Hello,
My trusty 30 Caliber 2 cavity LBT mould is out of commission as the hold down finger that holds the sprue plate flat to the mould blocks has broken. The mould won't make a decent bullet without that in place. Anyong got any spares they would be willing to part with? Please let me know.

regards,
Graycg

graycg
I have broken a couple of em my own self.
They are just a roll pin bent and ground off on the tip.
Real easy to make yerself a new one too.

I never cared for the design Smith used for that hold down finger-- forget once alloy seeped into that area and the finger was toast.

I use a steel wire finger made from a coat hanger-- attached to the mold side with a screw. More durable and easily replaceable. I'll sent a Jpeg of how I made this if you want.

I used the same technique as Aladin when I broke the hold down on a buddies LBT. I used 1/8" music wire, and d/t'd the mold for set screw to hold it in place. Works better then the original as well.

I really appreciate all your ideas and help. I'm new to the forum but very happy to have found it. I concur that the design of the finger isn't so hot, but the darn thing won't work without some pressure in that spot.
If I ever get home again from my current duties, I'll put them to work.

thanks,
Graycg

I used a set screw on my 452 300 WFN. Used the existing hole, it worked well, and was low-tech and easy. Tony

"I concur that the design of the finger isn't so hot, but the darn thing won't work without some pressure in that spot"

I like the hold down feature and modify Lee molds to about the same setup. Thing I don't like are the LBT roll pins-- too fragile.

You CAN use an LBT w/o a hold down, at least I do with my 45 caliber mold and a heavy custom made sprue plate. I never liked the LBT feature which allows alloy into the second cavity before the first is maxed out. So I invested all of $15 to Bob Gremmell for a one of his customs-- I like the results very much. I have his contact info if anyone's interested.

Here's the link for the custom sprue plates from Bob Gremmell.

http://www.castingstuff.com/gmw__products.htm