Lee Die Loose Threads - Need Old Timey Trick

[Dan Cash]

Just put a lock nut on it.

.....or duct tape. Duct tape always works!

Good luck.
Jerry

Best answer yet.

[Dieselhorses]

If you real ambitious and brave you could try drilling And taping the body and installing a set screw with some lock tight Lee dies are cheep enough if you screw up you can get one with a lock but instead

You read my mind! Was just fixing to mention this!


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[fiberoptik]

Stick a piece of small shot (#9?) between threads.


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[uscra112]

You may be able to apply something tacky on the threads ,or some sort of roofing caulk,or you may be able to somehow use a coil spring to apply constant pressure on it,but it's not really worth a lot of time,or expense when you could just buy another seating die that has the conventional stem with lock nut.

^^^ This ^^^ A dab on non-hardening Aviation Form-A-Gasket would be perfect. That product has been around since the 1920s, and it still has it's niche. It's a shellac; sticky as all get-out, you'll need paint thinner or acetone to get it off your hands.

[megasupermagnum]

I would not use a set screw. You would be forcing both the knob and the seating plug to the side. With the right O ring, these dies do not need anything more. I just counted 22 Lee die sets that I own. None of them have a loose seating stem. I could drop them off the roof with no change in setting.

[MT Chambers]

If you can't/don't machine proper fitting threads in STEEL on a seating die, you would need to use orings to hold all in place.

[1hole]

Lee deliberately leaves some slack in those seater plug threads to prevent galling and allow for easy seating depth changes, it has nothing to do with inability to cut threads in steel. The O rings are perfectly capable of holding their setting during use.

[onelight]

How about hot glue easy to remove and apply to the outside of the die and adjuster.

[C.F.Plinker]

Since you have the o-rings on all of your dies and they are still too loose, try putting a small rubber band on the part of the adjusting screw above the threaded portion. Then, when you have the die adjusted to where you want it, use a bent paper clip to poke the rubber band into the recess between the adjusting screw and the die body.

[mdi]

Are you having a problem with the stem working loose? I have a bunch of Lee dies and even the old ones with old hard O-rings don't change settings, and I get very little OAL/bullet seating depth variations. Or does the floating, easy to adjust stem just not feel right to you? (unless there is variation and drifting adjustment there is no problem). Cleaning the die ID from any oil, grease, etc. will make the O-ring less likely to slip. You could always take the die to a good hardware store and find an O-ring slightly bigger making for a tighter O-ring to die body fit and more difficult to turn...

BTW, the O-ring in use with a bolt, nut, screw, etc., is old technology and still works. The O-ring in Lee's lock rings are very often misunderstood. Having been a lifelong machinist mechanic I have seen the application of O-rings and threads many times and it is simple and works. Most detractors of Lee O-ring use are mostly those ignorant of locking nut and bolt technology (I actually had classes in Thread Technology and the "locking" O-ring, similar in use to Nyoc type nuts, was covered early in the class.)..

[BigAlofPa.]

Hmm i never had a lee seating die maladjust. When i clean my dies i use a nylon brush. No solvents. I also use a universal decapping die. It helps keep the resizing dies clean.

[Three44s]

I was using a Lee FL Sizer Die the other day and saw it was vertically shifting as upward pressure was being applied and removed while sizing cases. I was taken back at first but then reset the die’s body accordingly and tightened the o-ring equipped lock ring with a wrench.

No more die bouncing!

Three44s

[tankgunner59]

I reload eleven calibers with Lee dies, and I have a bullet seating die for each caliber, and I have never had this problem or heard of it. Either your die is missing the O-ring from the bullet depth adjuster or you need to send it back to Lee for repair.

[uscra112]

If all else fails, there's what Joe Bolger used to call "Canadian Loctite". Take a pair of pliers and bugger up the male thread so it has enough friction to hold.

(When I was doing aerospace stuff back in the '60s, we had what were called "prevailing torque" locknuts. A slightly distorted thread made enough drag that it couldn't loosen. Preferred for high temps and high vacuum where plastic-insert type locknuts couldn't be used. High tech Canadian Loctite, NASA approved!)

[cupajoe]

I have not had the Lee die adjustments move but if I did I would make sure the o ring was not damaged or worn. If it still moved I would put some 3M weatherstrip adhesive (gorilla snot) on the threads. It would still be adjustable but not easily.