Score!!!

[vanilla_gorilla]

An old friend came to visit the other day, bringing gifts.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b53/vanilla_gorilla911/guns083.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b53/vanilla_gorilla911/guns082.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b53/vanilla_gorilla911/guns084.jpg

Now that I have this stuff, what do I have? You are looking at a lightly rusted H&G button nose .358 wadcutter and handles, a box of lube that I honestly don't know will even do anything but make a mess, and a beautifully "patina'd" Star sizer with a .358 die. The Lyman pot is probably twice my age and I'm going to have to take it apart, since all it does right now is produce a tiny spark when plugged in and it doesn't heat. :holysheep

Who can I talk to that knows something about bringing this Star sizer back to life?I've never even seen one before, but I know the reputation Star products have, and I really want to bring this one back.

[lathesmith]

Vanilla,
I can't say about the Lyman pot, but I'd say everything else could be brought back up to speed with a little TLC. That mold will work fine, so long as the cavities are not pitted. As long as the lube doesn't have grit in it from storage, there would be no harm in using it.
And the Star sizer, ahhh, yes, that should also work good as new. Just boil it out in some hot water, oil it down, get it adjusted for your slugs,and start enjoying it!
lathesmith

[vanilla_gorilla]

lathesmith, thank you. I just saw that you're then go-to man here for Star dies, and I'm in need of a .430 die for it. Looks like I'll have to give you some $$$

[Bret4207]

Mirror Lube had a decent rep back in the day, 20-25 years ago IIRC. The Lyman can probably be fixed by a decent repair shop if you can't fix it.

Thats some friend you got there. You OWE him!

[GP100man]

VG
good haul & it`ll clean up fine .
a good ohm meter & patience goes a long way.


GP100man:cbpour:

[HeavyMetal]

Your friend did you right!

Suggest you have him PM me for my address!

I have yet to see a Lyman pot that couldn't be brought back to life by a good appliance man, ck the yellow pages!

The Star needs a boil out, a butt load of 3 in one oil and the smart application of some 000 steel wool! I have never seen Mirror lube but see no reason those packages are not good to go! Use them up and then decide if you want to stay with the same basic lube or move up to something like Lar's red stuff.

You got plenty to use before you need to make that choice!

[HeavyMetal]

By the way I went back to your first photo and took a hard look at it!

Bet your pot will work if you put a new cord on it! The one thats on it now has been "kinked" something horrible!

[Bent Ramrod]

I've used Mirror Lube before. It isn't Alox based but it works OK, especially if you're going to cast and size pistol boolits. I never pushed any speed limits with it, and never had any problems.

You have good friends!

[vanilla_gorilla]

By the way I went back to your first photo and took a hard look at it!

Bet your pot will work if you put a new cord on it! The one thats on it now has been "kinked" something horrible!

The whole rest of the cord looks just like that, too. I believe it's done for.



You have good friends!

The very best. I don't have many, but the ones I do have are the best one could ever ask for.

[madcaster]

I found a new cord in a hardware store,just take the Lyman Model 61 furnace and the old cord with you as there are several sizes with that kind of appliance.

[Dale53]

It is quite common for the two pronged plug that attaches to the pot to be the first thing to fail. The female plug corrodes, this becomes a high resistant connection, it then overheats until it burns the connectors.

Replacement of the plug-cord-plug will often put this unit back into service. It IS helpful to have a volt-ohmeter to check out the heating element before spending money on a plug-cord-plug unit.

Dale53

[mazo kid]

If you don't want to play with the Lyman pot, I'd be happy to pay shipping to my house.

[Echo]

+1 on the MirrorLube. It's good stuff for low- and mid-power pistol boolits. It will work fine on your Sig & .45.

And if you replace the cord, and the furnace still doesn't work, open it up. Take the knob off and unscrew the front plate, so you can check the innards. These furnaces are pretty dumb devices, not many parts. It may just be a deteriorated connection inside - that was the problem with my last acquisition that died on me in mid-cast. An Ohmmeter would come in handy.

Your friend gave you about $400 worth of goodies - kiss him next time you see him. On second thought, don't - he may never bring you any more goodies!