mold sprue plate and screws

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castmiester

Active Member
I finally got to the end of gathering everything I need to make up some loads. The only issue I have is dealing with is the sprue plates.

I spent some time at work sanding slightly warped plates. Dressed up the blocks where there was some wear at the bolt holes. A light file pretty much took care of it for the most part. Ebayed GC molds, and don't care about some excess smear per say that is taken care of by a exacto knife. They fill out great with 750 degree melt and a fan cools off the sprue but thinking I need more time for cooling. Maybe a better way to cool the sprue ? I know fit is king and leading isn't an issue then. In the future I'd like to get non GC moulds, so in the mean time do my homework to square away the plate/bolt issue. Filling a flat on the screw for the set screw eventually needs to be done over from normal wear and tear. Is there other ways, like I guess extra screw and plates handy ? I saw Kal tool and die with replacement sprues and hardware. I bought a sprue for my 6 cavity Lee mould from them years ago.
 
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Dusty Bannister

Well-Known Member
It sounds like the concern is that the sprue plate is not fitting as expected to the top of the mold blocks. The OP used the sprue plate screw to adjust tension and has filed a flat on the screw to hold position. Now his concern is that with wear and tear, he will lose the tension and have to file a new flat on the plate screw to keep the pressure he likes.

Much simpler to just get some very thin washers and use a Bellville wave washer to keep the preferred tension and with the small bit of copper wire between the allen screw and the threads of the Sprue plate screw no alteration to the screw is needed.
 
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castmiester

Active Member
The sprue bolt keeps coming loose. Other than filing a flat spot for the set screw to lock the bolt from moving a nod preventing the bolt from lossening when you open and closing the sprue plate, and from normal wear of the plate and block, having to reposition the bolt and refiling a new flat.
 
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castmiester

Active Member
Dusty Bannister said:
It sounds like the concern is that the sprue plate is not fitting as expected to the top of the mold blocks. The OP used the sprue plate screw to adjust tension and has filed a flat on the screw to hold position. Now his concern is that with wear and tear, he will lose the tension and have to file a new flat on the plate screw to keep the pressure he likes.

Much simpler to just get some very thin washers and use a Bellville wave washer to keep the preferred tension and with the small bit of copper wire between the allen screw and the threads of the Sprue plate screw no alteration to the screw is needed.
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I haven’t done that yet.. filing a flat. My RCBS mould has a soft, it appears to be a copper insert, but that doesn’t help either.
 
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Dusty Bannister

Well-Known Member
Is the mold new or used? If used, it is possible that carbon build up is preventing the copper insert from moving and doing the job. If new, remove the screws and chase the threads to be sure the copper is free to move. If that copper is not free to move, it makes no difference about keeping the plate adjusted.
 
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Slughammer

Member
castmiester said:
I haven’t done that yet.. filing a flat. My RCBS mould has a soft, it appears to be a copper insert, but that doesn’t help either.
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Is the mold you're working on a RCBS?

If the mold was apart, the copper/brass piece could have gotten flipped. This piece will yield to the form of the bolt shank on one side and the screw tip on the other. Just keep your 3/32 Allen key handy and when the mold is hot, loosen and retighten the set screw a few times. This will get the soft piece formed and get you to the correct tightness for the hot mold. After that it should be in it's happy place.
 
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castmiester

Active Member
Dusty Bannister said:
Is the mold new or used? If used, it is possible that carbon build up is preventing the copper insert from moving and doing the job. If new, remove the screws and chase the threads to be sure the copper is free to move. If that copper is not free to move, it makes no difference about keeping the plate adjusted.
Click to expand...
It's used and clean, everything. Stop screw isn't enough even with an insert.
 
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castmiester

Active Member
Slughammer said:
Is the mold you're working on a RCBS?

If the mold was apart, the copper/brass piece could have gotten flipped. This piece will yield to the form of the bolt shank on one side and the screw tip on the other. Just keep your 3/32 Allen key handy and when the mold is hot, loosen and retighten the set screw a few times. This will get the soft piece formed and get you to the correct tightness for the hot mold. After that it should be in it's happy place.
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RCBS. I saw the impression on the insert and it's facing the right way.
 
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castmiester

Active Member
over heat the mould and the sprue palte warps, and the bolt and insert isn't the best design. Lee sprue handle with a lock bolt is. But the two cavity doesn't have a sprue handle.
 
Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Aluminum is a great mold material as is iron and brass. It's LEE I don't like and that's putting it mildly. I don't buy any tool of any kind to see how much time, energy and frustration I can put into it to make it do what I bought it to do.
 
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castmiester

Active Member
Rick said:
Aluminum is a great mold material as is iron and brass. It's LEE I don't like and that's putting it mildly. I don't buy any tool of any kind to see how much time, energy and frustration I can put into it to make it do what I bought it to do.
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you're one of the few who can't stand Lee. I am too. But their collet neck sizer I can't live without, and I just bought a universal expander die that NOE moulds made expander plugs for specifically. You can't tell them about improving anything. I had to figure out why the collet die didn't size enough. Thier instructions are bogus.
 
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Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
It's their molds I am done with. They do have a few useable tools such as their push thru sizer dies, don't tell them that though, they will find a way to make them even cheaper and screw them up.
 
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popper

Well-Known Member
Check the locking screw threads in the mold to make sure they are deep enough. Piece of shot in the hole then screw. Copper is too hard, won't crush.
 
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