My Dad's SAECO T-31

[Grump]

Well it's been an adventure for sure. We both used this thing back in the days when .40 S&W was new-ish and IPSC Power Factor in the USPSA side was still 175. Lots of RCBS 180s, a few bins of H&G 68s, lighter boolits for the .45-70 and when I was 19, way, way too many Lee Improved Minie Balls for a smokepole with a way-tooooo-sloooooow twist.

Today's repair parts request is...who can direct me to the copper-looking strips that are the breaker contacts in the mechanical thermostat? The one that the temp dial pushes in and out just burned through again where the screw holds it to the mica insulator...196956

[Grump]

This is a sentimental replacement part request, wanting to replicate the original as near as possible. I learned while trying to re-calibrate it over the past week that the bent piece of iron is essential to proper function. If it doesn't firmly contact the longer and bent "reed", heat from the pot is not conducted to it and it never gets hot enough to bend away from the adjustable "reed" or strip. Without that conducted heat, it never bends away, stays on forever, and reveals that this pot at 95-100° F stops at about...920° F or so. I have it in my notes in the next room.

Now the sentiment is not just because it was my Dad's and I'm a Luddite or something. I've put a little heart and soul into it. A few years ago, it wasn't holding temp with more than half a pot. Opened it up and found that the heating element had slipped down like a gang-banger's pants, resting on the bottom of the housing. So I tightened up the friction bends and gave it some "suspenders". Worked great and still does.

Then in the last casting session, it ran hot and wouldn't cool without unplugging it. Opened it up and turned it on to observe the contact breakers, wanting to see when it broke contact. It wouldn't, and an orange glow where the smaller strip revealed that the hole the screw goes through had burned and eroded (durned electrons!) to where a 1/8-inch point of contact was all that was left. So I mess around and decide to use brass washers to clamp what's left to the mica insulator. Better conductivity, thought it would not get as hot from the electricity.

Then I learned the function of the steel piece. I thought it was just to keep the contacts from shorting onto the pot.

Then the cord shorted out and popped a breaker in the garage. Couldn't tell what was up until I plugged it back in (there's an occasional freezer problem out there) and got a zzzzttt!!! and puff of smoke as I jumped back in alarm. So I cut back the cord--three times before I find internal insulation that's not heat-hardened and useless--and crimp on some 20-amp ring connectors. The outside cord is packed so tight with fibrous heat insulation that was a bit of work.

So I'm reluctant to just buy a Lee thermostat and want to really, really beat this thing into submission! Then I'll think about painting the cover sheet metal with some high-heat engine enamel.