LEE Six Cavity Mould HELP!!!

[kaptag]

:( Well today was my first attempt at casting boolits. It didn't go so well. I was using wheel weights which seemed to work good.
The problem is my Lee Six Cavity Mould has one of the bushings that the pins fit in sticking out which is causing flashing (as pictured in the lower left corner of Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook on p. 64).
I went back to the instructions for the mould and it mentions Lubricating the mould with Alox Beeswax mix Bullet Lube (Lee product #90007). Should I have lubed the locating pins? How do I resolve this issue? Send the mould back to Midway USA for a replacement? Send it to Lee? Can I just hammer the bushing back in the hole?
Any help is appreciated.

[sundog]

kaptag, welcome aboard. I'd tap the offending bushing back into place and lightly stake it on either three or four points, then file or stone off any cratering. That's what I would do, but I've been screwing with Lee moulds for about 35 years. I still have my first one and still ocassionally use it.

Make sure that the post and hole are burr free - steel wool or what ever. Apply a little lube, little being the operative word, and give'r another go.

[kaptag]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I wanted to hammer it back in but being new at this, I didn't know how much pounding it can take.
I don't have any of the Lee Beeswax Lube on hand. Tried to find it locally to no avail. Any suggestions on a suitable lube for the mould which I can find locally?
What do you mean by stake it? I thinking maybe put a couple notches in it to prevent it from coming out again?

[Ben]

I've been using this for some time ( see link below ). Good lubrication up to 1,600 degrees. Use sparingly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Bullet%20Mold%20Lube/PICT0005.jpg

Thanks,
Ben

[sundog]

if you don't have anything else, wheel bearing grease. VERY little. with a q-tip or something. keep it out of the cavities. some of the 'water proof' or 'high temp' chassis lubes with lithium or calcium soaps might be okay, but be very careful to use only a little.

Gotta remember, even if a Lee mould is a major investment for you, they are relatively inexpensive in the mould world. That does not mean that they make inferior boolits, it just means they are not as expensive as some higher quality stuff.

I have more than one or two Lee moulds and they work just fine, often needing a bit of work.

[Petander]

if you don't have anything else, wheel bearing grease. VERY little. with a q-tip or something. keep it out of the cavities. some of the 'water proof' or 'high temp' chassis lubes with lithium or calcium soaps might be okay, but be very careful to use only a little.





Graphite works good on those pins, too. I have used it during my first days with a new Lee sixbanger, I have made 2500+ boolits now in three sessions. I Just use a pencil every now and then to touch the pins, maybe once an hour or so.


(Sorry to hear about that loose bushing - we get what we pay for, Lee stuff often needs some work and tuneup. Watch the screws that hold the blocks, they can get loose ,too. )

[kaptag]

Thanks for all the quick replies. I'm going to use a punch to hammer that pin back in place. For now I'll try the pencil trick. I did note I have to use my spoon to tap on the mould in order to make the bullets drop out. Initially I thought this was normal until I saw the thread on Lee-Menting. Looks like I'll probably need to do that. I must say without this board I probably would've chalked this up to a bad experience as I don't know anyone locally who does this locally so I'd be on my own without this board. Although yesterday was my first post, I've been visiting this site regularly for several months. I guess my next task is finding a reliable source for lead. I think I've got some wheel bearing grease in the garage but I don't think its the high temp stuff. At Least I can find something out in town. One of the problems with Lee is not many places carry their stuff around here and shipping can cost more than the product.

[TAWILDCATT]

when I first get the lee molds I go over them and check for burrs. clean smoke them and lube.for the price I am willing to do the little extra that some times is needed.take care of them and they will work for you.:coffee: :Fire: :coffee:

[Charlie Horse]

Lee molds, any mechanical object, is going to take some finesse. Just about any kind of lube will work on those pins and the sprue plate pivot. I use whatever bullet lube I've got sitting around on the bench.

[MtGun44]

The best lube I have ever seen by a large margin is sold by our
good friend BullShop - Bull Lube, see the ad at the bottom of
the page. I haven't tried it specifically on the 6 cav alignment pins
of my Lee 6 holers (haven't needed it) but it works phenomenally
well on the sprue plate. Nothing else is even close. :-D

I have no connection to Bull Shop except as a very satisfied
customer.

Bill

[Jon K]

I use Bullshop's lube on the sprue plate, top of the mold and the pins/pin holes. Works like a charm, a little goes a long way(follow the directions), unless you do like me & spill half the bottle, cause I didn't cover it, and being careless.
Great lube, wouldn't be without it!

Jon
:castmine:

[kaptag]

Thanks again for all the replies. I went ahead and drove that bushing back into the die (maybe a little too far) which is what I was hoping to do but was concerned that might not be the thing to do. It went in fine. Because I've got everything set up in the gararge, (I melted 25lbs of WW) which was given to me, I wanted to start casting boolits. I couldn't find the Loctite brand lubricant but I came across the permatex brand, going give that a try tonight if I have the chance.
I also took a piece of Cherry and used it like a sanding block against the mould faces. I didn't try to get into the cavities, just rubbed the block of wood back and forth against the faces. I don't know if it did anything, but I'll find out.
FYI the mould I have is the LEE 358-158-RF which I hope to use for hunting deer. I may also try to shoot a Hare with a reduced load in the future, ah but alas I have enough trouble hitting em with a .410 let alone a handgun. Got some buddies that have got em with handguns but I haven't as yet. Before I try the handgun, I've got a .32 front stuffer Traditions (called a Crockett) cap and ball I love and will be taking that out first.