Bevel removal on a Lee mold.

[nitroproof]

Bevel removal on a Lee 379-250-RF mold.

A little technical advice… first off I can booger up just about anything I try to “fix”.
I want to remove the bevel from my two cavity Lee mold.
Grainger has a Jobber Drill 9.70mm (0.3819”), 118° drill point for around 8 bucks, they have an office real handy to me.

My power equipment is limited to drill press.

Q: Will the Drill Bit work to remove the bevel? I know the aluminum blocks are very soft.

Your technical assistance pleeze :veryconfu

[Ben]

This may help :

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=22102

[runfiverun]

i think i would just take it to a machine shop and have it milled.
i have ruined a couple of iron molds doing home repairs.
just like this.
i have made several more better, but could have had them all better for the price of the ones i ruined.

[MT Gianni]

Yes it will remove the bevel, IF you can get the cavity level, plumb and square with the drill bit. Make sure the cavity is square not the top of the mold. Gianni

[JIMinPHX]

I’m not a big fan of the drill bit trick, but if I was going to go that rout, I’d at least start with a drill bit that was a little undersized, not oversized. Drill bits often make a hole a little bit bigger than they actually are. A “V” drill is .377”. That’s cutting it pretty close, but at least it’s a little undersized. Even if you did manage to make a perfect .377” hole with it, taking out .002” diameter with a piece of sand paper in a cleaning rod in the drill chuck is no big deal. The sand paper is likely to help clean up your finish too.

I’d still recommend finding someone with a proper mill or lathe to take out that taper though. It’s much easier to do a good job that way.

[Buckshot]

................JIMinPHX is right. Drill bits don't make round holes, and generally make them larger then that indicated on the shank. Plus your drill press could have some runnout in the quill. It HAS been done as Ben showed. A DC Lee mould is cheap and nothing beats a try but a failure.

Like any other machining job, setup is the most important part of the entire process. Buying a reamer of that size would be about $14-$16 or so. They come in increments as close as .0003" in some size ranges. A reamer 'wants' to go straight. Your DP would have to be able to turn fairly slow, and the quill would have to have minimal slop as you'll have a bit of 'stickout'.

A shop with a mill would be the best, but there is nothing to stop you from trying, and as I said, Lee moulds are cheap.

................Buckshot

[JIMinPHX]

Also, the 118° drill point that you selected is a good choice. They have more central tendency when drilling into a piloted hole than the 135° bits do.

Grainger -
118° "V" size jobber bit #4AH34 Maintenance Grade $4.65
118° "V" size jobber bit #1F731 Production Grade $6.57

[JIMinPHX]

Hey Buckshot,
Where are you getting $14-16 reamers from? MSC lists a .379” chucking reamer #02033793 (import) @ $24. The American made version #72033798 is $33. I see a “V” reamer for $14 & some of the other smaller or fractional sizes are in the $15 range, but the special decimal sizes in-between the letters, fractions & wire sizes look to all be more expensive. McMaster doesn't look any cheaper. Grainger doesn't have the special sizes. Do you have a better source for inexpensive decimal reamers?

[JRR]

I've done this in the past.

Get a "center drill, or pilot drill". They are double ended with a small drill point and then TAPER to a larger diameter. They come in many sizes. Chuck the center drill and UNPLUG the drill press.

Use diekem or fat sharpie to "paint the inside of the mold up to but not including the part to be removed. Clamp the closed mold in a square drill press vise and center up the bit with the opening. Turn the chuck by hand and slowly ream away the materiel until you see it barely mark the painted surface. Done!

It worked for me, but if not you are only dealing with a inexpensive Lee mold. If you go slightly too far, the sizing die will smooth it out.

[yeahbub]

Are there any people on the board who would accurately remove the bevel in my 6-cavity Lee 358-158RF? I saw a post a while back where someone was going to modify someone else's mold, but I can't remember who was going to do the work. I'm tired of having to wipe the lube off the bevel before I swage them to add a gas check.

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Are there any people on the board who would accurately remove the bevel in my 6-cavity Lee 358-158RF? I saw a post a while back where someone was going to modify someone else's mold, but I can't remember who was going to do the work. I'm tired of having to wipe the lube off the bevel before I swage them to add a gas check.

Why don't you just remove the sprue plate and screws from the top of the blocks and bring it to a local machine shop to have it planed. it's a ten minute job on a Bridgeport, or a horizontal mill. You'll lose about 15 or 20 gr. bullet weight. Should cost you about $25, and you won't have to be concerned with shipping. If you are wanting to accurately remove the bevels on six cavities without planing the mold face, it will be a very expensive proposition, best done on a Jig Borer.
Morgan

[JIMinPHX]

Are there any people on the board who would accurately remove the bevel in my 6-cavity Lee 358-158RF? I saw a post a while back where someone was going to modify someone else's mold, but I can't remember who was going to do the work. I'm tired of having to wipe the lube off the bevel before I swage them to add a gas check.

That wasn't me on the other thread, but if nobody else steps up to the plate, I can do that for you.

[nitroproof]

Thanks guys... I think I'll go the milling route farmed out to someone who knows what they're doing!

BTY - Check out a company called Discount Tools http://www.discount-tools.com

Chucking Reamers: http://www.discount-tools.com/lav-533.cfm the prices are quite reasonable!

[Buckshot]

Hey Buckshot,
Where are you getting $14-16 reamers from? MSC lists a .379” chucking reamer #02033793 (import) @ $24. The American made version #72033798 is $33. I see a “V” reamer for $14 & some of the other smaller or fractional sizes are in the $15 range, but the special decimal sizes in-between the letters, fractions & wire sizes look to all be more expensive. McMaster doesn't look any cheaper. Grainger doesn't have the special sizes. Do you have a better source for inexpensive decimal reamers?

Wholesale Tool:

http://tool.wttool.com/search?af=cat1_cuttingtools&do=search&do=search&w=.379%22+reamer&x=7&y=9

finds:

1150-0785 - * Decimal Equiv: 0.38 * Diameter: W * Flute Length: 1-3/4 * OAL: 7" $7.81

...............Buckshot

[Buckshot]

Are there any people on the board who would accurately remove the bevel in my 6-cavity Lee 358-158RF? I saw a post a while back where someone was going to modify someone else's mold, but I can't remember who was going to do the work. I'm tired of having to wipe the lube off the bevel before I swage them to add a gas check.

I do that and also remove GC shanks via boring in a lathe, but it wouldn't be worth your while as it would cost more then the mould. The boring is but a few seconds of work. What costs is indicating in each cavity which is naturally done one ...................... at....................a ................time :-). If you screw up one, then you have a 5 holer:bigsmyl2: With a mill that had a DRO it would be cheaper and faster.

............Buckshot

[JIMinPHX]

Wholesale Tool:

http://tool.wttool.com/search?af=cat1_cuttingtools&do=search&do=search&w=.379%22+reamer&x=7&y=9

finds:

1150-0785 - * Decimal Equiv: 0.38 * Diameter: W * Flute Length: 1-3/4 * OAL: 7" $7.81

...............Buckshot


Wow, that is an attractive price. Have you bought these cheap reamers before? If so, how was the quality? My recent experience with import reamers from MSC is that they are made from good material & the geometry is good, but the finish grinding is a little on the cobby side. If you have a tool grinder & are set up to grind peripheries with a fine wheel, then they are worth getting as sparking up the finish edge only takes a minute or two. Of course that means that you would need to order a reamer that is 1 or 2 thousandths over the size that you actually want. The finishes that I got with the tool right out of the box were not what I was hoping for. They were better than a drill bit, but not what I am accustomed to getting from a L&I.

[JIMinPHX]

With a mill that had a DRO it would be cheaper and faster.


That was my game plan…A HP series Bridgeport with Digi’s & a boring head.

[Buckshot]

Wow, that is an attractive price. Have you bought these cheap reamers before? If so, how was the quality? My recent experience with import reamers from MSC is that they are made from good material & the geometry is good, but the finish grinding is a little on the cobby side. If you have a tool grinder & are set up to grind peripheries with a fine wheel, then they are worth getting as sparking up the finish edge only takes a minute or two. Of course that means that you would need to order a reamer that is 1 or 2 thousandths over the size that you actually want. The finishes that I got with the tool right out of the box were not what I was hoping for. They were better than a drill bit, but not what I am accustomed to getting from a L&I.

.............Jim, never got any from Wholesale tool. I did buy an import set of over-under reamers from Rutland a couple years ago. They were as you said. Parked next to an L&I, Vermont, or even a Yugoslavian one their finish is for sure lacking. I was actually afraid of using them for quite some time, and if I had a USA made one on my list I used that.

Finally came the time I HAD to use one and danged if it didn't make a hole exactly like what was acid etched on the shank. To date I've used maybe 3 of'em and each has done what it was supposed to do, which had me stupified :-) On some of'em you can sight down a cutting edge and see the relief cut swoop in and out, yeeesh! But they cut. Let me hastily add I've only done maybe 2-3 holes with'em so we'll see.

..................Buckshot

[JIMinPHX]

Thanks for the review Buckshot.