Alignment pin holes

[Longone]

I just picked up an older Lyman 4 cavity 452460 and the alignment pin holes are a bit sloppy, is this a big deal or are they repairable?

Longone

[Nobade]

You could always drill them out and press in inserts, like the mould makers do with aluminum moulds.

[runfiverun]

i'd try it first.
i can see some wear on a couple of my 4 cavs.
you might just need to knock the pins out a bit further.
keep them lubed.

[Longone]

What type of lube do you use?

Longone

[ubetcha]

Lee recommends bullet lube such as alox.I think Lyman also recommends it also. Just a small touch on a up to temp mold,but don't get any inside the cavitys

[462]

I would never but boolit lube on my moulds. I use Bull Plate (member, vendor sponsor). Synthetic two-cycle motor oil is highly recommended, too.

[glicerin]

I've had some luck using a centre punch(carefully) to close up the large dimension on oval pin holes. Make sure not to raise up small donuts, or polish them off.
Drilling large and installing inserts would be great, if you knew where centre was, and could persuade the drill bit to go there, or maybe easier drilling from backside of mold half. Don't give up.

[deltaenterprizes]

Knock out the pins and make the female part hold the pins, the side where the pins are mounted will be in perfect shape, the other half will hold the pins without any problems. You may want to start them from the back of the mold and remove any burrs inside the hole first.

[geargnasher]

Knock out the pins and make the female part hold the pins, the side where the pins are mounted will be in perfect shape, the other half will hold the pins without any problems. You may want to start them from the back of the mold and remove any burrs inside the hole first.

I'd try seating them deeper first, but likely the holes are a bit "wallered" on the edges so this is an excellent fix. Those pins are a tight fit, be prepared to use a hydraulic press and drill stock to press them out and back in. Push them out and in from the outside of the mould so you don't screw up the rounded tips.

Lube only with Bullplate or in a pinch a good synthetic two-stroke premix oil.

Gear

[Longone]

I think the pic will show the oblong holes, the mold halves actually will shift up and down until the sprue plate closes then it's not too bad. The mold half with the oblong holes is not drilled all the way through so I imagine the pins getting a little deeper seat will work best.

Longone

[Maven]

Longone, If pushing the pins out a bit doesn't help align the 2 halves, I think I'd use JB Weld in the elongated holes: Degrease the entire mold; add mold release/paste wax to every part of the mold, especially the pins; add JB Weld to each hole; perfectly align each half with sprue plate closed; clamp in padded vise or woodworking clamp until epoxy cures; degrease, etc. Just some food for thought.

[Longone]

That sounds like a good plan, I will give the pins a go and see what happens and if I have no luck I'll dab a little JB in the holes like you suggested and see if that helps. Is it necessary to try (if you can) to remove any excess play in the handle pin or is that not a detrament to the mold?

Also how long are the alignment pins? I thought I would use a caliper to start with but didn't want to have them on the edge of falling out.

Thanks, Longone

[Maven]

Longone, I don't kow how long the alignment pins are, as I've never had to completely remove one from a mold. As fo tightening the mold blocks on the handles, I've drilled and cut pieces of brass shim stock to make washers to prevent the blocks from moving. However, the central pin on the handles may tighten if you rap it with a hammer or squeeze it in a vise. You want just enough play to allow the blocks to close and align perfectly.

[Longwood]

I have done what glicrin does but with a small pin punch or piece of broken drill that I rounded the end of a tiny bit.
It is simple to make the punch flat again, when done.

[Longone]

What I meant to say was the handle hinge pin (older style handles), they are loose, don't know if once the alignment issue is resolved if this will even cause a problem.

Longone

[runfiverun]

Longone, If pushing the pins out a bit doesn't help align the 2 halves, I think I'd use JB Weld in the elongated holes: Degrease the entire mold; add mold release/paste wax to every part of the mold, especially the pins; add JB Weld to each hole; perfectly align each half with sprue plate closed; clamp in padded vise or woodworking clamp until epoxy cures; degrease, etc. Just some food for thought.

excellent idea.

that stuff is tough and should hold up for a long time.
make sure to give the j.b. plenty of time to fully harden.

i like to use the bullplate or two stroke oil on the alignment pins,but mostly i use nickle or copper antisieze on them.

[Maven]

run5run, The idea to try JB Weld to bush the holes occurred to me because I don't own or have access to a drill press or hydraulic press to force the pins in or out of the mold block. Yep, JB Weld, duct tape, WD-40, etc., can fix many a problem!

[turtlezx]

Jb weld is only rated to about 200*
you would melt it

[Maven]

turtlezx, I use Devcon 5 Minute Epoxy and JB Weld to repair loose wood mold handles often and haven't had one loosen yet. Trust me, the temperature of the metal around the handles is much higher than 200 degrees. My other thought was exhaust manifold gasket material, but it's more difficult to use in so small an area. Then too, JB Weld is a lot cheaper, though maybe not as durable as a proper machining job (drilling, filing, adding new bushings + appropriate pins).

[xr650]

run5run, The idea to try JB Weld to bush the holes occurred to me because I don't own or have access to a drill press or hydraulic press to force the pins in or out of the mold block. Yep, JB Weld, duct tape, WD-40, etc., can fix many a problem!

A bench vise makes an excellent press for small parts.