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Thread: Lee Pro 4 20 LB. Furnace Mold Rest Mod

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub MBfrontier's Avatar
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    Lee Pro 4 20 LB. Furnace Mold Rest Mod

    I have been using the original mold rest on the Lee Pro 4 20 Lb. Furnace with NOE hollow point molds. The mold rest works fine with LEE Molds but not so much with NOE HP Molds with pin brackets on the bottom. My NOE mold has2 cavities and is brass which makes it significantly heavier than aluminum. I am relatively new to bullet casting and started casting in 2013. As of now, I only own 2 LEE molds and 2 NOE HP Molds. All 4 are 2 cavity.

    I thought I would try to come up with a rest I could use on this furnace that would be easier to use with a variety of molds. I used a 3/8 in. steel rod and drilled a 1/4 in. perpindicular hole to slide onto the 1/4 in. left leg. I drilled and tapped the end to accept the original thumb screw that was in the original mold rest. I made 2 adjustable collars that slide onto the 3/8 in. rod to use as mold guide fences. The adjustable collars are drilled and tapped for small allen set screws. I figured in the future I can make a small flat mold rest to slide and lock onto the 3/8 in. rod. I haven't used it yet but I'll give an update once I try it out. Here's the picture:
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    Last edited by MBfrontier; 05-02-2018 at 08:10 AM. Reason: Picture
    Mike B.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master


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    That looks great
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  3. #3
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    Looks like RCBS pro melt rest and will work great.
    Good job
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  4. #4
    Boolit Bub MBfrontier's Avatar
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    Thanks 500MAG and Smoke4320. You're right Smoke. That's where I got the idea to use collars on a mold rest for the LEE Pot.
    Mike B.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    Looks like a solid option. Be interested to see if it will hold the weight.

    If it does, any chance you'd be willing to make a second one to sell or trade?


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  6. #6
    Boolit Bub 03fatboy's Avatar
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    That's a good idea, thanks for sharing.

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy
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    If there is any concern about supporting the weight it would be easy enough to add another rod on the right side. It would hold weight, but be free to rotate as it would not be attached to the pot body or base allowing the mold guide to be moved to a front to back orientation, or any angle in between.

    If this is the same mold guide style in use on the RCBS pot then it is very unlikely any additional support is needed.

    Mike

  8. #8
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    good job. I like all the little things we come up with to improve the process
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  9. #9
    Boolit Bub MBfrontier's Avatar
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    Change in plans. I decided to make the flat mold rest and reengineered to do so. I made a slide plate from some sheet metal I had in my scrap bin with a cutout so my lead drips don't collect on the slide. It has ideas taken from RCBS, Lyman, and who knows what else. Today, I'll be disassembling, painting, and reassembling after the paint dries. I'll post again after I try it casting bullets.

    Here's the latest pictures:
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    Last edited by MBfrontier; 05-02-2018 at 08:13 AM.
    Mike B.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Very nice.
    ph4570

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub MBfrontier's Avatar
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    It's done. Painted with wood stove paint and baked. I may get a chance to try it out casting tomorrow. The rest is more rigid than I thought it would be.

    New mold rest and PID to control temp with. Life is good.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by MBfrontier; 05-02-2018 at 08:15 AM.
    Mike B.

  12. #12
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    Nice work! This hobby/obsession does bring out our ingenuity and gives great satisfaction of accomplishment. Try putting a price on that.
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  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    Very timely for me! I was casting Sat. with a new Accurate mold and the mold block was too big to get any useable adjustment out of the stock Lee mold guide. I wound up just lowering it enough to set it on top of the stop and cast that way. Sketchy at best, but I made it work. The whole time I'm thinking of how to build just such a mold guide! Thanks for the idea!!!!!!!

  14. #14
    Boolit Bub MBfrontier's Avatar
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    Thanks for the replies.

    This project has been kind of a work in progress. I'm anxious to try it out. Won't happen today though.

    The next thing I need to do is empty the pot and clean up the valve and rod and use some lapping compound on them to try and reduce the dripping. I'm also thinking about making a heavier valve knob to help in seating but I don't think it can overcome getting junk stuck in the valve. The dripping is worse when the pot is full and reduces as the pot empties. Any ideas would be appreciated.
    Mike B.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master

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    Nice metal work & ingenuity. I saw a post the other day where a guy suggested taking the wood knob off and replacing it with a 1 oz lead sinker.

  16. #16
    Boolit Bub MBfrontier's Avatar
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    This morning I cast some 9MM hollow point PB bullets using my NOE 358 135Gr. FN RG2 Bullet Mould using the new mould rest. It worked very well and I am pleased with it. The only rejects I had were the first couple of pours and all the rest were good bullets. Here's a few:


    After casting the bullets I decided to completely clean out my pot. I disassembled the whole thing, cleaned out all the junk, lapped the valve and valve rod, cleaned and painted the parts that started to rust, and made a heavier knob for the valve to see if that would eliminate the dripping.

    I had a piece of steel bar stock I used to turn a heavier knob. The original knob weighed in at 2 7/8 oz. and the one I made weighed in at 4 7/8 oz. Here's a picture with the comparison with the original knob on the left and the new one on the right:


    Here's a picture with the new knob on the pot:


    I'll have to see if the dripping issue is improved on the next casting session and report back. It doesn't drip that bad but it would be nice if it can be significantly improved.
    Last edited by MBfrontier; 05-25-2016 at 07:49 PM.
    Mike B.

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy bazzer485's Avatar
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    Those are some shining boolits. Can you tell us what your alloy is and the temps,you are using!

  18. #18
    Boolit Bub MBfrontier's Avatar
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    Alloy is COWW with a little 50/50 solder added and fluxed with sawdust. Casting temp. is 750 degrees.
    Mike B.

  19. #19
    Boolit Bub 03fatboy's Avatar
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    How did the new rest do as far as staying where you put it?

    I'm really curious if the new heavier knob help.
    Thanks for all the good ideas.

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    I just used the screw driver to twist back and forth on the stem and it would at least slow the drip…then one day it decided not to drip anymore and it hasn't since…knock on wood. (you have to hold your mouth right also!)
    If you can't stop the drip at least it makes for some interesting looking statuettes.

    OS OK

    forgot to mention, I put a 7/8's nut on the handle and screwed the knob back on…that helped some too, if you don't have a lathe.
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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check