Holy **** H&G mould for $409.15

[skeettx]

10 or 20 pound pot,
Mould guide removed
Build up a platform of lead ingots under the spout
Fill the mould
Set it on an electric hot plate
Fill the next mould
Set it on the electric hot plate
Pick up the first mould and remove sprue, dump bullets
refill mould and set it back on hot plate
Pick up the second mould and etc, and etc

Let us know how this works for you

Mike

[sliphammer]

This mold is stamped #280 but I can't find it on any of the old H&G literature or Tom's list. Am I missing something? I picked it up at a flea market for a very reasonable price. Looks like new.

[StratsMan]

Does that mold say "Hensley & Gibbs" on it??? The horizontal vent lines on all my H&G molds are evenly spaced; the top lines are not closer together than the bottom lines, as they are on your mold. And there are vertical vents between the cavities on all of my H&G molds...

Are you sure this is an H&G????

[sliphammer]

Yep, its stamped Hensley & Gibbs, Murphy, Oregon with S/N5236

[BulletFactory]

I'll give Tom 104$ for a 2 cav brass mold, but thats about it. If they ever got to 150 I wouldnt look back.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

4 and 6 cav molds can work pretty well under a BP pot but you probably will do better with a mold guide. Sixers start to get heavy after a while for most folks, and with 8's or 10's for sure. If you use a ladle it will have to have an increased capacity, such as a larger Rowell. It is possible to use a soup ladle style dipper/ladle, and an open pot such as the old Saeco #34 and the technique is to "feed going uphill". That was the original/old way. Worked fine but there was/is a fair amount of splash and spatter, and some pretty grotesque sprues. But the casts were good quality. LLS

[Dale53]

I have an H&G #251 six cavity mould. It casts large enough to size to .358" without issue with my "standard" bullet alloy - WW's+2% tin.

With handles, it weighs nearly five lbs. It is heavy enough for me, that I kind of dread using it. However, it casts bullets just like shelling corn (fast and easy). The bullets just fall from the mould.

I use it with an RCBS Pro Melt 22# pot and use it just like I do two, four, and six cavity other moulds. It works just fine with the supplied mould rest.

Dale53

[finishman2000]

thanks for the info dale. the guy i'm buying it from really didn't know much about it. hopefully it is in the condition he says it is. also getting a 8 cavity saeco #68 for him.

[mtnman31]

I followed those auctions and the price that some of the H&G's sell for make me consider selling my 10 cavity .348 Winchester mold.

I am not a collector, and try not to hold on to things I can't use. I agree with some of the other comments on here - sometimes on eBay people go crazy. I imagine the sellers are happy.

[Texasflyboy]

Does that mold say "Hensley & Gibbs" on it??? The horizontal vent lines on all my H&G molds are evenly spaced; the top lines are not closer together than the bottom lines, as they are on your mold. And there are vertical vents between the cavities on all of my H&G molds...

Are you sure this is an H&G????

It's a late model Hensley & Gibbs. Wayne Gibbs experimented with different styles of venting until the late 1990's.


The closely spaced lines near the cavities are indicative of late production.

Tom in Va.

[Texasflyboy]

This mold is stamped #280 but I can't find it on any of the old H&G literature or Tom's list.

Here is the entry for #280 from the factory ledger:

#280-- .32 S&W Long. 105 grains. "Same on both ends." Plain base, three rounded grease grooves, no crimp grooves, full wadcutter nose with no projection on tip.

[C Broad Arrow]

Does anyone have a maintenance guide for the H&G molds? I just bought a H&G 50 and wanted to prep it for use. Are there ways to tighten the guide so it latches tight? Currently it seems that I will have to hold the mold together using pressure on the handles as the spue plate latch does not seem to hold them tight. Any suggestions?

[Dale53]

I have several H&G moulds. None of the moulds I have have ANY kind of latch on them. They just have a sprue plate "stop". You ALWAYS have to hold them closed (all moulds of all brands that I know of). However, there is a custom set of handles that DOES hold a mould closed:

http://www.castingstuff.com/cabinetr...g_products.htm

Scroll down to locking mould holder for pictures and price.

FWIW
Dale53

[Texasflyboy]

Does anyone have a maintenance guide for the H&G molds? I just bought a H&G 50 and wanted to prep it for use. Are there ways to tighten the guide so it latches tight? Currently it seems that I will have to hold the mold together using pressure on the handles as the spue plate latch does not seem to hold them tight. Any suggestions?

Hensley & Gibbs handles are unique in that the hinge bolt on many of the 1,2,3,4,6,8 and 10 cavity moulds have a threaded bolt and bolt hole. You must tighten the bolt first to bind the handles together before you tighten the nut.

To adjust the mould properly you need to loosen the nut on the hinge bolt and then tighten the hinge bolt with the blocks closed. Tighten until the bolt stops moving. Mark the edge of the bolt head with a dot that you can see (I use a silver color sharpie) at 12 o'clock. Then, rotate the bolt head from 12 o'clock to 9PM (or a 1/4 turn counterclockwise). Test by opening the blocks. They should open and close easily. If not, rotate the bolt hour by hour until the blocks open and close easily. Once you have them opening and closing easily, tighten the nut without allowing the bolt to move from its position. If tightening the nut causes binding of the blocks, rotate the bolt an additional hour until tightening does not cause binding.

This method should mate the blocks perfectly. A symptom of an improperly adjusted hinge bolt and nut is egg shaped holes on the block alignment pin holes.

There is no factory latch on Hensley & Gibbs moulds. You should hold the blocks closed by clasping the wood handles in your hand.

[gray wolf]

Julie found an H&G # 68 4 banger at a gun store about 4 years ago.
$40.00 with the handles. I almost fell over. The mold is in perfect shape, the handles show some use. It is a superb piece of work and drops em as fast
as you can cast them. The mold only has Hensley's name on it and says made in I think San Diego Cal. The screw that hold the handles on look like wood screws.
They have machine thread but the heads look like wood screws.
I think it is pre 1940, before he got together with Gib's

[Texasflyboy]

The screw that hold the handles on look like wood screws.They have machine thread but the heads look like wood screws.
I think it is pre 1940, before he got together with Gib's

Yes. The Woodscrew style handle pin screws are indicative of pre-1939 production. Only the very early 4 cavity moulds have those style of screws/handle pins.

Here is a photo of one of mine:



Tom

[Jack Stanley]

It wasn't to long ago that I found a six cavity number seven at a show for a hundred twenty-five bucks . It is in excellent condition and has the San Diego marking on it , it might be the oldest one I have . It casts bullets the perfect size for all those fat groove Beretta nines out there .

I doubt I'm the only one that made a mold guide for both the four and six cavity style molds from nothing more than two by fours and scrap metal . The wood is laid on it's side a little morewide than what the block will need , screw angle iron or flat stock to the top of that so the mold slides through . I drilled two small holes in the base plate of the pro-melt to secure the block . For the older four cavity molds that have protruding screw heads I ran a couple saw cuts in the wood . If the molds are a little to close to the spout a rasp will take the wood down to the level you need .

Yes they will drain a pot right quickly , that's why I melt ingot in a Lee ten pound pot nearby . When I need more melt I pour from that into the big pot . So far , that setup has been able to keep up with tandem casting two six cavity thirty-eight wadcutter molds . Eight hours of that will give me more than a years supply of wadcutters .

I'm sure the talent of this forum can come up with something better than I have to hold a mold under a Pro-melt .

When I was ladle casting with four of these , I made a plywood box to hold the mold while pouring . In operation a mold was filled and set aside , a mold that had been filled and now ready to empty was tipped on it's side on this box and the sprue cut . The mold then opened and bullets fell onto a padded decline that moved them one way , the sprues went the other way . The mold was then filled and set aside and the process continued , not as fast as a machine but enough bullets to keep an entire gun club running .

Jack

[C Broad Arrow]

Hensley & Gibbs handles are unique in that the hinge bolt on many of the 1,2,3,4,6,8 and 10 cavity moulds have a threaded bolt and bolt hole. You must tighten the bolt first to bind the handles together before you tighten the nut.

To adjust the mould properly you need to loosen the nut on the hinge bolt and then tighten the hinge bolt with the blocks closed. Tighten until the bolt stops moving. Mark the edge of the bolt head with a dot that you can see (I use a silver color sharpie) at 12 o'clock. Then, rotate the bolt head from 12 o'clock to 9PM (or a 1/4 turn counterclockwise). Test by opening the blocks. They should open and close easily. If not, rotate the bolt hour by hour until the blocks open and close easily. Once you have them opening and closing easily, tighten the nut without allowing the bolt to move from its position. If tightening the nut causes binding of the blocks, rotate the bolt an additional hour until tightening does not cause binding.

This method should mate the blocks perfectly. A symptom of an improperly adjusted hinge bolt and nut is egg shaped holes on the block alignment pin holes.

There is no factory latch on Hensley & Gibbs moulds. You should hold the blocks closed by clasping the wood handles in your hand.

Thanks! Your advice worked like a charm. It took very little adjustment to get the alignment perfect. In addtion when the mold was heated the sprue plate tightened up as well "mating" with the guide perfectly. This mold was made when H&G were in San Diego and I am blown away by the quality after all these years! I made the comment in an earlier post that there is pure genius at work when heat is applied to the mold in terms of its operation! The heat makes this mold almost a living thing.
I cannot believe that this mold is almost 80+ years old.

[Dale53]

I can't say I have a collection of H&G Moulds but do have several. One I just recently acquired. In the past they were absolutely the best moulds to be had. Although, to be truthful, I did have a four cavity for the H&G #503 that was less than satisfactory. I sent it back and it was modified but never did satisfy me.

I will say, that until the advent of MP Moulds (Mihec) they were the best mould in the world. Now, with CNC capability a master machinist can produce moulds (and Mihec is doing this) that surpasses even the best of the H&G's.

I MUST qualify that, tho'. After you reach a certain level of achievement, it really doesn't make all that much difference in practical terms, even if they are better.

You will NEVER find me trashing H&G's - during their time in the sun, they were the absolute best.

I am still using several of them and regularly.

I am a bullet mould fanatic and take a great deal of pleasure in casting beautiful bullets that also shoot as good as they look.

Dale53

[skeettx]

I have this pile