in need of Lyman Mould Repair

[sundogg1911]

I have a Lyman 4 cavity 45 ACP. mould (around 230 gr. RN) the problem is that the screw that holds the sprue plate will not tighten up.  :eek: I tried swapping it with another Lyman 4 cavity mould with the same results. the threads in the mould must be stripped.   I can use it with the set screw holding the sprue plate screw in place, but it's not tight enough. What can I do? This is the bullet that I cast the most of. I have repair kits for single and double cavity, but nothing that will fix my problem. can I drill it and tap it larger? the screw in it is smooth on the bottom where the set screw holds it. Any Help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[Johm D M]

Yea, I have a LY 4 cavity that someone drilled out and tapped to 1/4 X 20. It cut the value when I bought it but works ok. I would probably go with fine threads rather than coarse if I were doing it. John.

[LAH]

Sundog take it to a machine shop. Those guys can fix it. If you can drill and tap do that. Put the set screw into the mould block tight enough to mark the bolt holding the sprue cutter. Remove the bolt and if needed file the threads from that location.

Note once the setting of the sprue cutter is found I never change mine. I mostly use a free swinging sprue cutter.

Before doing anything run a tap into the block and try cleaning up the threads. Let us know how it goes.

[sundogg1911]

I have a drill press, and taps, ( i'm a tool junkie)  :wink:  but the screw that I am replacing is smooth where the set screw presses against it. I guess that I can zip off the threads at that point with a little die grinder.

[LAH]

That's what I'd do ole neighbor to the north.

[Cheyenne Ranger]

probably after the fact but I had an old mold that had a screw broken off (the ones that mount it to the handle)  Sent it back to Lyman and for a total of $10 which includes shipping I got it repaired.

something to consider.

Cheyenne