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Posted: 3/13/2010 1:54:08 AM EDT
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Well I picked up a Lyman 450 Sizing/ lubing press off Ebay (yep I know not always a good thing) I got it and it looked a tad rough. So I proceed to start to take it apart to inspect it and make sure things moved the way they should and such. Well it didn't really want to cooperate with me so I figured I am just going to have to tear it down and rebuild it. So here goes with the rebuilding.
Beginning on taking it apart. Took some effort to get the sizing die out since the lube was so old. 
This part holds the top punch. notice the rust? 
The long screw to compress the lube stick was so gunked up I let it soak in a jar of paint thinner. Like the dark color of the normally clear liquid? 
Well here are some of the parts out after a soak in the thinner, cleaner but a tad rusty. 
Here is the sizer after being taken apart as much as I could. 
There is a decent ammount of old lube in there that doesn't really want to come out. So on some advice of another relaoder I boiled it. In it goes! 
Here it is after boiling for about 30 min or so. Got that stainless steel pot from the flea market. and open a few windows as it does smell while it is boiling and that lube is in a liquid state. 
Well here it is after the boiling. I used some brake cleaner to finish getting rid of the leftover lube. Note: brake cleaner will not do the finish any good. 
I am using 1000 grit sandpaper to smooth any rust there might be as well as to make sure things will fit smoothly when I go to put them back togther. I could have used a rougher grit but I did not want to take much metal off mainly just get rid of the surface rust. Here is a pic of the tube that the lube fits into after I smoothed it out with the 1K grit. 
Here is where the ram will slide through after a light cleanup. 
Here is the hole where the sizing die will be sitting. 
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Here are some of the various parts after a light sanding with 1K grit sandpaper.
Here are some brand new parts from Lyman, I determined I needed them after inspecting the other parts after cleaning and they still did not want to work properly. Cost for these parts was about $24.00 
The handle as you might see has some discoloration from the surface rust. 
Same with the Bullet knock out link. 
Bullet knock out link after cleaning. 
Time to reassemble this thing now. here is the long screw called a pressure screw. 
The bottom pic to show how it will be when in regular use. Now just FYI here this bottom seal plug and the pressure screw should turn freely. if not then they need a cleaning. the original one in here would barely turn at all so it is the reason I ordered a new one, and you can order the 5 pieces as a complete assembly. 
Here it is assembled. 
Some parts I am going to leave out for now. I will admit it is a bonus that it came with a die already in it for 308 and the top punch as well. I will probably use them at a later time once I am better at casting. 
And last but not least here is a look at the nasty stuff that had sit for way too long. 
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Good thread, great pics & toes for authenticity.
I would have replaced the pressure screw also, that's the most important part of the lube feed. I mounted my lube sizer on a piece of 3/4 plywood and clamp it to my bench when it is in use. Have you got your 40 sizer die yet? |
| Actually I am not sure how old it is but it probably has been a while since Lyman has offered it for sale, but also they probably have not changed the design all that much. You can add a warmer to it but at this time I probably will not. Just to give it a shot I will try a hair dryer to warm it up. I figure if you can burn your hair with one of those things it can warm up the casing enough to soften the lube enough. Also it depends on the lube used. Some are softer and will soften at a lower temp but then the prob come into the lube running off the bullets if you have them in storage in a warm area. |
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Quoted:
Nope, dont have the 401 sizing die yet, probably will order from midway. along with a few other things. That was some nasty lube that had been left in there eh? Very nasty. Think this is worthy of being added to the info section here? Just add it to the "useful threads". |
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The cheapest to buy atm I think would be the 450. Lyman still has quite a few parts for them and the 4500. From looking at things the heaters will work for both the 450 and the 4500. also the dies will work the same as well. About the biggest thing I can think of offhand would be If you buy one from ebay or some other place used, the process to clean it would have to be done and All parts inspected to ensure they are in good working order. I guess the question is how handy are you and do you want to take the time to go over it.
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Quoted:
Thank you AeroE. It is a good feeling to have contributed something useful. Not to mention as a reminder to check your own sizer. Anyone know how long you can leave the lube n there before it starts to get nasty? It would take many years for the lube to dry out like in your lube sizer. I way I remove the lube is one bullet at a time. Leave it in, use the lube / sizer at least once a year, no problems. Just to throw it out there, I would of never boiled the sizer. But I have to admit probably the safest way. I would of used low heat with the sizer in a pan to catch the melted lube. In my case in a rack above my wood stove, I would keep a close eye on it of course. Or on a radiator, or use a hair dryer. No brake cleaner for me. Congrats on your first "toggled" thread. 
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