Might have a lead on some old molds

Old 454 · April 15, 2014, 11:16 PM

I found a little reloading store in the middle of nowhere. I bought an ol Whack-a-mo(Lee Reloader) in 38 spl. for 10 bucks from 1963 darn thing works great.

In talking to this old timer I inquired about bullet molds for hand gun bullets. He said he thought he had some old bronze and steel molds and will try digging them out for my return trip there.

So my question to you all is what should I be looking for as far as Mold maker or damage. I can pretty much judge a steel mold I think IE rust warping etc. but I am not familar at all about bronze molds.

Thanks for the help.

GP100man · April 16, 2014, 09:43 PM

Same goes for `bout all molds , rust/corrosion lead smears, alignment pin wear, any warpage of blocks sprue plates, battering & general care of the mold, missing or frozen(rusted/corroded) in place screws.

Handles include, titnes/binding of hinge bolt, any altering of the mold screw holes or thickness of the metal tangs & condition of the wood & ferrules, missing nails in ferrules, are handles glued on .

But if the price is rite I tend to bring em home & nuture em back to health or at least to a useable state of existance.

GP

Old 454 · April 17, 2014, 10:23 PM

cool beans.

thats alot more then I ever thought of lol

snuffy · April 18, 2014, 12:21 PM

Bronze molds? More likely brass. Brass molds are very good, but tend to like a bit more heat than al. or iron molds. They are more prone to cavity damage because they are softer than steel, but harder than al-umimium .

Alignment pins can be replaced, the hinges can be tightened, or the handles can be replaced. The sprue plates can be bought new, IF they're Lyman.

I'd buy just about any brass or iron mold, I could re-build them. Especially if they're no longer being offered, IE discontinued.

Old 454 · April 18, 2014, 04:08 PM

very good. Are there any name brands that stand out that I should be looking for ?

April 15, 2014, 11:16 PM	#1
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	Might have a lead on some old molds I found a little reloading store in the middle of nowhere. I bought an ol Whack-a-mo(Lee Reloader) in 38 spl. for 10 bucks from 1963 darn thing works great. In talking to this old timer I inquired about bullet molds for hand gun bullets. He said he thought he had some old bronze and steel molds and will try digging them out for my return trip there. So my question to you all is what should I be looking for as far as Mold maker or damage. I can pretty much judge a steel mold I think IE rust warping etc. but I am not familar at all about bronze molds. Thanks for the help. Last edited by Old 454; April 18, 2014 at 04:09 PM.

April 16, 2014, 09:43 PM	#2
GP100man Senior Member Join Date: August 1, 2007 Location: Tabor City , NC. Posts: 1,969	Same goes for `bout all molds , rust/corrosion lead smears, alignment pin wear, any warpage of blocks sprue plates, battering & general care of the mold, missing or frozen(rusted/corroded) in place screws. Handles include, titnes/binding of hinge bolt, any altering of the mold screw holes or thickness of the metal tangs & condition of the wood & ferrules, missing nails in ferrules, are handles glued on . But if the price is rite I tend to bring em home & nuture em back to health or at least to a useable state of existance. GP __________________ GP100man

April 18, 2014, 12:21 PM	#4
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Bronze molds? More likely brass. Brass molds are very good, but tend to like a bit more heat than al. or iron molds. They are more prone to cavity damage because they are softer than steel, but harder than al-umimium . Alignment pins can be replaced, the hinges can be tightened, or the handles can be replaced. The sprue plates can be bought new, IF they're Lyman. I'd buy just about any brass or iron mold, I could re-build them. Especially if they're no longer being offered, IE discontinued. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

April 17, 2014, 10:23 PM	#3
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	cool beans. thats alot more then I ever thought of lol

April 18, 2014, 04:08 PM	#5
Old 454 Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2011 Location: Chesterton Ind. Posts: 822	very good. Are there any name brands that stand out that I should be looking for ?