• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Round ball mold by T/C

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

11th corps

40 Cal.
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
683
Reaction score
676
Were these made by Lyman? Or did T/C actually manufacture them?
013.jpg
014.jpg
 
The TC blocks are aluminum.
To my knowledge, Lyman blocks are steel.
To my memory, I've not heard stories of TC running a foundry capable of casting their own aluminum. Or casting any of their own steel parts for rifle assembly.
TC was basically a milling and assembly operation. (steel and wood)

Interesting question 11th corps. 👍
I never really thought about who supplied TC with raw components. :dunno:
I look forward to other's answers,
 
Last edited:
It is an aluminum mold. At least a magnet does not stick to it.
I cast some balls with it today. They were well formed but did have large sprues. This mold belonged to my Dad, and It appears it has never been used. I also have a T/C mold -maxi ball. It is steel, and clearly marked as Lyman. It also is in an original T/C box.
 
Be sure to use a little "anti-seize" type lube on the hinge point of the sprue plate, and the guide pins could use a touch too.
That aluminum "gall's" easily.
 
I have two of those T/C molds and yes they are aluminum. I have an identical .440" like the one pictured and a .350" T/C mold. I later got a dbl cavity Lee in both those sizes. They did cast lots of ball and it was ball of excellent quality too. But the molds left a large sprue on both sizes which was actually no big deal. I tumbled them in an old model "B" Thumbler Tumbler which reduced the sprue to a very small pucker.
 
I have a set of molds for a T/C Renegade .54. I bought 2 molds when I bought the gun (long time ago!), a Maxi-Ball and a Maxi-Hunter. The Maxi-Hunter is still in the sealed factory package. Both are steel. There is no maker markings on the the package that I can see other than T/C.

(Edit: the packagae is a piece of heavy paper/cardboard sealed in plastic.)

I not too long ago bought a used T/C ball mold to complete the collection and although I can't put my mitts on it right now I'm sure it's steel as well.
 
Last edited:
I suspect Green Mountain made these molds marketed by TC. I have identical molds in some calibers, marked TC or GM. I have never held a TC mold that was anything but black aluminum. RB, Hunter, Maxi; all aluminum.

ADK Bigfoot
 
Last edited:
The TC blocks are aluminum.
To my knowledge, Lyman blocks are steel.
To my memory, I've not heard stories of TC running a foundry capable of casting their own aluminum. Or casting any of their own steel parts for rifle assembly.
TC was basically a milling and assembly operation. (steel and wood)

Interesting question 11th corps. 👍
I never really thought about who supplied TC with raw components. :dunno:
I look forward to other's answers,
The Lyman maxi ball mold I have is aluminum.
 
I was wrong about my T/C molds being steel (Iron?).

After reading over the tread and people's responses, I pulled out molds from T/C(BP), Lee(BP), Lyman(HG), and RCBS(HG). The Lyman and RCBS would catch a magnet from any direction. The T/C and Lee would always have a spot that would not grab the magnet; the areas that did grab I assume are because of steel/iron parts within the molds.
 
Back
Top