is there a solution to my problem?

[twotoescharlie]

Gentlemen and feller boolit casters:
I have a lyman #45 lubrisizer that has been in use for 40 years or more. It has been trouble free, no mechanical problems whatsoever.
my problem is every time I lube and size boolits I always get a wad of lube on the bottom of the boolit,plain base and gaschecked.
I have tried adjusting every way that I know how,but just cannot avoid that wad of lube on the bottom of the boolits. It does it with both lyman and RCBS dies. any Ideas? I just get tired of wiping the butt of my boolits when I reload. thanks and much obliged.

TTC











TTC

[David R]

My 450 does that when I use too much lube pressure. I have to add pressure every 2 or 3 boolits when its full of lube. More often when its getting low.

David

[StarMetal]

Yes.....listen very carefully. This was explained in the NRA CAST BULLET BOOK. First what you want to do is drill a small bleed hole all the way through the die litte piston or ram, whatever you wish to call it. Say a hole about 3/32's or there about. Then you want to counter sink that little hole till you get the top part of the countersink angle within say 3/32 to 1/8 inch from the outer edge of the piston or ram top. What is happening is lube is finding it's way underneath the bullet base. When you make this modification that lube that finds it's way in there bleeds down through that hole you drilled. Something about that too. The bottom of the little piston or ram is flat and you need to cut some relief slots in the bottom of it or in that little piston that pushed it back up and your bullet out. You can cut a + (plus) with a hacksaw or dremmel cutoff tool. Or if you wish drill a little relief hole into through the side of that piston or ram nearest the bottom you can get. Another advantage of this mod is that little lip you left with the countersink on the top of the ram piston will make a better seal against the base of a bullet, especially a non-gaschecked one. Believe me, on a plain base it doesn't leave an impression in the base unless you made that rim very narrow or press really hard on the ram after the bullet has bottomed out. Either case even without the mod you squooshed your bullet or deformed the nose pressing that hard. Now.....made this bleed hole and counterbore, with it's outer rim, in proportion to the caliber the sizer die is. For example say you drilled a 3/32 or 1/8 bleed hole in a .458 sizer die piston ram, you sure as hell don't want a 1/8 in hole in a .225 sizer die piston ram, it can be smaller on smaller sizer dies and larger on the larger ones. Just don't make that rim too narrow because for one thing you need a flat area on top of that die piston ram. If you have any question fire them away at me. I'll try to find the article in my NRA book. I've done all my sizers up like that and have no problems. This will also solver lube come up past the bullet sides and out the top of your die too.

Joe

[BruceB]

Joe's solution is the 100%-certain way to go. It will work very well.

Another way of doing it (with Lyman dies and their many lube holes) is to place shot pellets in the lube holes which aren't needed for the particular bullet being processed. #6 birdshot is the proper size, I believe. This gives an effect similar to the RCBS dies, which have lube holes only in one ring around the die.

To remove the shot pellets, take the center plunger out of the die and push the lead shot through the die wall into the die's interior. I suppose a more elegant way would be to tap the lube holes for small allen screws, but that's a LOT of work and likely wouldn't pan out in dies with thin walls for sizing larger-diameter boolits.

I've personally not had much trouble in adjusting my lube-sizers to minimize lube build-up under the boolit base. However, I do NOT try to maintain any pressure at all with the lube-feed wrench. Instead, I just give it a little tweak every time a fresh bullet is inserted for sizing. It takes no time at all, and avoids the flowing of lube into places I don't want to find it!

[carpetman]

Starmetal--Joe you said listen carefully so I did. You said drill a hole about 3/32 or there about. Would that there about be redundant? I will contact the Dept of Redundancy Department and see if they think so.

[StarMetal]

Here's a picture of those plungers from the NRA book. It shows them drilled, counterbored, and not drilled or modified.

Joe

http://www.hunt101.com/watermark.php?file=500/7385PistonRam.JPG

[RayinNH]

Joe, thanks for the explanation. When I first read it I couldn't make heads or tails out of what you were saying. When you posted the picture it became clear. One question though? The lube that purges through the piston, does it puddle up at your feet or does very little of it go through?...Ray

[StarMetal]

No the lube that purges just accumulates on the bottom of the sizer. It's not alot because for most people these machines function like they are suppose to. One reason for a plain base bullet to cause a problem such as yours if if the sprue cut is high, that leaves a lump or protrusion on the bottom of the bullet and keeps it from seating flush against the plunger, thus lube slips in there. You can see now how that counterbore eliminates that problem. Anyways I get more leakage past the bottome of my sizer die then that purge system.



Joe

[floodgate]

charlie;

Before you go drilling the ejector rod, or plugging the die holes, try this:

1) Give the LEAST twist on the ratchet handle each time that will let the grooves fill in 3-5 seconds;

2) Hold FIRM down pressure on the operating handle while the grooves fill, then lift the handle and eject the bullet in one fairly fast - but smooth - motion; the idea here is to keep the bullet base pressed tight to the ejector as long as the bullet is in the die;

3) When done with the lube-sizing session, release pressure on the reservoir by ratcheting the pressure screw back a half-turn or so.

Unless you're using bevel-base bullets, this should cure your problem; it did for me, anyway.

floodgate

[David R]

Sometimes you can just adjust your sizer up or down a little so a lube hole doesn't line up with the base of the boolit.

David

[Cherokee]

Starmetal -thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten seeing that in the NRA CB book. I usually dish the ejector on my lathe but I will try drillng one and see how it works.

[StarMetal]

Cherokee,

I bet you noticed an improvement from just the dishing?

Joe

[LAH]

Good advice from Bruce and Floodgate. I use the Lyman 450 only for .512 bullets. I've found a 1/4 turn of the pressure screw fills the two grooves nicely. Another thing I do is rotate the bullet on it's bases while lifting it off the die. Using this system I simply wipe the small amount of lube that forms on the center shaft once every 50 bullets or so.

[tomf52]

I have found that I was getting the same thing, lube on the bullet base, and at the suggestion of a friend, tried his technique. When the bullet is bottomed in the die hold firm steady pressure on the handle and with the other hand just barely tweak the lube piston wrench. I mean just barely touch it. It is amazing how little pressure should be applied to the wrench to fill the grooves fully with lube. This works for me and I no longer have a problem with lube on the bullet base, I mean none at all. Hope this helps.

[Cherokee]

StarMetal - Oh yea, I noticed the difference the dish-out ejector made. Rarely have any lube on the base now, even with the bevel base bullets.

[The Nyack Kid]

my saeco does the same thing but not that bad .
the easiest cure would be to put the old luber/sizer out of your/its pain and by a dad blasted $$$$ star lubersizer