Square Lub Grooves

[Ron in PA]

Hi All
I just got a old Ideal mold 457193 on a trade. Its has square lube grooves. Does square grooves make it more valuable.

[44man]

Hard to say. Many Lyman molds have been folded, spindled and changed so much over the years that you see both styles all the time.
It makes not a single thing which grooves a boolit has as far as how they shoot.
Someone might desire it!

[osteodoc08]

Square lube grooves, round lube grooves......both make no difference to me. Keith prefered square lube grooves. My Lyman mold has a Keith interpretation with round lube grooves, they both work fine and the round lube grooves 'seem' to drop easier, not that the other is hard to drop from the mold.

I guess to someone itmay be worth more. Not necessarily to me.

[prs]

Hard to say. Many Lyman molds have been folded, spindled and changed so much over the years that you see both styles all the time.
It makes not a single thing which grooves a boolit has as far as how they shoot.
Someone might desire it!

If the lube grooves are square as in 90 degree corners, then I would expect the cast boolits to be rather stubborn to drop from the mold. It may have some slope to the cuts that are so slight that it still looks square.

prs

[44man]

If the lube grooves are square as in 90 degree corners, then I would expect the cast boolits to be rather stubborn to drop from the mold. It may have some slope to the cuts that are so slight that it still looks square.

prs
All have draft on them, none are 90*. They drop the same. No worry.

[bhn22]

Have you compared your mold to current production versions? Molds were made with the Ideal markings up into the 1950s.

[Ron in PA]

This mold has no vent lines

[MtGun44]

Actually, I have seen some photos of very early Keith boolits that appear to
have 90 degree angles on the groove. I thought that all had a draft angle, but
I have seen the photo. I think it was in one of Fryxell's articles, and apparently
very few were made that way, likely due to not being able get the boolits
out of the mold very well.

Bill

[44man]

Hard to see as it is only a few degrees. Ever since the world of casting was found, draft was needed.
Only with the lost wax process have true right angles been possible. Even sand casting used some draft. It depends on the mold and the part.

[DRNurse1]

For the OP: I think the condition of the mold will have a greater influence on the value. As the other posters said, some folks prefer the 'square' or Keith-type groves. I found one mold that had a fairly thin base under a Keth type lube grove which allowed the base to flex a bit. I suspect this was one of the contributors the the poor accuracy of that particular boolit (I am certain I had a role as well). Only mold I have traded away so far.