Polish a Lee mold?

[dearslayer]

Recently purchased a Lee TL 452-230-2R mold and yesterday was only the 2nd time using it. I never paid too close attention the 1st time I used it but did notice that some of the Micro bans on the dropped boolits were less than perfect. I put it down to my casting abilities. Yesterday I decided to give it another go. I'm not happy with the boolits at all. I think it's too late to complain to the place of purchase and I'm sure if I did they will just say send it to Lee which isn't worth it plus I've had it for 2 months now. The flaw is in the Micro groove right at the end of the cut on a couple holes. Like material wasn't removed and it's causing diviots in the dropped boolits. Is there an easy fix such as polishing? If so what would be the best way.

[country gent]

I would send lee detailed pictures and description first and see what happens. They may replace it. Actually a couple pics of the flaw would help here also.

If you do decide to try it yourself I would first start with a sharp point in a soft material brass or aluminum even a hard plastic and firmly pull it thru the grooves by jand it may be fine burrs rolled over into the grooves. If you have a magnifier this will help see whats going on also.

You could very carefully work the edges with a die riffle. this will be slow tedious work.1 groove at a time and to a precise form.

Last would be to carefully lapp the mould using bullets and fine compound. This s going to be hard not removing over the hole cavity and increasing size.

Are you tumble lubing or pc if pc ream the grooves out

[GregLaROCHE]

As Country gent said, consider contacting Lee. They have a good reputation for standing by their products, even if they weren’t just purchased.

[dearslayer]

I think perhaps I will contact Lee to see what they have to say. Don't want to take a chance in messing it up completely. Given the fact that it's only my second time using it they may help me out. Also I am powder coating.

[schutzen-jager]

hope you have better luck with Lee customer service than my recent dealings with them - it was a horror story + after 3 + decades i will never buy another Lee product -

[mdi]

Yep. See what Lee has to say. I'd inspect the cavities with a strong light and my magnifying visor, perhaps a burr or defect that can be removed. I have polished a few molds, I used a paste made with Comet cleanser and oil on a lap cast from the mold. Won't remove metal and polished aluminum up nice.

It's a shame that some people jump at every chance to bash Lee...

[schutzen-jager]

Yep. See what Lee has to say. I'd inspect the cavities with a strong light and my magnifying visor, perhaps a burr or defect that can be removed. I have polished a few molds, I used a paste made with Comet cleanse and oil on a lap cast from the mold. Won't remove metal and polished aluminum up nice.

It's a shame that some people jump at every chance to bash Lee...

not a bashing , but a truthful fact based on actual experience - recently documented on other recent posts here + on many other forums about Lee customer service recent declines - by numerous other posters -

[mdi]

I have been using Lee tools since 1969. I have seen all the Lee Haters on line and perhaps I'm just lucky, but I have not been able to duplicate every Lee complaint I see. Perhaps because I am fairly mechanically inclined (life long machinist/mechanic) and do read instructions 98% of my Lee tools are trouble free. What little Lee customer service I have needed (once or at most twice total) went smoothly and professionally, as good as any reloading vendor.

I worked at a large city utilities department as a Heavy Equipment Electrician/Mechanic and saw first hand "tool snobs". Their complaints about tools not of their choosing were 80% ego and 19% ignorance ("If it ain't Snap-On [or whatever tool manufacturer he chose] it's junk"). I see a lot of the same attitude on reloading forums (If it ain't RCBS [or whatever the complainant uses] it's junk). Yeah, I sometimes get my panties in a bunch reading Lee Haters complaints not because of my tool choices, but new reloaders may read the drivel and believe it...

My apologies to the forum for my rant, I just forget that reloading doesn't need intelligence...

[Gtek]

If you can measure and confirm not concentric I would believe they would allow return. Even the best of them lets a pooch out now and then. Sounds like a multi hole, problem is you fix them up polishing and then how different are they hole to hole would be my concern.

[shaune509]

+1, MDI you are so right.
Shaune509

[country gent]

I feel its more important to help the gentleman fix his problem rather than bash lee equipment or his choices. After seeing out sourced parts come in wrong, tooling bought in good faith not work its apparent that any shop can have an oops. I will say 90*+ of the Lee equipment I have worked as advertised.

[megasupermagnum]

Before contacting Lee, are you absolutely sure the mold is the problem? Can we get some pictures of the bullets and mold where you believe the issue to be?

[Bloodman14]

Another Lee fan, here. Yes, pics would help us to diagnose the issue.

[bedbugbilly]

J understand your description - and "pardon my complaining" - I have been casting for 60 some years - have a collection of multi brand molds - including Lee - and I have had one bad experience with a Lee mold that should never have left the factory or passed QC - it happens and it can happen with any brand of mold. That said . . .

I have a number of tumble lube groove molds - Lee and other brands. I have found that while most very well, several are a bit quirky when it comes to the lube bands. This is just a suggestion . . . try another cast session and bump your pot temperature up. The several molds that I have that are quirky need to be run hotter so that the lube rings get good fill out - I use a pot and a bottom pour Lyman dipper and one of them - a .32 mod - requires increased heat and I hold the spout of the ladle higher when pouring and let the lead fork a larger sprue which fills the rings out nicely. Worth a try and if it doesn't work . . then give Lee a call, e-mail the some photos of the cavities and the boolits and see what they say.

Good luck.

[waksupi]

I'm not sure which sub-forum it is in, but Oldfeller did a good tutorial on tuning up Lee molds some years back. It is a sticky, so shouldn't be too hard to find.

[derek45]

hope you have better luck with Lee customer service than my recent dealings with them - it was a horror story + after 3 + decades i will never buy another Lee product -

yep

OP, if “Brenda” answers the call, hang up and try again

LOL

[schutzen-jager]

yep

OP, if “Brenda” answers the call, hang up and try again

LOL

derek45 i totally agree !! in the past i had good opinions of Lee's treatment of customers , but that no longer exists due to my latest experiences -

[tacofrank]

I just bought a Lee six cavity mold from Midway that had two undersized cavities and Midway said to erturn it for an exchange or refund. Four day turn around. The company you bought your's from might do the same? Worth a call or email.
Good Luck,
TF

[dearslayer]

I did send Lee and email earlier this morning while at work. A gentleman named Andy did return my email. He also said he saw this thread on Cast Boolits. I did send him photos of the mold and also some dropped boolits ( I'll post here later when I have a chance) and he seems to think that it's soldered tin on the grooves of the mold which in my opinion is very much possible. I'm going to gently try to remove it and if I can't he said to send it back to Lee.

[dearslayer]

These are the photos I sent Lee. I assume it's safe to say these boolits should go back into the pot even if powder coating?

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