NIB Star Arrived Today!

[enfieldphile]

My NIB Star arrived today! I also got the shovel handle and the heater. :grin: I hope to have everything bolted to the bench this weekend

lathesmith is making my dies and punches. Thanks to the fellows who recommended Chris. I believe in supporting our on-site artisans. I hope Chris can ship everything soon.

[VHoward]

And let the excitement and anticipation build. :-)

[Irascible]

Don't forget to pre-lube the first bullet through each die. The bullets do not like going through dry. I bent my handle up doing that.

[enfieldphile]

Irascible,

I'm having a flashback to 1983! That's when I got a RCBS LAM. I didn't remove the green gunk the sizing chamber was shipped with, nor did I pre-lub the first boolit. Nothing bent or broke, but the first few boolits were tough going through! LOL

Since that time, I used this procedure w/ A NEW Lyman or RCBS sizing (i prefer Lyman over RCBS Sizing Chambers) chambers. Remove the center rod (note what direction it goes). Wipe all the gunk from the inside and outside of the sizer body and off the rod. Wash both parts w/ spray brake cleaner. Wipe dry. Smear boolit lube through the holes in the die unti it ozzes in the chamber. Then push the rod back in. The lube the rod pushes out is then smeared on the outside of the sizer body.
The first 4 or 5 boolits will also be pre-lubed. This procedure has never failed me yet! ;)


Don't forget to pre-lube the first bullet through each die. The bullets do not like going through dry. I bent my handle up doing that.

[trixter]

When I am done with a sizing session I leave the last boolit on the die lube and all. Then the next time I use it, after it gets up to temp, I push that one out with an already lubed and repeat. That gets everything lubed up, and then it is off and running.

[gunoil]

no lube:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sISgevoaTcU

[enfieldphile]

I got the Star bolted to the bench, set up, put in a stick of Lyman Orange, test run the heater and put just enough pressure to get a bit of lube to ooze through to the die station.

Just waiting on Lathesmith to ship dies, punches and nuts w/lock screws.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/StarLuberSizer/StarLubera_zps0a696142.jpg

[Beagle333]

It sure is pretty! :-D
Where do the boolits go when they come out? Is that an adjacent bench in front of it, or just a box or something?

[yman]

You will love the star. Its so much faster than the others. I keep mine locked away to keep the gremlins from getting it.

[VHoward]

It sure is pretty! :-D
Where do the boolits go when they come out? Is that an adjacent bench in front of it, or just a box or something?

They drop out the bottom into a catch bin or box you provide.

[6bg6ga]

It sure is pretty! :-D
Where do the boolits go when they come out? Is that an adjacent bench in front of it, or just a box or something?

Generally we try not to let all of them fall on the floor. Some type of catch system is encouraged box, pan, bucket.

[50/50]

Boy, that looks pretty. I'm getting ready to buy my first sizer. Going to bite the "boolit" and buy a Star. I want one with the heater, but not sure of the roller handle. Do you mind telling us what that all cost with shipping? Thanks

[50/50]

I wonder why they don't put a dial with a pointer on the heater temp adjustment? Such a quality rig and you have to guess with a screwdriver?

[6bg6ga]

I wonder why they don't put a dial with a pointer on the heater temp adjustment? Such a quality rig and you have to guess with a screwdriver?

Its called making it on the cheap with a lot of profit. This is why a lot of us opt to purchase our own heating elements and a PID controller and have our own heater that keeps the temp constant and ends up costing less that the Magma engineered unit. Yes, the MAgma uses a bi-metalic switch as your temp controller which isn't an effective way of doing things but it is cheap and makes them profit.

[Beagle333]

Generally we try not to let all of them fall on the floor.
I was just referring to the pic. It would appear that he only has 1/2" clearance from the output of the thing. I was just wondering if the object partially in view was part of the plan of collecting the boolits and maybe I had seen/found a new idea for said collection. I drop mine in with one hand and catch them as they come out and soldier them along one side of the bench, because I'm using BAC and they get much more gooey if they tumble around together while it's still warm.

[6bg6ga]

I was just referring to the pic. It would appear that he only has 1/2" clearance from the output of the thing. I was just wondering if the object partially in view was part of the plan of collecting the boolits and maybe I had seen/found a new idea for said collection. I drop mine in with one hand and catch them as they come out and soldier them along one side of the bench, because I'm using BAC and they get much more gooey if they tumble around together while it's still warm.

It was an ill attempt at humor on my part.

I use tubes. The bullets go into tubes and are ready to be put on the 650's bullet dropper for loading.

[50/50]

6bg: What does PID stand for? I assume it's like the one's guys have made on their own...a type of dimmer switch with an outlet to plug the heater in? Thanks

[enfieldphile]

It sure is pretty! :-D
Where do the boolits go when they come out? Is that an adjacent bench in front of it, or just a box or something?

Beagle333, There is a shelf bolted to the front of the bench. It's a tad lower. There is a hole in it for boolits to drop through to a container. The shelf is to put boxes of un-sized & un-lubed boolits on etc. The shelf originally had the hole so the lower part of my RCBS LAM would not hit the shelf. Now, the hole is perfect for the Star boolit drop! :)

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/StarLuberSizer/StarShelfc_zps3ceba02f.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/StarLuberSizer/StarShelfb_zps157aed0e.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/StarLuberSizer/StarShelfa_zps489acf93.jpg

Linedock, $487.65 to my door. They shipped by USPS, signature required.

Now I need the dies and punches from lathesmith to appear!

[6bg6ga]

6bg: What does PID stand for? I assume it's like the one's guys have made on their own...a type of dimmer switch with an outlet to plug the heater in? Thanks

PID

A proportional-integral-derivative controller (PID controller) is a generic control loop feedback mechanism (controller) widely used in industrial control systems.

Not a primitive dimmer switch. A programable control device used to provide an accurate means of controlling a SSR (solid state relay) that is used to turn on/off in this case an electrical heating element. When wired and setup correctly one can input the temperature that is wanted and the PID will usually stay within a few degrees of the set temperature.

We the diyers here have opted to make a better mouse trap and have designed and built out own means of controlling the heating units we have seen fit to use. These PID unit work well with sizers and bullet melting pots/ bullet casters.

See the Star section as there is a variety of threads on PID wiring and such. These provide a much better heating system than the OEM from Magma in my opinion and yes I have several of them.

[6bg6ga]

Basic cost of the sizer $325.00?

Cost to build your own PID controlled heating system < $100.00

Cost of a piece of scrap 1/2" thick 12X14 aluminum $30.00

[6bg6ga]

96808

An example of the type of bi-metalic switch used in this type of control. You put a screwdriver in the slot and rotate clockwise or counter and this adjusts the temperature in which the contacts make or break. Unfortunately they aren't all that accurate.




I wonder why they don't put a dial with a pointer on the heater temp adjustment? Such a quality rig and you have to guess with a screwdriver?

[50/50]

I'll check out the threads on PID wiring, thank you.

Enfield: Thanks for the reply on the price of the new Star. Wow..just south of 500 bucks without any dies. I hope my income tax lady sharpens her pencil next week when I get my taxes done. lol

[enfieldphile]

Enfield: Thanks for the reply on the price of the new Star. Wow..just south of 500 bucks without any dies. I hope my income tax lady sharpens her pencil next week when I get my taxes done. lol

Linedock, It sounds like a lot of $$, (it is). BUT, buy a new car, truck, computer, TV, Blueray player. Use them, keep them clean. What are they worth next year, or even next month? Phffffft!

However, use the Star, keep it clean, next year, it hasn't lost much value. In 2 years it's worth what you paid for it. In 3 or 4 years it's worth more. Good tools are like good guns, they increase in value.

I had bought a whole flock of military rifles on the cheap, back when they were being imported and the stuff was flowing like water. I sold off almost all of them last year. My wife was shocked by the profit I made! ;)

[50/50]

You told your wife how much money you made on guns&^$@%()_???? lol !

Seriously, I feel the same way you do about quality. Buy what you want the FIRST time. I try to do as much research as I can before I buy, especially when I'm getting into something new. At first (the last few weeks) I was on YouTube trying to learn as much as I could about boolit casting. Some good things, some not so good. You can tell the guys who know what they're doing. It was on there that I found a link to this forum. What a great site. I was almost ready to buy a Lyman or a RCBS until I saw the Star sizers here. I saw those, read up on them....that's the lube/sizer I'd like! No mess handling bullets twice and sometimes pulling them out of the base that were stuck with your fingers.

You're right...good stuff only goes up in price. Some of the other goes down. Right?

[Beagle333]

Beagle333, There is a shelf bolted to the front of the bench. It's a tad lower. There is a hole in it for boolits to drop through to a container.

Ah... a hole! Excellent!
Thank you for the description and the picture. 8-)


I was the only one who didn't know that. :oops:

[cheese1566]

Dont forget an air feed!

[50/50]

Just for my info....is the air feed that much of a big deal for 100 bucks? Is it that hard to tweek the handle on the lube feeder every now and again? Does it really take a little effort or does the manual wrench spin easy?

[Beagle333]

I have no trouble spinning it a little bit every now and again. It doesn't need tightening nearly as often as my Lymans.
But I don't have a boolit feeder hooked up. I s'pose then you might be wanting one, if you were really cranking out some volume like that.

But if you do want one... Kyle623 has em for $40 shipped.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?229613-6-star-air-kits-for-sale&highlight=star

[50/50]

Beagle, Thanks....That makes a whole lot of sense to me. Boolit feeder means speed. Speed justifies air pressure to keep a constant flow of lube to keep up with everything else. I checked out the link you posted....Cool. Much more compact than the factory unit that sticks up above the sizer so high. Any feedback from people who's used any of these from Kyle?

[6bg6ga]

There is a thread about putting together common plumbing fitting so you don't have to purchase an air cylinder

[cbrick]

I used my Star's for many years without the air pressure, saw it on their website many times and kept telling myself that I didn't do enough boolits to warrant it. Then one day while looking at it again I thought what the heck, I love toys so I bought it. Hooked it up and hadn't done 20 bullets before all I could think was . . . What was I thinking, why didn't I get this years ago? It's much more than just another toy to play with, it's more than just speeding things up. It greatly simplifies everything with a steady even lube pressure, very simple pressure/heat adjustments depending on lube & boolit temp keeps it humming along. I can't imagine sizing anymore without it even for small runs.


Yes, the MAgma uses a bi-metalic switch as your temp controller which isn't an effective way of doing things but it is cheap and makes them profit.

Yes, it is effective. Is it the best way, no a PID is better but to say it's not effective is to say it doesn't work, it does work.

A business making a profit? Say it isn't so, that's disgusting. Any business with integrity will of course operate at a loss.

Rick

[50/50]

You've made my mind up, Rick. Especially for a $40.00 aftermarket set up....and I already have a small wall mounted compressor about 6' away from where I'm going to be using the Star anyway. Thanks

[cbrick]

Linedock, if it's Kyle's unit your looking at be sure to get the air regulator he is offering for it. You do need to regulate the pressure.

Rick

[50/50]

Will do, Rick. Thanks

[6bg6ga]

I used my Star's for many years without the air pressure, saw it on their website many times and kept telling myself that I didn't do enough boolits to warrant it. Then one day while looking at it again I thought what the heck, I love toys so I bought it. Hooked it up and hadn't done 20 bullets before all I could think was . . . What was I thinking, why didn't I get this years ago? It's much more than just another toy to play with, it's more than just speeding things up. It greatly simplifies everything with a steady even lube pressure, very simple pressure/heat adjustments depending on lube & boolit temp keeps it humming along. I can't imagine sizing anymore without it even for small runs.



Yes, it is effective. Is it the best way, no a PID is better but to say it's not effective is to say it doesn't work, it does work.

A business making a profit? Say it isn't so, that's disgusting. Any business with integrity will of course operate at a loss.

Rick


Ok Rick,

I may have chosen the wrong word. Its effective in terms that it works. Its not effective in terms of keeping the temperature within a reasonable range as it will vary + or - 30 degrees of more depending on the age of the bi-metalic switch. Therefore I will stay with it being not effective. The PID is the way to go.

[6bg6ga]

Nothing against Kyle but you can have your own air without purchasing anyones kit for $40. All it takes is a $5 piece from your plumbing products store.

There is a thread on how to do this if you do a search.

[enfieldphile]

My dies & punches from Lathesmith arrived today! Woot! :)

Sadly, I am @ work (on my iPhone). Oh the humanities! :(

I will be with my Star tonight though. ;)

[1911]

How long did it take for Magma to ship your star from the time you ordered it?

[enfieldphile]

I ordered it on a Friday morning, it shipped the following Monday.


How long did it take for Magma to ship your star from the time you ordered it?

[Irascible]

I like the twist ty holding the handle up! Go to Ebay (Star sizer) and buy the $5 spring kit, it's a finger saver!

[enfieldphile]

Irascible, Thanks for the tip! I ordered it.


I like the twist ty holding the handle up! Go to Ebay (Star sizer) and buy the $5 spring kit, it's a finger saver!

[Irascible]

I don't know if your Star has roll pins or solid pins where the spring hooks. My OLD, San Diego, Star had solid pins which I had to replace with 2 different size roll pins for the cotter pins to go through to hook up the spring. It all works fine though.

[enfieldphile]

It is a NIB Magma-produced unit, and has roll pins. The spring & cotterpins arrived today. It's already installed!


I don't know if your Star has roll pins or solid pins where the spring hooks. My OLD, San Diego, Star had solid pins which I had to replace with 2 different size roll pins for the cotter pins to go through to hook up the spring. It all works fine though.