Lee mold sprue handle snapped off ! Grrr...

[Chris]

There I was casting 10mm with a Lee 6 cavity mold. The wood sprue handle was loose so I gave it a tap to seat it on the metal. I was about 40 rounds in and went to cut the sprue and snap! The metal part of the handle snapped right off. So then I had to finish cutting the sprue with a hammer which broke more of the handle off. Oh well, I had planned a nice long casting session, maybe not. Hopefully Lee will send me a better one. That one liked to stick bullets and I hadn't Lee mented it yet. Grumble, grumble. Now the four week wait begins to get a new mold from Lee

[Dale53]

Chris;
When I first started using Lee six cavity moulds, I too broke a handle. I finally figured out that pre-heating the mould saves a LOT of strain on the handle. If the sprue is too cold, then you have to exert too much force for the strength of the handle. However, if you pre-heat the mould to nearly casting temperature (I use a pre-set hot plate), then cast only two cavities, then four, by the time you have filled all six the mould is completely up to heat and you cut the sprue while it is still hot. It is MUCH easier on both you and the mould.

Just a thought...

Dale53

[Buckshot]

. I was about 40 rounds in and went to cut the sprue and snap! The metal part of the handle snapped right off.

..............DARN! I've never heard of that happening before :-) If you drill for, and install a wood screw just forward of where the heel of the SP handle cam touches the block (leaving the head of the wood screw 'just' above the side of the block) this will provide a step for some additional leverage. This extra lifting effort mostly takes place between the cam and the pivit bolt and not out there on the handle.

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

[Cloudpeak]

Chris;
When I first started using Lee six cavity moulds, I too broke a handle. I finally figured out that pre-heating the mould saves a LOT of strain on the handle. If the sprue is too cold, then you have to exert too much force for the strength of the handle. However, if you pre-heat the mould to nearly casting temperature (I use a pre-set hot plate), then cast only two cavities, then four, by the time you have filled all six the mould is completely up to heat and you cut the sprue while it is still hot. It is MUCH easier on both you and the mould.

Just a thought...

Dale53

Very good advice. I use a hotplate to preheat and, once you get "dialed in", you can drop good bullets right off the bat and can easily cut sprue with a gloved hand. IOW, with the right temp, you can skip the "pour 2, 4 then 6" routine. If you over preheat, your sprue and bullets will take a long time to set up. Let the mold cool and cast away. Set the hotplate temp a bit lower for the next time. I also use my hotplate to pre-melt lead for my bottom pour which really speeds things up and keeps the production pot melt at the right temp and eliminates "spout freeze".

I cast just over 1,000 bullets out of a Lyman 4 cavity (220gr SWC) the other day with the only rejects being the two bullets I dropped on the floor. The sprue cut easily right off the bat. The Lee sprue cutter is more fragile than the Lyman sprue cutter.

Bullplate sprue lube will keep your aluminum molds up and running and in good condition for a very long time. A 4 oz. bottle will last forever if you don't spill it.

http://bullshop.gunloads.com/bullshop_website_05_008.htm

[fourdollarbill]

I was stuck with a cooled mold and the sprue's were not cut. It was hard to cam out and cut the sprue's so I propane torched the plate to soften the lead. Worked good in a pinch.

[Ben]

Your issue has been covered and recovered here in the past. Ditto exactly what Dale 53 has said above....." An ounce of prevention is well worth a pound of cure."

Once you get a new handle on, to prevent this in the future, cast the first 2 holes only nearest the pivot bolt hinge. Once the mold and sprue plate heat up, go to the next two ( now you're using the mold as a 4 cavity mold ), finally once the mold and sprue plate are HOT, begin to use all 6 cavities.

Using this routine, it is unlikely you'll break any more parts.