New-b lost Lee Handle Pin need helpASAP

[Tom_et]

I am so Green at Casting But I am going to be A Castor:roll:
Guys I have been looking and reading the how to clean lee-ment Peen the Pins and a lot of Good Things
I DID NOT PEEN :( The Pin that hold the handle to the block
said Block is a 2 cav 452-255
I did not do any of the fixes I NOW have read like the aligning pins also have slid
now I have to fix them
Reason I did nothing to this new mold Besides wash and smoke
Was my first cast Last week was with a 357 Lee mold the cast session was a dream I enjoyed it more than Reloading,
SO why ASAP I would like to finish up the casting for my 45's today so
Is there a magic thing found in ones home that will work as a PIN to get me through today and for ever or at least till I get a hold of Lee to Order some
Need help and
Thanks

Tommyt

[uncleskippy]

Tommyt

Email or call Lee and tell them. I ordered a mold and it was missing the pin. Emailed them and they had a new pin in three days to me without cost. I used a little JB Weld to hold the new pin in the block. I don't ever want to remove the handles of this mold anyway. The pin line up perfect with the block. I casts great.

[462]

Tom et,
Short-term, maybe a finishing nail cut to length?

Uncleskippy has the long-term answer.

[DLCTEX]

+1 on the nail or any metal rod that fits the hole snugly.

[HORNET]

How about a dowel pin from the local hardware store. Take the mold with, get one that's just a little shorter than the hole depth and stake it in.

[Tom_et]

Thanks Folks Here in FL the weather has Stopped me from casting today ,But I did go look for a Roll Pin But as was said maybe a Nail thats was my first thought,I found an aluminum roll pin
and I'm wondering with all this talk of Aluminum to Steel and all I'm think
WHY has no-one started to use Aluminum Pin's through out the Mold
So Question #2
Is using Aluminum Pins on your Lee Mold a Bad Idea ?
I am calling Lee and will follow up

Thanks
Tommyt

[Bill*]

A drill shank might get you by temporarily. even a small homeowner set ought to have one that's a good fit
I think aluminum may not hold full strength when hot. I know it'll work OK for the mold block but a small pin could shear if overworked

[Dale53]

I would take the finishing nail suggestion. Cut it to length (a cut off wheel in the Dremel tool would work the slickest). If you cut the pin just a bit long, you can easily peen it to hold (better than the original). This can be a good permanent fix. It'll work as well as the original (or in this case BETTER).

FWIW
Dale53

[RayinNH]

Tom, as suggested, use a nail of appropriate size. An aluminum pin would wear too quickly from the steel handles...Ray

[cheese1566]

They are roller (sometimes called needle) bearings.

http://www.leeprecision.com/graphics/parts/1187.jpg

Check a hardware store in the little assortment boxes in the fastener aisles or a well stocked automotive supply.

[theperfessor]

Are the pins used in the Lee two cavs the same as the ones in the six cavs?

[Dale53]

No. The design of the two cavity moulds are completely different than the six cavity moulds. The handles are "permanently" installed on the two cavity moulds.

The alignment surfaces are horizontal instead of "pin in socket".

Dale53

[theperfessor]

Dale-

Sorry, I was imprecise. I was referring to the handle retaining pins. I know the mold block alignment pins/method is different between the 2 and 6 cavity Lees. Never had a handle retaining pin fall out of a 2 cavity Lee (yet). Didn't know if they were the same.

[sagacious]

Dale-

Sorry, I was imprecise. I was referring to the handle retaining pins. I know the mold block alignment pins/method is different between the 2 and 6 cavity Lees. Never had a handle retaining pin fall out of a 2 cavity Lee (yet). Didn't know if they were the same.

The LEE 1-cav and 2-cav molds use an approx .150" diam pin to retain the handles. The 6-cav molds use screws to retain the handles.

The rub with the 1-cav and 2-cav molds is that the pin is a round-head design that often sits flush with the surface, and thus is occasionally not staked in adequately. If the pin was consistently driven in below-flush and the hole peened, it would likely stay put forever.

[theperfessor]

Gotta stop putting those funny mushrooms on my pizza! I've been making up some mold blanks to use w/ Lee handles and I'm using 11/64 (.172) drill rod to make "captive pins" held on with a setscrew via a cross hole. The hole in the Lee 6 cavity handles measures right at .177 (#16 drill). I should have looked at one of my Lee 6 cavity molds before posting, since Lee uses a threaded pin with a Phillips head for this.

Hope I didn't disturb too many electrons with this.