Lubricator heaters

[Flash]

Has anyone tried a heat tape on their sizer? I have a Lyman 45 that up to now, has only been used to seat gas checks but I want to use the solid lube and need heat. My basement is rather cold through the year and some heat is required to make the lube flow through the sizing dies and I was wondering about a short heat tape. I'd buy a base heater made specifically for the sizers but NOBODY has any in stock. I've never seen it this bad, even with Slick Willie as prez.

[Pressman]

Heat tape will work, or at least it should. I have an unknown brand heat tape made specifficaly for a lube sizer that came with an Idea #5. If it works I do not know as I have not tried it.
Ken

[MT Gianni]

IME heat tape thermostats top out @38 F. If your lube is too cold to flow at lower than that a heat tape may help. Look at a magnetic engine heater, an iron or a trouble light with an incandescent bulb while you can still find them.

[mooman76]

A hair drier works in a pinch. Just blow it on it for about a minute and it should work good depending how cold it is at the time and last quite awhile too but that also depends on how cold and how hard the lube. Have you heard of the iron trick also? Mount a piece of sheet metal under your press and place an iron on the sheet metal.

[KSpainhour]

Hello,
I don't know about heat tape, but my "improvised" lube heater is a couple of 20 watt under counter light bulbs. I took a block of aluminum and drilled holes in each side, stuck the bulbs in, and mounted the lube sizer on it. It has worked so far using lyman orange lube. I have some carnuba red that is going in it next, we'll see. You do have to regulate the heat yourself, when it looks like it is getting too hot, just unplug it for a while.

Take Care,
Keith

[trevj]

I have not yet even bolted my Lyman 45 down yet.

When I do, it'll get an aluminum plate big enough to sit a household clothes iron onto, to use as the base/ adapter plate.

I want to be able to mount the sizer to the benchtop with a couple C clamps anyways.

Cheers
Trev

[Matt_G]

I use an older Kat's magnetic heater. Put a plate of steel between the sizer and the bench it's bolted to, with enough off to the side to put the heater on of course.
Works great.

[jcwit]

I use a clamp on light fixture with a reflector about 8 to 10 inches in dia. with a 100 watt bulb, works great and I can REALLY see what I'm doing. lol