Lyman 450 sizer

[RonEgg]

Folks, I need some expert help. I bought the sizer off of eBay and while a bit long in the tooth, it appeared to be all there. After finally looking at the parts diagram at the Lyman site, I bought what I had been missing. I still can not get the sucker to lube anything. I dug out the concrete that was in it refilled with new lube and still can't get it to do anything. There were no instructions with it but I have followed what little is on the Lyman site and still no go. I was so desperate that I loaded up twenty 44 spls today with no lube. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?????????

[spqrzilla]

I can't tell from your description.

Did you boil it to get all the dried up lube out of it? When I bought an old 450, I put it in a large stock pot full of water and boiled it until it quit leaking lube. Disassemble the sizing die from it before you do that so that you can confirm that the lube chamber is clear to the sizing die.

Then, when you put fresh bullet lube in the lube chamber, you use a wrench to turn the screw to push the plunger down and put pressure on the lube. You also have to adjust the screw stop under the sizing die so that the bullet is pressed into the die just far enough to get the inner sleeve of the sizing die to clear the openings in the sizing die.

[mooman76]

What kind of lube are you using? Hard lubes require some heat. You can heat your sizer with a hair drier for a couple minutes to soften it.

[GP100man]

Heat is your friend & frustration !!!!

When ya get it flowin you`ll understand !!!!

Also look & see that the lube grooves are going low enuff in the die to accept the loobe!!!

[RonEgg]

OK, I have been working on it for several hours now. First the lube is Virals soft blue. It seems plenty soft to me. I had cleaned the sizer before, but I have not boiled it YET. I have read all the instructions, triple checked that I have all the parts and this is my best guess.
First I lower the piston to the position to add the lube (I simulate this since it has lube already.) Next (after the simulated lube insertion) I insert the piston on the screw, press it down until it engages the threads, back the screw out ( and this is where the piston is supposed to descend into the bowels of the chamber), however it stops at the entrance of the chamber not even getting low enough to put the reservoir cap back on.
Supposedly I am supposed to turn the screw, lowering the piston into the chamber, building up pressure on the lube and it enters the chamber and sizing die to lube the bullet.
Since the piston doesn't descend it doesn't build up anything, doesn't squeeze anything, soft or not.
AM I DOING ANYTHING WRONG???

Oh, and by the way, I have heated it with the hair dryer to no effect.

[GP100man]

the piston your talkin `bout is threaded ???? rite !!!!!

It`s tuff to get it started sometimes (a little regular grease or oil to let the orings slip into the chamber helps ) new o rings are tuff to get in the first time !!!

Some people take a small pocket screw driver & help the orings in I`ve found lube easier , the pressure screw may spin a bit but it`ll go on in !!!

But it sounds as if ya have the general idea !!!

I put a peice of pvc on the screw to prevent the pressure screw from runnin off the threads at the bottom !!!

After gettin the piston in & still no lube , remove & clean the loobe holes in the die !!!

I place the retainin nut on the die then insert it in the body , lettin the die hold the nut square so it starts correctly !!!

Hope this helps even if a little !!!

[RonEgg]

OK, I appreciate the encouragement that I seem to have the right idea. The "O" rings are new so I will use a bit of lube and try, try, try again. The dies is brand new, so no problem there.

[RonEgg]

I couldn't take it anymore. I broke it all down and boiled it. Just got it back together. I will work on it tomorrow and will advise. Should I melt the lube this time???

[RonEgg]

Last question and this could be the biggie. Do I start with the screw protruding out of the bottom of the sizer?

[Bret4207]

Ron, Are you talking about the screw for the lube chamber? No, that should be up tight so you can put the plunger on. It should be flush with the bottom of the base, it would have to be so you can mount it. Here is the part that confuses me-

"First I lower the piston to the position to add the lube (I simulate this since it has lube already.) Next (after the simulated lube insertion) I insert the piston on the screw, press it down until it engages the threads, back the screw out ( and this is where the piston is supposed to descend into the bowels of the chamber), however it stops at the entrance of the chamber not even getting low enough to put the reservoir cap back on. "

You shouldn't be lowering anything into the lube chamber except lube. Then the plunger/disc/piston is screwed onto the screw that sticks out of the very top of the sizer and a wrench or ratchet is used to lower it onto the lube. You aren't talking about the sizer die and top punch or the sizer die ejector rod are you? The ones where you actually size the boolit? That you push down into the cavity and put the screw cap on to secure it.

The lube plunger should enter the chamber with a little help. Sometime chamfering the leading edge with some fine paper helps if it's rough.

[RonEgg]

OK, I have finally broken the code. The whole problem has been the screw has not been turning. Once the piston has been screwed onto the screw, the screw turned until it comes flush with the base again, it just stopped and wouldn't turn further. Since it wouldn't turn, the piston did not continue down into the chamber, hence no pressure. I had to pop in a couple new parts, lube it sufficiently and then crank on it with a bigger wrench and it broke loose. Now the piston is pulled down into the chamber and it should work correctly. Will try it tonight.

[keyhole]

Ron

Don't know how you made out with your 450 from your last post.- hope it went OK after all your work. I also have a 450 which I've used for about 35+ years. You've probably figured this part out already----
With the piston out and a lube stick placed over the screw, put the piston on top of the lube. I have found that you have to hold the piston with your fingers when you turn the ratchet. Otherwise the piston just spins before dropping down into the lube chamber. You will be turning the ratchet handle counterclockwise during this step, the same direction you turn it to inject lube into the bullet.
My 450 finally started leaking lube out of the bottom recently. I replaced an O-ring with an auto parts store 0-ring and it is running great again.
Good Luck!

keyhole

[Shiloh]

Did you get it working??

Shiloh