While not technically a Stevens product, this is an interesting Ideal tool which was apparently made for Stevens. Steven's marked Ideal tools are quite scarce....if you have one, please send alone an image and the particulars of your tool to share with others.
The 32-35 Stevens cartridge was introduced around 1884 and enjoyed reasonable popularity until about the turn-of-the-century. The Stevens cartridge was about 1/32" longer than the Maynard of the same number, but they were othewise substantially the same. The actual bore diameter was .30 caliber, so a purist might say that they should be designated "30-35". They were usually loaded with bullets in the 153-165 grain range with about 35 grains of black powder for propellant. The case for the Steven's number was 1 7/8" in length and straight tapered.
Stevens molds bear a strikingly similar appearance to Maynard ones. Here is an image showing three 32 caliber molds....the Maynard mold is in the middle of the upper panel and it is flanked by Stevens molds on either side. The most glaring difference is in the direction the sprue cutter swings during operation. In the case of Maynard molds, it moves clockwise as viewed from above and, the Stevens examples show how it would move counterclockwise with those.
The side view shows how the Stevens molds have a slightly thicker profile where the handles are indented. Of course, many, but not all, Maynard molds are marked. A few Stevens molds are marked, but most are not. As is typical, all these molds cast two bullets. The profiles of the bullets are similar, but not quite identical. The lower two panels show the bullet profiles, with the Maynard being above one of the Stevens molds.
