Get to try out Lyman's Customer Service

[buyobuyo]

Well, I get to try out Lyman's customer service. I did a little casting this morning and then started sizing what I had cast. Went to turn the little wrench to lube the boolit and noticed that the stem come up. Took the machine apart and found that the base of the lubri-sizer where the stem is tore out.

Of course, I'm a month or two past the 1 year warranty period. I'll see what they say when I call them Monday morning. Hopefully, they'll take care of it under warranty.

[swheeler]

Good luck!

[chambers]

Same exact problem happened to me, is this a Lyman 4500. I have come up with a great little solution and stopped any lube from coming out the bottom( may have to patent it).

[sig2009]

If your talking about the center stem that the lube stick fits over same thing happened to my Lyman 450. The bottom of the stem is connected to a small bushing that came apart on mine. I ordered a new stem and the replacement is cast with one solid piece which now looks like a nail head on the end. So far works great but I had to buy a new one. It is #9 in the diagram below and it is $6.00

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/b...BC_LS_4500.pdf

I ordered the complete assembly which includes parts 1,2,3,7 and 9 in the diagram which cost me $18 so the sizer is more or less rebuilt.

http://www.lymanproducts.com/store/page151.html

[buyobuyo]

Same exact problem happened to me, is this a Lyman 4500. I have come up with a great little solution and stopped any lube from coming out the bottom( may have to patent it).

Correct. I have a 4500. I wouldn't mind hearing more about your solution if you don't mind sharing.

If your talking about the center stem that the lube stick fits over same thing happened to my Lyman 450. The bottom of the stem is connected to a small bushing that came apart on mine. I ordered a new stem and the replacement is cast with one solid piece which now looks like a nail head on the end. So far works great but I had to buy a new one. It is #9 in the diagram below and it is $6.00

http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/b...BC_LS_4500.pdf

I ordered the complete assembly which includes parts 1,2,3,7 and 9 in the diagram which cost me $18 so the sizer is more or less rebuilt.

http://www.lymanproducts.com/store/page151.html

Yeah, the center stem is what came out. On the 4500, the nail head, as you call it, is retained by a recess in the frame, and it is the recess that tore out. Basically, it is the metal itself that tore/broke. From looking at the piece that was left on the stem when it came out of the sizer, there isn't much metal supporting the head of the stem. The body is also looks to be a casting.

The only way I can see to fix the problem is to replace the whole body or modify it to accept a seal plug from a 450.

[chambers]

The #9 pulled through the casting #6 in the picture on my 4500, customer service was no help. I used a piece of plate 3/8" thick 5" x 5", used a 1" drill drilled a partial countersunk hole hole and finished with a 1/2" countersunk not quite all the way through. I put a 3/8" washer on the # 6 threaded assembly and now it sits under the lube sizer and installed one rubber o-ring around the washer, drill two bolt holes that hold the 4500 down through the new plate and problem solved. The body casting #6 is machined too deep from factory or not cast properly as it had only about 1/16" left that broke out inside the lube sizer, when I wasn't even using this. I do like the 4500 with the heater but would advised against buying as warranty is not like RCBS. I just wanted to used what I paid for. I can take a picture if needed.

[buyobuyo]

Chambers, that's pretty slick. So basically, you need a 3/8" thru hole and a 1/2" blind hole. How deep would you say you went with the 1/2" hole? I'm not quite sure I get the point of the 1" blind hole, or is that were the 3/8" washer sits? Are the thread of the pressure screw (#9) now completely inside of where the lube goes? Does it make it harder to get the pressure nut (#2) installed?

If you have a picture of the plate before you mounted it, I would be helpful.

Thanks.

[chambers]

Buyobyo, Give me a PM with you regular email. I'll send picture. I can;t seem to post a picture for a reply here. You can post if you can to let others know.

[buyobuyo]

PM sent.

[buyobuyo]

Here are the instructions and picture that chambers sent me on his fix for the Lyman 4500.

What is needed:

Piece of plate, take broken screw assembly out of lube size, find the center of the hole inside the lube sizer and mark on plate, also mark your two hold down centers.

Drill 1/2" hole which is the outside dimension of your the round head on the screw assembly in the plate, do not drill all the way through, what you are doing is allowing this to spin inside the new base plate when done.

Then drill with 1" bit to ream the hole out in the base plate to the size of a 3/8" washer outside dimension, which you are going to slide over your screw assembly.

Also drill your two hold down bolt holes.

To assemble, make sure the threaded assembly with washer fits freely in the new base plate with your hand (do not have the threaded upper piece in your lube sizer at this time, just checking if you drilled everything deep enough).

Assemble the screw assembly with 3/8" washer, push it from the bottom of your lube sizer up into lube sizer, install one round rubber O-ring which fits over the outside of washer and has more height than washer, I put a little grease/oil on these parts as they will turn (washer and head of threaded screw assembly), bolt down the o-ring provides a seal between the base plate and the original lube sizer. It works great for me. It turns as easy as before, the only thing is your upper threads are about an 1/8" to 3/16" lower but you can still start the threads to bring the upper assembly down with wrench (I start mine out with a battery drill after I get it started, it's much faster than the ratchet wrench.)

Thanks again for the info/ideas. From the original description, I though everything was feeding through the bottom of the plate you're using as the new base plate. That's much simpler than I was envisioning.

[sig2009]

Hey guys. I just checked and I overlooked that part. It does not show in the diagram but when I ordered the complete assembly it came with a new bottom cap. If you order the complete assembly it comes with that piece but as I said it does not show in the diagram.

[buyobuyo]

Hey guys. I just checked and I overlooked that part. It does not show in the diagram but when I ordered the complete assembly it came with a new bottom cap. If you order the complete assembly it comes with that piece but as I said it does not show in the diagram.

Chambers and I have the 4500. There is no bottom cap like on the 450 that you have. One the 4500 the pressure screw is retained by the body of the casting itself which is thin and prone to breaking as it did on our machines. Basically, chambers fix creates a bottom plug to retain it.

[sig2009]

buyobuyo.

Thanks for the heads up. Looks like I will never be buying a 4500. At least the 450 that I have can be totally rebuilt.

[chambers]

I have used this as I didn't want to buy a new cast iron body or throw it away. I am using carnuba red for lube and needed to heat it so this is why I went with Lyman, I also have an RCBS but no heater for it. Have done fair amount of lube sizing and no problems. I used two 3/8" studs on an angle to fit the profile of my Lyman mounting base, but this is not needed as you can bolt directly through and sandwich the plates, have not had any lube leaks.

[buyobuyo]

I've been thinking on a way of doing this that is quite a bit more elaborate but should be a solid fix. I'm going to borrow the heat gun from work tomorrow to melt out the lube still in the machine and start doing some measuring. Also, need to see what I can scrounge for scrap material.

[shooterg]

I still can't get over using "Lyman" and "customer service" in same sentence.

[buyobuyo]

I never did bother calling Lyman, since I was a couple of months out of warranty. I also figured that even if I got it fixed I would most likely have the same problem again sooner or later.

I'm working on a fix loosely based off of chambers. I've got the bottom plate machined to size and the mounting holes for the press drilled. I'll be working on it more this week, but I don't think I'll get it finished until after the new year because of the holidays.

[Triggerhappy]

buyobuyo,

I had the same thing happen on a 1.5 year old sizer. Sent Lyman an email about it. Took some pics and sent the cast body back to Lyman. In a couple of weeks they sent me a replacement.

The old one only had about the thickness of a penny of material at the end of the socket where the jack bolt sits in. The new one has nearly 1/2". I think they got a bunch of bad castings, the new one will not break the way the old one did. As easy as it was to get a replacement I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't know about the problem. I'd say give them a try.

I'll give them credit though, they stepped up and replaced it.

I did have a temporary fix, I mounted the press on a 1/2" thick sheet of rubber with a small depression under the jack screw with a large washer on the screw to go against the base. Worked for a while.


TH

[stubshaft]

I still can't get over using "Lyman" and "customer service" in same sentence.

Me either, the last time I needed one of the cast links for the handle they told me I would have to buy a complete handle assy. rather than just the part I needed.

[nanuk]

if you need a heater, just make your bottom repair plate large enough to hold a clothes iron.

two birds, one stone kinda thing