Lee handles and Lyman molds, the Truth.

[jdgabbard]

Ok. It seems that when I performed a search on the subject I got mixed answers. So I figured I'd start a new thread and give you the absolute truth.

Lee handles are some of the most well made handles I've seen! These things are nothing like their 2-cav handles. Their made of steel, with wood comparing to those of any other handles you might own. I personally dislike most of Lee's casting equipment, with the exception of their pots. But when I saw these handles it changed my mind. They really went out of their way on these.

Now everyone knows these will fit their 6-cav's. But what about our good Lyman molds that need handles? Well like most of you, I own both 1 and 2-cav molds from Lyman/Ideal, as well as a 4-cav or two. And below is what I've found.

Lee handles will in fact fit both 1 and 2-cav Lyman blocks! They work like a charm and they are in fact more comfortable to use then the old style Lyman handles that I own.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=223&pictureid=1412

Now here is the kicker. They will not fit you're 4-Cav Lymans. I had never noticed this before. But the 4-cav blocks take a different thickness for the handles. Here is a picture of the 4-Cav next to a 1 Cav.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=223&pictureid=1413

So as you can see, if you're needing a pair of handles for a 4-Cav mold, you better be willing to dish out the money for a pair of Lymans, or Contact Red River Rick. Because these Lee handles are just not going to cut it for you. Their great for the 1 and 2-cav molds. But if you've got a 4-cav without handles your out of luck unless you feel like grinding.

[OutHuntn84]

Thanks for the info jd. That is lots of help.

[chuebner]

AND the Lee handles weigh less.

[machinisttx]

the lee handles would work fine if you have a milling machine, lathe, or a machinist buddy.

[462]

A few minutes on a grinder and Lee's 6-cavity handles will fit RCBS moulds. Should work to accomodate Lyman's 4-cavity, too.

On another thread, someone said he wished Lee's handles were blued. Brownells Oxpho-Blue makes them look rather smart.

[Catshooter]

I too have used the Lee handles on the Lyman blocks. They do work fine.

I do wonder at the alloy they cast them out of though. They drill very easily and have a kinda copper color to them.


Cat

[Le Loup Solitaire]

The last time I looked in my Midsouth catalogue I saw Lee 6 cav handles at around $12. and Lyman 4 cav handles for $30. The math is simple. If the Lee's are a little too thick for the Lyman 4 cav blocks they can be, as already well pointed out, ground down easily to fit or if you don't have a grinder, filed down if you have the patience. Either way they will work fine. If you need to make them fatter to fit (back into) into a mold that has larger side grooves; thats easy too....cut, snip or file a pair of shims preferably out of aluminum and drill a proper size hole in each one. When put in place they will bring the handles up to the necessary thickness and will work well. If you want to rustproof the Lee's you can do it by merely spraying the metal with Rustoleum Stove black (high heat 1200 degree) sold in Ace, Depot, Lowes or Walmart. It is true that the Lee handles are of good quality, solid all around and definitely a better deal. LLS

[dromia]

The Lee handles definitley are good value but beware the wood handle to metal fit, they tend to drop off at the wrong time.

Epoxying them in place sorts this but then you have another Lee kit item rather that a finished product.

I also have had problems with the mould locating screw holes being too near the edge and the metal crumbling away.

So you pays your money and you makes your choice.

Me I use Red River Ricks quality handles, I might not be able to get as many of them to the pound as Lee but swapping handles easier than fettling the Lee kit handles.

[jdgabbard]

The handles do their job tho. I've been pleased thus far. As for grinding them down, I'd be afraid of pin alignment on closing the blocks. Soon they begin to show wear. I'll spend the extra money to save time and furture expense of buying a new mold.

[Shiloh]

AND the Lee handles weigh less.

And they are a LOT cheaper.

SHiloh

[tackstrp]

I have and use the Lee 6 cavity molds and the two cavity molds. I seem to break the sprue metal thing on the six caivty often because I dont get things lined up correctly. Also I have lots of rejects from the Six cavity mold. I know it is my fault becuase i get in a hurry or tired and lose focus. With the two cavity molds I have few rejects and unable to break. At $19 each from midway, I can try different weights and shapes.

I use a hot plate to keep my molds warm. After I pour the lead I sit back on the hot plate to cool. Cheap hot plate, wont get warm enough to melt lead but does good as a warmer.

[Trey45]

They work with NOE molds too!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y243/SimonLegree/NOE314sp.jpg

This is a .314SP 129Gr. (SKS/AK) Group buy mold.

[JMtoolman]

I am the owner of three new four cavity Lyman molds. I clamped them in my mill and ran a .312 slitting saw down the slots for the handles. Only needed to open the slots .062 and now my RCBS and Sako handle fit. I did have to open up the diameter of the pin holes also. Also one of the four cavity molds is the origional 357 magnum design, the mold was about forty or fifty years old, but still in the wrapper! The machining from the old mold and the new ones doesn't even compare! The older mold is finished and fitted twice as good as the new production. The best part of the story is I swapped for the older mold and have about $10.00 invested in it. Best regards and good casting, John the toolman.

[GabbyM]

probably just my luck with stuff but. When I mount any of my Lyman 2 cavity blocks in my Lee handles the blocks do not close right. They cock over and leave a small gap on one side.

[MT Gianni]

probably just my luck with stuff but. When I mount any of my Lyman 2 cavity blocks in my Lee handles the blocks do not close right. They cock over and leave a small gap on one side.

Gabby, I have problems with single cavity molds not closing tightly with Lee handles. Before I had enough LY SC handles I re-drilled and marked handles for them only. My personal hero's arer the guys who have handles for all the molds they own. I have somewhere in the 40's and only 12-15 handles.

[chuebner]

Will the Lee handles fit RCBS molds?

charlie

[462]

charlie,

See post #5.

Originally, I said "dies" but meant "moulds", and you may have misunderstood. I just edited it to say "moulds".

[Prince555]

I'm getting a NOE 360-180 two cavity mold.
Will the Lee 2 cavity mold handles work on the NOE mold ok ?


Thanks

[jameslovesjammie]

The "blades" on the Lee 2 cavity handle molds are too thin. The 6 cavity are much thicker and are what the NOE moulds are cut for.

[jameslovesjammie]

Lee 6 cavity handles on a Saeco 4 cavity...had to open up the holes in the handle up with a drill.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/jameslovesjammie/gun%20stuff/Casting%20Stuff/P1010948.jpg

Lee 6 cavity handles on a Lyman 1 cavity. No modifications made to fit.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/jameslovesjammie/gun%20stuff/Casting%20Stuff/P1020293.jpg

Lee single/double cavity mold to show how much thinner the 2 cavity "blades" are than the 6 cavity.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/jameslovesjammie/gun%20stuff/Casting%20Stuff/P1040013.jpg

[Prince555]

Thanks to everyone for all the information and also the Great pictures.
Some Very Helpful info & suggestions.

[trixter]

Do they come with the molds, or the handles, or do you have to come up with them on your own?

Thanks

[Suo Gan]

Do they come with the molds, or the handles, or do you have to come up with them on your own?

Thanks

They come with a mold.

[Finnmike]

Great post - I need some handles for lyman moulds and my questions have been answered!! Thanks!

[MikeS]

The Lee handles definitley are good value but beware the wood handle to metal fit, they tend to drop off at the wrong time.

And this problem (the wood coming loose) is NOT a problem exclusive to Lee handles! I've had handles from several companies, as well as some of the custom mould makers that make many of the group buy moulds where the wood handles come loose from the metal!

Either gluing the wood to the metal, or pinning them in place is something that all mould handles should have done, either by the maker of the handles (preferable), or by the owner of the handles.

I have a handle made by Red River Rick, and they're a much higher quality product than the Lee handles, but they also cost 3x as much as the Lee ones! I don't know if it's a fair comparison to compare the 2 different handles, any more than it would be fair to compare a Dodge to a Lincoln!

I prefer to keep each mould mounted on it's own set of handles, but I don't think I would be able to do that if it wasn't for the price of the Lee handles. I've had the wood come loose on them, but then I've had the wood come loose on much more expensive handles as well.

[Yooperdad]

I have been searching and reading posts trying to find out about the sprue handles on Lee molds. The main mold handles are great, but I have developed cracks in the wood of the sprue handles on both 6 cavity molds that I use.

Is there an easy fix to reinforce them, both before and after they crack? I expect others are having the same issue and have found ways to deal with it.

Thanks,

Mike

[jvg5576]

I have been searching and reading posts trying to find out about the sprue handles on Lee molds. The main mold handles are great, but I have developed cracks in the wood of the sprue handles on both 6 cavity molds that I use.

Is there an easy fix to reinforce them, both before and after they crack? I expect others are having the same issue and have found ways to deal with it.

Thanks,

Mike

I've glued them with Gorilla Glue and JB Weld. If they're cracked, I wrap with heavy tape first.

[Yooperdad]

Already used the tape treatment and it works. Just asking.....

[GabbyM]

JB Weld.
Mix it up then fill the handle and insert the metal tang. Wire tie the wood handle to pull it back into shape. Excess JB Weld will extrude out.

[Yooperdad]

JB Weld had not crossed my mind and I have some in the shop. Thanks GabbyM and jvg5576, just the kind of suggestion I was hoping for.

[happy7]

Lee handles are great value! But they do have downsides. For one, the alloy they are made from is very brittle, and they will break. This really is a problem when you are using a very heavy mold in which the bullets don't let go easily. It is also a problem when you encounter another fault of Lee handles, and that is when they are out of alignment. A fair percentage are misaligned, but only slightly. But some are misaligned to the point to where the mold will not close normally. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BEND them straight. Any attempt to bend a Lee handle will cause it to break into two pieces.

The other limitation on Lee handles is that they don't open very wide. For single cavity molds, this is not a problem, but on multiple cavity molds, especially with long bullets, this can be an issue.

Having said this, I have a lot of Lee handles, and am grateful for them. Lee makes having a handle set for each mold almost affordable.

[Harter66]

I have a small hoard of single moulds ,Maxi's and RBs . Can you gang them on the LEE handles ? If I'm on my own I will try and report in a week or so.

[MtJerry]

I have a small hoard of single moulds ,Maxi's and RBs . Can you gang them on the LEE handles ? If I'm on my own I will try and report in a week or so.

Hmmmmmmmmm .... interesting idea ...... my mind is working on this one.

[MT Gianni]

I have a small hoard of single moulds ,Maxi's and RBs . Can you gang them on the LEE handles ? If I'm on my own I will try and report in a week or so.

I thnk you would have alignment problems with their 6 cavity handles. I don't know if it would be possible with an old LY 4 cavity nutcracker.

[dromia]

I've never had mould handles drop out with Lyman, RCBS or KAL from new but I have with Lee. The other makes handles have only become slack when the wood has charred over time.

The other problem that I've had with Lee rather the other manufactures is that the holes for the mould screws are sometimes too close to the edge of the metal and it opens releasing the pin or it cracks under normal use, I don't pound my mould BTW.

Yes Lee are cheap, they get the price by having you do their quality control for them (the IKEA business model) and they use cheaper materials that will need more fettling to work and maintenance to run. If you don't mind that then Lee are a really good buy for you.

[MikeS]

Unlike other mould handles such as the KAL handles, or Mihec handles which use steel that's cut to shape (lazer cut, or otherwise), the Lee handles use a metal called Sintered Metal. Basically what that is, is powdered metal (iron? iron & brass mixed?) is put into a mould the shape of the item to be made (in this case a mould handle), then it's heated until the powder melts/fuses together. This is a relatively cheap way of making a large quantity of an item (making the mould is expensive). This method is fine if the part is used as it is. When you start filing, grinding, etc. to the handles they loose strength much quicker than they would if made from steel plate. Also they can't be bent, they will simply snap rather than bending.

Within their limitations the Lee handles are a great product. Comparing them to quality handles like the KAL handles, or even the current Lyman/SAECO handles (they're made by the same company, just machined slightly differently depending on which company they're being shipped to) is kind of like comparing a Yugo to a Rolls Royce. They're both the same basic product, but one is the high end product, the other the low end product. I have over 30 moulds (I just counted them earlier today), and they all have their own handles attached. Most of the handles are the Lee handles, but I do have some of the better ones as well. I have a set of the KAL handles for a Lyman 4 cavity mould, I also have a new Lyman handle on another 4 cavity mould. I also have a couple of Mihec handles as well, and all of these are of a higher quality than the Lee handles, but if I had to spend the money to buy all higher quality handles I wouldn't be able to have a set of handles for each mould.

The Lee handles do the job as long as you don't use them as hammers, or beat on them, etc. If you treat them with respect due a quality tool (I wouldn't mistreat any of my handles) they will give you good service. And should one break, it's not a big deal to replace them, I think the 'street' price on Lee handles is somewhere around $12.00 or so, less than half the price of most other handles, and a third the price of the more expensive ones!

[Elkins45]

I have never understood why the Lyman handles are made with the center swell rather than just a straight taper. That makes them have a bias for 'squirting' forward out of your hands. Regardless of the other qualities I think they are much more comfortable than the Lyman handles for extended use.

Now that I own a wood lathe I may just pull the wood off my few pairs of Lymans and modify them to suit me, or maybe even make my own from some locust saplings I cut last year.