Can the lee 2 cavity mold handles be removed?

[dilly]

I just got a Saeco 315 but have no handles and it's kind of hard to find them. I have a few of the Lee 2 cavity molds that come with handles. Is there a way to somehow remove those handles and use them for the saeco? If this did work, would it ruin the Lee mold, or would it be removable like it is with other mold designs?

[MT Gianni]

They can be removed by taking an exacto knife or similar and cutting out the crimp that holds the pins in. You can then invert the mold and spill the pins out leaving the handles loose. Lightly tapping the base after the pins were reinserted would allow you to reuse that mold. I do not know if those handles would work on a SAECO mold even if you had to adapt them. I would guess that the nose is too short but that is a guess. At minimum the holes would need to be repositioned and the handle materiel might need to be thinned or shimmed. I would invest in SAECO handles or the Lee handles for 6 cavity and remodel those if it were me.

[cavalrymedic]

+1 MT Gianni. I really like the Lee 6 cav handles on all of my molds. They are awesome.

[Harter66]

I can't vouch for the Seaco. I did take a set off to use w/an RCBS 2c . I drilled from the solid side w/a 3/32 drill (I had a matching punch) and punched the pins out. I didn't have to move holes,just had to shim them up. I used some number 8 washers flatened on 1 side . I think it was 3 to tighten it up on each side. When I got the Lee 6c handles I just spot peened the pin holes.

[fcvan]

I have a SAECO mold and a Lyman mold and the Lee 6 cavity molds work for both.

[MT Chambers]

Just wait for the handles to fall off.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Just wait for the handles to fall off.

What kind of answer is that? I have a lot of Two Cavity Lee molds and have cast thousands and thousands of boolits with some of them and have never had handles fall off. If you don't like Lee just leave it alone.

[ku4hx]

Just wait for the handles to fall off.

Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean. I own a bunch of Lee molds (six and two cavity) and as much as I like the boolits, sooner or later one of the handles always seems to work free. I tried epoxy to set the handle and that worked fairly well, but I just developed the routine of bumping the loose handle vertically on the bench top every dozen or so castings.

I've also had to re-stake several of the little chrome rings too. But all of those were one-time fixes using a claw hammer and a 10d nail.

[ukrifleman]

I have removed the handles from a Lee mould, but the pins were tight and I had to drill a hole above the pins and drive them out.
ukrifleman

[45-70 Chevroner]

I must have gotten some good ones. I have at least 25 2 Cavity Lee molds and have had only one handle on one side come loose, it didn't fall off. It was an easy fix. I also have seven 6 cavity Lee molds and they are all great molds.

[MT Chambers]

What kind of answer is that? I have a lot of Two Cavity Lee molds and have cast thousands and thousands of boolits with some of them and have never had handles fall off. If you don't like Lee just leave it alone.

That is a perfectly accurate answer based on years of experience, I don't use them anymore after fishing half of the mold out of the melt too many times.

[texassako]

I would think the Lee 2 cavity handles would be a bit thin and need shimming to work on another mold.