Trouble with my new Lee mold

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Howdy!

I started this morning to use my 358TL158SWC I got about 70 "keepers" before I got sloppy with my spoon . . . Yeah I know I should have a "proper" ladle . . .I'm working on getting one!

Anyhow I began to notice after this "flood" which covered the top of the mold spue plate screw and all! Now I get a thin film on top of the mold which once I get the boolit out it has a "skirt" so I just dumped them back into the pot, and tried again (sorry I don't have any of these to show you) Finely I got fed up with this, and decided to dig out the screw head, and tried to get the screw out while it was still hot . . . I got the screw to back out about 1.5 - 2 turns, but it won't come out all the way, so I decided to let it cool, and then work on it.

The screw is tight in the threads, and moves, back and forth the small amount, but won't come all of the way, I can see that there is a small layer of lead under the spue plate which is leave the gap to make the "skirt"!

How can I get this screw out ???

Has this happened to anybody else?

I want to get it off and cleaned up and put some Bullplate lube under it . . . but do you think it will happen again, as there is a small enough space to let the molten lead in?

Here are some pics!
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Casting009.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Casting010.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Casting011.jpg

[Dale53]

Put the mould in a drill press vise. Put a screw driver bit in the drill press. That way you can apply MUCH more pressure to keep the Phillips head screw driver from backing off and stripping the Phillips head out of the screw. There is still a chance you'll strip the aluminum threads (they are not terribly strong). If so, drill out and go to the next size and using a tap, cut new threads.

This would be a good time to drill and tap for a lock screw to keep the hold down screw tight (drop a single bird shot under the lock screw to keep from damaging the threads on the hold down screw).

FWIW
Dale53

[bedwards]

Why don't you try heating up the mould till the lead gets soft and try to blow the excess under the screw out. Works on electronics but don't know if it would work on a mould.

be

[madsenshooter]

These are self tapping screws that don't like to come out without stripping the threads, so I've found. Dip the sprue plate in the melt and let is sit there until it gets hot enough to melt whats on it. Tighten it back down and use the Bull Plate.

[Bob.]

I don't know but it looks like the block is gaulded in the last pic ?




Bob.

[geargnasher]

If you have a cordless impact driver such as Ryobi or Crafstman, put the mould on the floor on a block of wood, clamp the blocks closed, put a #2 bit in the driver and lean with all your upper body weight on the screw to keep the bit from stripping it. You may be able to beat it out of there, that's how I have gotten all my Lee sprueplate screws out, and none of them have stripped yet, but I've had to but setbolts in 3 of them to keep the screw tight.

You hit the nail on the head when you said Bullplate. Use it and this won't happen again.

Also, while you have the sprueplate off, go ahead and clean up the sprue holes, deburr the edges, and bevel the edge that sweeps against the left block edge on closing to aid in closing the plate and wet block-sand the entire plate bottom and block tops on wet-or-dry 400-grit with plenty of water to clean up any galling or burrs.

Gear

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

What is "gaulded/galling"?

I have a SnapOn screwdriver with a 3/8" hexhead which I put a boxend wrench on that I used to try to turn it with pressing down on it with my weight, gets to a point and then stops . . .

I'll have to mess with it again tomorrow.

I don't have a impact, but a hammer drill . . . think that may work?

[Marlin Hunter]

To remove my screws I used a propane torch on the screw head then put the mold on the ground and laid on the screwdriver. Some came out other did not. If a screw driver didn't work I used a vice grip and it always worked. After you have turned the screw about 1/4 to 1/2 turn, spray wd-40 or other oil under the screw. it helps. but don't breath the oil mist produced when the oil hits the hot metal.

[-06]

The age old trick is to heat the "hole" part so that it expands. The screw hole will not contract but expand as well loosening the screw/bolt. Sometimes I hit the bolt/screw lightly with a hammer to loosen the threads and "tighten" the screw driver slots up a bit so it gets a better grip. If using Aluminum blocks be sure to put anti sieze on the screw before reinstalling. Al. is notorious for "grabbing" onto threaded parts. wc

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I'll try the heat the mold w/propane torch, and lean on it with my hammerdrill trick . . . after breakfast . . . I just put it outside to cool to the outside temp of 58 . . .

[bedwards]

That is like the aluminum heads of a car and a stuck spark plug. If you try to get it out, you will take the threads with it. You may can put penetrating oil in it and when cold keep working it back and forth, loosening it a little more each time. I think the heat makes the mould swell over the steel screw since it expands more. Dale53 has the right plan if you do. I may be well off base, but if you just have lead under the screw, you can heat it till it melts and blow it out with compressed air. I can't tell if its gallded aluminum (I doubt it) or just melted lead under the screw from your pics. I got one of my Lees so hot one time, I had to clean melted lead off the pins while the mould was hot. I was getting fins on my boolits.

as in all things, I could be wrong :-)
be

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Well I got it out, but it ain't going back in!

I clamped it down and put the torch on it for 30 seconds, then used the hammer drill with a new #2 bit in it, and backed it out about a 1/4 turn, then, back in a bit, then out, I did this a few times each time a little more out than in!

Here are some pictures:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Casting012.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Casting014.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Casting013.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Casting015.jpg

I'm gonna need to tap it and put a new screw in it . . .what size do you think I should go up to, and how about what size set screw?

[Storydude]

It's a Lee 2 cav......


Toss it and buy another one for 20 bucks.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I think I'm gonna maybe wimp out and just send it back . . . but first I'm gonna look at work and see if we have a tap for 12-24 or 28 pitch threads, and if I can find the screws locally, but the next problem I see is can the collar be drilled out to fit the larger screw size (probaly not!) So where do I find one of those?

Might be better off just sending it back to Lee and let them deal with it . . .

I have thought of putting in a helicoil, but the tools are more than the whole mold!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

It's a Lee 2 cav......


Toss it and buy another one for 20 bucks.

Yeah I know . . .I paid $19.79 plus shipping from Midway ...but it does have a 2 year warranty ...

I have only cast with it a few times and made less than 200 "keepers" Owned it for less than a month!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

They sent me a new one that they smoked, lubed and cast with in the factory, but did not include a boolit . . . I will see how it goes, as I've been busy, maybe this afternoon . . . I did get it back in about three weeks turn around, cost me about $5 to ship it to them.

[wiljen]

See the Leementing documentation here : http://castpics.net/LeementingKitDocumentation.htm

It covers the tap and add a set screw portion pretty completely.

[Ricochet]

What is "gaulded/galling"?
Galling is where the two movable metal surfaces in contact with one another bind together so that metal gets transferred between them, leaving that rough, grooved, scoured looking surface you can see in the pictures.

[Dale53]

Most of the Lee moulds I have are the six cavity ones. However, I DO have a few two cavity ones. After removing the burrs on the sprue plate and drilling the handles for through bolts (I drill through the wooden handle steel ferrules and put small #5 screws through and lightly set the nut against a washer and loc-tite it to keep the wooden handles from loosening), the next thing to address is the Lee alignment system on the two cavity moulds. They use an aluminum "v" block milled into the blocks together with a horizontal steel pin to align the mould halves.

These tend to "stick" causing misalignment problems when using the mould. Bullshop Sprue Plate lube applied to these surfaces (and then wiped off making SURE not to get any in the bullet cavities) pretty much solves this problem. Most lubes, including the Lee recommendations cause a build up of burnt lube that mostly doesn't work. Bullshop Sprueplate lube WORKS with out ANY buildup. It allows the alignment system to work as designed.

After doing these little tricks, the Lee moulds, inexpensive as they are, now become GOOD moulds and can have a long and productive life.

Dale53

[JIMinPHX]

McMaster Carr carries staked thread inserts that are just perfect for repairing a stripped out hole like that & restoring it to the original thread size. If you have a really good hardware store near you, they might have them there too. The staked inserts are much better than helicoils, although, a helicoil may also be able to get the job done.

[atr]

sometimes you can get the screw to re-tap if you partially fill the hole with steel wool....its a cheap and quick fix and its worked for me...
I also had some galling on the top of one of my Lee molds...I used some valve lapping compound on the flat steel top of a table saw and worked out the galling that way....then I polished the top of the mold on a hard Sisal polishing wheel and comet for an abrasive

[JIMinPHX]

Put the mould in a drill press vise. Put a screw driver bit in the drill press. That way you can apply MUCH more pressure to keep the Phillips head screw driver from backing off and stripping the Phillips head out of the screw.
FWIW
Dale53

Wow,
I just tried that for the first time the other night. It worked GREAT!

Thank you for that tip,
Jim

[Dale53]

Jim;
Glad to help. That is what we are here for.

Dale53