Make a fairly good mould a great mould

[JWFilips]

The Way I look at it for a LEE two cavity mould at those prices: I figure I can come up with a way to get good bullets from it.
Seriously I have never been disappointed only bewildered!

 

[Bill]

I have lots of lee molds,Like JW I have never been disappointed, I also have Lyman,rcbs,saeco,ideal,noe, and homemade ones, I would have none at all if it hadn't been for those first few lees as a matter of fact I probably never would have reloaded at all, started with a lee 12 ga hand set in 1967 (thank you mr lee)

Bill

 

[Sandspider500]

The NOE mold I have has set screws, it just never crossed my mind to modify my Lee molds for set screws, I'm slow like that.

 

[Walks]

Every Lee mold that I've bought in the last three years has had to have it's sprue plate removed, to be polished on the bottom.

When I get back to casting in Feb, I plain on adding brass set screws to every Lee mold I own.
Before I cast out of a single Lee mold.

 

[Ben]

Every Lee mold that I've bought in the last three years has had to have it's sprue plate removed, to be polished on the bottom.

When I get back to casting in Feb, I plain on adding brass set screws to every Lee mold I own.
Before I cast out of a single Lee mold.

Will be time well spent.
Ben

 

[Bret4207]

Same on the Lee sprue plates here. A few it's been more of a polish, some a flatenning. All seem to benefit from cleaning up the cutting edge with a fine cone shaped stone.

 

[Rick H]

Where do you find brass setscrews? I just use steel and put a small piece of copper wire under it to prevent boogering up the sprue plate screw.
(Boogering up is technical term I think....)

 

[Rally]

I don’t mind doing some pre-cast mould prep, no matter who it comes from. I do however expect the mould to have vent lines. I bought a Lee 7/8 oz slug mould from Midway that didn’t have any! Midway made it right, but I really wonder about quality control when something like that happens.

 

[Brad]

Many places carry brass set screws. MSC has them in a variety of sizes

 

[Walks]

I bought 2 doz 8-32, 3/16" sometime last year from them. Not that I've used them yet.

 

[Trapperscott]

Great tutorial Ben. Using a small piece of copper and a flattened end on the set screw is the best way to do this. The copper conforms to the threads of the hold down screw, the flat end of the set screw is free to turn on the piece of copper. If using just a screw of any kind as you turn it against the threads of the hold down screw something has got to give. And with my luck it would be the threads of the hold down screw.

 

[Catshooter]

I buy fasteners from Bolt Depot.

Here's their page for cup point set screws: https://www.boltdepot.com/Set_screws_Allen_Cup_point_ASTM_F912_steel_black_oxide_finish_10-24.aspx

Excellent outfit with very reasonable shipping whether for one or a hundred.


Cat

 

[Ian]

Fancy shmancy. Half of mine have a switch plate screw with the tip ground flat or whatever else I could scare up at the moment.