why are my lee moulds better than....

[troy_mclure]

why are my 3 lee moulds better than my new rcbs mould that cost more than the other 3 combined?

my new rcbs .35-200-fn mould sucks!

i have cleaned it as instructed, and the boolits fill out fine.

BUT unless i am squeezing the handles with a death grip i get bad fins.

also i have to pry the boolits out of the mould with a screw driver. no whacking, or shaking will get them out.

i even tried kroil, but no joy.

any advice on getting this mold working?

[GLL]

Are you using RCBS handles on this mould ?

Jerry

[cbrick]

Troy, kinda sounds like a mis-adjusted aligment pin. Not a very common occurance with RCBS but it can happen. Mis-aligned pins (and other problems) in my experience is with the far more expensive SAECO molds.

To solve that problem lay the mold half with the pins on a flat firm surface, tap on the offending pin with a brass punch & small hammer to very slightly move the pin in, then check it for proper fit. And I do mean a brass punch, do not hit the pins with a hammer or steel punch. If you go to far you'll know it because when the two halfs are placed back together they will be loose, just tap back the other way until it's like Goldie Locks . . . Just right.

Rick

[troy_mclure]

Are you using RCBS handles on this mould ?

Jerry

yes i am.

[excess650]

why are my 3 lee moulds better than my new rcbs mould that cost more than the other 3 combined?"

just lucky?


"my new rcbs .35-200-fn mould sucks! i have cleaned it as instructed, and the boolits fill out fine. BUT unless i am squeezing the handles with a death grip i get bad fins."

fins or just whiskers?

"also i have to pry the boolits out of the mould with a screw driver. no whacking, or shaking will get them out.

i even tried kroil, but no joy.

any advice on getting this mold working?

"

The RCBS molds that I have and used have all been excellent, but I haven't bought one in a few years. Whiskers can be as simple as too hot of alloy, too much tin, too much head pressure if pressure casting, or more likely, too deep of vent lines.

Bullets sticking in the cavities can be caused by burrs or soldered on alloy deposits.

Have you measured any of the bullets? Are they reasonably round(within .001"), are they the same across othe sides of the parting line and perpendicular to the parting line?

Are you pressure casting with a bottom pour furnace or ladle? What temp are you casting at and what alloy?

You might just have a bad mold. One of the guys here just got a .270 from RCBS that was in need of help.

[Wally]

why are my 3 lee moulds better than my new rcbs mould that cost more than the other 3 combined?

my new rcbs .35-200-fn mould sucks!

i have cleaned it as instructed, and the boolits fill out fine.

BUT unless i am squeezing the handles with a death grip i get bad fins.

also i have to pry the boolits out of the mould with a screw driver. no whacking, or shaking will get them out.

i even tried kroil, but no joy.

any advice on getting this mold working?

Yes..make a "plug" of steel wool large enough to fit tightly in the mold cavity---tape the end of the plug up and insert in an electric drill chuck. You then insert & spin in each cavity--that should polish it out enough so that bullets will no longer stick. It has worked for me on Saeco, RCBS, & Lyman molds.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Are the "fins" just whiskers in the air grooves or thick and solid fins?

If whiskers, no big thing, don't worry about them.

Just IMHO.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol"Coot

[462]

Troy,
I think your answer is in the above posts. I have Lyman, RCBS and Lee moulds and all of them required some amount of initial TLC, irregardless of whether they were new or used. Now, some are spot on and others I've learned to live with.

[troy_mclure]

they are definately fins.

the boolits are round, and not misformed.

ill try some steel wool.

[buck1]

If that doesnt work call RCBS. They have GREAT cust service.

[troy_mclure]

well i got the "fins" cleared up, but the boolit still sticks.

if i open the mould and set it on the table, after about 2 mins the boolits just drop out.

[geargnasher]

My recommendation would be to call RCBS customer service and ask for their advice, I second the above comment on how well they treat their customers.

The other option, which will void your warranty, is to give the cavities a good lapping with some fine valve-grinding compound and see if it doesn't polish things up to get it to drop smoothly. We can give more detailed tips on this if that's the way you decide to go.

Gear

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Yep, RCBS has given me GREAT customer service!

Replaced an almost new 405 - 45/70 mold a couple months ago.

Many times going what I thought was the "second mile" for me.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Cowboy T]

Try smoking the daylights out of the mould, like, beyond what you'd normally do. I had some Lee moulds in which the boolits would stick some, too. A couple minutes with a butane lighter fixed that. They just plop right out now.

Here's a tip I got on another forum. I don't know if you have access to an oxyacetylene torch, but if you do, try firing up that bad boy and setting the oxygen way down to zero. They're said to smoke worse than a 1800's coal plant, just perfect for mould prepping.

[troy_mclure]

well i got the mould replaced a couple months ago.

this is the first chance i have had to cast with it.

the boolits still stick, and require some heavy whacking to get the boolits out.

while it is nowhere near as bad as the first one, it is still enough to cause me to quit for the day after only 26 boolits.

i guess ill try lee-menting this supposedly better quality mould.

[NSP64]

I know the feeling. Paid for a new lyman devastater in 44&45.45 casts correct size and fall right out.44 had to be leemented and I had to make a new hollow point pin for it. The pin was too small allowing it to move off center.

[bhn22]

Look for a burr at the mould parting line. You'll need magnification, they're usually pretty small, but it doesn't take a big burr to make bullets stick in the mould. It's usually not as much of a problem with aluminum moulds because the burrs often tear off after a few casts.

well i got the mould replaced a couple months ago.

this is the first chance i have had to cast with it.

the boolits still stick, and require some heavy whacking to get the boolits out.

while it is nowhere near as bad as the first one, it is still enough to cause me to quit for the day after only 26 boolits.

i guess ill try lee-menting this supposedly better quality mould.