I was casting with a Lee 6 Cav. 148 gr. TL , WC mold of mine a few days ago. I noticed that I was having trouble keeping my sprue plate pivot screw tight.About every other opening of the mold, I'd have to stop and tighten up the screw.
I did a little measuring on the mold and decided that a nice coarse thread 6 mm set screw was in order. I didn't like the idea of a 6 - 48 , or an 8-40, I wanted something that I could put some torque on ! !
I went to the hardware store and found a nice tap and the appropriate drill bit in a pair in a blister pac . I thought ....Ummmm, that should be the answer to my problem. While I was there I picked up 1/2 dozen of the 6 mm set screws with the same thread pitch pattern as the tap.
While I was at it today, on the rear of the mold, the pivot that opens the top plate and cuts the sprue was beginning to wear into the mold a little, I'd seen others drill and tap a screw , then cut it flush for the steel " foot " to pivot on. I did mine like that today also.
This mold should give many more thousands of bullets .
Pics:
Here is the " before photo "
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...b/IMG_0433.jpg
Here is the " After Photo."
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...b/IMG_0434.jpg
Here is a photo of the screw that is embedded in the blocks and cut flush with the mold :
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...b/IMG_0438.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...b/IMG_0435.jpg