Now that Lathesmith and Magma are gone

[gnappi]

Prices on anything with Star on it are going up, up on Ebay. Not good.

[Rapier]

When the maker dies, the ready supply dries up, then the price of poker goes up. It is like clock work, watch LBT moulds and lubes. Glad I still have a case of Blue and Red.

[Humbo]

And now nobody makes dies for the Star sizers, or am I wrong?

[bosterr]

That's correct. Unless somebody shows up to start making them, us Star owners are left high and dry!

[Tatume]

The last time I talked to him Lathesmith was not dead, just retired.

[fivegunner]

Is Vearl from LBT Dead???

[John Wayne]

Most machine shops can make the sizer die fast and not too expensive. If you're making a common size and they have a CNC lathe they can make 1 every 10 seconds or so. Have them make a few hundred and sell them.
JW

[Bill M]

Verl's shop burned down! They say he was uninsured?
I'm glad I have a supply of his great lube!

[Uncle Grinch]

If you are a non-Star user, i.e. Lyman Lubrisizer, then custom H&I dies can be had from ammohead.

[45DUDE]

Someone here last week or so said they could make Star dies.

[Humbo]

Maybe now that Magma gave up the ghost, someone else will start making them. There should definitively be a demand, there are many Stars and other machines that use Star dies around. Maybe Lathesmith will make a comeback? I have most of the dies that I need, but now and then I need custom dies, like right now. I need a .506" die for 505 Gibbs, and I could also use a few more.

[jdfoxinc]

Ammohead is making star dies.

[Humbo]

Ammohead is making star dies.

I'll shoot him a message, thanks.

[Sig]

The Perfesser used to be on here & sold blank dies for Star & H&I. Haven't seen him here for a while. Think he might be over on the artfulbullet. I bought a few blanks some years back from him. If the have access to a lathe, finishing them isn't hard at all.

[trooperdan]

Geez, I jut got a couple of old Star's that I'd like to have overhauled just to be certain they are good to go, guess I am out of luck eh? I'll just have to give them a try!

[floydboy]

Ammohead is making Star dies. I ordered a Star die, punch and punch nut with set screw from him yesterday. Says he can't harden them but with normal use should last a lifetime. I don't doubt this to be true. He seems very knowledgeable about what he's doing. After corresponding with him I expect a quality product.

Floyd

[thump_rrr]

Ammohead is making Star dies. I ordered a Star die, punch and punch nut with set screw from him yesterday. Says he can't harden them but with normal use should last a lifetime. I don't doubt this to be true. He seems very knowledgeable about what he's doing. After corresponding with him I expect a quality product.

Floyd

Let us know once you get it.
I may need 4 or 5.

[ammohead]

I am making "Star style" dies. As of yet they are unhardened, but I have a small forge being delivered Wed. In the meantime I have been experimenting. One experiment is with a .310" die that has a slightly undersize OD @ .7485" or .0015" under diameter that I will be selling. Experiment #2 is also for sale. It is a .327" die, punch, locknut and set screw. Both dies are hardened and tempered. Your guess is as good as mine as to HOW HARD they are but they are hard. You can't drill in them. Not very far anyway before you let the smoke out of your drill! Lol
PM me if you are interested in either of these, or a nonhardened diameter of your choice.
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sea...rchid=10543760

[ammohead]

I don't post very much anymore, but I have been hanging with the charter members of this tribe since 1999 when it was "Shooters". I am a retired maintenance machinist with a small shop in a icecold uninsulated metal shed. I am not a journeyman machinist and cannot hold NASA tolerances. I am just wading into the void that Magma and Lathesmith left and hope to do a good job filling orders for the dies you need. Buckshot used to make lyman and lee style dies and when he retired he gifted me much of his stock and tooling. But he never made Star dies so I am flying solo here.
I have no intentions of going commercial and in fact I fear this taking off too fast, more than I fear learning to heat treat.
So I am not going to post much about this, and will let "word of mouth" carry this forward. Please PM me if you have any questions.
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sea...rchid=10543760

[Tedly]

Retired prototype toolmaker that did machining in my uncles custom gun build shop. Posted here several time to no avail. Somebody send me a drawing , please.