Lee mold bushing

[686]

I had to take the spru plate off for some adjusting and cleaning. i noticed lee is now using a steel busting for the spru plate to screw in to, instead of a self tapping that was hard to take out and put back in. has lee started putting in a bushing in all there 6 cav molds now?

[686]

has any one seen this or did i get a different one.

[Willbird]

I have never seen a self tapping screw on a SIX cavity mold ?? All of them I have the shoulder bolt runs into a drilled/tapped hole in the mold block ?

[686]

it may have been taped but it was a pain to take out. the threads would be full on alum. and hard to put back in and did not want to stay in after that. this new mold with the steel bushing is easy to take the screw out of and works good. thought because a lot of people were braking the bolt, they changed the desine. thanks

[Willbird]

It might be a way that they rework molds where the 1/4-20 thread does not come out good the first time they try to tap it ?

Bill

[geargnasher]

Lee's mould material smears like peanut butter when you try to cut it, I don't know how they manage to cut the cavities as well as they do. Self-tapping screws still have to be installed in pre-tapped holes unless they're doing something really special to prevent galling. I have had to install Heli-coils in two-bangers before, never seen a steel insert but that is a stellar idea, maybe they'll start it on the two-bangers.

Gear

[BABore]

has any one seen this or did i get a different one.

Did you buy the mold new, or used? I installed a steel bushing in one of 357Max's Lee molds a few years ago. Did you buy one from him by chance?

[JIMinPHX]

On the 2 cav Lee molds, I often find that if I make a collar that has a neck about .010" longer than the original, then the mold vents better & is less likely to gall.