Lee ingot mold

[Idz]

After casting 2 tons of ingots the handles on my Lee ingot molds are loosening up. I am thinking of making some new handles unless somebody has a better idea. Thanks in advance.

[RogerDat]

JB Weld. Pull handle off. Mix up some JB Weld and fill the hole. Stick handle back on. Wipe off excess.

JB Weld can stand up to the heat and the handle won't come off. I use it for my 2 cavity Lee molds. Have used JB Weld to fix a seam in a welded up set of homemade ingot molds. Right in the mold and it is still there.

[RogerDat]

I will say there was or is a group buy for ingot molds going on. Some nice ingot molds for about the cost of a Lee mold. 4 cavity @ 2.5 lbs per cavity. Embossed with "Redneck Gold" might be worth taking a look at if you do that kind of volume of lead.

[kevin c]

Also noteworthy is that, depending on the alloy and how full they're filled, the Cast Boolits and Redneck Gold molds drop ingots of two to two and a half pounds, four at a time, that will still fit into your casting pot. So in one cycle you get more weight in ingots than you'd get in three cycles with the Lee (no half pounders, though, if that's important to you).

ETA: but I still use my Lyman and Lee molds if I want to empty my casting pot, and I like RogerDat's JB weld suggestion for my dried/burned out and loose ingot mold handles.

[RustyReel]

I used a hose clamp on mine. Ain't pretty but it worked.

[Bazoo]

If it's not sloppy loose, just not tight enough to hold the handle on, you might try pinning it. Make a pin out of a finish nail. Cut the head off and make it about 1/8 longer than the handle and ferrule is thick. Slightly chamfer the ends, this helps peening. Drill through the ferrule / handle / tang a snug hole for the finish nail. Put it on something for an anvil and peen one side about half, flip it over and peen the other side, then flip it and finish the first side. Finish with the flat part of the hammer to smooth it out.

[CastingFool]

I used a roll pin in one of my molds. If too long, just file them down.

[Idz]

Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like JB Weld is rated for 500F continuous and 600F for 10 minutes so it might work. If not I'll pin them. I like the Lee mold because we'll process 300-500 lbs at a time and other molds get real heavy towards the end of the day. The Lee is also small enough that I can cool them on wet towels to speed up the lead solidifying enough to dump.

[super6]

I use vise grips.

[Iowa Fox]

Thanks for the suggestions. It looks like JB Weld is rated for 500F continuous and 600F for 10 minutes so it might work. If not I'll pin them. I like the Lee mold because we'll process 300-500 lbs at a time and other molds get real heavy towards the end of the day. The Lee is also small enough that I can cool them on wet towels to speed up the lead solidifying enough to dump.

Plus they are a good size to add to the pot without bouncing your temp all over.

[Winger Ed.]

+1 for vice grips.
It has worked on mine for several years.

[BrassMagnet]

I really like threads like this.
I never would have thought of using JB Weld. Now I learned something new and I need to buy some.

[Walks]

I made square handles, the round will twist in your hand and slop lead in the most opportune places.

[Bazoo]

Thanks for sharing walks, I use a square handle extension on my ingot pouring ladle. Just a stainless ladle with a piece of backer stick screwed to it for length.

[richhodg66]

I use vise grips.

This would be my solution.

I had no idea JB weld could handle that level of heat. Just for the record what is JB Weld rated for?

[44magLeo]

JB Weld, the regular, not the quick set is rated for 500* constant and can withstand up to 600* for up to 10 minutes. Tensile strength is 3690 PSI.
The Kwik Set is only rated to 300* and has a tensile strength of 3127 PSI.
I use JBWeld a lot. I even fixed a cracked engine block once.
For some things that don't require the high temps or max strength the Kwick Set is ok. It sets fairly quick so you don't have a lot of time getting it right.
The regular once set you can drill and tap just like steel. Restoring threads with it works good.
What I have done with stripped out threads is to drill the hole a bit over sized. Fill with JB Weld then coat the bolt you want to use with an oil or grease so the JB weld won't stick. Smear a bit of the JB Weld on the bolt to fill the treads. Press the bolt into hole.
Once set you can unscrew the bolt leaving good threads.
Leo

[6bg6ga]

I use vise grips.

I'll second that. Vice Grips will stay I'm not sure about the JB welded junk on the handle and when it comes to dropping an ingot on my junk or on the floor I'd rather be safe.

[Green Frog]

I use Vice Grips on my Lyman ingot moulds that are old enough to have only a small tab to hold them. OTOH, the long extensions on my Lee moulds give plenty of room to attach a “proper” wooden handle. When relatively new, these handles are relatively secure by their own friction fit. With age, the normal wear and tear eliminates this tightness and I resort to the strategy taught to me by friend Dale53... drill though the metal ferrule, wooden handle and mould extension all at once, insert a roll pin, and trim ends. You will never have to do anything else to that handle! :D

Froggie

[lightman]

I'll 2nd the suggestion of drilling the handle and using a roll pin. But I do have a drawer full of roll pins and I would have to purchase a tube of JB.

[Trapshooter]

I use blue Permatex Form-A-Gasket to fix loose handles on my mold handles. It works well, and stays tight. No problem with heat either. I do not recommend using pins, they get hot. I bought some used Lyman handles that had been pinned, and still have a brand mark from them. I yanked the pins out, and gooped them up. No more excitement.

Trapshooter