Lock washers and Lyman molds

[Jack Stanley]

Perhaps there are several ways to make the sprue plate on a Lyman two cavity mold lay flat . The mold I'm working with doesn't want to work and play well with others , it seems it likes to have fins on the base most of the time . I have it loose enough that it swings easy but as the lock washer moves around and changes the position the little point is , it will lift the plat just enough to fin a bullet .

I'm thinking about taking it to the hardware store and see if I can get a small and thick flat washer for it , It's rather frustrating the way it is , you know the drill , get to where you're making nice bullets and the fins appear . I've thought about taking the torch to the lock washer and flatten it out but that is rather permanent . Using a ladle with a snout and making contact is an obvious fix but this mold works pretty well from a bottom pour . Reducing the flow helps some but that soon will border on poor fillout , I'm sure ther's a simple fix to this but I haven't got to it yet .

Jack

[Wayne Smith]

Wave washer? I forget what the real name of them is.

[x101airborne]

I used two regular flat washers with a little anti-sieze in between for lube. i also had to use the low grade locktite on the bolt to keep it from backing out. not pretty, but functional.

[old turtle]

I use 8mm wave washer and an 8mm flat washer.On old Lyman molds the new sprue plate may not fit. In this way you can use a wave washer with the thinner plate. I put the flat washer on the sprue plate. The metric washers are smaller in outside dia. and seem to work much better. The sprue plate must have all burrs removed which were caused by the old lock washer. I goofed the washers should be 6mm.

[Guesser]

I discovered the 6MM wave washer use last year. I went to the auto parts store here in town and bought a supply. I change the original washers out as they loose their effectiveness. The heat doesn't seem to affect them, at least not yet. BullPlate sprue plate lube and "away we go".

[excess650]

I like to have a bit of tension on the spue plate rather than have it as loose as you're doing. Likewise, I've changed some of the split lockwashers out with other types just to get some molds to cooperate.

[HORNET]

I'll agree with the wave washers. I usually buy them in packs of 25 from MSC (P/N 02566552) and use them with some narrow flat washers I got somewhere (?).
Also check the top surface of the blocks for wear. I've gotten some older molds where the top of the block had worn on the outside corner by the pivot screw, causing the plate to tilt upward when the screw was tightened. Had to have the top of the blocks skim-cut flat again.

[Jack Stanley]

I stopped at the hardware store today and a auto parts store and neither had wave washers . So , I used what I had and gently bent the twist out of the lock washer untill it was flat . Then , with 400 wet or dry papat deburred all surfaces even the new "flat" washer .

When i reassembled the mold I cut a small piece of brass from a fired rimfire case and put it between the pivot screw and the set screw . Once I got the mold up to temp , the fins were almost gone but in this tuning process I could see that this mold has really been used without much lube at the pivot .

Jack

[beagle]

Get the bellville washers from Lyman for $.25 each. Same with the split lock washers.

I use a bellville washer, concave side down to place a flat bearing surface on the sprue plate and a split lock washer on top.

This gives the flat bearing surface and the split lock washer adds spring tension and still allows the sprue plate to pivot fairly easy.

Best setup I've found./beagle

[Houndog]

Wave washer? I forget what the real name of them is.
Belville washer. I use a belville washer backed with a flat washer on my molds. You will have some resistance on opening and closing, but it stays consistant. If you adjust it right a light push is all it takes.

[Uncle Grinch]

Try this...

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wave-washers/washers/fasteners/ecatalog/N-8op

[leadman]

I found that the threads for the allen set screw for the sprue plate screw is tapered at the end and the screw binds just about the time it bears against the sprue plate screw.
I take the screws out and run a bottoming tap into the hole for the allen screw.
I use a split lock washer that I have smoothed the ends on so it does not grab the metal.
Adjust the sprue plate screw so it will almost move by itself, too tight and it tends to tip the plate up.

Haven't had any trouble since doing this.