Modified H & I die to prevent lube build up

[rhwoodward]

I have had problems with lube buildup under the base of the bullet when using mym Lyman 450. I was reading an old NRA book about modifying the die to allow excess lube to bleed out the bottom of the die so as not to cause build up. Anyone familiar with this.

[462]

Most likely, you are applying too much pressure. Proper lube temperature and applied pressure can be a delicate balancing act, though once achieved there shouldn't be any lube leakage.

[oneokie]

The sizer dies made by member Buckshot have the ejector pin drilled with a through hole to bleed excess lube.

[1hole]

"Most likely, you are applying too much pressure. "

To much lube pressure and failure to maintain sufficent 'down' pressure while adding the lube. It's easier to keep the lever pressure on and slack off on the lube ratchet than to modify the die and waste lube in the process.

[454PB]

Yes, I did the "drill the ejector pin" once. It works, but it makes a mess of the sizer where the excess lube bleeds out.

[Larry Gibson]

The mod in the NRA book was referencing the older "I" die that had a flat face. The mod concaves them slightly if I recall correctly. The "I" die has come modified that way for a long time from Lyman. The hole through the I die will bleed of the excess lube but it's better if you tweek the bullet stop up or down a tudge. Most the problem stems from too much ressure on the with the ratchet and/or the base of the bullet is lined up on one of the lube holes in the "H" dies. Tweek the stop up or down a tudge to get the junction of the base of the bullet and the top of the "I" die off the lube hole.

Larry Gibson

[C.F.Plinker]

The mod in the NRA book was referencing the older "I" die that had a flat face. The mod concaves them slightly if I recall correctly. The "I" die has come modified that way for a long time from Lyman. The hole through the I die will bleed of the excess lube but it's better if you tweek the bullet stop up or down a tudge. Most the problem stems from too much ressure on the with the ratchet and/or the base of the bullet is lined up on one of the lube holes in the "H" dies. Tweek the stop up or down a tudge to get the junction of the base of the bullet and the top of the "I" die off the lube hole.

Larry Gibson

Larry's advice will eliminate many of the problems in getting lube under the boolit. My Lyman dies have four sets of lube holes spaced at 90* around the perimeter of the die. The ones at 3:00 and 9:00 are not at the same level as the ones at 12:00 and 6:00. The holes are also large enough (or the spacing is close enough) That the "dead zone" is very small.

I made a new I punch that follows the mod in the NRA book in that it is both drilled through and has the small rim on which to set the boolit. I tried it out with a very soft lube last week and found that it is a big improvement over the concave style punch that came with the die. In lubing 500 boolits there were fewer than 6 where I managed to get lube on the bottom of the boolit (down considerably from before) and it stayed there where it was easy to wipe off instead of sticking to the I die where I had to scrape it off with a small screwdriver. For me anyway, the improvement is in the little ledge with the bigger depression rahher than in the through hole.

Edit to add: I measured the holes and their spacing on my Lyman .358 die. In each vertical row the holes are .125 in diameter and the distance from the bottom of one hole to the top of the one below it is .097 inches. Since the vertical rows are offset from each other and the holes are bigger than the space between them there is no "dead zone" between them. If you align the upper hole with the lube groove the bottom of the die / top of the I punch will not be between the next set of holes.

[45-70 Chevroner]

The mod in the NRA book was referencing the older "I" die that had a flat face. The mod concaves them slightly if I recall correctly. The "I" die has come modified that way for a long time from Lyman. The hole through the I die will bleed of the excess lube but it's better if you tweek the bullet stop up or down a tudge. Most the problem stems from too much ressure on the with the ratchet and/or the base of the bullet is lined up on one of the lube holes in the "H" dies. Tweek the stop up or down a tudge to get the junction of the base of the bullet and the top of the "I" die off the lube hole.

Larry Gibson

Right on Larry, it's all in the adjustment. I have found a trick that works pretty good at least form me. When it happens I just back off the ratchet a little then hold the boolit down aginst the push rod for a few seconds and the excess lube will bleed back. The proper adjustment and less pressure works best though.

[tenx]

Years ago (my pre Star Sizer days) I purchased a mold that turned out to be bevel based , I put the "I" part of the die in a lathe and tried to cut the reverse of the bevel in the die, my thought was to reduce the mess made during sizing and the ammount of lube wasted. The match wasn't perfect but minimized the excess lube issue, also the punch could be reversed for flat based bullets.