help newbe with molds

[fire hawk]

I'm new to muzzleloading and casting, and thought I would try casting boolits, so I bought a double 50cal rb mold, and a maxi ball mold. After I got them, from several different sources, and screwed them onto the handles, the molds are sloppy. they're nice and tight when closed, but open they move around alot is this normal? Thanks

Al

[waksupi]

Yep, that's normal.

[Maven]

Small washers such as those you get in kits from Home Depot or Lowes may help remove some of the slop. You may have to trim/grind the round surfaces that fit against the mold blocks though.

[MikeS]

Not only is it normal, but it's needed. If the moulds were tightly mounted to the handles, then the handles would be what is lining the blocks up with each other. By being loose on the handles they can sort of float and when you close them, the locating pins on the mould blocks mate the 2 halves together, so the handles are only supplying pressure to keep them together.

I had a set of Lyman 'small' handles that somebody had modified so you can mount larger 2 cavity blocks on them (converting them into 'large' handles), but they only modified one side, so while it was possible to use a 2 cavity mould on them, it was difficult, as there wasn't enough slop on the unmodified side to let the blocks mate easily. Once I filed the other side similarly to the other side then the handles worked fine for 2 cavity moulds. I also took another pair of 'small' handles I had here and filed both side equally to convert them into 'large' handles, and now I have a 2 cavity mould mounted on them as well.

Why Lyman chose to call them large & small I find confusing, as both handles are the exact same physical size (they're about 8" long), it's just the shape of the jaws that hold the mould that's different! I personally like the older smaller Lyman handles, the ones they make now are much larger/longer which I suppose is good to keep hands away from the hot moulds, but I prefer the shorter older ones. For that matter, I don't know why Lyman bothered making 2 sizes, the 'large' ones work for both single and double cavity moulds, while the 'small' ones only work on single cavity moulds!

[fire hawk]

Thanks for the help, before your replies I thought I'd gotten screwed on my purchases.
Mike, you talked about modifying handles I have a tc mold, and bought tc handles from two different sources, and the handles are too thick where they hold the mold. I have thoughts of filing them down to fit. thanks

[Mk42gunner]

fire hawk,

Always work on the cheapest part first, in this case the handles, that way it doesn't cost as much to repair if you screw it up (words of experience there). TC molds were made by Lyman and somebody else IIRC, but I can't remember who. Lee six cavity handles are about the least expensive handles to buy and can be made to fit almost everything.

Mike,

I think the reason Lyman calls them large and small is because of the blocks they made, I just wish they marked the silly things as to which they were. I too prefer the 8" handles, I have three or four sets and each one closes to a different degree, so I have to try then when I start casting to get the pair I want on a mold.

Robert

[PacMan]

You do need some play in the handle to mold fit. Now if there is so much that when you open the mold you can readily see the mold cant in the handles you may have a problem. Proper fitting handles when installed on the mold will let the mold close without the alingment pins hitting the opposit mold face,but instead enter the female alignment holes almost square.
Same goes for vertical/parallel.
Handles to large are easy fix's ,grinder/file. To small can be made to work but takes more effort.
Dwight