Heating the Lubesizer

[alamogunr]

Probably the cheapest and most efficient way to regulate the precise flow of hard lubes is to purchase a reptile lamp from any pet store. They often come with a large alligator clip arrangement that allows for precise positioning of the lamp to adjust the heat. Some models feature a built in temperature control. The only drawback? You may have to keep your python or gecko near the clothes dryer vent during the time you are lubing bullets.

If you live in Florida and have a python, just take it to the Everglades and release it. One more won't make much difference. Then you can lube at your leisure.

[imashooter2]

I just use the temperature setting on the iron, and if things start getting too hot, I pick it up and set it on its foot for a few minutes. Low/warm usually does the job.

Money will buy you any number of better heating options. You want cheap, you got to pay attention.

[alamogunr]

The iron I got at GoodWill was not the best choice. The lowest setting gets too hot too quick. The first time I used it, lube started oozing out around the die. Now I don't start size/lube until I guess that it is warm enough(about 2-3 min.) then I set the iron aside on its' base. The copper plate holds enough heat to last for about a 30 minute session.

Can't argue with the price though.

[David2011]

I use a Goodwill iron, too. For a low-tech solution to the problem replace your copper with a 1/8"x6"x12" piece of aluminum. Copper is a very good heat conductor and your piece is pretty small. I set the iron on its lowest setting and regulate the temperature by the distance between the iron and the lube sizer; usually at the back of the aluminum plate once it has warmed up.

[imashooter2]

I use a Goodwill iron, too. For a low-tech solution to the problem replace your copper with a 1/8"x6"x12" piece of aluminum. Copper is a very good heat conductor and your piece is pretty small. I set the iron on its lowest setting and regulate the temperature by the distance between the iron and the lube sizer; usually at the back of the aluminum plate once it has warmed up.

This is a good point. My mount is a piece of .135 steel that I have screwed to my bench and then drilled and tapped to mount a variety of equipment. I set the iron back several inches from the base of the press. This is probably a lot less “efficient” at conducting heat than the OP's copper.

And I still have to watch it. I use my thumb to gauge when to lift the iron by touching the lube reservoir. It isn’t long before you develop the touch.

[alamogunr]

I don't have enough room for a larger piece of metal(aluminum) and really don't want a hot piece of aluminum spread out on either side of the iron. Also it would defeat the goal of keeping it as cheap as possible. I already had a long piece of scrap copper I grabbed out of the scrap truck before I retired.

imashooter2 suggested what is the best way for me to use what I have. Just have to educate my thumb.

[JH3855]

If you live in Florida and have a python, just take it to the Everglades and release it. One more won't make much difference. Then you can lube at your leisure.

This sounded like a great idea...until I realized 'snake oil' is the secret ingredient in my prize winning lube. Such a disaster in Florida!

[Jim22]

I, too, use a light dimmer to control the temp of my Lyman made heater. Without the dimmer it puts out too much heat. The heater was made for the 450 sizer and I have the 45 so the factory bolt holes don't line up. Rather than re-drilling and tapping the heater I elongated one of the holes in the lube sizer. I didn't want to accidently drill into a heating element. Works fine now. Without it I couldn't get Carnauba Red to flow. Now I can.

Jim

[Hootmix]

I use a hairdryer, set on low blow aim at the bottom of my 4500, and it helps to keep my hands warm., naw' just lay it on its side.

coffee's ready, Hootmix.

[Land Owner]

I've got a RCBS LAM2 and have used a light bulb if I needed heat.

You went and complicated the process. It ain't "elegant". It's cheap, easy, and gets the job done in an uncomplicated way. Ten minutes (say) of lamp heat to start, depending on wattage. Periodically, two minutes, three maybe, to warm the Sizer as the lube viscosity decreases. You get in a rhythm. Or, you can consume funds in the pursuit of CONTROL.

I can't wrap my head around the HEAT SINK effect, using an iron on a metal plate, that wastes energy heating the top of the bench along with the Sizer's metal parts, though some of the machined part heater photos above are quite elegant. I possess no such machining skills.

[missionary5155]

Probably 40 years ago purchased a magnetic engine block heater at a hardware we had nearby. Heats the Lyman and takes car of the whatever vehicle needs started on those below 10 mornings when I certainly will not be pulling an orange arm down.
Used to see them in yard sales but have not been to one in at least 5 years now.
My heat control is pull the plug.

[Muddydogs]

This works great for controlling the heat on a lube sizer or turning a freezer into a fridge. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[beagle]

And then there's the cheap, redneck way.

Orygun Mark built me a nice sizer heater years ago. Works good yet. Before that I used a 3# coffee can with a 75 watt light bulb in it with a side cut out for a heater. Worked good and heated fairly quick. Had a switch that I used to cut it off when it got to running good. On when it started to cool. Be sure to back off on the pressure when heating as the Lyman 450s have been known to expand and crack while heating./beagle

[imashooter2]

You went and complicated the process. It ain't "elegant". It's cheap, easy, and gets the job done in an uncomplicated way. Ten minutes (say) of lamp heat to start, depending on wattage. Periodically, two minutes, three maybe, to warm the Sizer as the lube viscosity decreases. You get in a rhythm. Or, you can consume funds in the pursuit of CONTROL.

I can't wrap my head around the HEAT SINK effect, using an iron on a metal plate, that wastes energy heating the top of the bench along with the Sizer's metal parts, though some of the machined part heater photos above are quite elegant. I possess no such machining skills.

The light bulb is fine for heating a lube sizer, but don’t pretend it is somehow efficient. Metal is a great conductor of heat. Air is not. And wood bench tops don’t heat much either.

[slim1836]

Slim

[remy3424]

The clothes irons have a learning curve. The dimmer switch might be a good way to try to tame the temp down...like that idea.

[Land Owner]

Whether 40W or 75W, a bare light bulb under a towel is only slower imparting heat to the lube sizer's metal body compared to a 300W to 1500W (range) electric iron at its 300W setting. Which is "more efficient"? IDK.

[murf205]

Attachment 298401Attachment 298402Attachment 298403
Here is the rig I put together. It is a 1/4" dia. 100 watt cartridge heater, plenty by the way, and it slides into the hole I drilled into the base of the 3/8" thick aluminum plate. The wire is in 1/2" pvc pipe and the dimmer is in the electrical box at the other end of the pipe. After the first trial run to get the feel for the temp, I marked the dimmer dial with a sharpie. Makes Carnauba Red a piece of cake to use. I already had the 4" wide piece of aluminum but I've got less than $15 in the rest of it.

[Green Frog]

Well, I read all of this, thought about the cost, not just in cash, but in time and aggravation, then this “learning curve” of which you speak. My new RCBS LAM Heater just got here from Midway at a cost of less than $80 delivered. Works for me… YMMV!