Lyman 45 before and after pics

[oldtoolsniper]

This is the rust bomb I started with. Just to let you know I do this with wood working tools as well so I have a little experience in dealing with old tools.
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Here is the same tool after I finished. All parts not painted have been polished and re-blued. The painted parts were color matched as close to original as I could match. I re-created the sticker as well.
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The toughest part was getting the rust off without reducing the diameter of the tube and operating rods. The sticker took some head scratching as well.

I have four of these and they all are machined differently, I also believe they cut there own threads and made their own proprietary screws they do not match anything I could find. Some of the parts look the same but they are not threaded the same.

My point is beware of missing parts unless you are willing to drill and tap threads as needed. It's like Stanley planes, they cut their own so you can't buy it at a hardware store.

[Mustangpalmer1911]

Nice work!

[ph4570]

WOW! That is nice work.

[cheese1566]

Very nice!!!
Recreation of the decal makes me jealous!!

[David2011]

Great application for EvapoRust, available at AutoZone. It dissolves rust without damaging good metal. It won't even remove bluing and is non-toxic. No interest in AutoZone or EvapoRust- just a great product.

David

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Nice bluing !
everything else looks nice too.
the orange color does look correct.

[oldtoolsniper]

Evapo rust takes the bluing on these off. You will be back to bare metal. I used that, electrolysis and buffing wheels to accomplish this project.

The most important part was JonB in Glencoe's post on how to do it.

[colt1960]

Ive got to say that youve done one fine job on your 45. it looks new. A pigs ear to a diamond. If your interested in selling any decals im sure there is a market for them. I wouldnt mine a couple myself. Great job. Rick!!

[HighHook]

Very nice work...

[P.K.]

Nice! Mine is still in pieces, I never seem to have the time during the week with a 2 y/o running around! I see I'm not the only one with a "birdcage" dust cover, question, where is the pressure nut? ;-)

BTW, your attention to detail is fantastic, dunno if I can come close to that museum piece!

[oldtoolsniper]

I'm not the only one with a "birdcage" dust cover, question, where is the pressure nut?

BK I am not sure what you mean by a pressure nut?

I have two with the birdcage and two with a solid top. Three have smooth pins to hold the operating arms in place and one has a shoulder screw that holds it in place. The lube drive rods have two different thread pitches so the old style lube pushers (Brass wrapped round nuts) are not so universal. If I were to order the new style nut with two O rings I would order the drive rod as well. 50 50 chance it won't work with the ones on my bench.

[theperfessor]

That is a really, really nice rebuild job! Probably didn't look that good when it came out of the box new.

My compliments on a good job.

[oldtoolsniper]

Perfessor, you can see some of your fine work in the background. I used it to get this sizer apart without breaking it. My new hammer has battle scars already.

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If you look at the bottom of the tube you can see how severe the rust pitting was. I had to blue the tube twice because the heat lifts rust from the pits no matter how clean in looks. You can't blue rust.

[Walter Laich]

I tried something similar to a #55 powder measure but nowhere near your level of skill

[Valley Forge]

Very impressive.

[wallenba]

The touch up paint for my Mopar's 440 engine is a near perfect match for my Lyman #55. Just for future ref.

[P.K.]

BK I am not sure what you mean by a pressure nut?

I have two with the birdcage and two with a solid top. Three have smooth pins to hold the operating arms in place and one has a shoulder screw that holds it in place. The lube drive rods have two different thread pitches so the old style lube pushers (Brass wrapped round nuts) are not so universal. If I were to order the new style nut with two O rings I would order the drive rod as well. 50 50 chance it won't work with the ones on my bench.

That's what I ment, the Lyman pam in pdf calls it a "pressure nut." Srry for the foul up.

[oldtoolsniper]

The pressure not is not in the picture of parts. It is however installed in the tube I am going to run the old one first and if I have to I will upgrade to the new style.

I will be ordering from Lyman since some clown welded the end on the drive rod on my next one Undergoing surgery.

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I can't imagine trying to get that attached to a bench like that.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The pressure not is not in the picture of parts. It is however installed in the tube I am going to run the old one first and if I have to I will upgrade to the new style.

some clown welded the end on the drive rod on my next one Undergoing surgery.

"That is the craziest party that could ever be" :) lol
you can only laugh at something like that !!!!

I don't know why, but this situation reminded me of the famous 3 dog night song "Mama told me..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKaQzQAlNn4

[Springfield]

How do you make decals? I rebuilt one that looks good now but I was lucky,no rust. But no decal now either.

[oldtoolsniper]

I will wait on deciding what to do with my secret sticker making skills until some are tested in use. I don't know if they will stay stuck through heating, cooling, lube changes and general use. I hate to have them just fall off after a week or something.

I as well as others would like to see pictures of the ones you re-built or rehabilitated. I am pretty sure I can make these stickers to replicate a 55 powder measure as well.

Is it wrong to change the color of a sizer?

[Pressman]

I bought a Lyman orange #5 sizer off the internet a few years ago. Thought it was a rare, end of the run tool. Turned out to be just a repaint. Looking at it in real life it is UGLY. #5's are just better in black.
Ken

[oldtoolsniper]

Pressman got a picture of a #5 I don't think I've seen one.

[Gee_Wizz01]

Is it wrong to change the color of a sizer?

No problem, as long as it's NOT zombie green!

Gary

[kodiak1]

oldtoolsniper tht is definitely top shelf.

Ken

[Andrew Mason]

that is a great looking lyman 45
what calbibers are you going to be doing with it?

[oldtoolsniper]

I am sitting with eight sizers so I can run two for each caliber I shoot at this point. I really like working on old tools. I have two stars, 4 45's, an rcbs lam II and the newest lyman. They all have good and bad points. Stars are wonderful but if you let one rust and freeze up you better have a boatload of patience. I got one in that shape, the guy put a cheater bar on the handle which just bent the handle. I bet it took me the better part of ten hours to get it apart. She works like a champ now.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Looks great! I acquired 5 rust-bomb star sizers and now have 3 good working machines. Yours look like it came right out of the box!

[oldtoolsniper]

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Three complete and ready to get messy again!

[ggenovez]

That is incredible. I can't believe it's the same tool.

[oldtoolsniper]

Bluing and painting are the fast part. The prep work buffing and cleaning is what takes time. Not counting dry time and parts making, it takes about four hours to do one.

If you have to hand make screws your time gets increased quite a bit. I made parts for two of these. If you are thinking of buying one that is missing parts I would make sure you are willing to invest some time in making parts and hand fitting them. They are not at your local hardware store. There is a casting stamp on the lower casting, Of the four I have two have the same casting stamp and those will interchange, the other two are different and they will not interchange.

If the handle pivot point at the top is threaded and that shoulder bolt is missing you will be looking for someone with a metal lathe and you will have a pricey tool on your hands. You can drill it but you still need a pin the correct diameter and fitted for an e clip on one end and a cotter key on the other. It won't tolerate much slop at that point either.

[oldtoolsniper]

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Lower casting is where these are located.
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That's two casting marks. Most parts from these will not interchange.

Cutting and forging a new screw.

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pic 1 threaded drill rod fitted but not cut to length or forged
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Pic 2 Filing the screw slot on the forged head
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pic 3 screw fitted and done except for tempering and bluing

[oldtoolsniper]

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This is the top of a pressure screw from one of them. I have no idea why someone took a hammer to it. I had to remove the temper and file it back to shape.
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This one was welded, again I have no idea why. You could not even bolt it down like that. To fit a replacement pressure screw required filing by hand to get it to fit the lower casting. If the fit is not good lube will ribbon out under the sizer.

[ggenovez]

Very nice.

Quick question, when you say make your own screws, what are you referring to?

[thehouseproduct]

Well done. Mine turned out about half as good.:)

[oldtoolsniper]

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This screw was handmade by me. It's a step screw and there's nothing like it available at a hardware store that I could find, to include searching Fastenal.

The screw has the slot cut in it. The oil puddle is from quenching it to harden the screw our it would just cam out when you applied a screwdriver to it.

It's drill rod and I had to forge the head on to the drill rod. You either forge a head, or you turn it down on a lathe. For me forging the head and cutting a new screw slot was easier than turning it on a lathe. I also cut the threads so It would be a screw. That particular screw is a pivot point so it's a step or shouldered screw.

Post 23 shows the screw in three parts.

pic 1 threaded drill rod fitted but not cut to length or forged
Pic 2 Filing the screw slot on the forged head
pic 3 screw fitted and done except for tempering and bluing

[autopilotmp]

I have a question about one of the screws with the knurreld head. One of them has a hole in the end, was this screw the set screw for the punch and did it have something in the end to keep from galling the top punch?

[Iowa Fox]

very nice job on the refurbish. Your sticker is what really sets it off. I need a sticker for my Star, about half of it is peeled off. Paul Jones used to have them but would not sell them.

[oldtoolsniper]

That screw holds the threaded sleeve. In the lower casting. A piece of lead shot should be placed in that hole to protect the threads on the sleeve.

[dudits]

wow, great craftsmanship!!!

[autopilotmp]

Aha thanks whatever was in there was not sticking out far enough to do any good. Will get some shot to take care of that.

[Kull]

That's awesome op. Job well done.

[oldtoolsniper]

Autopilotmp,
If shot stacking doesn't work you can snip off a piece of solder and put that in the hole to. It doesn't need to be cheater bar tight. It just needs to hold the adjustment of the threaded sleeve. It's why those are finger nuts not wrench nuts.

Nice thing about lead in front of a set screw is that when you forget to loosen the setscrew before removing (beating out) the "stuck" part you only strip the lead threads not the threads on the "stuck part".

Hint: loosen set screws before beating stuck parts...... It really helps sometimes!

[Walter Laich]

Here is my Lyman #55 with Oldtoolsniper's name tag on it
.
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