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Thread: Mold rapper died

  1. #1
    Boolit Master Boolit_Head's Avatar
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    Mold rapper died

    I feel like I lost a old friend. Must have been 25 plus years ago I took a good old hard maple hammer handle, cut off the part that the head fits on and bored out the bottom couple of inches and put some lead shot in it. It was perfect untill a few years ago when the epoxy started cracking. Tried new epoxy nothing seemed to work, even covered it with some silicone to seal it with no luck. Finally took it off and cut the bored out part off. It just not the same, I miss having the weight at the end. Well I plan to make another but am looking for a better way to seal some lead in the end.
    On every question of construction let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.

    Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, June 12, 1823

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy
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    I would try drilling the end and pour in lead then pin or screw in place, top with epoxy.
    "Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian" Henry Ford

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    Yep just drill and pour in lead

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    ghh3rd's Avatar
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    Whew! I thought maybe a member called mold rapper had died.

    I did the same thing with a pool cue one time ... I shortened it for a tight corner in the room, drilled it out and then poured a bit of lead into the end for balance.

    You just gave me an idea. I have an old nightstick kicking around that’s about 18 inches long and feels like it has lead in it that my grandfather used to have when he was a bobby in England. I’ll bet that would make a good mold rapper, and I’d be thinking of him every time I cut a sprue.
    Plata o plomo?
    Plomo, por favor!

  5. #5
    Boolit Master Boolit_Head's Avatar
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    I thought about pouring lead in but the epoxy part is where I got stuck, would be the same as before. Hmmm what about pouring the lead in them drilling it and putting a dowel through the handle? Maybe I could glue a top on as well. Not sure how the wood glue would fare though.
    On every question of construction let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.

    Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, June 12, 1823

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Several ways to accomplish what you want here. If you can find a piece of Tygon ( vinal) tubing that's presses over the handle portion this will both protect the handle and cushion the mould. You want it snug so once pushed on it tight and held in place. There are poly urethane mixes that can be used but a mould needs to be made for them. One of the epoxies for protecting wood surfaces ( J*B wood restorer) is a very hard durable finish, again a make shift mould or form needs to be made up but a 1/8" wall layer may work very well.

    My mould tapper is a 8 ounce slimline dead blow hammer. This is a mallet style and works very well for me. Its also bright orange poly urethane so its hard to lose. I have used it for 5 years now and no sign of wear yet. This hammer is what brooks recommends on his web site also.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master



    BrassMagnet's Avatar
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    Just buy a rawhide mallet.

  8. #8
    Banned
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    +1 on the rawhide mallet that's all I've been using

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Instead of lead, screw a lag screw of the appropriate size into the hole in the end of the handle. That will add weight to it and should never come out.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master Boolit_Head's Avatar
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    Hmmm forgot all about the rawhide mallet in my gun repair kit...
    On every question of construction let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.

    Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, June 12, 1823

  11. #11
    Boolit Master



    Springfield's Avatar
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    I use my old rawhide mallet, that I used for my leatherwork, until I bought a weighted mallet. Never went back to the regular one, and has worked great for 10 years now tapping handle pivots to loosen boolits. I rarely tap a sprue plate, though, just use my finger with a heat proof glove on it.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master Pavogrande's Avatar
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    At a 25 year service life, how many you reckon to need?

  13. #13
    Boolit Master

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    I just use my thumb, my kids are wimps and also use a glove on their hand...

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    What about drilling the lead hole, but before pouring the lead, drill a hole perpendicular thru the handle and insert the dowel. Then pour the lead. Dowel pin would be sealed in.

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master tazman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sigep1764 View Post
    What about drilling the lead hole, but before pouring the lead, drill a hole perpendicular thru the handle and insert the dowel. Then pour the lead. Dowel pin would be sealed in.
    Good idea.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master



    BrassMagnet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moonie View Post
    I just use my thumb, my kids are wimps and also use a glove on their hand...
    It didn't take me long to look at that!

  17. #17
    Boolit Master

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    Drill the hole, then drive a long wood screw into the center of the hole, leaving the head just below the end of the handle. Then pour the lead into the hole. Use a screw long enough that there is at least an inch of thread into the wood.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Truckers use "Tire Thumpers", to test tires; And to thump anything else that needs thumping. Usable as a mold rapper, and not expensive. (Zoro Tools sells them at $9.44 but now min qty 3, hmm. "Wooden Tire Buddy", $5/order shipping) Lead pellets in wax with epoxy as a cap would hold well, or just use epoxy with the shot? Or what ever weight suits you

  19. #19
    Boolit Master Boolit_Head's Avatar
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    That is close to what I had. Epoxy and shot covered with another layer of epoxy. The epoxy eventually cracks up.
    On every question of construction let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying what meaning may be squeezed out of the text or invented against it, conform to the probable one in which it was passed.

    Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, June 12, 1823

  20. #20
    Boolit Master




    bruce drake's Avatar
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    And old broken shovel handle cut off at 18 inches and wrapped the end in duct tape for several layers. Its been working for tapping loose mold cut-off plates for over a decade now and I've only had to replace the tape once.
    I Cast my Boolits, Therefore I am Happy.
    Bona Fide member of the Jeff Brown Hunt Club

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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