Lyman 45 help!!

[josephmoore78]

My ladies grandfather gave me his old Lyman 45 sizer. Great! But the nut for turning the lubing is torn up and I can't get it to back out! What do i do??? I know i will have to replace the whole screw but if i can't get it out the sizer isn't saving me time. I don't mind rebuilding it but i don't even know where to find a part. Ideas? And yes the pressure nut is stuck at the bottom.

[josephmoore78]

61775 Here is a pic

[220swiftfn]

If there's nothing attached to the bottom (or IT isn't bolted down to a bench) you can push down on the pressure rod while turning it to re-engage the pressure nut. (When this happens, you'll start running the pressure rod out of the bottom of the body. Give it about half an inch, push it back flush, bolt the sizer down, and run the pressure nut up and off.)


Dan

[Blammer]

get a vice grip, clamp it on to the top nut there and then turn it clockwise to get the pressure washer out.

[oldtoolsniper]

Apply heat before you do any of the above. A hairdryer will be enough if you don't have a heat gun. the lube will melt and run out so don't do it where your lady will skin you for it. Once you get the lube warm follow 220's advice that screw will push out of the bottom it is not threaded into the body of the sizer since it has to rotate to allow the pressure nut to screw down and up.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Ideas? And yes the pressure nut is stuck at the bottom.

First...Welcome to the best cast boolit forum on the planet...you have found the right place to learn casting and all that entails.

DON'T under any circumstances wedge a screwdriver between the pressure nut and the inside of the reservior tube...that was my first instinct when this first happened to me, but is the easiest way to wreck the reservior tube...and that is fragile and nearly impossible to find or make a replacement.

I hate to contradict my friend in Iowa, "oldtoolsniper"
BUT don't heat up your sizer just yet.

Your pressure screw and pressure nut are Likely not stripped out...it is bottomed out. one of two things has happened, depending on which pressure screw you have. some are threaded farther down to the bottom than others. So your pressure nut has either run out of threads and it is TIGHT to the pressure screw. OR your pressure Nut is bottomed out on the bottom of the reservoir. Either way, "COLD LUBE" is your friend here. put it in the freezer for an hour or so, then...

with the cold press unmounted, unscrew the pressure screw...hoping the ice cold lube will grip the pressure nut. If it does, the pressure screw will back out of the bottom of the press.

If that works...once the pressure screw is nearly all the way out, but it's still got full threading on the pressure nut (if not you can damage the threads)...

THEN add heat with heat gun, blow drier, boiling water or what have you...then push the pressure screw back in to the reservoir and this will push the pressure nut up and out the top.

If you are successful and decide to clean it up....If the lube is decades old, it may need more than heat to remove it...soaking in mineral spirits works best, but fully submerged in boiling water is safer and sometimes works.

good luck,
Jon

[oldtoolsniper]

Jon,
That makes even more sense! I stand corrected. I didn't think of how to hold the nut.

[josephmoore78]

61841I started unscrewing and this happened... is this ok??. The piece came out uneventfully thank goodness.

[oldtoolsniper]

Yes that is fine. That part is not threaded into the body. Your pressure nut is now engaged and if you push that rod back into place the nut will slide up in the tube. The threaded shaft is held in the body by your bench. It rotates freely. When it's all apart it will make sense. Keep turning and you will get you nut out.

[josephmoore78]

61856Yes it came out thank you! I had tried heat to no avail at very first however i can only assume i missed a step. But unfortunately the vice grips destroyed what was left Of the hex that was on top. Any ideas for that? Or just order a new one?

And thank you JonB after the heat took hold it was super easy to remove once it popped loose.

[oldtoolsniper]

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

That is where you get parts. There is a guy selling them on Ebay but he is more than double the price from Lyman direct. I am told the pressure screw and pressure nut will work in the 45. I can't confirm it since my order is not here yet. I can tell you that the thread pitch between sizers made during different times are not the same. They are all 45's but they will not interchange. I would order the screw and nut to be safe.
Replacement Parts 4500/450 - ( 2) Pressure Nut (with two o-rings) formerly 2990146 2990708 $5.00
Replacement Parts 4500/450 - ( 9) Pressure Screw $6.00

All of that being said you can use the screw you have with a vice grip on the end. There is no requirement to use a wrench on that screw, you only need to be able to turn it to advance the pressure screw. I used a vice grip for years to open the door on my old pickup! They are really just adjustable universal clamp on replacement handles.

[josephmoore78]

That's ok I like easy use. What is the best way top strip off the paint and rust? Naval jelly?

[oldtoolsniper]

I used a wire wheel on my grinder to strip the paint from the main castings, they are rough castings so you don't need to be real careful except where the die goes. Paint stripper did nothing on the first one I did. Acetone however takes the paint off almost instantly. A tooth brush sized stainless steel brush (Look in welding supply area) and a few minutes with acetone will net you a clean paint free surface. It's flammable, causes cancer in California, eats small children and removes fingernail polish so use the recommended safety precautions. I soak the rusted parts in evapo rust http://www.evaporust.com/evaporust.html?gclid=CNmj3N-1xrUCFQ3NnAod-yUAZw I get it at http://www.oreillyauto.com the local oreilly auto store. I hot blue all of the non painted parts.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I used a wire wheel to remove the paint and such.

[lksmith]

once you get the nut out. you can do like I did. Take the brass sleeve portion off of the pressure nut and put 2 wraps (or whatever gives a good fit) of electrical tape. This works to grab the tube like an o-ring without ordering one or trying to find one that fits. I've been told that 1-1/16 x 1/16 is about perfect if you can find it.