Modify Lee Mold

[RobS]

Doesn't a piece of lead shot under the set screw just melt when the mold comes up to temp? It will expand some when melted, but unless the lead shot is expanded by the pressure exerted by the tip of the set screw into all voids in the tapped hole under the set screw it seems to me that it would no longer exert much pressure on the sprue plate screw. Or is an additional tightening necessary after the mold is up to temp to competely expand the lead shot?

In practice this may work fine, but I'm just wondering. A small piece of brass under the set screw, or a brass set screw would seem a better choice to me...........Mike

I never considered lead shot because I figured it to squash/swage too much or possibly become soft with the heat of the mold etc. For those reasons I chose to use a piece of brass stock between the set screw and the sprue plate bolt.

[kywoodwrkr]

I never considered lead shot because I figured it to squash/swage too much or possibly become soft with the heat of the mold etc. For those reasons I chose to use a piece of brass stock between the set screw and the sprue plate bolt.

My old Ohaus and Lacmiller molds have thin brass wafers under their set screws.

[MT Gianni]

A piece of copper wire under the set screw works as well.

[rintinglen]

^True words. I found a foot or so of wire at work that I use I just snip off an eighth of an inch and wack it once with a hammer to shorten and swell the bit of copper and it works fine. I tried using lead shot, but if the mold over heats, the shot melts and the screw can loosen.

[Old School Big Bore]

I installed a 10-24 setscrew in one Lee mold and the side of the mold is only thick enough for two threads there, so it would have to be a pretty thin piece of brass/copper...

[Trinidad Bill]

Great thread! Thanks Ben.

I have the problem and now I have the solution!

[Prospector Howard]

This is a good thread on making the Lee molds work better. Here's something to consider though. I too started putting a set screw on my Lee molds to help keep the sprue plate bolt from loosening up on me. The main problem as pointed out, is to keep from ruining the threads on the sprue plate bolt so that when you take the sprue plate off; the flattened threads on the bolt won't ruin the threads in the aluminum block. No matter what you put in between the set screw and the bolt (like a small piece of brass or copper), it will still tend to mess up the threads on the bolt. Also, the lead shot method didn't work all that well, since it mashed down too easy. What I started doing was taking a dremel tool and a small file, and removing the threads in the area where the set screw contacts the bolt. Then you can tighten the set screw nice and tight without ruining the threads since there aren't any in that area. This is the best method I've found to keep that sprue plate bolt where I want it and not ruin the threads in the block. Also, I use a 10-32 tap instead of the 10-24 for the set screw. The finer threads seemed to work better for me.

[Walter Laich]

I've used the shot in the hole method, too and melting doesn't seem to be a problem. The main screws are still holding tight on all the Lee molds I've done