broke handle, need help

[desteve811]

I broke the handle :groner:(metal peice) to the spruce plate on my 6-cavity lee mold. Cant find any replacement handles on Midwayusa or even the lee website, any ideas? :coffee:

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Call Lee. $1.50 OR THERE ABOUTS

Sam :D

[helg]

Check for a part number at "replacement parts" link for your mold here (http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1257050707.3291=/html/catalog/bullmol2.html)

Here is a list of parts with pictures for one of the 6-molds:
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/parts.cgi?1257050707.3291=90327

Once you find the right part number, you can order it from the page, find by the number on midwayusa, or call Lee.

[desteve811]

Thanks! Going to order extra's.

[WHITETAIL]

I bet there is nothing you guys can't fix!:idea:

[Rockchucker]

I broke my first lee handle and just brazed it back. Pay the postage and I'll fix it for you.

[Cloudpeak]

If you pre-heat your mold on a hotplate properly, you'll be able to easily open your sprue plate, especially important on the Lee sprue plates, IMO, as they seem to be a bit delicate.

[Sprue]

This needs to be a Sticky......... and placed over in the the Mold & Maint Thread.

I too, need to order one of these.

Thanks for the info fella's.

[desteve811]

Thanks Rock but i already ordered 3 of them. Can i send you the 2 broken ones i have to get fixed? I thought i heated the mold up enough but appearently i didnt. Maybe i should invest in a hot plate. I sit mold ontop of melting pot for about 10-15 mins. I have 4 6 cavity lee molds.

[mpmarty]

I broke one of mine and sent it to LEE. They sent me two for free.

[odoh]

I got my spare from midway when I got my 6 cavity. It was $7 at the time ~

[Rockchucker]

I broke the handle :groner:(metal peice) to the spruce plate on my 6-cavity lee mold. Cant find any replacement handles on Midwayusa or even the lee website, any ideas? :coffee:

Call lee, I did and they sent me a new one free. Then I brazed the broken one while waiting for the new one. I'm still using it to this day,

PM me and I'll give you my address,

[iron mule]

another good way to prevent this from happening if you don't hae a hot plate to use and also agod way to get the mold up to heat is to cast using the fisrt two cavs do about two or three then the same using the first 4 cabs again three or four times then use all six this will cause less stress on the spure cutter till it gets up to heat and you will have less rejects from a cold mould also
mule

[Maven]

What iron mule said!

[desteve811]

Well i must be having a bad weekend. After the broken handle on Saturday, I wanted to cast up some 12 guage slugs. After the 10th slug or so, the drive key fell out! How can i fix this?? Now when i break open the mold, the drive key sticks to slug and falls out with it. Bad, bad, bad casting weekend...

[montana_charlie]

I broke the handle to the spruce plate on my 6-cavity lee mold.
Have you checked at the lumber yard?
CM

[Rockchucker]

I've got your handles repaired and in the mail, I just pm'ed you also.
Glad to help a fellow caster out.

Ron

[AZ-Stew]

desteve,

I learned early on that with Lee 6-bangers, you must be sure to get the SPRUE plate completely closed before casting. Otherwise you won't get the proper leverage to easily cut the SPRUE.

Regards,

Stew

[desteve811]

Thanks again for repairing my SPRUE plate handle

[desteve811]

Have you checked at the lumber yard?
CM


Yes, the few they had, had knot holes. :razz:

[Siggy226]

****! How you guys break yours (sprue lever)? I should have ordered a couple for sapre. If this thing breaks I'm out for at least a week. I live in Canada too... I dunno how 'free' it would be getting directly from Lee. I mine as well just order parts from my supplier.

[Howdy Doody]

Been there, done that on the 6 gang Lee molds. Cast is what they are.

So, what I do now is fill the first two cavities and dump, making as big a puddle as possible to heat up the sprue plate. Then I work it a couple times. Boolits are usually wrinkled anyway and then on to the first three until the sprue cuts off easily and then on up until I am filling and discarding all 6 and all the boolits and sprue goes back in the pot and I have my mold and sprue plate heated up to cast away.
On the Lee molds it seems to work better than trying to dip that big aluminum mold into the mix. I do however just dip into the mix my 2 gang and single metal molds.
I have also cracked the handles and I get out and cut a piece of dowel to length and then drill a round hole in it and tap on to the metal tangs. That will work too. I have had instances when I have left a mold cool too much and I can feel some big resistance on the sprue cutter. I then take a propane torch, light it and heat it with that and it will slice the sprue off easy. So, why do I have a propane torch handy? I use it instead of matches or a candle to smoke my molds.
:smile:

[lwknight]

I second Howdy Doodie. I broke my spru handle too. Now I cast a big puddle onto 2 cavities then move to 2 other cavities a couple of times then start casting the last 2 cavities and when they cut easily I cast 3 or 4 cavities till I get brave and cast all 6 when everything is good and hot.
I noticed that when casting harder alloy the spru cuts better than softer gooey lead.
Another idea I have used is to preheat the spru plate with a propane torch to speed up the heating up process.
I usually end up to cast 30 or more starter/warmup boolits before going all out.
I love the 6 cavity mold. Once you got it going full bore, you can crank out some boolits in short order like 600 per hour without even trying.

[MT Gianni]

In an emergency you can pull one off another 6 cavity mold while you are waiting.

[Siggy226]

I see, so you guys snapping off the spruce lever when the mold is cold, thus the lead is hardening too fast. Note taken. I will gradually warm up sprue in the beginning. I only one 1 mold now. I can't swap parts yet.

[Howdy Doody]

I see, so you guys snapping off the spruce lever when the mold is cold, thus the lead is hardening too fast. Note taken. I will gradually warm up sprue in the beginning. I only one 1 mold now. I can't swap parts yet.

Yes, it is temperature issue. Only heat will cure it. The tang is cast steel and it will break if forced. Heat is your friend in the case that is is taking too much effort to cut the sprue on those big 6 gang Lee molds. If you get where it won't go, you need to get some heat on that sprue plate by either adding more lead on top of what is already puddled or use a torch. It can save a casting session. Just don't force it. I know.... the hard way. :D

[Hickory]

I bet there is nothing you guys can't fix!:idea:

We can't fix stupid.:brokenima

[lwknight]

Actually, there are times when stupid can be fixed.
Example: I can warn and tell someone not to walk behind the horse.
The horse can teach that person not to be walking behing

[mpmarty]

I heat my six banger in the molten lead before making my first cast and just go for it. I don't have any wrinkled casts and the first ones out are smooth and shiny. After the first couple of pours they start to frost and then I lay the filled mold on a wet rag every other cast to keep temps down. My pot is kept below 700* f. and seems to work best at around 650 - 675 with my mix of 80/20 WW/Monotype.