Star stuff

Found out from a friend at the Gun Show, that the owner of Star passed away.
Family got rid of all remaining stock.
Sad.

The guy in NJ?

I really don't know.
My friend knew him for a long time.
I think he said he bought everything from the family.
Don't know how much it was, but he did say shipping was obscene.
I have a press and some parts.
Going to contact him later to see if it has all it's parts.

Star what? Star Machine Works, Star Ordinance, what?

Sorry, coffee hadn't kicked in this morning and the previous post might sound a little off. Did they have stock in Magma Engineering?

No one from Star, previous or present, has any stock in Magma. Magma purchased the rights to build the Star sizers and accessories, and that's all.

Hope this helps.

Fred

I just went over to the Star Reloaders Forum and there was nothing about this event there. Bruce Williams bought the name rights and a bunch of parts from the previous owner several years ago and has been doing repairs and rebuilds for the Star Community as well as providing a variety of parts. He is active on that forum and although the forum is nowhere near as active as this one, I’m sure important news like this would have been have been posted. Are you sure your friend wasn’t talking about one of the bigger distributors? :?: :?:

Froggie

WOW!

So lets clear up a few things. Star Machine Works closed their doors in 1997. The lubesizer business was sold to Magma Engineering and the reloader business was sold to Bill Cunningham of Pioneer California. Magma still makes the Star Lubesizer (with a few small changes) and offers parts. When ordering parts from Magma, make sure you tell them it is for a vintage Star Lubesizer because not all parts are interchangeable with the current version.

In 2014 I bought the Star Machine Works reloader business from Bill Cunningham and moved it to New Jersey. I have all of the parts for Star Reloaders and I rebuild/refinish reloaders, both customer machines, and machines for resale, to like new condition. Not only do I have tons (literally) of original Star parts, I also have jigs, fixtures, drawings and specifications to manufacture new parts, which we do on a regular basis when stocks get low.

On occasion I rebuild Star Lubesizers when I get them along with the reloaders I buy for rebuilding, and I usually have a original lubesizer dies in stock.

And finally, I am still alive. Star was owned by Elard Mock who died in 1996 and Bill Brenizer who was in his 80's when Star closed their doors.

Bruce Williams
Star Machine Works LLC - Owner

WHEW! What a relief to hear it directly from the source! :mrgreen: I have had some dealings with Bruce and find him most willing to help as well as able to provide excellent, well finished parts. If we were to lose him and his business (which is really more of an act of love) the devastating effect on the Star community would be immeasurable. Thanks, Bruce, for coming onto this venue and setting the record straight. :bigsmyl2:

Now, to the rest of the readers of this thread and this forum; let me encourage you to add the Star Reloaders Forum to your reading list. Not only does Bruce hang out there, but there are several other talented manufacturers who produce parts and accessories helpful to the use and upkeep of the Star Progressive and Universal presses. This is not a press (nor a discussion group) for the casual, sometimes reloader nor the beginner... these guys tend to be the more serious faction of our pastime. If you think you might be interested in all things Star Progressive, drop by and see what is going on there. :coffeecom

Just to provide my own bona fides in this discussion I bought, more or less on a whim, the sample Star Progressive that was sold in the estate auction of John Amber. Truth to tell, John was not real big on reloading even though he edited the Handloading Digest, so the press I got had seen very little use beyond basic set up and testing. When I got it about 25-30 years ago, the man who had bought it in the auction had had it sitting on the floor in his reloading room for many years... unused! Other than storage wear and tear, it was almost like a new old stock 40 year old press then. As usual, I eventually depended on the kindness of friends and strangers to clean and service it and replace a couple of lost parts to get this piece of mechanical art operational. It’s everything the enthusiasts say and I only regret that I didn’t have it back when I was shooting PPC. :-x. Just to put in another (unsolicited) plug for Bruce... if you have a Star press or are interested in getting and using one, he is definitely your go-to guy. Get his PM and/or e-mail and keep it handy. I have no connection with him or his company except as a very satisfied customer. 8-)

Froggie

i have always enjoyed finding out im still alive!!!!:kidding: