Mold wood replacement

[jerryv]

Is it possible to make new wood grips for lyman mold handles and if so how are they to be attached? I have several handles that need wood replacement.

[Catshooter]

jerryv,

Welcome to the forum.

I also had an old Lyman mould handle that had no wood. I just turned two handles on my little Sherline lathe, drilled holes big enough to slide over the cast iron handle stubs and then poured some RTV sealant into the wood handles. Done.


Cat

[madcaster]

An old broom handle works fine,but is not so great for looks...

[MT Gianni]

If you are with out a lathe cut down an old broom handle, drill it out and use fireplace cement. Gianni

[jerryv]

That is as I suspected. Just wanted confirmation before I started and wound up with a mess . Thanks much

[Dale53]

I have made the mistake in the past trying to use bigger handles than were supplied. They handled terribly!! Now, I go to Lowe's and buy a dowel rod of the appropriate size in hardwood (our local store has poplar or oak). Just drill the appropriate size hole that is a slip fit (not too tight) and mount with heat resistant adhesive (from the auto parts store).

FWIW
Dale53

[leftiye]

I've used muffler putty, FWIW

[MN91311]

I have used the wooden handles from barbecue sets, the forks, flippers, tongs, etc. Pull off the handles, drill out the holes larger to appropriate size and depth. Made a nice handle for an RCBS lead dipper also.
I got several sets from the 50 cent tables at garage sales.

[beagle]

The fix back in the olden days was to use water glass (sodium silicate). But that was 50 years ago and there are some darn fine epoxies on the market now./beagle

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Unless there's something new on the market, to my knowledge, by type, the silicones have a much higher temperature rating than the epoxies, or just about any other glues/cements.

I wonder what cement the old muffler/exhaust pipe repair kits used, that were popular years ago? If I remember, the repair was a screen wire patch, that was coated with a cement that was cured, or hardened by the heat. Anybody got a copy of a recent J C Whitney catalog? Are they still in business?

Morgan

[NVcurmudgeon]

Experiment with whatever wood and adhesives you have and report back. I have just started to use Devcon to take up the "windage" in old handles. It seems to work OK so far. I have used Russian Olive branches drilled out almost to handle size, and tapped on with a rawhinde hammer. They are holding up well. For ladle handles and the two handles on my 12 lb. pot, oak makes a good durable handle. Oak 2 X4s are easily available on some old pallets, and work especially well for these latter uses, where the tool will be very close to the fire.

[floodgate]

Morgan A.:

I believe muffler cement is still a standard item in NAPA and other auto parts stores. These's also a "stove cement" available in stores that sell woodstoves and accessories that looks like much the same stuff. Both have worked well for me.

floodgate

[NVcurmudgeon]

Unless there's something new on the market, to my knowledge, by type, the silicones have a much higher temperature rating than the epoxies, or just about any other glues/cements.

I wonder what cement the old muffler/exhaust pipe repair kits used, that were popular years ago? If I remember, the repair was a screen wire patch, that was coated with a cement that was cured, or hardened by the heat. Anybody got a copy of a recent J C Whitney catalog? Are they still in business?

Morgan

www.jcwhitney.com

[pumpguy]

Keep in mind that if you use pallet wood that you need to dry it. It is usually cut and assemled in short order and if they dry on your mold handles, they are apt to crack.

[Ricochet]

The muffler cement I remember was asbestos in sodium silicate.

[pdawg_shooter]

I install handles with 6d nail inserted in a drilled hole, cut to length and riveted with a ball peen hammer. If they work loose I just take the hammer to the rivet again and tighten them up again. Dont have to worry about the glue giving up from the heat that way.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Keep in mind that if you use pallet wood that you need to dry it. It is usually cut and assemled in short order and if they dry on your mold handles, they are apt to crack.

It's hard to find wood dryer than that on an old, broken, unrepairable pallet in Nevada.

[slughammer]

Do you guys get any longevity out of the replacement handles without ferrules?

I always figured I broke the first one that was reinforced, what chance does a plain one have!

I was thinking I would either reuse the ferrules, add hose clamps or wrap the ends with wire. Any recomendations for wire wrapping?

[Dale53]

The only handles that I have ever broken have broken AFTER they came loose and I continued to use them in that condition. Now that I use high temperature Silicone Seal (from the auto supply store) I have not broken one.

I suspect that if you left the dowel full diameter where it goes on the steel, it would be pretty dern durable IF you cemented it in place (or pinned it). Most of the ones that have broken for me (actually the number has been small over the years) had tapered handles. Now, tapered is good - it looks nice and feels good in the hands. However, I will NOT taper handles in the area where they break as I want increased strength there.

While on this subject, I DO NOT recommend large and clunky handles, either. They can get real tiresome to use ("been there and done that").

Dale53

[Scrounger]

I have a mold handle, pretty sure it's a 6 cavity Lee, where one side broke, just at the hole where it attaches to the mold. I really hate to throw anything away that can be repaired or used. Is it possible to maybe weld a nut or something on the handle to get it back in use? The other half is fine. Anyone that wants to try to fix it can have it for $3 shipping.