Handles needed for Hensley & Gibbs four cavity mold

[corbinace]

So, I have in my posession a very nice #130 mold. I am new to casting and have a limited selection of handles. That said, none of the ones I have fit.

The closest seem to be the large Lee #90005 six cavity type, but they are too thick. My Lee handles measure .307" thick. Only about .050 too thick to fit.

Is there any reason I could not grind these handles down to fit inside the H&G groove. The pins fit the holes and the spacing behind the pin eyeballs to be thin enough once it will fit into the grove. It looks like the handles close enough to close the mold.

Measurements of the mold in inches are as follows;
1.125 mold width
.581 across the mold inside the grove
1.225 from the end of mold to the center of pin
.142 diameter of pin
.262 width of groove

Thank you for your help, Tim.

[georgerkahn]

My answer to your query is to contact one of the (many) great CB Vendors -- KAL Tool & Die Bullet Mould Handles made and purveyed by Red River Rick on this site -- again, check out his listing on Vendor page. I have ordered and received several H&G Mould Handles from this vendor, and they look great, work beautifully, and are imho better than the ones from H&G! They're located north of the border, in Manitoba, BC, Canada -- but I had zero difficulty getting them delivered to me south of the border in Northern New York State. This vendor, and his products, have had my highest regard!
BEST!
geo

PS: I have a few 130s -- great mould!

[corbinace]

Hi there Geo.

Thanks for the heads up. As I say, I am new to this world and was not familiar with RRR. I have looked at the Vendor forum (not for this) but honestly was a bit overwhelmed by the number of vendors available.

Off to the vendor forum...

[MT Chambers]

Yup, def. in Manitoba, BC, Canada.

[georgerkahn]

corbinace -- I have a few Hensley & Gibbs moulds in my stable -- re the "130" I have three of that model, plus two more of the bevel base version (130bb) -- and, again, in my opinion you have one of the best moulds H&G produced! Congrats! In my early (1960s) casting beginnings, I experienced challenges which pretty much all vanished when I put "brand A" handles on a "brand A" mould. With some, I've been lucky -- to wit, I have el cheapo Lee handles on a few which work great. But, I did the file-trick on my very first H&G mould -- a #50 4-cav I bought directly from H&G -- and it almost worked OK. But, it wasn't until I bought a 2nd #50 from a friend which came with the H&G handles that I experienced the difference. I swapped moulds, and now MY mould cast beautifully! Maybe it's "me", or perhaps the H&G moulds themselves -- but, again, I recommend contacting and purchasing handles from Red River Rick! Or, you may find a used set of handles on eBay or even this site. As nothing more than a matter of preference, note that H&G also made handles of the "nutcracker" variety -- hinged at end, as opposed to "scissor" type. Perhaps just a personal preference, but I have a few of these handles -- empty in a drawer -- as *I* do not enjoy using them.
BEST wishes, (and merry Christmas!)
geo

[Fishman]

To answer your question, yes, you can grind down the Lee handles to fit. That is what I did with my H&G 4 cavity #009 and have been using it with complete satisfaction ever since. I use them as a dedicated set since the handles are only about $15. Most economical solution available.

[corbinace]

Hey there Fishman.

Thanks for the input, I did have a spare pair of them and just could not wait so I did the deed. At this point I would say they are working, but maybe I am too ignorant to know the difference in good vs best. I do know I really like how the bullets drop form these molds.

I was not able to find RRR in the vendor forum but I did find him in the index.

I found Kal T&D on Google but did not see a handle that said specifically H&G though there was one that looked like it would fit with a bit of grip-tip hanging out the front of mold.

I figured for the $13 that I had in these Lees I could take a chance.

Thank you one and all for your assistance, Tim.

[Ric-san]

Great ideas...now to find a nice h&g mold to need this mod...

[Don Purcell]

Call Ballisticast as they took over the H&G molds and supply the handles also.

[georgerkahn]

The URL for vendor is: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-Mould-Handles

I've purchased, used, and love their handles. The "4X" style is the ones I've purchased. One added note is I've read that through the years H&G had two different thicknesses for their moulds handle slots. My few are 4-cavity, and the same.

BEST!
george