New Lee Mold With Burrs On All 6 Cavities

[leadman]

AS the header states I recieved a new Lee 6 cavity mold with burrs on all 6 cavities from Titan Reloading today. One side of the cavity in each block has burrs or flashing on them. Shirley at Lee really missed the QC on this mold!

Oh, and Titan will not reimburse for any shipping costs, even on defective items.

This is the third bad mold I have recieved in the last 3 or 4 weeks, all from different manufacturers. One has already been returned for a credit, the other is a Saeco that is out of round and undersized, and the blocks don't line up right. Saeco said it could be a couple of weeks to ?. Been trying to decide if I just want to return it and buy something else or wait for a new one.

I just had a 4 1/2 month wait on getting my PACT digital scale repaired under warranty.

I sent an e-mail to Andy Lee so I will see if I get a response.

The manufacturers are producing as fast as they can I am told, but it does little good if what they produce is no good.

[williamwaco]

AS the header states I recieved a new Lee 6 cavity mold with burrs on all 6 cavities from Titan Reloading today. One side of the cavity in each block has burrs or flashing on them. Shirley at Lee really missed the QC on this mold!

Oh, and Titan will not reimburse for any shipping costs, even on defective items.

This is the third bad mold I have recieved in the last 3 or 4 weeks, all from different manufacturers. One has already been returned for a credit, the other is a Saeco that is out of round and undersized, and the blocks don't line up right. Saeco said it could be a couple of weeks to ?. Been trying to decide if I just want to return it and buy something else or wait for a new one.

I just had a 4 1/2 month wait on getting my PACT digital scale repaired under warranty.

I sent an e-mail to Andy Lee so I will see if I get a response.

The manufacturers are producing as fast as they can I am told, but it does little good if what they produce is no good.

I am afraid that is going to be more of a problem than a solution.


.

[tomme boy]

Sounds about normal for LEE. Every one of them I have had has had this. Even before the last scare. Lap it out.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Burrs ?
How large are they ?

With a couple rare exceptions, every NEW Lee mold I've bought (must be nearly 50 of them), all had burrs in the mold face at the cavity edge that I could feel, but not see with the naked eye (my eyes aren't that good anymore). SO, when I get a NEW lee mold (I just got one the other day, 401-175 TC 6cav), the first thing I do is rub those edges with a wooden (Oak) stick, east and west...then north and south. Then it gets a good cleaning with dish soap and a tooth brush, TWICE. Then I test cast with it, If it has sticky cavities, then I break out the polishing compound and do some Leementing.

Again, I ask, How large are the Burrs ?

[MtGun44]

Normal. Scrub cavities, focussing on the burred side with a toothbrush and Comet. This
usually does it. Sometimes lapping is required.

The mold is 1/3 the cost or less of competitors, the have to reduce their costs. Just part
of the choices about molds. Don't need to do this for a $150 mold. I have and enjoy a great
number of Lee 6 cavs and a smaller number of custom, expensive molds. Each has their
place.

You only have to clean it up and deburr once.

Bill

OK, I fixed it!

[quasi]

there are small burrs on one side of the cavity's on my new NOE and MP moulds as well. I use Mtgun 44 comet and hot soapy water on all new moulds.

Mtgun 44, dare I ask what a "Tootbrush" is?:lol:

[Smoke4320]

its akin to an baby wipe for those not so fresh days

[leadman]

On the side the tools leaves the face the is actually metal rolled over. There was flashing in the top of the cavities from the cutter being too low and not cutting right to the top of the blocks. It also appeared the nose of the cavity was distorted on one side.
I have corrected many Lee molds but this one was just not acceptable.
I sent it off along with the Saeco this morning with notes.
I also addressed the note to Andy Lee who I was told is doing most of the work with the molds now. I included the burrs and roughness on the sprue plates marking and gouging the top of the molds and the sprue plate pivot bolts coming loose and some have a shoulder that is too short and binds the SP if tightened down. I drilled and tapped my 4 new 2 cavity molds for a set screw to hold the pivot bolt. I also mantioned the variance in the grooves for the handles with the wider ones causing the blocks to hang down and allowing the pins on the one block to go under the other block. I use a metal plate to set my molds on to align them but am sure others may not do this.
I also mantioned the 2 fasteners that hols the handles on to the blocks that have come out on me. I loctited them and turned them back in. So far so good. These are not really a screw as one normally thinks of them, more like a drywall anchor type of threading on them.

If we don't report these easily corrected things to Lee then Lee will think everything is working good. This way Lee can change their process a little and make a better product for us. Most of these faults would cost from nothing to very little to correct.

[MtGun44]

It is a toothbrush when you are doing a bad job typing in a hurry! :bigsmyl2:

Man if that is the biggest screwup I have for the day I consider it a miracle.

Bill

[462]

"If we don't report these easily corrected things to Lee then Lee will think everything is working good. This way Lee can change their process a little and make a better product for us. Most of these faults would cost from notthing to verry little to correct."

Spot on, Leadman, and I do my part.

It should apply to all manufacturers, not just Lee.

[41 mag fan]

If you think about it, Lees been producing molds for a very very long time. They have over the course of this very long time had to replace many a mold and many a casting pot.
After so long a time and after so many warranty repairs and returns, they would surely have taken a look at bottom line and profit margins, and realized these warranty repairs and returns were affecting their bottom dollar.
But they have not changed their practices in this time frame, so you can figure they will only change something that'll cut a corner to make it more profitable on them in the initial set up and sale of their products.
There's simple things they can do to make their products of higher quality, but that higher quality will cost a few dollars more and will be passed onto the customer.
They could offer a higher quality product like their 2 cav molds but they might cost $5-10 more, which I'd still pay if I decided to buy from them, just because I can afford the higher price.
But some people cannot afford the extra money, so maybe Lee needs to produce 2 different variations to their molds....rough and semi rough and label them as such.

My hat does go off to them on trying to keep prices low, as long as it produces a quality product, and it doesn't keep their work staff at the low end of the wage scale.
But I'd still rather not do their QC

[leadman]

Lee molds have to be one of the last great bargains in the world of shooting. Lee has gone away from cutting the cavities in a lathe and invested in CNC mills to cut the cavities one block at a time. They also changed the style of the 2 cavity blocks so with all this change I know there are going to be bugs to work out of the new systems and products. Out of the last 6 new Lee molds I have purchased in the last several months this is the only one I would not cast with because it was so bad. The rest just needed a good cleaning, fixing the sprue plates and screws, then good to go. Also had to secure a female portion of the alignment pin in a couple of 6 cavity molds.

I have 2 of the new 2 cavity that literally drop the boolits out of the cavities when the handles are opened. I'm sure Lee will make this right.

JonB in Glencoe, There was so much loose metal in the mold that some fell out when I opened the mold. Every edge, including the top of the cavity had burrs, with the edge the cutter comes out of the cavities actually rolled back on the face of the mold. The blocks would not cloes up all the way.

[leadman]

Spoke with Andy Lee today and he said a new mold was shipped out yesterday. That is a quick resolution to the mold issue.
Also mentioned the sprue plates, especially the 2 cavity galling the top of the mold when opened and the pivot bolt issues. He said he will take a look at these.
I'll report on the replacement mold after it arrives and I have cast with it.

[jmort]

Great customer service and great prices are a rare combination.