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Thread: Hammer

  1. #41
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moonie View Post
    I just use a gloved hand to open the mold...
    I feel vindicated.
    Until I saw the last few responses---I thought I was the only one that used a glove.

    When I get my rhythm going, with a mold that drops when ya open it, I can put a 1 or 2 cavity mold
    back & forth under the spout about every 10-12-
    sometimes as much as 15 seconds with the sprue eased back into the pot.
    Last edited by Winger Ed.; 04-05-2020 at 03:30 AM.
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  2. #42
    Boolit Buddy
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    12 inch piece of 1x2 pine or my gloved hand. Depends on how stubborn the sprues are that day.

  3. #43
    Boolit Buddy
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    gloved hand with an old wood hammer handle handy to tap a sticky boolit out if needed

  4. #44
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    I bought an old wooden Louisville Slugger baseball bat at a local flea market, I cut the hand grip section off and use it to open my sprue plates. Works great.

  5. #45
    Boolit Master Win94ae's Avatar
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    I use a stick. :/
    Looks to be curly maple, probably ripped from a 1x board. When that one fails, I'll grab another piece of scrap wood from the pile.

  6. #46
    Boolit Master LAH's Avatar
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    If using one mould it's opened with my hand. With multiple moulds I use a hammer handle.

  7. #47
    Boolit Buddy 2A-Jay's Avatar
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    I use the old Soft Plastic Sprue Plate Mallet my Deceased Uncle gave me. He told me he bought it in the '70s It is still looking almost new. All his reloading equipment was either Herters or Lyman, as the mallet head is Light Orange I am thinking it is Lyman.

  8. #48
    Boolit Master
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    All my six and eight cavity gang molds have the Lee style cammed sprue plate opener, but I still use a hammer on the handle bolt to tap out stubborn boolits. I've used plastic solid and dead blow hammers, and lead weighted dowels, but they all get chewed up. I've since started to use a Garland lead weighted rawhide mallet. I am now a happy man.

  9. #49
    Boolit Master


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    Another plus for rawhide hammer. You can pick them up at leather supply shop/store. Been using the same one for 55 years.

  10. #50
    Boolit Bub
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    I used a rawhide mallet but lost it during a move, I now use a 1" diameter x 12" long piece of Derlin.

  11. #51
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    My favorite seems to be a hammer handle. Mike Venturino posted here that he liked a dead blow hammer so I got one. It works well but it’s much heavier than a hammer handle. I also have a well worn rawhide mallet that my mentor used to open sprue plates. I’ve used them all but even if all three are on the bench I keep grabbing the hammer handle.

    I also use sprue lube and once a rhythm is established the sprue opens easily with a gloved hand.
    Sometimes life taps you on the shoulder and reminds you it's a one way street. Jim Morris

  12. #52
    Boolit Mold Sven205's Avatar
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    Hardwood dowel, inch to inch and a half. When one gets beat up cut another piece. One dowel can be cut to 4 usable sprue plate whackers.

    When you're looking around the shop a lot of stuff can be used as a "hammer"

  13. #53
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    NAPA 1 pound rubber mallet $5.99. Been using the same one ten years I got for $1.99.

    https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_5...AaAiPcEALw_wcB

    Attachment 262886
    Last edited by Outpost75; 05-28-2020 at 04:35 PM.
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  14. #54
    Boolit Grand Master

    dragon813gt's Avatar
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    I use an oak dowel. Probably around 1.5” diameter. Don’t know how old it is but I’ve never used anything else and won’t have to replace it anytime soon.

  15. #55
    Boolit Master
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    used a chair brace for a few years till it broke now use s small nylon faced hammer .

  16. #56
    Boolit Master
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    I just use a 12’’ long bar of solder I think it’s 50/50 .it’s hard enough to work but soft enough to not tear stuff up. Works good. I have wanted to melt it down several times for the tin. But then I would be without my knocker.

  17. #57
    Boolit Master
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    composite carvers mallet here, because it fits good to the hand (transmits no vibration to wrist carperol tunnel issue) non damaging to mould. Really if I spend $$$ to buy nice moulds then why shouldn't I have a nice mallet to match. Yes I'm a tool freak and I like nice high quality tools. I'm sure there are others things that will work but tools are an extension of the hand and I like to hold onto nice things ie red heads with green eyes, blondes with blue eyes, and brunettes with brown eyes.

  18. #58
    Boolit Master
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    I use an old broken handle from a post hole digger, been using for 10yrs, its beat up but I still use it! I have a small dead blow hammer, but it didn't feel right to me, but I turned it around and used the handle, and felt better. So if I ever retire the wood beater, I'll cut the handle of the dead blow, and use that probably the rest of my life, unless somebody steals it!

  19. #59
    Boolit Master

    alamogunr's Avatar
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    georgerkahn mentioned the hammer mold that was going around a few years ago. It went thru my hands after casting 3 hammers. That is what I use to open sprue plates until I get things adjusted enough that I can use my gloved hand to open. The first one is still in use and at the rate it is getting beat up, the other two will go my sons in new condition.

    As I recall, the hammer mold disappeared a few users after I passed it on. That was a real shame since there were several still on the list when it was no more.
    John
    W.TN

  20. #60
    Boolit Buddy

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    An oak tabacco stick about 14" long has been in use on my bench for twenty years now.

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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