Lee Mold Handles

[jonp]

Can anyone give me a rough estimate of when Lee changed from using pins to allen screws to attach the handles to the mold blocks?

I got a few lee molds on ebay and the 2C .440 round ball mold has pins holding the handles on and the new 358140 has allen's which will be good as I want to use the handles for a new Lyman 43 Spanish mold I just got.

[jcwit]

Did Not know Lee interchanged with Lyman when it came to mold handles.

None of mine do.

[Handloader109]

Allen screws for the 6", pins for the 2 cavity

[Tackleberry41]

The 2 cavity look like screws, but arent.

[fryboy]

they sort of are , at least the new model styled ones , iirc they're also reversed pitch and rough as a cob , my oldest lee molds did have screws , they then went to the peened pin ( said pin was a look alike of the alignment pins )
as for the two cavity block handles ( regardless of style of attachment ) fitting other molds ... no sir , they're way way to thin etc , i suppose some kind of spacer could be fashioned by a industrious thinker however , what you need are the 6 cavity handles

[bangerjim]

I use Lee 6 banger handles on 1 & 2 cav SAECO molds all the time. Looks funny but the fit just ifne.

All the many 2 hole LEE's I have.....the handles are permanently attached with drive pins and do not come off unless you REALLY want them to come off.

[jonp]

They look like allen head screws to me. All my other lee molds are pinned which is why i asked

[fryboy]

looks can be deceiving , they're like a fast twist ermm wait slow twist rough grabbing self umm threading type screw and the one i managed to take out i wished i hadnt of , iirc it was reversed threaded

[Bzcraig]

looks can be deceiving , they're like a fast twist ermm wait slow twist rough grabbing self umm threading type screw and the one i managed to take out i wished i hadnt of , iirc it was reversed threaded

This is exactly what the newer ones are and started about a year or so ago. I was able to remove one but the hex head stripped before it went completely back in, just enough to be useful again though.

[Hannibal]

Nearly always, to remove the pins from the 2 cavity Lee moulds that APPEAR to be allen head screws, you will have to locate the pin in the top of the mould blocks, (pretty easy to do, just look for the displaced metal) and drill down about 1/8" into the mould blocks with a 5/32" bit. Then *carefully* drive the pins out with a pin punch. I would not recommend trying to swap the handles around unless you figure out a new pin/screw idea for the Lee mould, unless you plan to use it for a paper weight. The pins have something akin to fast twist rifling on the end of them to keep them in and after a couple of removal/install cycles, they are likely going to quit playing nice. Savvy?

[jonp]

Thanks for all of the replies. I guess I am better off buying a set of handles.

[duckey]

It seems the Lee single cav molds in the $20 rang come with the handles you speak of but the multiple cav molds come with detachable handles which can be used on other moods, maybe this is a money saving way Lee passes it onto us casters.

[gwpercle]

They aren't allen screws, don't take them out, I did and it's not a good idea. I don't think they're made to be removed. Just leave them be as long as they're tight.
Lee 6 cavity handles will bolt right up to that Lyman dbl. cavity mould, buy a set and give each mould it's own handle.
Gary

[runfiverun]

just as an FYI the older 2 cavity rapine molds use the same handles as the lee's with the roll pin.

[jonp]

Well........For everyone's information I switched handles today. The new Lee 2 cavity molds, I used a 358140 DC, has 2 allen screws. Well, sort of. They are allen on the top and then have a weird thread on the bottom but with a std allen I was able to easily turn them out counter clockwise an remove the lee handles and they fit the new 1C Lyman Rifle Mold just fine. I then put them back onto the Lee blocks with no trouble. I'm not sure what everyone is warning about unless Lee uses 19 different types of fasteners.

The older lee's that I have are all pins but this new one is not.

[Hannibal]

Interesting. I tried to remove mine with an Allen wrench, no joy. Just stripped the pin out.

Curiosity question : has anyone else had luck with this?

Update : seems the key is that the mould be new, or nearly new. (?) Just got a set of pins out myself. Whoo-Hoo!

The bad news is, I found no play between the mould blocks/alignment pins. So I'm stuck with a mould that casts .005" out-of-round. (Sigh.)

[jonp]

Hannibal: it was a mold less than a year old so that may be the key. When i get another new one i will take them out and put some grease in the holes for later

[Tackleberry41]

Actually Lee has changed things, alot. You can have brand new Lee molds, one has a left hand sprue screw, the other right hand. Most of us have probably tried to get out those 'screws' for the handles. Sometimes you get one out, maybe not the other. I tried on a brand new mold, just stripped the hole for the allen wrench.