Lyman No. 61 Furnace Parts

[PBSmith]

The Lyman Mold Master that came to me used does not have the handle for bottom pour. I'm going to check with Lyman to see if they have one, but I sort of doubt they will. Other than e-bag, can anyone suggest a possible source? I'd be willing to buy an old No. 61 for parts if the price is within reason. Thanks. Direct e-mail to: snomn2@hotmail.

[Yodogsandman]

This guy is mentioned in the above sticky

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-pots-furnaces

for Lyman heating elements, maybe he has other parts....

King's Repair
Raytown, MO

816-358-9220

[jsizemore]

I've got a Lyman Mold Master XX. If you look at pics of the Mold Masters, #61, Mag 20 and Mag 25 the pour levers are all about the same. You could probably buy a lever for a Lyman 20/25 and adapt it to fit.

[oldfart1956]

PB if you're not having any luck finding one, or the cost is prohibitive let me offer a solution. Mine is setting on the kitchen table right now so I took some measurements and here's what you need. Go to the local hardware/Home Depot/Lowes etc. and pick a piece of mild steel 3/8 inches wide and 1/8 inch thick. It needs to be about 12 inches long. On the left top side of the pot is the pivot. Put one end of the steel in there and mark where to drill the hole. After drilling round the end (like a popsicle stick) so it can move up and down. Now put the bolt/screw in the steel and attach it to the pot. You might notice it doesn't exactly line up with the pin that has to raise up and down to pour the lead....don't panic. Bend the steel a smidge until it lines up. Set the steel down in the pin, mark the hole and drill it. Now bolt/screw that together. At this point the new lever sticks straight out. Three options here; leave it stick out (shorten it if you want) heat it up and bend it down as the original (stove top or propane torch) or cut the end off and drill a hole thru both pieces and bolt it back together with the right end angled down. Now make a knob and attach it to the down end of the steel. Or not...your choice. It should take you less time to make this than it did me to type it. Cost should be under $10. Less if you have the bolts/screws on hand. Only tools you need are a hacksaw and a drill unless you want to heat/bend the steel. Audie...the frugal Oldfart.

[PBSmith]

Thanks, all, for your suggestions.

Old56, I'm up for home fixes, and might try yours. Thanks for taking time to write directions. Before I proceed, I'd like to ask if the bottom-pour feature of your No. 61 works okay? Do you have any problems with it clogging up? Is the opening large enough to feed six-cavity moulds?

Reason for asking is this. A previous owner of my furnace apparently decided to disable the bottom pour, for what reason I don't know. Maybe it didn't work to his satisfaction. In any event, the furnace has been used for many years simply for melting and ladle casting. What I didn't mention in my original post is that the linkage between the handle and the bottom spout is missing as well as the handle

When I emptied and cleaned the pot earlier this week, I found a 3/16" x 5/8" stub of round rod sticking up from the opening in which the bottom spout is attached. I'm somewhat puzzled as to what the linkage to the handle looked like because the 3/16' rod stub (that has effectively served as a plug or stopper all these years) has neither hole nor threads that would suggest how it was connected by a vertical linkage to the handle. Maybe someone cut the linkage off????

I'll wait until I hear from Lyman before proceeding, but if the bottom-pour apparatus is prone to problems, I may just forget about it and go on using this furnace for ladle casting.

Thanks again for responding.

[jsizemore]

The diameter of the valve rod on my Mold Master XX is .38.

[oldfart1956]

PB, I can say without question the Lyman is a fantastic pot. I don't know how old mine is, bought it in a package deal from a feller. I like it so well I have an RCBS ProMelt sitting in the gun room that I don't use! I'm keeping it in case the Lyman ever croaks. I've never had a problem with clogging and I seldom drain&clean the pot. The heating element works so well I keep 1lb. ingots setting on the rim of the pot and drop them in as needed and keep right on casting. No problem keeping up with 4 cavity or 6 cavity molds. Now for some bad news. What did they stick in the pour spout of your pot and how did they do it? If they gammahooched that spout then you have a dipping pot. The rod that raises and lowers is 3/8 inch by about 5 1/2 inches long with a slot in the top for the lift lever. The lever attaches to the rod with a thru bolt/screw. It they messed up the seat the rod goes in there's no repair. Hopefully someone will post up a photo to show this better. Let us know what you find out PB. Audie...the Oldfart..

[DeputyDog25]

Check with Graf and Son's, they had parts for my Saeco 24 project where no one else had them. Hope this helps friend.

[PBSmith]

Lyman doesn't have parts for these older furnaces, but they kindly sent me design drawings of the handle and shutoff rod for the old No. 61.

The person using this 61 before me had plugged the bottom outlet/nozzle/spout with a piece of soft steel that looks much like the end of the original shutoff rod. The piece looks about like the decapper from a .22 sizing die.

I drilled a hole in the end of a 3/8" cold rolled rod and stuck the decapper-like gadget into the hole, then filed a slot at the top to attach a temporary makeshift handle. If this doesn't work, I will try a piece of 5/64" drill bitt stuck into the end of my home-made lift rod. I'm puzzled, though, how that tiny opening in the nozzle allows enough lead through for any but the smallest of bullets.

Will report in later on success of this project. Thanks, again, to all for responding.

[oldfart1956]

PB on top of the pot there is (should be) a piece that limits the travel of the rod. This is adjustable and if you open it up a little at a time you're gonna be shocked how fast melted lead comes rolling out's there. I use a 4 cav. .44 mold and lots of fellers here use 6 cav. molds and keeping the lead flowing won't be an issue trust me. Might be best if you don't fill that pot all the way up till you're sure it's going to stop pouring when you want it to! I keep an ingot mold under the spout the whole time I'm using the pot and even when just heating it up from the start. I also set the whole shebang on a baking tray, available from any restaurant supply, since the ingot mold isn't gonna hold the whole pot full of lead if things turn to guano. A cookie tray works but the baking tray is 10X stronger. Google up Lyman 61 for pictures of the pot and to explain the lift limiter if need be. Very simple. Audie...the Oldfart..

[PBSmith]

OF56, thanks for tuning in again and suggesting improvements. I didn't fully answer your earlier question about whether or not the previous owner monkeyed the nozzle when he plugged it. I don't believe so - no screws or nails in the orifice. But there was so much crud in the inside of the nozzle that I wasn't sure how much to scrape out of there.

I had planned on keeping the ingot mold underneath when I first fire up. Will follow your advice on a light melt for starters and also look for a heavy tray for the eventuality of a heavy outpour.

I noticed a picture of the No. 61 with that travel-limit gadget you described.
In making my temporary handle, I found that its upward movement is somewhat restricted by the radius on the end of the handle that pivots on the mold and also the centering of the hole in the end of the handle. What I'm saying is, the position of the hole in the end of the handle can keep the handle from lifting. After the first trial I'll know more.

OF, on bottom pouring do you hold the mould tight up against the nozzle or does your furnace have a mold support underneath the nozzle in which you place the blocks? Is there a problem if the top of the cutoff plates is, say, a quarter of an inch below the nozzle?

[oldfart1956]

PB as far as how/where to locate the mold under the pot, let the mold decide. I have 2 molds that prefer to be held tight to the spout for proper fill-out but the rest...mehh. Not so fussy. Mine came with a mold guide so I can adjust how far the mold sets from the spout. Generally I want about 1/4 to 1/2 inch clearance so I can see the hole I'm pouring in to. If the distance is too great the lead cools too much and there come the wrinkles. Turning up the heat a bit will compensate somewhat for the longer drop if needed. I cast everything from .350 roundballs to .462/405 grain 45/70 boolits and each mold has it's preference. The number of cavities can affect this also. I stop at 4 cavities. Had some 6 cavity molds and sold them. They work but you have to keep them running smoking hot and don't dawdle cutting the sprue or you'll break the spruecutter. I may yet return to them (6 cav.) cause keeping up with the new 9mm. with a 2 cav. is getting to be a chore. (and the .45acp) Without a mold guide you can just put various thickness of wood under the pot to support the mold. A bit of tin foil and it'll last a long time. Keep the wood narrow in case of a spill! If you want a mould guide I'll keep an eye out. Saw one at a gun show for $15 a few weeks ago but didn't need it. Duhh..! Keep the lift limiter in mind. Minor adjustments make a huge difference! It uses a fine thread bolt and 1/2 turn can make a world of difference. Audie...the Oldfart..

[PBSmith]

I'm pleased to report that my Rube Goldberg fix of the shutoff rod seems to work real well, at least on the first trial. I cast up a hundred or so .38 Special wadcutter cans this PM and am starting to get the hang of bottom pour.

Good thing that's how I was casting because even after an earlier scrap smelt into one-pound ingots, I still got huge amounts of slag when I fluxed the small ingots with beeswax today. It was a crumbly-looking yellow debris. Knock on wood, the bottom spout kept on pouring through several fluxes and scrapings.

OF56, thanks for all your tips and suggestions that helped get this act up and running. A few additional questions:

1.) Do you open the spout the same amount for all bullets, or does this depend on the size and shape of bullet? Put another way, do you change the lift limiter for different moulds, or leave it the same for everything?

2.) Do you try to flood/fill the mould cavity as quickly as possible, or do you let the lead trickle in so that you can neatly top off the sprue without overflowing into the adjacent cavities? Or is this a trial-and-error for each mould?

And thanks for the offer to keep an eye open for a mold guide. I'll take you up on that one. I did everything free-hand today, but can see the benefit of a guide.

[oldfart1956]

I'm pleased to report that my Rube Goldberg fix of the shutoff rod seems to work real well, at least on the first trial. I cast up a hundred or so .38 Special wadcutter cans this PM and am starting to get the hang of bottom pour.

Good thing that's how I was casting because even after an earlier scrap smelt into one-pound ingots, I still got huge amounts of slag when I fluxed the small ingots with beeswax today. It was a crumbly-looking yellow debris. Knock on wood, the bottom spout kept on pouring through several fluxes and scrapings.

OF56, thanks for all your tips and suggestions that helped get this act up and running. A few additional questions:

1.) Do you open the spout the same amount for all bullets, or does this depend on the size and shape of bullet? Put another way, do you change the lift limiter for different moulds, or leave it the same for everything?

2.) Do you try to flood/fill the mould cavity as quickly as possible, or do you let the lead trickle in so that you can neatly top off the sprue without overflowing into the adjacent cavities? Or is this a trial-and-error for each mould?

And thanks for the offer to keep an eye open for a mold guide. I'll take you up on that one. I did everything free-hand today, but can see the benefit of a guide.

PB different size molds may require a different setting on the lift limiter. For example the .350 roundball mold is a single cavity and the setting for the H&G 4 cavity .44cal. mold would overflow it before I could shut it off. So the size of the mold and number of cavities affects the need for flow. Also, when I first start casting whatever I'm casting I decrease the flow until my brain engages and I get a rhythm going. After a dozen or so pours I reach up and open the lift a little more. I like a puddle of lead about the size of a butter bean on most molds. It's a large puddle but it goes back in the pot so it's not waste. I keep a small tin pan (about 4in.X6in.) handy and drop the sprues in there and toss them back in the pot every dozen or so casts. This won't affect the Lyman 61.....it would a lesser pot. I center pour (right down the sprue hole) unless it won't work for a particular mold. Again, each mold is a different situation. The 4cavity molds I push all the way under and fill from back (the part nearest my hand) to front. Mine, and a lot of multi-cav. molds, have a trough from hole to hole. Everyone has their own system and none of them are wrong if they produce good boolits. I don't like pressure pouring; aka holding the mold against the spout. I get squirting of 700 degree lead doing that so be extra careful!! But some molds....you know. The best casting tip I can offer...#1 get that mold hot. 99% of the time new casters don't get or keep the mold hot enough and that's what causes them problems. I put my 2 cav. molds right in the melted lead and when I can shake the hot lead off the mold and a quick wipe with a rag...it's ready. Frosted boolits are fine. I run my lead hot 725/750 degrees. The next time I see a mold guide for the Lyman I'll pick it up for you. Post it note already on the cabinet. Audie...the Oldfart.

[DJnRF]

Due to two moves and the death of my wife, I seem to have lost the mold guide for my Mold Master furnace. Now, with my shaky old hands I really need one. Does anyone know where I can find one? Is there any place that deals is such parts? How about the male chassis plug for on the front of the furnace?
That has gotten so hot, and old that it has crumbled apart. I need to replace that as well. This old 61 is so old now, but works better than many of the new pieces of junk out there.

[jsizemore]

NOE has a mold guide for Lyman's. You can carry your pot to an appliance parts store or ACE hardware to match the cord/plug you need

[Chuck_ls]

I bought a Lyman 61 at a garage sale for cheap, but it was missing the cord. Went to the local thrift store with the measurements of the two power prongs on the Lyman. I found several cords from old fry pans and electric coffee pots that fit. They were listed for more watts than the Lyman (1000) so they are safe. Has been used a lot with that cord and works well.