Yep, the screw hole was stripped out. After ten years, I don't think Lee owes me anything on that one. Looking through the murk of Lee's warranty, I see that I can buy a new one for half price, but that mould has been discontinued. Maybe they'll give me a deal on the new DC. It's worth investing in a flat rate envelope to find out. If they say "no soap," I'll tell them to throw it away, and still buy the DC Lee 175. The old mould cost me about a frogskin a year, well worth it!

[Ricochet]

They had the SC on their closeouts page last time I looked.

[1Shirt]

Yep, there is a life expectancy on all things!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[S.R.Custom]

You could tap the hole for a larger screw... [smilie=1:

[wiljen]

or just cut a hole from a 90 degree angle into the current stripped hole and tap it for a set screw. Reuse the existing screw - a small brass ball under the allen screw will prevent galling. You can even use threadlocker on the set screw if you wish.

[Swagerman]

In other words...its fixable. :mrgreen:

Jim

[NVcurmudgeon]

In other words...its fixable. :mrgreen:

Jim

You haven't seen my worst, er work.

[kenjuudo]

It can be fixed, PM sent.

jim

[94Doug]

Another option I had thrown out on another thread is a Heli-coil insert.

Doug

[beemer]

I have several that I have bored deeper,tapped and put in a longer screw.

beemer

[Johnch]

I drilled and taped one out to expect a threaded bushing
I lock tighted it in and used a different scew in the inside threads of the bushing

John

[mroliver77]

I have sent Lee molds back and was surprised at the service and replacement I was given. J

[S.R.Custom]

I have sent Lee molds back and was surprised at the service and replacement I was given. J

Maybe so. But a good mould in the hand is worth two in the mail. :mrgreen:

[DLCTEX]

If I liked the boolit, I'd fix it. Dale

[mtgrs737]

Just fix it already! LOL

[crabo]

Another option I had thrown out on another thread is a Heli-coil insert.

Doug

I like these steel inserts better than the Heli-coils. You drill and tap to a larger size and then clean the new threads, screw in the EZ-LOK and the adhesive glues it in. You then have steel threads for your bolt or machine screw. Works great in 10/22 recievers and alloy parts that are stripped out.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=5412349&PMT4NO=36310149

Crabo

[94Doug]

Yes, I would agree. I tend to use Heli Coil as a generic term. My preference has always been to use a threaded insert, which HeliCoil also marketed for things such as spark plug repair....

d

[chuebner]

I had a Lee SC C312-185R that I purchased off the Lee seconds page about 4-5 years ago. Something was wrong with it (can't remember now) and for grins I sent it back to Lee requesting their evaluation to see if it could be repaired. A week and a half later I received a flat rate envelope with a brand new mold in it. You can't beat that kind of service.

Charlie

[NVcurmudgeon]

I sent my Lee 8mm SC mould to Lee, expecting little. After all, the warranty had expired, and the mould had been discontinued. Today, I received a brand new Lee Double Cavity 8mm mould, no charge. That's mighty good of Lee to exceed their warranty AND give me an upgrade.

[S.R.Custom]

Yep. I don't care what some folks say-- I've got a bunch of red products, and I can't say I'm disatisfied with any of them. I wish I could say the same about all the other colors I have.

[44man]

I just recieved my Ranch Dog mold for the .44 and was surprised at the quality. Best looking Lee mold I ever bought. It makes two perfect boolits at the proper size to start with too. I don't know if RD has some pull with Lee to get a better product but if he does I sure appreciate it.
My first few boolits had some wrinkles but I think it was caused by some vapor from the thin coat of Bull plate lube. It soon left and I made a large pile of nice boolits.
I can't wait to shoot them but we have some lousy weather right now.

[dakotashooter2]

When you really think about it why wouldn't Lee just send a new mould instead of repairing one? At around $20 retail for a mould it would cost them more to have a tech "fix" it than they have into a new mould plus they get good public relations out of the deal. Makes good business sense.

[Freightman]

I got a six banger 357 mould in a trade the top was beat uneven, it was a 157. RNPB boolit, made wings,fins and was un-usable. So I took a piece of Emory-cloth and put it on a flat surface and sanded it down to where the dents and valleys that were beat into it were gone. Took some break Free and cleaned it up, it was filthy then soaked it in acetone, cast some boolits with it and it worked perfect, the only thing it now cast 146g boolits.
So do not give up yet fix it if you like it.

[mroliver77]

When you really think about it why wouldn't Lee just send a new mould instead of repairing one? At around $20 retail for a mould it would cost them more to have a tech "fix" it than they have into a new mould plus they get good public relations out of the deal. Makes good business sense.

I had a poor view of Lee prior to doing business with them. I had some of their molds and was not very happy with them. After sending one back somebody at Lee called me to inform me that this mold was discontinued and if I would pick another they would be happy to give it to me. I took a good look at them an decided that they provide a great price on their products
I can buy a single cav mold for $15. I do this understanding that I will have to Leement it and this works for me. Usually the cavity is pretty nice on their molds so I fix the handles, deburr everything, chamfer some edges and usually lap the sprueplate flat and sharpen it. My time is not valuable but a buck is nowadays so this works well for me.
J

[TCLouis]

to gather mold blocks, sprue plate and stripped out screw, find a padded envelope, address it, and carry it to PO, I have a suggestion to solve your problem.

Go buy a lathe and some drill rod.
Make a screw to fit with a longer or larger threaded section.

See only two steps to the simplified version and your mold is good for 10 more years!

[NVcurmudgeon]

to gather mold blocks, sprue plate and stripped out screw, find a padded envelope, address it, and carry it to PO, I have a suggestion to solve your problem.

Go buy a lathe and some drill rod.
Make a screw to fit with a longer or larger threaded section.

See only two steps to the simplified version and your mold is good for 10 more years!

Too late, I sent it back to Lee. Lee sent me a new double cavity to replace my broken single cavity, no charge. Dillon or RCBS could not have done better. My total cost was $4.60 for a flat rate envelope.

[Char-Gar]

I am one of those guys who bad mouth Lee quality in general, but their customer service in unsurpassed in the industry. Even RCBS doesn't do a better job than Lee.