You ever "lose" a mold? - Page 2

TheGuyOfSouthamerica · October 7, 2016, 04:19 PM

I understood LAH had to himself issued a couple of AWOL. It sounded to me as the next he will be presecuted by the Military for Desertion (Penalty is shot to death).

So I was worried about him and didn't think he meant his molds.

Good News for me!
2 of the many molds I ordered have arrived. It is the Lee .358" 105 grain Semi Wad Cutter (they arrive over here in Southamerica for about 130 US$ each) and the Lee .356" 120 grain Truncated Cone.
It is hard to get over here imported These molds as depending on the employees of the Gun Agency they allow it or do not allow it to pass customs (my have to do as well with some bribery or abuse of power by the chief of the national Gun Agency).
It is like a miracle.

salvadore · October 7, 2016, 09:55 PM

I went AWOL in Hawaii in 1970...never did get shot. My Father didn't teach me crap about molds and never lost one, did sell a couple I regret.

Beagle333 · October 7, 2016, 10:13 PM

Mine is still missing. I bought another one to replace it. One of these days I'll find the original and have two of em!

rightside · October 7, 2016, 10:21 PM

Wow! Talk about thread drift. This one developed split personalities!

res45 · October 8, 2016, 07:44 AM

I don't have enough molds to loose any just yet as I'm up to about 20 but it is one of my goals,which sadly I probably want ever achieve due to time constraints,I'm not any busier just getting slower. There are a couple of NOE molds that I have my eye on that I plan to get but I pretty much have my bases covered an only need to buy new molds to replace some of my old well used Lee molds before they are worn out.

I keep all my molds in the original boxes segregated by caliber on a shelf over my casting table so it's easy to keep up with where they at. I also write the dia. they cast at if it's larger than specified on the box which with most of my Lee's it is .001 to .002" larger with my alloys.

To the guy for Southamerican,I feel for you buddy for all the crap you have to go through to cast bullets,own and shoot firearms,by your standards I'm very blessed as I can cast what and when I want,own any firearm that I can afford or desire which isn't all that extravagant as I'm basically just a meat and potatoes guy when it comes to pistols and rifles.

As to Lee molds I've worn out a few over the years but if you take care of them and fix minor issues that may arise they will last a long time. The new Lee molds are better in some aspects compared to the old versions as they have a better alignment system. All in all my Lee molds cast just as good a bullet as some of my custom molds so I have no complaints about them.

TheGuyOfSouthamerica · October 8, 2016, 09:20 AM

Dear res45,

I am interested in our conversation about worn out Lee molds.

Can you Elaborate further about the WORN OUT MOLDS?
how Long did they last, how many castings, on which part did they weare out, how does it look like if they wore out, how do I notice if they are worn out, everything about wearing molds out.

I have the new model Lee molds with grain and Diameter stamped on.

res45 · October 8, 2016, 04:03 PM

All the molds except for one still cast great bullets,over the years the old style alignment pins started to fall out,I put them back in and peened them back in but there never quiet the same sometimes it easy to mess up the alignment of the blocks if you peen them to hard. The sprue plate pivot screw on some tend to loosen up over the years where they require tightening ever now and them an on occasion I had one or more of the handles work loose.

All these things are a simple fix and the mold will last for many thousands of cast some of my Lee molds are 10 years old. The new alignment system seem to take care of the pin falling out problem. You can always drill and tap the side of the mold block and install a set screw to keep the sprue plate screw for backing out or getting loose like it's done on my NOE custom molds. If the handles work loose just drill a hole through the metal end cap,wood and steel handle and drive a taper pin through to hold all in place and that want be a problem.

TheGuyOfSouthamerica · October 8, 2016, 04:57 PM

Thank you res45,

It is then just an adjusten screw Thing. So basically only the "attachments" of the mold are needed to be maintained and not the mold blocks itself.

The attachments can be tightened and all my Lee molds are new ones from Amazon.com which have the new Alignement System. I only have Lee molds.

So if the aluminum mold block itself does not get wear out I am fine. In extreme cases I could have made on an local shop all the mold "Attachements" around the mold blocks as Long as the mold blocks are fine.

October 7, 2016, 10:13 PM	#28
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	Mine is still missing. I bought another one to replace it. One of these days I'll find the original and have two of em! __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.

October 8, 2016, 04:57 PM	#33
TheGuyOfSouthamerica Junior member Join Date: September 10, 2016 Posts: 846	Thank you res45, It is then just an adjusten screw Thing. So basically only the "attachments" of the mold are needed to be maintained and not the mold blocks itself. The attachments can be tightened and all my Lee molds are new ones from Amazon.com which have the new Alignement System. I only have Lee molds. So if the aluminum mold block itself does not get wear out I am fine. In extreme cases I could have made on an local shop all the mold "Attachements" around the mold blocks as Long as the mold blocks are fine. Last edited by TheGuyOfSouthamerica; October 8, 2016 at 05:07 PM.

October 7, 2016, 04:19 PM	#26
TheGuyOfSouthamerica Junior member Join Date: September 10, 2016 Posts: 846	I understood LAH had to himself issued a couple of AWOL. It sounded to me as the next he will be presecuted by the Military for Desertion (Penalty is shot to death). So I was worried about him and didn't think he meant his molds. Good News for me! 2 of the many molds I ordered have arrived. It is the Lee .358" 105 grain Semi Wad Cutter (they arrive over here in Southamerica for about 130 US$ each) and the Lee .356" 120 grain Truncated Cone. It is hard to get over here imported These molds as depending on the employees of the Gun Agency they allow it or do not allow it to pass customs (my have to do as well with some bribery or abuse of power by the chief of the national Gun Agency). It is like a miracle.

October 7, 2016, 09:55 PM	#27
salvadore Junior member Join Date: January 1, 2007 Location: Idaho Posts: 2,282	I went AWOL in Hawaii in 1970...never did get shot. My Father didn't teach me crap about molds and never lost one, did sell a couple I regret.

October 7, 2016, 10:21 PM	#29
rightside Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 419	Wow! Talk about thread drift. This one developed split personalities!

October 8, 2016, 07:44 AM	#30
res45 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 753	I don't have enough molds to loose any just yet as I'm up to about 20 but it is one of my goals,which sadly I probably want ever achieve due to time constraints,I'm not any busier just getting slower. There are a couple of NOE molds that I have my eye on that I plan to get but I pretty much have my bases covered an only need to buy new molds to replace some of my old well used Lee molds before they are worn out. I keep all my molds in the original boxes segregated by caliber on a shelf over my casting table so it's easy to keep up with where they at. I also write the dia. they cast at if it's larger than specified on the box which with most of my Lee's it is .001 to .002" larger with my alloys. To the guy for Southamerican,I feel for you buddy for all the crap you have to go through to cast bullets,own and shoot firearms,by your standards I'm very blessed as I can cast what and when I want,own any firearm that I can afford or desire which isn't all that extravagant as I'm basically just a meat and potatoes guy when it comes to pistols and rifles. As to Lee molds I've worn out a few over the years but if you take care of them and fix minor issues that may arise they will last a long time. The new Lee molds are better in some aspects compared to the old versions as they have a better alignment system. All in all my Lee molds cast just as good a bullet as some of my custom molds so I have no complaints about them.

October 8, 2016, 09:20 AM	#31
TheGuyOfSouthamerica Junior member Join Date: September 10, 2016 Posts: 846	Dear res45, I am interested in our conversation about worn out Lee molds. Can you Elaborate further about the WORN OUT MOLDS? how Long did they last, how many castings, on which part did they weare out, how does it look like if they wore out, how do I notice if they are worn out, everything about wearing molds out. I have the new model Lee molds with grain and Diameter stamped on.

October 8, 2016, 04:03 PM	#32
res45 Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2007 Location: NC Posts: 753	All the molds except for one still cast great bullets,over the years the old style alignment pins started to fall out,I put them back in and peened them back in but there never quiet the same sometimes it easy to mess up the alignment of the blocks if you peen them to hard. The sprue plate pivot screw on some tend to loosen up over the years where they require tightening ever now and them an on occasion I had one or more of the handles work loose. All these things are a simple fix and the mold will last for many thousands of cast some of my Lee molds are 10 years old. The new alignment system seem to take care of the pin falling out problem. You can always drill and tap the side of the mold block and install a set screw to keep the sprue plate screw for backing out or getting loose like it's done on my NOE custom molds. If the handles work loose just drill a hole through the metal end cap,wood and steel handle and drive a taper pin through to hold all in place and that want be a problem.