Lyman 4500 mess!!!

[GunsAndHarley]

I just started sizing and lubing 460-350VG and It is a total mess! The lube I use is the moly lube that come with the lyman. I have lube all over the bullet, on top, under the gas check, and in the crimp groove.

Any suggestion ?

I am thinking of sizing and lubing in 2 steps to avoid lubing in the crimp groove. Do I need to go all the way to the top or just the driving band?

Thank

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Before I install the die, I 'eyeball' the lube ports of the die and the lube grooves of the boolit, to get an idea where I want to set the depth stop. It gets me real close, only a little adjustment may be necessary.

Also, you may be over pressurizing the lube reservior. Ideally you just want enough pressure to fill the lube groove/s, then when inserting the next boolit, there shouldn't be enough pressure to fill the lube grooves, without turning the pressure screw a tiny bit.

[runfiverun]

the one and only time I used the lyman was with the moly lube.
I could do a couple of boolits by just squishing the lube wrench a little then backing it off about half way.

if your squishin lube everywhere you got too much pressure on it and nuthin is lined up.
or your boolit is too small to fit the die and your just fillin up everything around it.

[rancher1913]

problems like that are why I have switched to mostly powder coating now.

[GunsAndHarley]

the one and only time I used the lyman was with the moly lube.
I could do a couple of boolits by just squishing the lube wrench a little then backing it off about half way.

if your squishin lube everywhere you got too much pressure on it and nuthin is lined up.
or your boolit is too small to fit the die and your just fillin up everything around it.

Bullet drop at .462 and I use a.459 die. May be too cold as I dont have the heater. I will put some heat tomorow and see if get better result.

[JWT]

I had the same issue with the same sizer and lube. I fixed the problem by adjusting the depth stop for the sizer. Start a little shallow and sneak up on the top lube groove. You will get lube under the boolit when the hole in the sizer lines up with the bottom of the boolit.

I do use the Lyman heater and it can make the problem worse (thinner lube). A 1/16th to 1/8th turn is usually enough to fill the groove.

[fryboy]

No sir ,heat will only make it worse ,if it's fairly cool where you're sizing and you're applying too much pressure then warming it will make the lube flow easier ( and with too much pressure even more of a mess )
I have to believe that judicious setting is in order on both the depth and the hole placements ,I always set the holes offset from the main bore body ( like a RR crossing sign ) and jonb's advice is sound and use no more pressure than needed ( and keep a clean paper towel handy until you get it set to work best

[GunsAndHarley]

No sir ,heat will only make it worse ,if it's fairly cool where you're sizing and you're applying too much pressure then warming it will make the lube flow easier ( and with too much pressure even more of a mess )
I have to believe that judicious setting is in order on both the depth and the hole placements ,I always set the holes offset from the main bore body ( like a RR crossing sign ) and jonb's advice is sound and use no more pressure than needed ( and keep a clean paper towel handy until you get it set to work best

Yep! It did the trick! No more mess, I was pushing the bullet too far down. Got It !!!

Thank you

[drifterdon]

Very timely thread for me. I just set my new 4500 up and the sizing dies come tomorrow. Hopefully this will help me get started batter. Thanks guys.

[AKbushman49]

Don- Also be advised that some lubes expand with heat and also thin out a little bit too, of course this all depends on the lube. I use Ben's Red in mine, and since it's still in the 30's at night I need a little heat to get things flowing. I always back off the pressure screw before plugging in the heater. Or like you say will have a lube mess. bushman

[GunsAndHarley]

Don- Also be advised that some lubes expand with heat and also thin out a little bit too, of course this all depends on the lube. I use Ben's Red in mine, and since it's still in the 30's at night I need a little heat to get things flowing. I always back off the pressure screw before plugging in the heater. Or like you say will have a lube mess. bushman

Same here up north, still cold and I cast in the shed with no heating. A litle heat work best

[GunsAndHarley]

How do you manage to swap the sizing die out of the press??? Help !!!

[GunsAndHarley]

Loll! When everything failed... Read the instruction

[.22-10-45]

When using my Lyman 45...(I gave up on a 1970's era 450 due to excessive slop and mis-alignment of ram to die entry), I took a page out of history by using a swivel Craftsman wrench with socket to fit pressure nut...like the original Ideal No.1 1896 tool..in use, lube pressure is applied while firmly holding bullet in die, then still holding bullet..pressure is backed off slightly & bullet ejected. Becomes automatic after awhile. The Lyman Super Moly is an excellent lube, as is all I use on my modern rifle loads.

[gwpercle]

Adjust the depth stop , your bullet is going in too deep. Raise the stop to the point that the crimp groove no longer gets lubed. The hole in the die should be in line with the lube groove and preferably not having a hole lined up with the boolit base.

Back off the pressure , you crank down on the pressure and lube goes everywhere. Light touch, use just enough pressure to barely fill that groove ...no more.
Actually you don't need to add pressure for every boolit, I will lube three or four boolits on one small pressure screw turn.
A groove filled 98 % with lube will be fine .

Gary

[drifterdon]

I sure wish that big old brown truck would show up so I can get started on my own mess. :-P

[alamogunr]

Loll! When everything failed... Read the instruction

You must be an engineer.:lol:

[Ben]

Amazing what you can learn on YouTube :

https://youtu.be/gxa-UYbSXpM

https://youtu.be/Y1_s4RcGtbY

https://youtu.be/4be2Jh0HuRo

[GONRA]

GONRA's been using Pure ALOX 2138F (purchased immediately after the American Rifleman Article decades ago)
in my Trusty Lyman 45 Lube Sizer and never had any problems.
Operating temperature has always been "normal house basement room temperature" - 65 to 70 degrees F.
Am SURE there are better options (less sticky/tacky)
but Pure Alox 2138F is Just Fine for my modest Pointless Retired Man Cast Bullet Reloading Project needs....
Remainder of the gallon can of Alox 2138F will be a Family Heirloom.

[gnostic]

Don't panic, you'll get the feel for it, everyone does. My RCBS does the same stuff when I change size dies. I've owned Lyman in the past and they all do the same stuff, making bullets is an art.

[243winxb]

fixed the problem by adjusting the depth stop for the sizer.

[9w1911]

I do the same, I little twist of the wrench for each boolit, you can feel the resistance. As far as a mess and a loobsizer, one day, I was pouring homemade lube into the press. One thing leads to another, I burn myself and proceed to dumb the lube over my bench, single stage and Lyman 450. Not to mention the carpet, my feet etc. :)

[Ranger Green]

I think I made it worse. Is there anyone in the Sacramento area that would mind teaching me how to adjust this monstrosity properly? I know that it is operator error but working this thing is like talking to a heavily accented person on a (no) help line.

[RKJ]

I fought my 4500 so much that I almost threw it out of the house, but then one day the light came on and I had it figured out. It wasn't any one thing, it just all came together. It helped that I cleaned everything out and started using Lyman's Orange Magic and then Lars's Carnuba Red. Good Luck. You might try the Shake & bake Powder coating. It makes real nice bullets and it's very easy. Heck, even I can do it.

[243winxb]

No heat. Less pressure on lube. Don't run the bullet down to deep into the die.

[John Boy]

I think I made it worse. Is there anyone in the Sacramento area that would mind teaching me how to adjust this monstrosity properly?
Lyman 4500 Manual ... http://castpics.net/dpl/index.php/the-archives/equipment-manuals/139-lyman-4500-sizer-and-lubricator-manual

[ghh3rd]

When I saw the title of this thread I thought you may have done what I did when I got my Lyman a few years ago. I heated up some Felix lube and filled up the reservoir without even thinking about putting the sizing die in first. That was a big mess to clean up :-)

[randyrat]

I think I made it worse. Is there anyone in the Sacramento area that would mind teaching me how to adjust this monstrosity properly? I know that it is operator error but working this thing is like talking to a heavily accented person on a (no) help line.

Go to YouTube and you may find a video on the Lyman 4500.
I went on there and it showed me how to take my washing machine apart, I knew how to fix it, but was too stupid to take it apart. he he he

[ghh3rd]

randy - I can relate

[pugjunga123]

Same here, I kept playing with the adjustment and amount of pressure. When I finally got it right, it was time to move to another caliber. The process starts again.