Lyman 356402, what should I do?

[MKT]

All,

I snagged a single cavity Lyman 356402 conical 9mm mold off fleabay some time ago. It was a mold only, with an aluminum sleeve to keep the halves together in storage (and stamped with the mold data). My intention was to simply use my handles from my Lyman 2 cavity 429421 because everything I can find states that the small handles work on single or double molds.

My issue is that when mounted to the handles the single 356402 will not close. The leading edges come together but the rear seam is open about 1/16th of an inch. The mold came with a sample pour and the bullet looks fine. Do I need to find a set of handles specifically for a single cav mold?

Thanks.

[Wally]

I had this happen to me--you need to use a sharpening stone on the inside arms of the Lyman handles, do a little at a time--I removed a very small amount and they closed just fine, on a Lyman SC mold.

[MKT]

Thanks, I can do that. Should I run the stone along the full length of the arm or just from the mid-point out?

[Wally]

Thanks, I can do that. Should I run the stone along the full length of the arm or just from the mid-point out?

You don't have to--just do the areas on the inner tips...there is enough metal there to prevent the blocks from closing all the way.

I bought a used SC mold and could not figure this out so I used RCBS handles ---then the thought hit me---the inner potion of the handles were not pressing on the mold blocks to make them fully close and be parallel---so I stoned the inner ends and all was well. A grinder would work too, but, it is easy to grind away too much.

[MKT]

I'll let you know how it turns out.

[MKT]

Whoa, that was easy. Just a few quick licks with a good file and the mold halves came together! After the first couple licks, I could see the edges of the jaws were higher than the middle and I dressed them down till smooth. Had to kiss them once more after a test fit showed the halves were still not flush but all is good now. Going to get the pot hot and see how these drop.

Thanks!