Lyman 55

[too many things]

as you know if you have one the power tube turns dark
i got one at a flea and it seem to work but the owner had used tape, would say many times so to clean it up i used GOO Gone its at lowes ,,Home Depot
surprise it took about 90% of the black out of inside too
just some info

[trapper9260]

Thank you for the information, I know what to do when my get that way.

[trapper9260]

Here is a link of the search I done on it and sow you can get it at Walmart also https://www.google.com/search?client=avast&q=GOO+Gone

[44magLeo]

I'll have to try that One of mine is so dark you can't see through even with light shining through from behind and another about half that bad. The other is tinted but still ok.
Thanks for the tip. I keep the Goo Gone around for a lot of things, just never thought to try it for that.
Leo

[44magLeo]

I tried the Goo Gone. It brought up the too worst ones up to a bit darker than the clearest one. Look much better.
I still want to use the new clear tubing I have. I bought two pieces of clear tubing. I think they are acrylic. I think I paid $10 for each for them. Both are the right OD but won't thread in. I tried heating the tubing and the measure body. Won't go. I have a few ideas to try. One idea on one the threads in the body are a bit rough, I might try grinding the threads out a bit at a time till the tubing is a snug press fit. Another is to cut one of the stock hoppers off one the threaded end about an inch long. then build a jig to mount it in my drill press and turn it down kinda like a lathe till the new tubing is a snug slip fit. This shoulder left on the old hopper can support the powder baffle.
These tubes are just under 12 inches long. I thought I would cut one in two pieces, one about 4 inches the other about 8 and leave the other full length. This would give me a choice of hopper capacities. The 4 inch is about stock size. The 8 inch would hold twice as much. The 12 inch three times as much.
Leo

[GregLaROCHE]

Mounting it on a drill press and removing some material should do it. Acetone softens acrylic if you still want to ty to screw it in.

[44magLeo]

I have some acetone, I mix it 50/50 with ATF, Brand or price don't matter much, to make the best penetrating fluid ever.
I'll see how that works.
Thanks.
Leo

[Hollywood_Goon]

I like to use Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish. It will bring back any tube to like new condition. As a side note, the darker the tube, the more you will have to apply the polish to remove the film. And you might have to do this a few times until the tube comes out clear again. I have a Lyman 55 tube (70's tube) I can show you how it turned out. But keep in mind, I've been doing this for year, so my tubes never get black. They just get cloudy or turn yellow. When they turn, that is when I clean and polish them with Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish.

[Hollywood_Goon]

Put a pot on the stove and fill with water. Heat the water up until it starts to boil. Put only the end that you need to thread into the hot water. Keep trying til the tube end softens enough that the threads can press into the tube by screwing it into the main body of the powder measure. Don't let the whole tube get soft, just the end that needs the threads. I've used this method before. Good luck if you try this method.

[onelight]

I like to use Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish. It will bring back any tube to like new condition. As a side note, the darker the tube, the more you will have to apply the polish to remove the film. And you might have to do this a few times until the tube comes out clear again. I have a Lyman 55 tube (70's tube) I can show you how it turned out. But keep in mind, I've been doing this for year, so my tubes never get black. They just get cloudy or turn yellow. When they turn, that is when I clean and polish them with Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish.
Wow that looks great ! Have to remember the Mothers mag and aluminum polish.

[44magLeo]

I tried the acetone. I put about 1/4 inch in a glass jar, just enough to wet the end. It softened the end a bit, then it got brittle and started to crumble and clouded the tube up about an inch. Guess is wasn't acrylic.
On the Mothers, I didn't have any but I do have some Never Dull metal polish. On the worst one it took out a lot of dark crud. On the middle one it took just a bit. Didn't do much for the best one. They all look like the best one now. A bit of a yellow tint on the two that were the darkest. Very usable.
Two of my 55's have a much thicker wall tube for the hopper. I'll take the one that was the darkest, a thick wall tube with me to the auto parts store. See if I can find some expandable rubber freeze plugs.
For those who don't know what these are, they are a soft rubber plug that has a washer with a nut built on it one side of the plug. A regular washer on the other with a bolt through it. You knock out your bad freeze plug, slide the rubber one in and tighten the bolt. This squeezes the rubber between the two washers, this expands the rubber out to seal the hole.
If I do it right I can use different bolts so some of the bolt stick out far enough to clamp in the chuck on the drill press and the other end through a block of wood clamped to the table to hold it steady. Then a cutting tool of some sort to hold against the tube to cut deep enough to be the size to slip fit in the clear tube. One of my wood turning tools should work. Then just part it off.If I get it right with a snug slip fit to a light press fit should do it.
Leo