Dang!

[Echo]

I bought a set of Lyman molds (4-banger, 358495) complete with handles, on eBay. Got them for a pretty good price, because I thought I could separate them and make a couple bucks. I've learned to check molds out before selling them, so I fired up the SAECO, loaded with my 'C' alloy, and started casting. I did maybe 20, and wasn't happy with any of them, so closed down for a mold-cleaning. Scrubbed with soap & H20, didn't do much good, so I boiled w/dish soap (couple drops) for a while. Poured the agua out, replacing w/cold agua, dried as best I could, and put them in the drying rack and turned a fan on. Got them dry, but still not to my liking, so I brought out the brake cleaner, gave a couple good sprays, scrubbed w/paper towels, scrubbed some more, and hooked up again.
The blasted handles are very stiff, but, WOW! That mold turned out some BEAUTIFUL BOOLITS! I have another 4-banger in that boolit, and I was starting to think, 'I'll keep this one and sell my old one'. They were that purdy!223921
But the handles were a pain - real stiff, not wanting to swing open, slowing down production. I looked around and finally found a set that would fit. Mounted, and went to town! Man! Increased my throughput by at least 50%! Hot Dang!
Took a break for breakfast, and some computer work, and then went back to casting 358495's. First pour, hit the sprue plate, and the handles broke!
223920
First time that has happened. So. Dang. Gotta decide either keep this one & sell the old one, or not - decisions, decisions, decisions.

[Ben]

If those are Lee handles, they will probably replace them.

Ben

[MT Chambers]

That happens a lot with Lee handles that are made from pot metal, you are better off to spend a bit more for steel handles.

[mdi]

Normally, I'd just let this go, but I hate misinformation based on nuttin'. I have 12 Lee bullet molds. Most are the two hole kind and one is a 6-banger. All the handles are steel...

I could go on about spreading ignorance on forums by those that have unwarranted, emotional dislike for inanimate objects, but it does no good to try and educate a Lee Hater...

[Hardcast416taylor]

Back in the days that I shot A LOT of indoor PPC wadcutters I had 2 of these 4 banger molds going during a casting session. They had the `nutcracker` handles that if I could dislike anything then it would be those handles. The newer Lyman handles for these 4 holers are almost as bad.Robert

[beagle]

For future reference on fixing stiff handles..... place handles without mould on the anvil on a vise. Tapping the bolt head with the other end on the anvil with a ball peen hammer will tighten fit. Reverse and hit bolt end where it extends through nut and it makes handles open more freely./beagle

[BK7saum]

Normally, I'd just let this go, but I hate misinformation based on nuttin'. I have 12 Lee bullet molds. Most are the two hole kind and one is a 6-banger. All the handles are steel...

I could go on about spreading ignorance on forums by those that have unwarranted, emotional dislike for inanimate objects, but it does no good to try and educate a Lee Hater...

I had a pair of Lee handles break recently. About 2013 vintage commercial mold handles (6 cavity handles). They were NOT steel, at least not a forged steel. The handles were not true and even. I could not get a mold to close correctly. I assumed they were steel and attempted to tweak them and square them up to be useable. I only needed about 0.025" or so to even them up.


Snapped right off and the break was rough with a heavy crystalline structure. It was a clean break...no way should a forged steel part have broken. It looked like pot metal to me.

Just saying, older lee handles may be steel. With all the metal injection molding going on these days in manufacturing, i think Lee may have changed their manufacturing process to save a buck or two.

I think I asked Lee about the construction, but cant exactly remember exactly what they said, so I wont say here what I think I was told.

I just re-read your post. I agree with you that the 2 banger molds have stamped steel handles. The picture posted by the OP was of the commercial mold handles, which I DO NOT believe are steel. But metal injection mold or some kind of cast metal.

[mdi]

well, I can only say the handles on my 6 banger Lee mold isn't "pot metal" and I'm not going to try and break one just to prove someone wrong. 'Nuff said, let's move on...

[Echo]

Thanks, beagle - I'll remember - maybe... my memory got shot off in the war. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

[Echo]

I had a pair of Lee handles break recently. About 2013 vintage commercial mold handles (6 cavity handles). They were NOT steel, at least not a forged steel. The handles were not true and even. I could not get a mold to close correctly. I assumed they were steel and attempted to tweak them and square them up to be useable. I only needed about 0.025" or so to even them up.


Snapped right off and the break was rough with a heavy crystalline structure. It was a clean break...no way should a forged steel part have broken. It looked like pot metal to me.

Just saying, older lee handles may be steel. With all the metal injection molding going on these days in manufacturing, i think Lee may have changed their manufacturing process to save a buck or two.

I think I asked Lee about the construction, but cant exactly remember exactly what they said, so I wont say here what I think I was told.

I just re-read your post. I agree with you that the 2 banger molds have stamped steel handles. The picture posted by the OP was of the commercial mold handles, which I DO NOT believe are steel. But metal injection mold or some kind of cast metal.
Powder metalurgy - they make briquettes in the correct shape, then bake them to finish the process. Good for many things, but NOT STEEL!

[Echo]

These handles are probably Lee - but I tried some other Lee's, and they were too thick to fit in the handle slot. And these looked like they had been thinned so they COULD fit. I won't ask Lee to replace something that was modified for a job they weren't intended fopr...

[gundownunder]

I've cast 10s of thousands of bullets, all with Lee handles.
I've broken one set of handles in the last 10 years, and that was my fault for being over zealous with the hammer to get a stuck bullet out of a damaged mold cavity. I think they are durable enough if used correctly, but I do believe they are some type of pot metal.

[Mal Paso]

Lee handles are Sintered Steel. They are harder and hold shape better than mild steel. You need a good HSS or cobalt drill bit to install pins to keep the handles from slipping. I've never had a problem with them but they are more like cast iron in some respects. The fracture in the OP may have been there a while before it let go.

Auto engine connecting rods are forged from powder.

[Taterhead]

My one and only set of Lee Commercial handles had the wooden handles slide off at first use.

I highly recommend the NOE clone of the Lee handles. More expensive, but insignificant when amortized over a lifetime.

In another note, those are some nice looking wadcutters in those pics!

[DerekP Houston]

Nice looking cast! I'm a sucker for a good 38 wadcutter

[Beau Cassidy]

I had a set of NOE handles break about 50 bullets into the first casting session. Only ones I have ever had break. I need to send them back one day. I think it was just a fluke.

[Taterhead]

I had a set of NOE handles break about 50 bullets into the first casting session. Only ones I have ever had break. I need to send them back one day. I think it was just a fluke.

That's surprising! Even the great ones have an off day, I guess. Where/how did they break? I have a couple sets that have been used on NOE 5 and 2 cav and their 4 pb ingot mould. Also used on a Lee 6 cav.