What a little TLC can do for a Lyman45

[Recluse]

Outside of a Star, the Lyman45 is probably my favorite lubesizer. I like the linkage, the toughness, etc etc. I rarely use a lube that needs heat, so the 45 is a good deal.

Picked one up from Madcaster a few weeks ago. Been doing a little TLC with it. Took it completely apart, cleaned the lube out, put all rods, nuts, set screws in the parts washer. Cleaned off every square micromillimeter of surface on the main parts of the sizer. A little sanding, some primer, then some nice paint and she was ready to go back together. Polished every friction and alignment part, lightly oiled and it's like a brand new machine.

Total investment is around $50. Here are a couple of shots of it before I took it down and apart.

http://usera.ImageCave.com/jdkinman/Lyman45%20Before%201.jpg

http://usera.ImageCave.com/jdkinman/Lyman45%20Before%202.jpg

And here is after I got it all cleaned up and painted and oiled.

http://usera.ImageCave.com/jdkinman/Lyman45%20After%201.jpg

http://usera.ImageCave.com/jdkinman/Lyman45%20After%202.jpg

But I love tinkering around with stuff like this.

:coffee:

[jnovotny]

Awesome job. I got two 450's setup on a bench. They get a little dirty, with use and age. I don't use a heater either. Sometimes when it is really cold I'll set a heat lamp under the bench, it's got an iron top, to help with the lube. But what a great job with that ol 45.

[Dean D.]

OMG!!!! Its not orange now, what have you done???? J/K ;)

Great job, it sure is amazing what a bit of elbow grease and some paint will do for those old jewels.

[Phil]

First time I've ever seen a "bubba'ed" Lyman 45. You do realize you've ruined the collectors value on it don't you? We don't really own these things you know, we are just the care takers of them for future generations of collectors.

(:>)

Phil

[Lo-Bo]

Nice job. When I got mine it hadn't been used in years and was a mess. Had to use heat and lots of work to get it to the point it could be used again. Picked 2 more up for spare parts. I have decided to move up or so I hope is a move up to one of the new Lyman 4500 machines.
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b196/Moparman2/Picture002.jpg

[mikenbarb]

Hmmm, Looks black?? A Lyman 45 in disguise.LOL:-D

[45&30-30]

Nice work, a custom luber/sizer, bluprinted and balanced. [smilie=w: I like it.

[EMC45]

Fine work Sir!

[Cherokee]

Recluse --- Fine work. Looks realy good and they are great sizers.

LoBo --- Hang onto those 45's, they are great sizers and I still use mine, even tho I have 450, 4500 and Star sizers

[Dale53]

Recluse;
Nice job, sir! However, I would have painted it the same color...

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]>>>I rarely use a lube that needs heat, so the 45 is a good deal.<<<

Lyman's flat heater is drilled and tapped for the Lyman, Saeco, RCBS, and Star lube/sizers. I have one on my bench operating as we speak under my Star (I control the heat with a rheostat which YOU have to supply). It works VERY well and I use it not only with my Star but also my RCBS and Lyman sizers (I keep different lube in the different sizers).

These are ALL good lube/sizers.

Dale53

[Recluse]

Recluse;
Nice job, sir! However, I would have painted it the same color...

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]>>>I rarely use a lube that needs heat, so the 45 is a good deal.<<<

Lyman's flat heater is drilled and tapped for the Lyman, Saeco, RCBS, and Star lube/sizers. I have one on my bench operating as we speak under my Star (I control the heat with a rheostat which YOU have to supply). It works VERY well and I use it not only with my Star but also my RCBS and Lyman sizers (I keep different lube in the different sizers).

These are ALL good lube/sizers.

Dale53

I gave some long and serious thought to trying to match the paint back up to the original old Lyman orange, but in the end, I found the dark metallic gray/black glossy that I really liked. I wanted a glossy paint for obvious cleanup reasons.

Got another one that I'll be "restoring," and I'll probably do it in an old original Lyman orange paint color. Dunno, though. Reloaders, in my opinion, get too hung up over colors (implying brand and quality) and I'm kind of into "reverse snobbery." I may paint this next Lyman45 in a zebra pattern. . . seriously.

A woman at Lyman told me that their present flat heater would work with the old 45s, but I'd have to drill the mounting/base holes and to be careful not to drill into the element itself. Still not sure if I want to break down and use a real, bonafide lubesizer heater. When I need a heater, I just set an old garage-sale iron up close, turn it on and leave it be for an hour or so.

Friend of mine in New Mexico made the dangdest heater setup for his lubesizers I've ever seen. He has a Star, an RCBS and three Lyman45s. He uses nothing but hard lube for all of his boolits, and has ever since I've known him. He took some long, flat pieces of aluminum, grooved a "canal" in one of them, laid in a long heating element, connected it to a rheostat, then laid a matching piece of aluminum over it. Then he drilled and mounted his five lubesizers on it.

One heater for five lubesizers on a dedicated casting bench. Pretty slick.

:coffee:

[Dale53]

Recluse;
I haven't had a Lyman 45 for years and years. However, I DID use one for a very long time. I broke the pivot bolt for the operating lever but that is all that ever happened to it. I have seen a couple with the handles broken. All in all, tho', they worked very well.

I replaced my 45 with a 450 and it has been quite satisfactory. I use my Lyman heater with my 450, an RCBS, and a Star. The heater came drilled and tapped for all three of them and reportedly is drilled for the Saeco sizer/luber also.

I can understand your reluctance to spend money for the flat sizer and then take a chance on drilling into the heater - THAT would be a bummer.

I have used a bare bulb against the sizer for heat but that is pretty much an accident waiting to happen. The glare of the bulb is "not much fun", either.

A home made heater set up that appeals to me is a flat aluminum plate, drilled to match your various tools, that extends from under the sizer towards the back and big enough to sit a clothes iron on it. The iron is fully adjustable, can be found for little money at thrift stores and should work VERY well. I would suggest a plate of salvage aluminum 1/4" to 3/8" thick should work well.

Others have suggested a flexible heater wrapped around the body of the sizer. The flat plate/clothes iron appeals more to me.

I was just "yanking your chain" regarding color. One of the nice things about "rescuing" an old tool you can do just exactly what YOU prefer.:mrgreen:

Dale53

[Springfield]

I just bought a used 45 from a member here, I believe. It looked like your before picture, but I am more of a traditionalist, I guess. OSH orange spray paint looks pretty good on it.

[opentop]

Got another one that I'll be "restoring," and I'll probably do it in an old original Lyman orange paint color. Dunno, though. Reloaders, in my opinion, get too hung up over colors (implying brand and quality) and I'm kind of into "reverse snobbery." I may paint this next Lyman45 in a zebra pattern. . . seriously.

Chevy orange engine paint looks like it would match up perfect.