homemade lubrisizer

[geargnasher]

KTN,

Do you have a picture with the lube reservoir in place and the die mounted in a press? It looks like a great design as you have elegantly solved the problem of starting/stopping the lube flow while keeping pressure on the lube.

John

+1, thanks for sharing that, your lube flow control method is a stroke of genius! If there are some slight issues with hardness and size, that seems like a small matter of changing spring rates or making some part of the system adjustable for a better balance. The fact that it will work in just about any press having the larger thread size is a big plus and would save costs.

Frankly, I've been wondering for years why Lee Precision hasn't come up with something similar using standard dies just like their push-through sizer system, but with a lube reservoir and valve system of some sort for lubing with stick lubes.

Watch out, you might need and international patent soon!

Gear

[KTN]

Frankly, I've been wondering for years why Lee Precision hasn't come up with something similar using standard dies just like their push-through sizer system, but with a lube reservoir and valve system of some sort for lubing with stick lubes.

Watch out, you might need and international patent soon!

Gear

So have I.
It could be made even simpler than this, I have been thinking about it for some time. Maybe someday I build it. One thing I like in this design is easy sizerdie change. Just pull out old die and push in new.

Here is old picture of sizer on press.



And this is what it looks like from side.




Kaj

[MtGun44]

Nice workmanship and innovative designs, guys.

In any new manufacturing enterprise you sit down and decide "Make or Buy?" for each
part. The idea is can you make it cheaper or better than somebody who is already
in the business.

For me - a used Lyman or RCBS wins over the "make" choice, and I have two lathes and
mills, just not the time to take to make a project of a lubrisizer. For those really skilled
guys that are challenged by this - I am impressed as heck. Just not gonna do it
myself!

Bill

[MaxJon]

Nice workmanship and innovative designs, guys.

In any new manufacturing enterprise you sit down and decide "Make or Buy?" for each
part. The idea is can you make it cheaper or better than somebody who is already
in the business.

For me - a used Lyman or RCBS wins over the "make" choice, and I have two lathes and
mills, just not the time to take to make a project of a lubrisizer. For those really skilled
guys that are challenged by this - I am impressed as heck. Just not gonna do it
myself!

Bill

Me too gun44, I have machines and work CNC machines everyday for a living. Coming home to machining is hard to do sometimes! I gunna buy a new RCBS lam2. I have made simpler things like dipper pot, ladle and spoon. But the more complex things take time!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

[MaxJon]

Here's mine, don't mind the mess . . .

Thanks 123 Benz

[Papa Jack]

I have seen pictures in my older loading and casting books of guys adapting old Grease Guns to bullet lubing...Back then it was common to use Lithium or Soap base grease for bullet lube. Cheap, readily available and it seemed to work fine.
A simple "stop" fitted to the gun handle worked to adjust the flow..... "PJ"

[tommygirlMT]

Thank you very much KTN --- your method just helped me crack one of my design problems --- An exact copy of your method wont work for what Im tryin to do but a modification of it will

I've been working for a while on a way to build a press mounted lube sizer that go-z in 1-1/4 thread most big iron presses have that uses big one inch diameter by two inch long die as its "native" die size --- but also has die bodies that are made to fit all of the other three major die types --- namely --- Star Dies --- Lyman/RCBS Dies --- and Saco Dies and could be put together for a raw cost figure in parts and labor if produced in a quantity of scale to match the potential demand market for such a tool in a "Vender Sponser" sales situation on this forum with a sale price including the threeadapter dies capable of it competing with the commercial Lyman RCBS Saco Star sizers --- Basically a press mounted sizer that would take any of the major die sets you already have plus its own BIG dies could handle anything up to 80 caliber and/or capable of putting lube in all the grooves of boolits with lube groove spans of up to an 1.5 inch length those bigger dies that fit in instead of the adapters being just basically a bigger diaemter longer version of a Star type die only without the flange and a snapring instead like lathesmith does his

[deltaenterprizes]

Tommy, would it be push through like a Star?

[tommygirlMT]

Yes --- push through like Star --- only press mounted like Lee

I have been thinking all along that the reservor flange goes under the press head and screws in from underneath with reservor off to side to clear head rather then mount on top and screw down into head --- loose some ram stroke length but very few boolits long enough for that to matter the slightest

As far as lube control --- and "the key" KTN just gave me --- think three position toggle switch instead of two position toggle switch --- his is like two position toggle switch --- full down = off / full up = on --- I am thinking like on/off/on tottle switch only an inverse off/on/off --- Or in other words --- full down = off / full up = off / everything inbetween = on --- and just use a very light spring that is basically just a gravity assist just strong enough to make sure it bottoms out between strokes.

So set up it should work so that:

With most boolits that need to be sized down when the boolit to be sized contacts the bottom of the sizer die and starts to get sized down the die body slides up on the boolit previous boolit which is stuck in the die in position to be lubbed gets lube pressure on it --- When the die tops out (lube pressure turned off again at top) the next boolit is pushed in and pushes the previous boolit out the top and as the ram is ratracted and the die body slips down that boolit gets lube pressure until the die bottoms out again under gravity/light-spring pressure

With a select few boolits that don't need to be sized down and are just slightly undersize for the sizing die and just slips throug it (like putting boolits that drop at .4515 through a .4520 die) when the boolit to be sized contacts the bottom of the sizer die the die body does not initually slides up due to gravity and light spring pressure on the die body acting downwards and the boolit continues upwards until it pushes the previous boolit out the top and takes its place at this point the top of the press ram makes contact with the bottom of the die body and pushes it upwards until it tops out and then as the ram is ratracted the die body slips down under gravity/light-spring pressure --- all the while the second boolit is in position to be lubed and lube pressure is applied to it

With the lube ports set up this way to be off/on/off rather then just off/on it works either way --- as an added bonus every boolit regardless of which way it happens gets lube pressure applied to it twice while it is in positon both on the down stroke and upstroke --- I dont know about you but Ive had to double cycle more then one boolit on my Lyman to get its lube grooves all the way full with no bubbles or voids --- would happen automatically every time with this kind of press mounted lube sizer if you line the ports up for off/on/off

[tommygirlMT]

And I thought of yet another way to get-err done and not have to worry about the force from sizing opening up the lube ports too soon --- doing it this way the sizing die part never moves:



Figured that animated .gif would be the best way to explain and Im getting pretty quick at building them.

[Doby45]

That is AWESOME.. I think it would have next to NOTHING in the way of smearing on the nose because there is such a small cavity that would be pressurized. The whole main cavity gets cut off on the the down stroke of the luber.

I want one, PERIOD..

[Catshooter]

That's pretty ingenious tommygirl. Not only that, but I think that that could just work!


Cat

[Grendl]

tommygirl, it is ingenious, have you given any thought to how the lube would be metered (measured and delivered)?

[Doby45]

It would need to have a spring loaded plunger kinda like a Star. It would be measured by as much lube as would fit in the boolit.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Now THAT is just so dang cool!
Great idea, and great graphics explaination!

[JIMinPHX]

Post 8 in this thread shows something that I did a little while back - http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=86638

It was similar to Tommygirl's idea, except that I used a rotary valve instead of a slide valve.

[tommygirlMT]

Cant take all --- or quite frankley --- any credit at this point even though I would love too --- KTN gave me the idea of the sliding valve with his design --- havnt actually built anything yet just thinking and a doodling in .gif animator.

Here is how as I understand it KTN's setup works --- very good --- but as he mentioned if the boolit sizes hard it can lift the sizing die before the ram tops out and sqirt lube on inbetween the boolits and get all over the boolit nose:



Ass with any lubra-sizer with a valve set-up to make sure the lube die is only pressurized when a boolit is in position to be lubed --- there is no need for a pump or metering chamber --- just drop a pancake piston in and hook an air feed to top with a pressure regulator to adjust the pressure to just right

Any change of getting some closer pictures of how the rotary valve works on your setup Jimmy?

[tommygirlMT]

Hope I havn't stepped on anyones toes --- as far as scarfing ideas or such --- sometimes I do that without realizing it

I just want a reloading press mounted push through lube sizer that is highly versitile and works good --- I dont care who takes credit or who ends up building them or who makes the money off them if there is money to be made --- just trying to figure it out and put all the peices together to make something that will work and work good for almost everyone

As I stated earlier:

1 --- I think one that screws into 1-1/4x12 big thread that most big presses has from underneath would be best choice --- one that screws into top of 7/8x14 would fit a lot more presses but unfortionatly dropping down in size and putting it on top instead of under press head makes things a whole lot bigger headache for making it work and still keeping it KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) engineer.

2 --- Make it take great big dies that are basically the same as a star die but only bigger diameter and longer so they are big enough that they can be used on almost any caliber and length of boolit to fit a gun that can be shoulder fired and isnt mounted artillary --- I think 1 inch diameter by 2 inch long not including head lip or stap ring and groove would do just fine --- handle calibers up to 80 caliber and allow lube groove spacing spans of up to 1-1/2 inches long with the back front and rear reserved for riding in O-ring seals

3 --- Then make three different types of adapters in the 1x2 big die size --- one that accpts Lyman/RCBS dies --- one that accepts regular size Star dies --- and one that accepts Saico dies --- the little dies just snap or screw inside the big die body and then everyone can use all the old dies they have and if they have something that takes a really big or really long boolit then can get a custom 1x2 big size die made for that --- With a ring clip head instead of a flange head the larger size die shouldnt cost much more then a flange head star die since they both have to be cut from bigger diameter bar stock --- Lathesmith has already told me that he would be willing to cut a scaled up larger version of a star die (price to be negotiated when the time comes of course)

4 --- Last of all is the lube feed --- long story short making a lube reservor with a simple pancake piston and a 1/4" NIP tapped hole in the cap and letting the user patch together their own air pressure system allows for the simplest and I do believe as a result the lowest cost lube reservor possible --- no need to mess around with threaded rods springs and crank assemblies saving complexity time and labor both on the production end and on the user end --- The ability to use both 1x4 solid sticks and 1x4 hollow core sticks would be prefered but building the reservor for solid sticks is the simplest --- here is what I was thinking along those lines for a reservor that comes stock for solid sticks with air feed hole tapped in the top and the bottom plugged with a simple pancake piston with a bolit in its center to tie a cord to for pulling it back out when the lube is exausted that additional accessories can be added to to convert it to use hollow core sticks and even a manual spring load instead of air feed system --- go with the simplist as stock and then if someone wants to buy or build additional optional parts to convert over to hollow core air feed or hollow core manual spring feed they can:



I will continue to brainstorm on this --- and when I think Ive got it all figured out and no one else is building them --- then Ill eventually build a couple of them myself if necessary --- but with me eventually can be a long time

[jmsj]

tommygirlMT,
I think your ideas make a lot sense and show a lot of ingenuity. I think it is time someone came up w/ a new design on lubesizers. I imagine necessity is the mother of your invention, needing a sizer for your slugs and larger projectiles?
I needed a sizer to adjust the diameter of my Lee and Lyman slugs. I couldn't find one so I built them. Nothing as involved as your design, just a simple set up that works in a drill press.
I wish you luck w/ your design and development.
Good luck, jmsj