How to empty the sizer of lube?

[Gunslinger]

I have a Lyman sizer that is destined to be use for LBT soft blue exclusively. Thing is it has a lot of lube already in it that I don't want to use. Is there an easy way of removing it? Maybe heating the sizer? Or can you remove the die add heat and get it to seep out?

[dragonrider]

I have used a hair dryer, worked pretty well.

[870TC]

I remove the die and the disk with the o-ring that forces the lube down, then use a propane torch. Fast easy.

[No_1]

All good ideas. If you have an old pot, you can boil it out. Skin the lube off the surface then pull it out of the water. It will have a light sheen of lube over the outside from removing it but that helps with keeping it rust free.

Robert

[markinalpine]

I remove the die and the disk with the o-ring that forces the lube down, then use a propane torch. Fast easy.

...etc out of my new Lyman 4500, I used mineral spirits and compressed air
OUTSIDE! :bigsmyl2:

Mark :coffeecom

[lathesmith]

+1 to using hot/boiling water. Works great, and with a bit of soap and compressed air will make your sizer cleaner than new!
lathesmith

[wiljen]

I boiled mine - works great but should probably be done outside to avoid the wrath of SWMBO.

[No_1]

One MAJOR detail I forgot to add. Thanks Wil!

R.

I boiled mine - works great but should probably be done outside to avoid the wrath of SWMBO.

[stubshaft]

I use a heat gun with a bowl underneath to catch the old loob. Gives more heat than a hairdryer and I don't have to remove it from the bench.

[ANeat]

I empitied my Star pretty quick one day, cant really recommend it though.

I was changing dies and filling the resivoir with some melted Lars red. Screwed the air cylinder on and having a mental lapse plugged in the airline.

Now with the air cylinder, no die and a lube resivoir full of liquid lube it evacuated pretty quick:holysheep

I still find stuff in the garage with little red spots of lube on it:p

[Dframe]

Baked mine upside down in an oven at low tempurature over an old pan with water in it. Didn't take that long. You might still have some traces of old lube for a while. really hard to get every last bit of the old lube out.

[Freischütz]

Like everyone else, I removed alox lubes by heating the sizer and letting the stuff drip out. In contrast, I tried to remove some Gray 24 lube that way and failed. No temperature that allowed me the touch the machine would cause that lube to run.

[geargnasher]

I squeezed out what I could and pulled out the plunger, rod, and die, used a propane torch to warm it up all over and it dripped out pretty well. Once it cooled I used brake cleaner and compressed air to get the old blackened gunk out of the tight spots. It's amazing how old Alox will corrode the cast iron inside the sizer and turn black. I thought that stuff was used to PROTECT metal from oxidation? Oh, well, I use Felix lube in it exclusively now and no more black gunk.

Gear

[dromia]

I use a heat gun with a bowl underneath to catch the old loob. Gives more heat than a hairdryer and I don't have to remove it from the bench.

Ditto on the heat gun, quicker than a hair dryer but less brutal than a propane torch. ;)