Lee mold modification

[tomf52]

Has anyone ever welded an extension on the sprue plate of a two holer so you can open it similarly to a six hole mold? A handle of sorts I guess you would call it. Just to do away with the tapping with the hammer handle.

[500MAG]

I think that may screw up my rhythm.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

you gotta try the gloved hand instead of the mallet.

[badbob454]

you gotta try the gloved hand instead of the mallet.

is there a benefit to the gloved hand or ,,,why not tap it open ?..... i use a closet rod of wood 20" long

[Stephen Cohen]

You could try flattening a piece of thin pipe as I did, it fits over the sprue plate. I think you will find as I did, it makes the mould unbalanced and difficult to use, if you try this you wont have to grind your extension off in half an hr. Before being enlightened by those on this site, I used to bang my moulds with an old hammer handle, I have tried the gloved hand method but I hate gloves on the hand I use my ladle with, So now I use the hammer handle to just flick the sprue plate and it works well for me. I don't think there is a right or wrong way just what works for you.

[sackot]

Has anyone ever welded an extension on the sprue plate of a two holer so you can open it similarly to a six hole mold? A handle of sorts I guess you would call it. Just to do away with the tapping with the hammer handle.

OK, not a Lee. With the Lyman it's pretty smooth, with the NOE I sometimes fumble, but I prefer it to banging the sprue plate with a mallet, and it gives more tactile feedback about how hard the sprues are.

82189

[Stephen Cohen]

I can see the benefit on that 5 banger Lyman. I will certainly file that away in good ideas, I like your method of getting around welding a lever extension on.

[ElDorado]

You really don't need a handle for a two-holer. Just get a welding glove. Watch how easily this caster uses a two-holer with no modifications. You can see how he casts at about 3:00 minutes into the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMXtwOqc1NY

[Maven]

Gloved hand = 1st choice. Small Vise Grip on end of sprue plate = 2nd choice: Consider it as an experiment, which requires no modification of the sprue plate and which can be removed if it's too awkward in practice.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

is there a benefit to the gloved hand or ,,,why not tap it open ?..... i use a closet rod of wood 20" long
When I first tried the gloved hand, it was an "Aaa Haa" moment.
Not to say it's for everyone, it just works best for me. Also, that was about the time I started using a hotplate to preheat the mold. So I never have a whack a cold sprue off, but if I do ? I use a oak stick.
Good Luck,
Jon

[bedbugbilly]

I've cast round ball and rifled musket conicals for 50 years and I've always used a heavy pair of welding gloves (the long gauntlet type to protect wrists and lower arm). I only use single and double cavity but I've never used anything to tap the sprue plate. I just lay my ladle back in the pot, reach up and swing the sprue plate then dump the rounds on a padded piece of cotton fabric. Doing it that way keeps up a steady rhythm for me. Everyone does it different though and you just have to do what works for you.

[dudel]

you gotta try the gloved hand instead of the mallet.


Make sure it's leather or cotton; not some glove with synthetic material (like Mechanics Wear gloves). Those gloves left black goo on my molds that were a pain to remove.

The Mechanics Wear gloves are great; just not for opening hot molds!

[kbstenberg]

Like JonB gloves are a necessity from a safety standpoint.
About Sackot idea. I would think his extended handle would be very time consuming. Always picking it up and setting it down. No disrespect meant. If the handle was much shorter and the 2 studs were threaded and attached to the mold semi perm. I would think it would be faster. Just my 2 cents Kevin

[myg30]

+2 for gloved hand on a 2 cav. Even with hard lead a good spruce cuts easy by hand. If I want to beat something with a stick there's the wife. LoL. [ I hope she never reads this or the stick will wind up where the sun don't shine on me]

Mike

[bangerjim]

I have and use 8 different 2 banger Lee molds.

I use a rawhide mallet to tap the plat open. When up to temp, it just takes a slight nudge. If you have a stubborn cavity, the rawhide's weight gives you a little help tapping on the joint bolt head to loosen the slugs up. One tool does both functions easily.

bangerjim

[Tim357]

Yep, what bangerjim said

[dikman]

I just watched that video. It's easy to drop the castings if you have "eject" pins like he does. My Lee roundball molds don't, of course, so it's often necessary to tap them - I doubt if a glove would be suitable for that! And I wish he'd turned off that blasted background music!! Very amateurish.

[Janoosh]

+1 Bangerjim. I also use padded gloves but when I'm tired or have a fussy mould I use a rawhide mallet.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

It's easy to drop the castings if you have "eject" pins like he does. My Lee roundball molds don't, of course, so it's often necessary to tap them - I doubt if a glove would be suitable for that!

I have a few molds where the boolits just fall out...or can be coaxed by a jiggle. RB molds should drop castings easier than boolits, maybe you have a burred edge ? I use a Oak stick to rub cavity edges to wear off any burrs. Or if you have a Eye Loupe and a exacto blade and good hand-to-eye coordination.

[ElDorado]

It's easy to drop the castings if you have "eject" pins like he does.

Those are hollow-point pins in a Cramer style mould. I've never heard of "eject" pins. If you having trouble with a round ball mould, don't try hollow-points. They are not easy.


Very amateurish.

Everything on youtube is amateurish. That's why it's there. If there a nuances in a video that you don't like, ignore them and try to glean the useful information that the poster is trying to impart. I've seen some outlandish ideas on youtube, and some people do some dangerous things, and make some unreliable claims. That's just the nature of the internet. But, diamonds come from coal, brother. All you need to do is pick them out.

I'm just trying to show that with a two cavity mould, it's fairly easy to open the sprue plate with a gloved hand. And if your bullets stick, push them out with your gloved thumb.

With a four or five cavity, I sometimes need a stick, too, depending on the mould. It's no big deal.

BTW, that's not my video, but it was sort of an epiphany for me (one of many). For years, I did my casting in accordance with Lyman and other "factory" manuals. There is a lot of good information in them, but there's a lot that they don't tell you, either. Once you start looking at what other casters are successfully doing, and start trying their ideas yourself, you will find your own casting to be easier, better, and more joyful than frustrating. Also, it can take casting into a true hobby as you delve into its different aspects (i.e. alloys, lubes, equipment, etc).

[UNIQUEDOT]

These are pretty inexpensive. They are the old MSM handles. http://www.cainsoutdoor.com/shop/item.asp?item=13189

[oscarflytyer]

Harbor Freight long cuff welding gloves. Thick suede leather. ~$5 pair! What I use to cast with. They work great and the price is def right!

[dikman]

ElDorado, I have gleaned many useful things from home-made videos that people have posted on youtube. Nothing wrong with something being amateurish (as in being made by an amateur) but if you're trying to get a message across then a little pre-thinking goes a long way. There's nothing worse, in my mind, than trying to listen to what the poster is saying when there is annoying radio/music in the background (I can't turn the volume down 'cos then I can't hear what he's saying!). A pity, because it is an interesting video.

As for my molds, I've gone over them carefully and can find nothing to explain why they often don't drop of their own accord (all three do the same). If I lightly lube the cavity (while hot) with a Kroil-type lube then they drop for a little while, until the lube wears off. I'd like to try the glove-sprue-cutoff thingy, but I find wearing heavy welding gloves awkward, as I don't have the "feel" for what is going on (I wear riggers'-type gloves). Still, when I get my Pro-Melt I guess I can give it a try, as the heavier gloves may be easier to use if not using a dipper.