Lead pouring blues

[French Colonial]

You could always buy a better mold, Lyman's are good, Steve Brooks are some of the best.

 

[ZUG]

Me thinks Lee will not take it back without charging you for a new one -- or maybe not - ASK them FIRST. If they will not take it back try this - I would drill out the hole until the burr goes away - you got nothing to loose. I also think you hit the entry hole with your wooden stick and turned the burr - just thinking out loud here. As others have already said don't let the puddle cool too long. You can see when the puddle turns from liquid to semi-solid very easily. This is when you wack the cut-off plate to sever the puddle from the cast round ball then open the mold and tap on the hinge to knock out the ball if it did not already fall out. Good Luck

 

[bassncrap]

I honestly do not mind purchasing a new one if need be.

Ive contacted Lee and told them whats up along with the pics Ive posted here. Now shall wait and see.

 

[necchi]

Reckon I best order another one before my next shoot inna few weeks

Yeah that ones buggered isn't it,,
Here's a tip, when ya get the new one, clean it with a grease solvent cleaner,, then use automotive anti-sieze on the guide pins and the cutter hinge area. I like Pematex, the stuff is rated to 1,200 degrees. All it takes is a touch, you don't have to smear the stuff all over, the Lee can be finiky with how they close.

In all honesty, when I first began casting years back, I beat my first Lee mold to death just being clumsy and ham handed. The added replacement it cost me made me treat the 2nd one a bit more deftley, I guess it was just part of my learning curve.

 

[waksupi]

I've been casting for years, and have never seen a mold buggered like that.

Tip for Lee, or any other mold. Smoking isn't necessary. Take some OOOO steel wool and lightly work the edges of the cavities. That removes the small machine imperfections, and allows the balls to drop. You would have to get REAL aggressive with OOOO to do any harm.

 

[Timber Wolf]

I have cast thousands of bullets and balls with Lee molds and have never seen that. I have also been a little rough wracking them open and other than loose sprue plates have not damaged a mold (yet). I suspect something fishy with the mold and am waiting with interest to see what Lee says.

 

[sportster73hp]

Been casting for a while. I use a mold release from Midway. Use a wooden stick to hit the sprue plate. Have many Lee molds and only one has failed me , it just wouldn’t close properly.

 

[rmark]

I’ve used a dozen Lee molds over the years and haven’t seen anything like that. My best guess would be final step to clean burrs off spree hole not done or aluminum block alloy not up to specifications (my brother once had titanium delivered that didn’t meet contract specifications).

 

[AlexB]

I just recently returned a .375 roundball mold from lee for that exact issue.
Return was a non issue for mine so they should take care of you.

 

[BuffaloSoldier]

Followed many threads. Read alot. Took a lighter to the mold prior to use. Used a wooden handle to hit the thingy.

Heated it up on the lead pot while the lead was melting.

Poured a few balls and this happed..... just my luck with a new ball mold.

Lee .490 RB

What did I do wrong?


Reckon I best order another one before my next shoot inna few weeks

Thinkin' maybe you should have hit the doohickey instead.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Send that mold back, it aint right in the head.
Ive got a mess of molds and not one has ever looked like that.

 

[IanH]

Pure lead? Check.

Preheating mould? Check.

Cutting sprue asap? Check.

Beating sprue plate with hard object? Not so much. However, even if you were, it shouldn't do that. Still, get an Ove Glove and wear it on your mould whacker hand to push the sprue plate open. Use the whacker only on the handle hinge bolt head to shuck stubborn balls.

Old .562 mould, used only by me, never hit, ever.

.311, second hand in excellent condition, cast at least 2000 balls by me:

.600" mould recently purchased by me from TOTW, new style Lee, only hit occasionally on the handle hinge bolt to shuck balls, also only used pure or near pure, very soft lead. Probably cast 350-400 balls:

Hmmmmm......

Yeah, it's not you, Bud, you got a bum mould.

 

[bassncrap]

Recieved a response today from Lee. Not sure how much I like the last statement lol.

Might just order another and not deal with the hassle. Unless somebody wants to trade for a lyman .45 maxi mold


"

Tammy at Lee Precision, Inc. Staff - 11/27/2023 3:38 pm Good afternoon James, Lee reloading products are unconditionally guaranteed not to wear out or break from normal use for two full years or they will be repaired or replaced at no charge if returned to the factory along with a copy of the receipt. Our Lifetime Conditional Guarantee states that any Lee product of current manufacture, regardless of age or condition, will be reconditioned to new, including a new guarantee, if returned to the factory with payment equal to half the current retail price plus any applicable taxes and Shipping. If we no longer manufacture a product, we would offer you the direct replacement of the product at half the current retail price plus any applicable taxes and Shipping. Another option is to send the product of any age back to the factory for repair. Labor and repair parts are free. If we are not able to repair an item, we will offer you a new one at half the current retail price plus any applicable taxes and Shipping, as per our Lifetime Guarantee. Our address is: Lee Precision, Inc. 4275 Highway "U" Hartford, WI 53027 (262) 673-3075 The slight edge deformation from use on sprue hole will have no effect on performance of ball, it is purely cosmetic. Please let us know if we can further assist you! Sincerely, Tammy Lee Precision Inc. 4275 Hwy U Hartford WI 53027"

 

[IanH]

Ask Tammy how many round balls she's cast in her life.

Lee customer service is first deflect, then bully, then if you play hardball with them and go up the food chain you MIGHT get some relief. They count on you rolling the dice on another $20 mould rather than hassle with them any further.

I own a LOT of Lee tools and almost all of them meet or exceed my expectations, but I admit that my expectations are not above the price point.

If you'll take a razor-sharp gouge having a radius equal to or slightly lesser than the ball mould, you can use it to carve the burrs off from around the inside around the sprue holes and the mould should be perfectly functional. Just make sure you don't put any dings or scrapes into the cavity or you'll have trouble shucking the balls. Also, clean up and flatten the top of the mould across the hole area with backed sandpaper to take off the high spots.

 

[TDM]

@bassncrap all I can say has already been said. I’ve got over a dozen Lee molds and never had the same problem. Get another mold, clean and lube it properly and try again. If you’ve seen any of my casting photos you’ll see the Cypress stick I use to open the cover. It’s just heavy enough to do it without being too heavy.

 

[bassncrap]

@bassncrap all I can say has already been said. I’ve got over a dozen Lee molds and never had the same problem. Get another mold, clean and lube it properly and try again. If you’ve seen any of my casting photos you’ll see the Cypress stick I use to open the cover. It’s just heavy enough to do it without being too heavy.

I use a hatchet handle that I got with some other molds and stuff donated to our club.

Ive read the horror stories of people beating the mold to death and was sure to tap it firm enough to cut the spru.

I may just look into the Lyman roundball molds. Clean up the damage with care of this mold and see how the balls come out. Its only 1 side that's damaged.

 

[IanH]

Gloved thumb pressure, down against the top of the mould and way from you, will prevent the tearing of the hot, thin, weak aluminum because it prevents the sprue plate from lifting as it will when you hit it with a stick and letting the sprue pull and rip out the thin spots. That's how it only got damaged on the left side only, where the cutting pressure is, besides the top of the mould being machined too far down by Lee in the first place. Pressing down and pushing open the plate to cut the sprues also make smaller, flatter sprue bumps.

You do it however you want, I'm just giving you some tips.

 

[bassncrap]

Gloved thumb pressure, down against the top of the mould and way from you, will prevent the tearing of the hot, thin, weak aluminum because it prevents the sprue plate from lifting as it will when you hit it with a stick and letting the sprue pull and rip out the thin spots. That's how it only got damaged on the left side only, where the cutting pressure is, besides the top of the mould being machined too far down by Lee in the first place. Pressing down and pushing open the plate to cut the sprues also make smaller, flatter sprue bumps.

You do it however you want, I'm just giving you some tips.

Greatly appreciated!!! This is a learning curve for me.

I did cast a couple .54 Lee REAL bullets just cause. I dont even own a .54 lol

 

[deerstalkert]

Greatly appreciated!!! This is a learning curve for me.

I did cast a couple .54 Lee REAL bullets just cause. I dont even own a .54 lol

this has been my method for 60 years. first i find a mold, loading dies etc. then it follows that i must get a gun to match.

 

[bassncrap]

this has been my method for 60 years. first i find a mold, loading dies etc. then it follows that i must get a gun to match.

Heck I have

.45 Maxi 245gr
.54 Real
.58 Minie 510gr

And I dont have any of those guns lol but they were free lol

Perhaps one day