Problem with 2 cavity Lee mould

[subsonic]

Maybe it's just me, but I have 3 Lee 2 cavity moulds and the sprue plate doesn't lay flat on the mould on any of them. I worked one over today, lapping the top of the mould and the sprue plate dead flat with 220grit. Bolted it back on and still can see light above the cavity furthest from the handles. The end result is boolits with wings on the bases where lead gets between the sprue plate and top of the mould blocks. I have thought about adding a screw on the far corner opposite the pivot screw and slotting the sprue plate. Is there an easier fix? Am I alone with this problem?

[wallenba]

Maybe it's just me, but I have 3 Lee 2 cavity moulds and the sprue plate doesn't lay flat on the mould on any of them. I worked one over today, lapping the top of the mould and the sprue plate dead flat with 220grit. Bolted it back on and still can see light above the cavity furthest from the handles. The end result is boolits with wings on the bases where lead gets between the sprue plate and top of the mould blocks. I have thought about adding a screw on the far corner opposite the pivot screw and slotting the sprue plate. Is there an easier fix? Am I alone with this problem?

What I have had to do is remove the sprue plate. I know, this is difficult and risky. If you work carefully with some vise grips, you can eventually get a grip on the screw head. You may have to mangle the spacer below it while doing so. Slowly torque the screw loose. Notice then how the self tapping screw has upset the aluminum around the hole forming a raised ridge around the hole, dress that down flat. Also the sprue plate is "punched" from flat plate. The downward stroke of the die that makes it rounds the top edge and raises the bottom, dress that down all the way around. Finally, I radius the top of the mold block edges all the way around.

Also, if you are cutting the sprue before it has hardened enough, alloy will smear on the bottom of the sprue plate at the cutting hole. When it builds up under there it will lift the plate up. After the sprue is cut you can apply pressure with your mallet to the sprue plate after moving it so that the cavities are covered by the flat area of the plate too. This is helpfull in flattening the base of the boolit and sprue bump.

[Wally]

When I get a new one I remove the + screw and then use a socket head to replace it. I keep the sprue plate loose so that the it will move by its own weight. IMHO the sprue plates are too tight out of the factory and if you use them that way you will have nothing but problems. I find I have to run hot with Lee molds and lead will smear on the sprue plate & blocks---when I cast and open them I merely wipe both with an old rage whenever I see lead smeared on them...

[Maven]

subsonic, Wallenba & Wally's suggestions are excellent, but you may also need to bend the sprue plate downward a tad so that it lays perfectly flat against the top of the mold. There was a short, but excellent article about this in the CBA "Fouling Shot" a few years ago. In essence, you remove the sprue plate, file away all rough edges and polish its underside, and then place it vertically in a padded vise (bolt hole faces downward). You then whack it with a hammer and test fit it to the mold. If you've bent it too much, put it back in the vise and hit it from the opposite side, as this a strictly cut & try operation. It is easier to do than to describe, 100% effective, and far easier than removing the bolt that holds the sprue plate in place.

[Wally]

subsonic, Wallenba & Wally's suggestions are excellent, but you may also need to bend the sprue plate downward a tad so that it lays perfectly flat against the top of the mold. There was a short, but excellent article about this in the CBA "Fouling Shot" a few years ago. In essence, you remove the sprue plate, file away all rough edges and polish its underside, and then place it vertically in a padded vise (bolt hole faces downward). You then whack it with a hammer and test fit it to the mold. If you've bent it too much, put it back in the vise and hit it from the opposite side, as this a strictly cut & try operation. It is easier to do than to describe, 100% effective, and far easier than removing the bolt that holds the sprue plate in place.

This is a bit tricky--with the sprue plate screw loose--lay the sprue plate on top of the blocks--if you see no light pass through--leave it alone. If you see just a sliver of light pass through--try to cast with it anyway--if the bases of the bullets show any "weeping" then you have to "adjust" the sprue plate to make it flat.

I had one that was not flat---I put the lold in a padded vice and I bent it by hand until it was flat--I never used a hammer... I have many Lee molds..very few had bent sprue plates...

[subsonic]

I have removed the screw that holds the sprue plate. I guess that was supposed to be difficult? lol Mine came right out.

I also took the sprue plate and the top of the mold and made them flat by stroking them on an adhesive backed 220grit sanding disk stuck to a very flat surface. Both surfaces are flat and not bent or crooked. It appears as though the screw hole is drilled at an angle in the blocks and torques the plate up at an angle when tightened. Without the screw in, just holding the plate on the mold, I can see no light at all. Put the screw in, and it veers away from the block, even with the screw pretty loose. I'll try opening the hole slightly where the hold down screw's shank goes through the sprue plate. If that doesn't work, I'm going to just add a hold down on the opposite corner like some other moulds have. Thanks for the ideas.

[Wally]

I have removed the screw that holds the sprue plate. I guess that was supposed to be difficult? lol Mine came right out.

I also took the sprue plate and the top of the mold and made them flat by stroking them on an adhesive backed 220grit sanding disk stuck to a very flat surface. Both surfaces are flat and not bent or crooked. It appears as though the screw hole is drilled at an angle in the blocks and torques the plate up at an angle when tightened. Without the screw in, just holding the plate on the mold, I can see no light at all. Put the screw in, and it veers away from the block, even with the screw pretty loose. I'll try opening the hole slightly where the hold down screw's shank goes through the sprue plate. If that doesn't work, I'm going to just add a hold down on the opposite corner like some other moulds have. Thanks for the ideas.

I'd contact Lee and ask that they send you a new sprue plate...

[wallenba]

Somebody on this site also makes replacement sprue plates that are thicker and absolutely flat. The beauty of them is they will outlive the mold and can be reused on new molds. Anybody know who that is?

[subsonic]

Apparently my lapping did not produce a flat sprue plate. Upon further investigation, this plate is so soft that you can "mash it flat" while sanding and then it will "spring back" to the warped shape you started with. Same thing when holding it on the mould blocks. I put it in the vise and smacked it with a 2x4 chunk until it was flatish. Fits pretty well, good enough, now. Not perfect, but very close. Thanks for all of the help.

[stubshaft]

Funny how "smacking" a Lee mold with a 2 X 4 makes them work better.:kidding:

[6.5 mike]

Aw, the bigger hammer fix. :popcorn:

[462]

I've straightened a couple of Lee sprue cutters by using the ol' vise and hammer trick.

Funny, too, how often the shade tree gunsmith and machinist devises a simple solution to one that is seemingly both intricate and costly.

[wallenba]

You can drill and tap it larger and straight. Or... if you have a drill press, drill straight through it and use a bolt. I've never done that and don't know the consequences for long term. Just throwing options out there.

[GP100man]

Go here http://kal.castpics.net/ Don`t know if they`ll work on Lees though

[casterofboolits]

One of the culprits to a Lee sprue cutter not laying flat is the self tapping screw used to secure the sprue plate. The screw turns up a collar of aluminum when you re mount the sprue plate.

My fix was to chamfer the hole with a case chamfering tool to eliminate this problem.

[Maven]

"You can drill and tap it larger and straight. Or... if you have a drill press, drill straight through it and use a bolt. I've never done that and don't know the consequences for long term. Just throwing options out there.

Dutch, I've done that and was very happy with the outcome. I.e., the sprue plate tension could easily be adjusted, it was parallel to the top of the blocks, and casting was unaffected by it.