spue plate extension

[earplug]

I have used two cavity Lyman and six cavity lee molds and enjoyed the longer, easy to use Lee spue plate cut off handles.
Has anyone ever attached a longer handle to a Lyman spue plate to make it easier to cut off the spue? I think just drilling and tapping some machine screws would work.
I'm a wimp and knocking off the spue is effecting my wrists.
I'm thinking about attaching a light weight ten or twelve inch handle to make life easier for cutting the spue.
BTW I just ordered a new lyman 4 banger.

[3006guns]

Really not a bad idea. You could order an extra sprue plate from Lyman (cheap) and have an extension handle of some sort brazed to it. Important thing would be to make sure the plate doesn't warp during the process, but any competent welder would be able to do it.

[AZ-Stew]

I like the drill-and-tap idea, with a couple of tack welds to eliminate the problem you'll have of the screws constantly backing out, and without the worry of warping the sprue plate.

Spue (misspelling of spew): To vomit.

Spur: The device attached to the back of a cowboy's boot heel, used to make a horse move its @$$.

Spruce: A type of evergreen tree.

Sprue: Excess metal that overflows from a mould while casting.

It's a SPRUE plate.

(The Devil made me do it. :twisted: )

Regards,

Stew

[madcaster]

Used to be a company called Mountain State Muzzleloading,they made one,it sold good I guess.
Saw just one on Evilbay,it sold high....
Nothing a good mallet can't handle!:coffeecom

[mtgrs737]

I use a rawhide Mallet to cut my Sprue (thanks Stew!). Of all the things I have tried the rawhide mallet works the best, I got it used off evil bay. I would get one with a head of around 2" diameter x 3" long. I have a lot of Lyman 4 cavity moulds you will like them! Get yourself some of the new KAL Canadian mould handles as they move the mould back toward the hands a bit more than the standard Lyman handles and that will help with the fatigue.

[454PB]

Someone on the forum posted a picture of using an open end wrench as leverage to open the sprue plate.

[Bret4207]

The drill and tap idea appeals to me. A couple of jam nuts would take care of any looseness issues. I recall there used to be a clamp on handle extension avaialble, used a thump screw type set up.

[Dan Cash]

I have used, as a handle, a 6" or so pipe nipple (1/2 inch?) smashed on the end so it fit over the Lyman sprue plate. It got to be a pain in the butt so I gave that over and now wear an insulated glove and turn the sprue plate by hand. I don't like to bang on things.

[Bill*]

Stew: A guy who knows how to spell sprue correctly:rolleyes:
Sorry.....couldn't help it

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I have been using hickory hammer handles my whole casting life. Lyman "guidebook" said to and dad firgured they knew what they was talking about. I have NEVER seen a SPRUE plate damaged by a hickory handle. Some of my molds have been SPRUE plate hit thousands of times and the only damage is to the hickory hammer handles that seen to wear out around every several thousand pops. I buy them at yards sales.. last batch was a dozen for $1.00. All were broke of where they mounted to a hammer. That was some years ago !
God Bless You SPRUE cutters...

[Cloudpeak]

I found that, if I pre-heat my molds on a hotplate and get them hot, I can easily open the sprue cutters on my Lee 6 cavity and Lyman 4 cavity molds. You want the molds hot enough that it takes awhile for the sprue to cool. Possibly much longer than you're used to in regular casting if you set the heat a bit high.

Instead of casting a bunch of bullets trying to get the mold's "up to speed" and rejecting a bunch of "cold" bullets, you will be rejecting some very frosty bullets until the temps on the mold drop a bit. Eventually, you will get the setting on the hotplate "dialed in" and reject bullets will be few or none.

I haven't beat on a sprue cutter since I started doing this and I can easily open the sprue cutter with my leather gloved hand. (I can't imagine using a "cheater" on a Lee 6 cavity handle for very long before something breaks.)

Cloudpeak

[docone31]

I use Lee Molds.
To cut the sprue, I use an oak dowel 1". I cut a dimple in the end to fit the sprue plate, and put a small projection going through it to pull it back. My mold hand gets a cramp but, oh well.
I watch the sprue, when it pulls in and greys, I push the plate, dump the castings and pull the plate back.
I agree with using wood on the sprue plate. It gets dinged but hangs in there. When it gets too dinged, I cut off the end, dimple, put in my infamous projection, and cast away.

[AZ-Stew]

Stew: A guy who knows how to spell sprue correctly:rolleyes:
Sorry.....couldn't help it

ROTFLMAO!!

Thanks, Bill. That was a good start for my day!

Regards,

Stew

[Willbird]

I have some molds that I got from an Estate in MI, the deceased spot welded a screwdriver handle to every sprue plate, he this this at such an angle that he could push the sprue plate down while he was cutting the sprue. I have not tried them yet but it looks like it will work.

Bill

[happy7]

I do what Cloudpeak said. Works very well for me.

[DLCTEX]

Preheat the mold, use Bullplate lube, open sprue plate with gloved hand= easy push to cut sprue.

[clintsfolly]

I make my own sprue mallets out of the scrap hardwood for my shop have sent some to members to try. tried to sell them in the swap-sell have fun clint

[weakhand luke]

Preheat the mold, use Bullplate lube, open sprue plate with gloved hand= easy push to cut sprue.

Yeah, that's what I do too. I've never had to whack a mould with anything. Felt like it sometimes, tho.

Also, thank you, Stue.

[Bloodman14]

Need help with some acronyms;

"IIRC" ?
"ROTFLMOA" ?
"WDWW" ?
"ACWW"?
:confused:

[ktw]

Need help with some acronyms;

"IIRC" ?
"ROTFLMOA" ?
"WDWW" ?
"ACWW"?
:confused:

If I Remember Correctly....
Rolling On The Floor Laughing My A** Off
Water Dropped Wheel Weights
Air Cooled Wheel Weights

-ktw

[crabo]

Good morning
I have been using hickory hammer handles my whole casting life. Lyman "guidebook" said to and dad firgured they knew what they was talking about. I have NEVER seen a SPRUE plate damaged by a hickory handle. Some of my molds have been SPRUE plate hit thousands of times and the only damage is to the hickory hammer handles that seen to wear out around every several thousand pops. I buy them at yards sales.. last batch was a dozen for $1.00. All were broke of where they mounted to a hammer. That was some years ago !
God Bless You SPRUE cutters...

My wooden mold hammer from midway is finally beat to death. I went to Home Depot and spent $10 on a hickory sledge hammer handle. It will make 4 new knockers, plus it is out of hickory and not the softer wood that Midway sells.

[joeb33050]

Preheat the mold, use Bullplate lube, open sprue plate with gloved hand= easy push to cut sprue.

After the sprue plate is opened, I need a mallet to hit the handle hinge to knock the sprue off the plate and/or to get the bullets out of the mold.
Do you use a mallet or ?? to get the sprue off the plate and/or the bullets out of the mold?
Thanks;
joe b.

[Cloudpeak]

After the sprue plate is opened, I need a mallet to hit the handle hinge to knock the sprue off the plate and/or to get the bullets out of the mold.
Do you use a mallet or ?? to get the sprue off the plate and/or the bullets out of the mold?
Thanks;
joe b.

To get the sprue to fall off, I move the sprue plate just enough to cut the sprue, rotate the mold 90 degrees & hold over my bottom pour and rotate the sprue plate downward so it hits the rim of the pot. The sprue falls off easily when the mold is up to temp.

For wrapping on the hinge bolt, I use a wood hand ax handle.

Cloudpeak

[Bloodman14]

ktw, Thanks!
gunnerd

Lead Forever!

[dirtdobbertwo]

i received a 6 hole 358-105 lee mold saturday and yesterday i made my first cast. the sprue plate was lubed but tight . pushing it around didnt work so i whacked the handle with the palm of my hand and the handle went flying across garage, the metal broke between screw and handle. looks like pot metal. i just finished cutting and welding a plate extension so i can use a hammer handle.
very poor quality metal that part is. i went on to cast about 800 very nice bullets.
did i say it broke on the very first time i put lead in the mold. it did.