What is this press?

[Baltimoreed]

This critter was given to me to sell for a friend but it has no info on it. The piece with the dies slides up and down. What is it? A boat anchor?
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[Pressman]

Boat anchor? It might be, I have never seen one that rusty. They were finished with shiny natural polish. They don't come apart easily so getting it totally clean will be a hard task.

It's a Jordan, by Cameron Mfg. They go back into the mid 1930's up through the mid 1950's.

Ken

[Green Frog]

Your screen name includes “Baltimore” so I’m wondering if that’s where you are?? If I were dealing with it down here in Central VA, I’d get a five gallon bucket, mix two gallons of ATF with two gallons of acetone and drop that thing in it for a week or so (taking off the handle so I could get the lid on. Then I would clean off all that dissolved “patina”and see what I really had. The press is almost certainly a Jordan, and some folks think they were the “cat’s meow.” I don’t know what your friend can get for it, but with its current covering of rust, I wouldn’t expect much!

Froggie

[mdi]

Hmmm. Interesting. If it uses 7/8-14 dies, it looks like it may be a good "quarantine" project, I wonder how much he wants for it?

[Pressman]

No to the standard dies. They are 5/8" and unique to the Jordan press. It is round, but not a turret press, more like a multi-station single stage press. There are six die stations, for two calibers. The press can be rotated on the base to get access to all the dies.

[GSP7]

Restore it.....

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=141435

[Pressman]

GSP7, that is one nice looking press and it has the scarce lubricator pump.

The Jordan could turn into a real headache to restore due to the difficulty of getting them apart. They appear very simple but in reality they are complicated.

[nicholst55]

Your screen name includes “Baltimore” so I’m wondering if that’s where you are?? If I were dealing with it down here in Central VA, I’d get a five gallon bucket, mix two gallons of ATF with two gallons of acetone and drop that thing in it for a week or so (taking off the handle so I could get the lid on. Then I would clean off all that dissolved “patina”and see what I really had. The press is almost certainly a Jordan, and some folks think they were the “cat’s meow.” I don’t know what your friend can get for it, but with its current covering of rust, I wouldn’t expect much!

Froggie

I would recommend Evapo-Rust. The press will come out 'in-the-white.'

[rcslotcar]

That's why this place awesome,very knowledgeable people here!

[ascast]

Jordan - mostly pinned together -pins are tapered.
the inside of the dies are most likely shot as well. They are not common. The rifle dies (30-06) have a floating chamber type deal; neck size only. I'd like to have another. I would try the Evaporust first.

[David2011]

Evaporust is great stuff however I've watched a few tool restoration videos recently and distilled white vinegar is pretty impressive as well. I'm going to try it on my next rust removal project.

[Pressman]

Well, it's here thanks to the best engineered packaging I have ever seen, and no thanks to USPS trying very unsuccessfully to destroy it.

Unpacked and on the bench it is in a lot better condition than the pictures indicated. yes, there is a healthy coat of just surface rust along with a lot of old oil and grease, it should clean up well, and come apart ok.

This is an early, pre-Cameron Jordon from about 1937.

This is going to be a fun project.

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[Baltimoreed]

Glad it made it to you ok. They would have had to really work hard to break a 17 lb chunk of steel. Looking forward to it’s resurrection.

[ReloaderEd]

great reply guy

[1hole]

A look at that thing is a lesson in reloading history. We've come a long way due to the ingenuity of a lot of tool tinkering men.

[abunaitoo]

I have one.
Got it from a member here.
Anyone have the history on the company and this press????
Maybe a copy of a catalog.

[Pressman]

abunaitoo, there is a good amount of literature and history on these presses. If you can send me a PM or contact me via the email in my signature line I can send you what I have.