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View Full Version : Lyman 450 heater "upgrade" question....



Bucks Owin
03-28-2006, 11:47 AM
I've just finished rebuilding a used Lyman 450 and am thinking about installing a heater in it. Rather than $48 for the Lyman heating "plate" that goes between the sizer and the bench I was thinking it wouldn't be hard to drill 2 holes in the back of my 450, tap one of them for the setscrew and install the $28 heater from a 4500 in it. Besides being cheaper, it would be a "better" setup than the heater plate....

My question is this: Does the 4500 heater element fit in a close tolerance hole (eg contact the metal of the sizer) or is there a little airspace around it? Is this modification as easy as it would seem to be?

I hope you can follow my description of intent here....

Dennis

Cherokee
03-28-2006, 01:38 PM
The 4500 heater is not a tight fit in the hole but not sloppy either.. Since I'm at work, can't tell you the size but sounds like it might work. I would drill the hole after I get the heater so I know the correct diameter.

j4570
03-28-2006, 08:54 PM
I just ordered a 4500 as I gave up trying to get a good used one for a good price.

I'll measure for you when it comes in, the heater too. If you can wait a few days.

Jason

lmcollins
03-29-2006, 06:29 PM
I have both a late model 450 and my own 4500 in the basement now. The difference between the two is that the 4500 has had the base made thicker to hold the little cartridge heater. It would be immpossible to use the old 450 base with the 4500 heater... there is just not enough thickness.

I think that if I were going to do it all over again I would just look for a piece of aluminum plate to put under the old 450 with a flatiron on it. You'd need something about the size of a piece of notebook paper, and about 1/4 inch thick. 3/16s would probaably be good enough.

j4570
03-29-2006, 08:45 PM
Here are the pics:

Overall view:

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/3749/lyman14ib.th.jpg (http://img514.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lyman14ib.jpg)

Heater Hole:

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/5548/lyman24ju.th.jpg (http://img512.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lyman24ju.jpg)

Heater Hole Measurement:

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2406/lyman32qk.th.jpg (http://img512.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lyman32qk.jpg)

So it looks like a regular 3/8 hole, with a setscrew put in through the top to hold it in place.

The heater is about .370-.371 with the same calipers.

It's a pretty good fit, but goes in easy by hand, but doens't wiggle much.

Hope this helps everyone. I gotta go clean some guns and put together my new lubrisizer.

Jason

Bucks Owin
03-30-2006, 11:18 AM
The base of my 450 is 1/2" so it'll have to be an accurate drilling procedure but I don't see why it won't work.....

Thanks much for the info!

Dennis

montana_charlie
03-30-2006, 02:19 PM
The base of my 450 is 1/2" so it'll have to be an accurate drilling procedure but I don't see why it won't work.....
Dennis,
If you are good with a drill, you will end up with 1/16" of cast metal above and below that new hole, and the hole will have to be two inches (or more) deep.

After removing that much metal from the center of your tool's base, I think there is a good chance that the brittleness of the cast material will cause the body to crack someday when you are holding pressure on a bullet's nose...or trying to 'bump it up' a thousandth or two.

Far better (I think) to find a scrap of aluminum, steel, copper, brass, or bronze which is thick enough for the necessary hole...and mount your 450 on top of a 'homemade version of the $48 plate'.
CM

j4570
03-30-2006, 11:21 PM
I measured the 4500 base and it's a little over 5/8 thick, so yeah it's thicker than the 450.

I know a lot of people do the aluminum plate with iron trick, and it works, no reason it should not.

I found you can't always have everything the latest and greatest (unless you are Bill Gates I guess), so I try to buy high quality and keep a long time.

So I got the 4500 with the heater. I want to keep it a long time, and it looks good enough to me.

Blacktail 8541
03-31-2006, 11:30 AM
Going with a seperate base plate is the way to go. the metal is just not thick enough and would break out over time with the flex that the sizer would have with the extra metal removed.

Bucks Owin
04-03-2006, 11:37 AM
Dennis,
If you are good with a drill, you will end up with 1/16" of cast metal above and below that new hole, and the hole will have to be two inches (or more) deep.

After removing that much metal from the center of your tool's base, I think there is a good chance that the brittleness of the cast material will cause the body to crack someday when you are holding pressure on a bullet's nose...or trying to 'bump it up' a thousandth or two.

Far better (I think) to find a scrap of aluminum, steel, copper, brass, or bronze which is thick enough for the necessary hole...and mount your 450 on top of a 'homemade version of the $48 plate'.
CM


I think you're right!

Thanks,

Dennis

Idahoan
04-05-2006, 06:35 PM
If you have more time than money, I have a 4500, but I use a 3/8ths thick aluminum plate about 4" X 12", and use the "little womans" clothes iron. Drill a couple of holes through the plate, then mount the plate with the longest part to the back between the table and lube-sizer, and simply set the iron on the plate, the aluminum transfers the heat real well to the sizer's housing. Can work too well, don't need to turn the lube into soup, just a thick paste:roll: , so I simply remember to turn the iron on and off every 30 or so bullets. I use spacers to keep the plate off the loading table, oh, and you will need to drill a third hole in the back of the aluminum plate and bolt the back end to the table also as the setup will be unstable when using otherwise.

omgb
04-06-2006, 12:23 AM
A simple aluminum plate that is thick enough to drill for the heater element will work. make it large enough to serve as the base for the press. Drill it, insert the element and you're ready to go.

ovendoctor
04-08-2006, 09:26 PM
I have been useing a heat lamp bulb with my rcbs
works very well with hard lube[home made by redneck dan]

Walter Laich
04-09-2006, 09:06 PM
I've done what ovendoctor mentioned. Works but you have to be careful not to get it too hot or you've got liquid lube coming out the sizer.

I was blowing the bottom plug in my 450's and set them back to Lyman for repair. Got 4500 bodies back! No charge either. Don't know what happened but I didn't want to rock the boat.

They didn't have the heater hole drilled but I've got the flat plate heater from Midway and it works fine on the 4500 bodies.

Walt

Swagerman
04-10-2006, 03:28 PM
Say, guys. Are you using hard lubes in these presses?

I've got Lyman yellow brown Alox in my Star and Lyman lube presses, the most they've ever needed on a cold day is 2 minute blast from my hair dryer. The reloading room is inside of my house at room temperature.

Anymore heat and the lube starts to by pass the grease grooves and get on the bullet's nose.

The Star luber may have to turn on the Midway heater if I start using harder lube in it, but so far that's not necessary.

I know they sell a medium hard lube on the market and that is what I will one day try out.


Weather is really warming up here in the north, got to cast some more today, my stock pile is growing and growning. :)


Jim

Walter Laich
04-16-2006, 08:15 PM
I do use hard lube. Worked with Blue Angel and now doing some mixing of the blue and red lubes; working on getting a lube that melts somewhere between the two.
the blue is a bit hard and the red can get sticky down along the Gulf Coast in summer. Today it was 92* and it's only Apr 16

W

Bucks Owin
04-16-2006, 08:35 PM
Luckily, I've found a forum member with a Lyman "plate" heater for sale at a good price. I'll be going with that for lubes like "Orange Magic" and other hard lubes....

Like Walter, I often shoot in 100+ degree heat too....

Thanks to all for the suggestions,

Dennis :Fire: