Better Lee Handles....

[GRid.1569]

.. yeah I searched already but got a server error....

Does anybody make a better version of the "Lee Handles" ?... I'm sick of the wood handles sliding off....

T.I.A.

[tryNto]

Some Glue/Epoxy will fix that.

[tonyjones]

You can get them here from member Red River Rick/KAL Tool & Die.

Tony

[dromia]

You can get them here from member Red River Rick/KAL Tool & Die.

Tony


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/adamsutherland/Smilies%20FB/sSig_goodjob.gif Concur. Rick makes quality handles, he is one of us and a Vendor Sponsor.

[geargnasher]

Before I ever use them, I pull the wood grips off the Lee handles (doesn't take much effort) and degrease the tangs with alcohol or brake cleaner, then coat them with Permatex Ultra Copper RTV sealant and put a bunch in the holes in the wood, then press them back on and wipe the excess RTV that squeezes out. They're fixed for good.

Others use epoxy, but I put my moulds and handles in a "mould oven" a lot of the time and the heat soak tends to fry epoxy sometimes. The silicone is good to 800F, plus it acts as an insulator as well and seems to keep the handles cooler.

Gear

[a.squibload]

I used JB-Weld, not sure what temp it's rated for,
so far so good.

[Buckshot]

...........I simply drill through and pin then. Started doing that God knows how long ago? Haven't had one try to depart the handles yet.

..............Buckshot

[GLL]

Red River Rick/KAL Tool & Die makes the best mold handles for most makes! PERIOD ! :)

Jerry

[GT27]

Use JB Weld on them,the wood will bust before they come off again!! GT27

[leadman]

JB is good for about 400'. I use it on the Lee handles with no problems. The RTV should work well also.

[Marvin S]

+1 on pinning them, a small nail will worknfor a pin.

[Old Shooter]

The low cost of the handles more than makes up for the inconvience of a minor repair.

[captaint]

RR Rick does make very nice handles. However, the last set I got from him, maybe 3 years ago, I had to glue those wood handles also. Really well made. enjoy Mike

[mtgrs737]

Kal Tool, Red River Ricks company makes the best mould handles on earth, bar none! I have several pairs and I will be buying more as I need them.

I have permanetly fixed other brands of handles that have the "wood sliding off" problem with high temp. RTV. I works great with MEC shotgun reloaders wooden handles too.

[GRid.1569]

Thanks guys... Apperciate the pointers....

[MikeS]

While Red River Rick makes some really nice handles, there are other makers of Lee style handles. Mihec the wonderful mould maker in Slovenia also makes handles, while maybe not as nice as Rick's handles, they're also about 1/3 less expensive. Dick Dastardly of BigLube Inc. makes handles, and his latest ones are made from stainless steel, so they should last a while. I've never tried Dick's handles, but from the look of them on his website it looks like he basically copied the Lee handles, but out of better materials.

Other than the handles, Red River Rick makes something else that will make using a Lee 6 cavity mould a much nicer experience, that is he makes replacement sprue cam levers. They're made from steel, not sintered metal like the Lee products are (both the sprue cam lever, and their handles), so they're stronger, and won't break as easily as the Lee lever does, and it also has a longer cam duration, so when opening the sprue plate via the lever it opens the plate further, and so will cut thru the lead, even if it's been left in the mould to totally cool. Trying to cut the sprue when cold using the Lee handle will almost assure that you're going to break the handle!

I've personally tried Rick's handles, and Miha's handles. They're both much better than the Lee handles, but also cost more. I've never broken a set of Lee handles yet, and considering their price (you can find them on sale for around $11.00 from several different retailers), and the price of the replacement handles, I'm going to be sticking with Lee handles, as I like to have a set of handles for each mould, and at $35 for Rick's handles it would be much harder to do. If you want to buy one or two sets of handles, and switch your moulds between them, then I would say it certainly would pay to get a better set of handles, and as far as I've seen Rick's are the best (and Mihec's are really good too).