Curing Leaky Lyman #450 Lube-sizers

[Maven]

My Ly. #450 has served me well for the last 22yrs., but lube leakage via the base pin always troubled me. The mess notwithstanding, I sometimes lost ~10% of the lube (which I naturally saved & remelted) through such leakage. I tried a large O-ring under the base, then degreasing and sealing the base pin with JB Weld to no avail. Hard lubes, i.e., those requiring a heat source to make them flow, were especially messy. A few months ago I read an article by Ken Mollohan in "The Fouling Shot" (CBA) that proposed a very simple solution: Use a piece of shirt (or similar) cardboard as a gasket. You dismount the lube-sizer, cut a piece of cardboard that is several inches larger than the base in all directions, poke holes in it for your bolts and remount the sizer. Once it's tight, use a sharp utility knife to cut away the excess. I tried Mollohan's fix and have since had no, zero, nada, leakage. Btw, the #450 sits on a steel plate (along with its cardboard gasket) that holds a magnetized, electric crankcase heater that I purchased from GAR years ago. In spite of the gasket, enough heat is tranferred to the machine to allow the lube to flow in 5 minutes, often less. This is a quick and effective remedy: Try it, you'll like it!

[carpetman]

Maven--Hate to ask this. Did you back off the pressure on your 450 after you were through for the session? Had a 450 for years and didnt have the problem---then got an RCBS(found one too cheap at a garage sale to turn down) it will leak unless the pressure is backed off.

[Maven]

Ray, It leaked while I used it (with or without heating the lube), extruding ~1/2" wide ribbons of lube. LBT was especially messy. The problem was that when you had enough pressure to lube a CB, you also had enough (too much actually) to force the lube out the botom. With the #450, I relieve all pressure when I'm finished, rotating the Chapman ratchet 6 or more turns clockwise.

[MGySgt]

Mavin - I have 2 450's that did leak but not any more!

For use without a heater, cut a gasket out of an old inner tube tire that matches the whole bottom of the press that sits on the bench. After mounting with normal pressure on the mounting bolts no more leaking.

If you need to use a heater, run a ring of permatex around the outside of the depression where the threaded rod comes through the bottom. let sit for 24 hours and it may still leak of you use too much pressure, but not much. This rod has to rotate as that is what you are turning to apply pressure.

Drew