lyman 450 mod

[XWrench3]

i am just getting my new to me lyman 450 going. i am getting into the learning curve, learning how much is enough pressure, all the little things that only experience will teach. i have one little problem that i find quite annoying though. for some reason, these are set up so as soon as the handle comes over the little bit of toggle that keeps the handle open, it falls down. which as long as my big fat fingers are out of the way, is no big deal. but i haven now scraped my fingers 3 times, and the last one took skin with it. i know i could just tighten down the handle pivot bolt until there is so much side load it pinches it shut. but that does not seem like the right solution. has anyone fashioned a return spring on to the press some place? i am looking at the long bar that wraps around the bottom to push the push rod up as one place to mount one end of the spring. but i have not yet found a good place for the top part of one. so before i do anything rash, i thought i would see if anyone else has done such a thing. if you have, please share. thanks, XWrench3

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

maybe not the best suggestion...But a little boolit lube (soft beeswax type) in the slide guide will stiffen the works some and keep the handle from falling.
Jon

[Shiloh]

Did the beeswax trick myself learned from a related post.

My 450 original handle broke. Lyman no longer had those parts and created a new linkage to replace it. The old one stayed up, the new one would fall. It has bit me on the fingers as well as smacking me on the head when changing sizers of top punches. Annoying.

Shiloh

[243winxb]

Lyman 450 parts http://www.lymanproducts.com/store/page151.html Handle is $4 plus shipping. I did not try to order anything. Might be a dead web page??
Replacement Parts 450 - (19) Handle With Grip
$4.00
Seems way to cheap for 2012 prices.

[243winxb]

Handle falls down. Try moving the nut to the top, shown in illistration 4. http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/Firearms%20%20and%20%20Reloading/Lyman450.jpg http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n420/joe1944usa/Firearms%20%20and%20%20Reloading/Lyman450-1.jpg