Mold handles for old casters?

[spurgon]

This is a link to mold handles as advertised by Buffaloarms. Tha text says for "older"

casters with bad hands. Do weak , arthritic hands becomes a factor in casting for

any of you guys? If this is the case , what do you do to overcome it?


thanks
spurgon

http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,5914.htm

[1Shirt]

I take a couple of Advil, soak my hands in hot water for a min or two befor I start casting, and press on. Works for me!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[IcerUSA]

Check out CastingStuff in the links at the bottom of the page . He's one of use . :)

Keith

[scrapcan]

If you look at the pictures those are Cabin Tree mould handles. And yes they are made by a member, who also makes a great looking hardness tester.

[GLL]

I purchased a set of of Jim's Cabine Tree handles as an experiment. They work very well once adjusted to an individual mould and give very uniform pressure without having to squeeze. The only drawback I have found is that they are very heavy.

I prefer this older model design to his new one.

Jerry

http://www.fototime.com/3F312BE9676D19F/standard.jpg

[Gussy]

I hope no one will be offended and take this as a sales pitch. Yes, I make them also the ones BA sells. I will relate how it started and what's happening now.

I started designing and making them after a long 8 hour casting session. I have Xlarge hands. I use the large block moulds almost all the time. My hands were really sore that day and my bullet wieghts varied a lot. As I got tired, my weight started to vary more. I was using one Lyman handle and a new gorrila grip design RCBS (I have no idea how a small handed person could use those things).

As to the locking holder, yes they are heavy, but you do not have to hold them or sqeeze them to get good bullets. I will relate some feed back I get from users. Not all are old either, in fact, most are young. A few are handicapped however.

Many casters have hand problems of one sort or another (at least one doesn't have a hand). I have had many nice reports of people being able to cast that haven't in years because they couldn't hold a pair of handles together. Many people prefer to use them over their other handles. This is particularly true of the BPCR shooters that use the 500gr plus bullets. Much less time holding them as some run 2-3 moulds at once since there's no need to hang on 'til set up. Less weight variation is almost a universal report. Those that cast in very long sessions really like them. The hand cramping is not a factor. In all, I have had over 99% favorable reports. Most like them because you are holding a single handle and not having to squeeze and there is a constant mould pressure.

[Rick N Bama]

Do weak , arthritic hands becomes a factor in casting for any of you guys? If this is the case , what do you do to overcome it?
]


I have to limit my casting sessions to an hour or so due to back problems & arthritic hands. I will simply cast enough over several days to last me for a while.

Rick

[GLL]

Although I commented on the weight of these handles , I hand cast and I simply rest the handles on the edge of my pot. That makes it very easy to deal with.

I am indeed very pleased with the actual casting results and feel they are well worth the price ! :) :)

Jerry

[LET-CA]

They are really nice looking. Do they lock in the "closed" position?

[GLL]

Yes, they are locking and have adjustable pressure.

Jerry

[Little Doc]

what gussy said,
i bought one of these from him at the quigley a few years ago. best investment i ever made on mould handles. if you buy one you will not be disappointed. the verry best quality and will make the quality of your bullets great. thanks gussy for a great product that works.
off topic, but his hardness tester is superior too.
just my 2cents worth.
little doc:castmine:

[waksupi]

what gussy said,
i bought one of these from him at the quigley a few years ago. best investment i ever made on mould handles. if you buy one you will not be disappointed. the verry best quality and will make the quality of your bullets great. thanks gussy for a great product that works.
off topic, but his hardness tester is superior too.
just my 2cents worth.
little doc:castmine:

I'm with Doc. I have both a set of handles, and the hardness tester from Gussy. These things will last ten life times!

[miestro_jerry]

I will have to think about these mold handles, yes I am over 27 years old, have arthritis, had hand surgery and elbow surgery, these look like a good time saver. How about something like this for the Lee 6 Cavity Molds?

Who said we are OLD! :castmine:

Jerry

[Lloyd Smale]

I just pop a couple anexia before i start casting and in a hour i wake up and theres a nice pile of bullets sitting in front of me! Doesnt hurt a bit!!

[Gussy]

[QUOTE=miestro_jerry;270008]

How about something like this for the Lee 6 Cavity Molds?


Jerry, I have had a couple of people tell me they drilled new mounting holes out near the end of the jaws and they worked on the big Lees. You may have to file a small amount of metal off the backside to get them to work just right.

Also had a recent call that the small Lyman block didn't close right. If this happens, the flat area where the mounting hole is need a small amount of filing. Usually that would be on the outter end.

I have changed where I get the jaws CNC machined and there are some variations over the years. If you have a problem I will fix it. This does not apply to Lloyds back however (:>)
Gus

[GLL]

Gussy:

Do you still have any of the "old" style handles like those in your photo shown in my post #5? If so, I would like to get two more.

Jerry

[Gussy]

Gussy:

Do you still have any of the "old" style handles like those in your photo shown in my post #5? If so, I would like to get two more.

Jerry

The old ones are long gone.

The new ones are the same as yours except that the bodies have welded side plates instead of fully machined. The snap pins are now cotters as the is no need to remove them to adjust. The very first ones did require removing the pin. Yours are second generation. The wood on the handle is slightly different too. I don't think you would notice any difference.