Started out using a heat lamp I had. Worked pretty good but got too hot and lube ribbon leaked out the back of the lube reservoir. Is this too hot or too much air pressure.
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Started out using a heat lamp I had. Worked pretty good but got too hot and lube ribbon leaked out the back of the lube reservoir. Is this too hot or too much air pressure.
Hey Sooner, the two go hand in hand. You cannot have too much of both. I have a pretty hard lube, so I use a heated base and I control the heat with a PID to about 104F, and the pressure is normally around 70 - 80 PSI.
This works well for me.
If you could get a proper heated base it would be a big plus, then you can control the heat much better.
So start out with the heat and the pressure as low as possible to get good flow, and fine tune both from there, in small increments.
The Star can be a little tricky to get going, but keep at it, you will never look back!
Good luck!
I purchased a 1" thick aluminum plate to mount my Star to. I drilled a hole in the plate centered on the Star. I purchased a simple temp controller that I plug a compact clothes iron into and set it on the plate. It is a cheap setup but I don't need much.
I may give the aluminum um plate a try. If I purchase a heated base does the Lyman work or should I spend the extra cash and get the Star specific heated base?
Greetings,
Sounds like you have too much lube in the reservoir.
The pressure plug is not below the vent hole on the back of the Greaser.
I suspect that after the initial bleed off of lube all works correctly?
Cheers,
Dave
I started out with the Lyman heater years ago, but I didn't like it. You can make it work for you, but I think you are much better off with one where you can control the heat with a thermostat, or PID.
I use a Lyman heater, drilled it to mount the Star on, then got a light dimmer switch and wired it in series with the outlet the Star plugs into. This works fine to control the heat. It gets turned up all the way until the base of the Star feels warm. Then it gets turned down to about 1/3 on. Takes a while to figure out the amount of heat and pressure to use. Start low on both and work your way up.
I may have too much lube in the reservoir. I bought my Star used and am just getting it going using the lube that came in it. I love this thing. It is so fast compared to my Lyman 45.
I’m going to look into the Star and Lyman heaters. My Star is in my unheated shed and it can get pretty cold here in Oklahoma. Especially trying to use harder lubes.
midway used to sell a adjustable heat aluminum heater base. I dont know if it was a lyman or a universal one they sold but it sure worked on my star with no drilling
I have a Midway heater under my Star and have the adjustment screw turned the whole way up and only run it for 15 minutes then unplug it. If I'm still sizing a half hour later I plug it back in for another 10 minutes or so.
I have a Midway heater under one of my Stars, and a Lyman under another, but the majority of them have Magma heaters under them. The Magma heaters are far superior to the others, and in my opinion are worth the extra money they may cost. I have Star sizers set up for different bullets and lubes so I don't have to change things for the bullets I do the most of. Not only does it save me time when I have a big run of several thousand bullets to do, but it saves wear and tear on my nerves changing everything over from one lube to another, or dies and top punches, etc.
Hope this helps.
Fred
RCBS advertises a heater for their LAM that is supposedly pre-drilled to accept Star and other units. It is attractive to me because it has its own, self contained temperature control. It’s on my wish list right now.
Froggie
Thanks for the heads up! That RCBS heater looks good. My Star is mounted to 1/4" steel plate which mates to bolts on the bench. I've been putting the assembly in front of the shop electric heater for 10 minutes to get it started when it's cold.
I’ll check out the rcbs. Temperature adjustment is a big plus
As one that struggles with my Star every time I start a new bullet design in it, I have learned that temp and pressure work together.
Once I get the lube holes lined up properly ( a major task to me), it now turns to the balance of heat and pressure.
I have an old Midway heater on mine and I use Magma lube exclusively. I set the temp controller and have not changed it in years. That is one of the benefits of using the same lube all the time.
Also don't forget....if you change the heat setting it usually take at least a half hour for that temp change to go through the entire Star sizer.
You are right, though....the greatest invention since sliced bread.
I have had a Star lube sizer since the seventies. After some problems with high outside temps melting lube in loaded ammo, I started using Lars’ Carnauba Red lube. CR requires heat to make it soft enough to run through the Star lube/sizer. I ended up with a Lyman heater. The Lyman comes drilled and tapped for the Lyman, RCBS, and Star lube sizers. Unfortunately, it has no heat control and gets too hot for best performance. I happened to have Dremel Tool speed control and it worked perfectly, for years. Then, the indicator light failed, so I switched to an inexpensive speed control for a router from Harbor Freight. An alternative, mentioned above is just build an electrical box to house a light dimmer switch.
Now that RCBS has a heater with a heat control. That’s the way I would go, today. With a heat control, you find the setting that works for you and leave it there. Just turn the heater on 20 minutes before you start sizing and you are “good to go”.
FWIW
Dale53
Maybe I'm a jerk, but I play a propane torch low flame over the die region and the base of the luber for about 7 seconds to get things going.
Watch what's on your bench!
When I purchased my Star Lubesizer I ordered it with the base heater and the compressed air cylinder. I use carnuba red lube which is good from 600 FPS to 2200 FPS. Once i got the heat set properly i Have had no issues at all. Spend a bit initially and it saves you a ton of headache in the future.Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Luber
Could that heater be a C&H thats what ive been using for decades !Quote:
Originally Posted by Lloyd Smale
Midway sold their own branded heater base. I've got one on one of my Star Sizers.Quote:
Originally Posted by bobthenailer
Hope this helps.
Fred
I'm with FISH4BUGS.
My Midway heater was cheap ($19.95) way back when Midway had free shipping: the golden years. I use the same lube for everything & have never changed the setting once I found the "sweet spot". If everything works Ok, I don't need a PID.
I passed a propane torch over a bench I had cut a type III VW engine block on the week before. Magnesium wouldn't you know. 22,000 degrees for a half second. Stumbled out into the daylight where I could see a bit again. Almost 50 years ago, haven't done it since. LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by Martin Luber
The Lyman heater was only 20 watts and you couldn't leave it on full power. It doesn't take much.