Jeff Tanner round ball moulds

Has anyone done any business with Jeff Tanner? He is an Englander who makes a real basic round ball mould. One cavity, no sprew cutter, aluminum blocks. Any diameter you ask for.

I think I need a 0.55" ball to use in my 58 cal (or 24 bore) smoothbore fusil.
A .535 with a thick patch is too loose, use a .562 and .012" patch material and it almost takes a hammer to get one down, so .55 should be just about right.

Anyway, back to my question. Do you have any first hand knowledge of Jeff?

Thanks.
..

One of the guys at work got a mold from him. It was a ball for a 4 bore blunderbus. I believe he said he sent his payment to an address in the states, to avoid money tranfer fees, and the mold was here with in a couple weeks.

His website...
http://www.jt-bullet-moulds.co.uk/

I have bought several ball moulds from him,and they are really consistent,I mean even the 5 cavity .535" ball mould and the 6 cavity .395" ball mould.
i highly recommend him!

I have one of his moulds and know others that have them.All the ones I have seen are brass. No sprue cutter on the single cavity ones I have seen. Nice thing is he will make you any size you want for the retail price of a Lee.

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Originally Posted by madcaster

I have bought several ball moulds from him,and they are really consistent,I mean even the 5 cavity .535" ball mould and the 6 cavity .395" ball mould.
i highly recommend him!

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Do his multi-cavity molds have sprue cutters?

Yes,his multicavity moulds DO have a sprue cutter.If you view his website the 5 cavity .535" ball mould he made for me is-or was pictured there.

How do you get rid of the sprue? Side cutters would cut it off? Do you file or trim the sprue lump? These look like nice molds, I'd only need a single cavity.
Thanks;
joe brennan

I find there is only a 7 dollar difference between his single mould and a Lee 6 banger with the sprue cutter. I'll probably end up getting the lee mould .... Buy american thing you know ...
Ohio Rusty ><>

jeff's brass ball moulds are Excellent, i've had Many in sizes from .310 to .595 and jeff's moulds are all i use for trad muzzleloaders.

nipping the sprue with cutters is no big deal, either, and the resulting balls will be quite accurate.

What rfd said!!!

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Originally Posted by madcaster

Yes,his multicavity moulds DO have a sprue cutter.If you view his website the 5 cavity .535" ball mould he made for me is-or was pictured there.

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I don't see any multi cavity molds on the site now. Am I missing something?

Or just the obvious fact that this thread is 11 years old.....

I buy Jeff's molds when I need an odd size. I modified a side cutter to snip off the sprue.

I have 2 of them ok brass. Had them for 5 years or so. They are now handing me a problem. Don't know why. They are sticking. I mean won't close w/o tapping on tgem and won't open w/o beating on the handles. I had no problem w them the time before last. I haven't droped them
Cleand before I put them away. No lead pr anything stuck to them.

maybe they're not clean enuf? if you haven't already done so, try a brake cleaner scrub.

i always leave the mould full, allow to cool, wrap in press'n'seal kitchen food/container wrap. all moulds - brass, iron, aluminum - are then ready to go for the next casting session.

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Originally Posted by 59sharps

I have 2 of them ok brass. Had them for 5 years or so. They are now handing me a problem. Don't know why. They are sticking. I mean won't close w/o tapping on tgem and won't open w/o beating on the handles. I had no problem w them the time before last. I haven't droped them
Cleand before I put them away. No lead pr anything stuck to them.

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I use some Bullplate Lube on the mold. Careful application with a Q tip. Keep it out of the cavity. I think synthetic chainsaw 2 cycle oil is the same thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rfd

maybe they're not clean enuf? if you haven't already done so, try a brake cleaner scrub.

i always leave the mould full, allow to cool, wrap in press'n'seal kitchen food/container wrap. all moulds - brass, iron, aluminum - are then ready to go for the next casting session.

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they should be. I did use brake cleaner on them before i put them away last year. they look clean no lead specks mating half looked and felt fine when i finished w them and put them together. I put the half's together and boxed them last fall. IDK just strange it was both moulds . No I did not mix half's
thought of that. one is a 685 the other a 715. wrong halves will not mate at all i tryed

Sure it isn't the mould handles that is the problem?

Sorry to hear of your problems. I have 4 of his molds dating back over 15 years, no problems at all.

Jeff Tanner's molds are top in my book. I called for some odd-ball balls and he was dead on with sizing. One of my favorites is a .702 ball that I use in a 12 ga. I managed to work up a real zinger for hunting and will never look back. The mold is different but very, very good.

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Originally Posted by mooman76

Sure it isn't the mould handles that is the problem?

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no been using the same handles on them since i have the mould. Even w handle remover the halfs are sticking. something changed since the last time I cast w them until the problem started. I just really need to spend more time w them. I plan on taking them w me to Va. and have a mold maker friend of mine look at them. I do like JT's moulds and prices and if I cant figure it out. i will order a new one. from him. ?? if brass molds are left in the open position while cooling is it possible could the warp? I may have left them open while cooling

i dunno if any mould will warp if left open to cool down after a casting session. i always leave the last cast ball in the mould, rubber band around the handle ends to keep it closed, allow to slowly cool on its own.