Need help with a new Lee 6 cavity mold.

[bruinruin]

Hi all. I just received a new 6 cavity mold and right out of the box I noticed a problem. One of the 2 alignment pins/seats is slightly proud and needs to be seated just a tiny bit deeper to allow for the mold faces to come completely together. On one end the pins are fine and the mold faces mate up nice and close, but on the other end the pin/seat aren't allowing for the same nice mate-up.

I'd like to take care of this problem myself, but don't want to overdo it because I'm worried that if I go too far seating the alignment system deeper, I'll create slop in the alignment.

Can anyone recommend a good, safe way to correct this problem?

Thanks in advance!

[Larry Gibson]

Lay the mould block with the protruding pin sans the handles on a flat hard surface with the pin up. Tap on the pin (or bushing on the other block if that is sticking out) lightly with a brass or hard nylon drift punch using light blows from a small mallet. Go slow and tap gently using only enough force to move the pin/bushing back in. Tap it in just enough that the blocks close flush. Had one come out last week just as you describe; fixed it just as I described.

Larry Gibson

[bruinruin]

Thanks for the reply and advice, Larry. I appreciate it.

[Jailer]

I had a seat sitting proud on a mold recentyl. I put mine in a vice with a folded up paper shop towell between the mold and vice and the ball end of a ball peen hammer on the seat and used the vice to slowly squeeze it into place.

[bruinruin]

Thanks for the reply, Jailer. I'll keep that method in mind.

[emorris]

It will be hard to gauge the amount of force you use with a hammer and somtimes soft taps turn into harder and harder taps if it wont move right away. You could go further than expected, or slightly deform the pin. I would suggest using a small C clamp so you will have more control of the force used.

[bsgp8ntball]

local applied heat to the mold would also help