What to do with a misaligned press?

[bouncer50]

You can also use it as a nutcracker like walnuts. power stand a good idea to. I know guy who took junk and made usefully things out of them. Like one guy told me if you can not eat it save it.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

You can also use it as a nutcracker like walnuts. power stand a good idea to. I know guy who took junk and made usefully things out of them. Like one guy told me if you can not eat it save it.

you beat me to it...
I had a china made Smart Reloader press, I don't recall the alignment being off?, but the Ram had heavy machine lines and was poorly fitted (read wabble), I used it for walnuts and butternuts...it didn't really work that well for that either, LOL...I put in on my gunshow table with a price of $1 and a label with the poor workmanship claims...and it sold

[TNsailorman]

I hadn't really put much thought into alternate uses for a Smart Loader but with an home made adapter plate it could also be used to crush aluminum cans to sell.

[mdi]

Didn't someone on here have one of those Smart Reloader single stations with that warpage problem. So they removed everything from the press frame (linkage ram everything).
Then used the press frame as a powder measure stand.

This

to this

I was gonna ask if the press was a Smart Reloader. I bought one out of curiosity and for use as a second press for dedicated uses (depriming, priming, bullet sizing). When I got it I tried reloading 38 Special brass I had laying around. Besides the gritty feeling when operating, there was very little leverage advantage so sizing 38 Special brass was more like resizing 30 cal military cases fired in a machine gun. I also had alignment problems and had to guide every case into the die just to resize it. It now resides on a hook over my bench to remind me to never buy anything with the Smart Reloader name on it. I wish I could give a hint as to how to fix it, but some things just ain't worth the trouble...

[dikman]

This is what I did with my Smart Reloader. Pretty solid, handle can't slip and one day I may even paint the bare metal bits!

[Traffer]

I would strip it down and put the frame in a gas grill. Get it as hot as she will take and leave it in there for a half hour to heat up good. Then turn off the gas and wait a day to check it again. It is not a high probability of success but cast iron will return to it's original shape when heated like that SOMETIMES. It's worth a try in my book. (The paint will burn off, you may want to strip the paint first other wise you will get a lot of icky smoke that the neighbors will not appreciate.

[tazman]

The press shows no signs of being bent or damaged. I believe it was just terribly poor machining.

[jimkim]

Use a rubber O-ring under the locknut, and another rubber O-ring in place of the wire clip to hold the shellholder. Maybe, between the two, they will self align enough to fix(bandage) the issue. One thing that would work, requires machining. You would need to ream the hole for the ram out, and press a bushing(preferably bronze) in it. Then you would need to ream, then hone(this involves more work than it sounds like) the bushing, so it aligns with the die hole. That, is a lot of work, for something that probably isn't worth the time or effort.

Now, if you're bored, and like tinkering, like me, you can redesign and re-engineer the entire thing.

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[gwpercle]

Door Stop.
Paper Weight.
Gift for someone you really don't like .

That nut cracker idea is a great one .

[tazman]

Use a rubber O-ring under the locknut, and another rubber O-ring in place of the wire clip to hold the shellholder. Maybe, between the two, they will self align enough to fix(bandage) the issue. One thing that would work, requires machining. You would need to ream the hole for the ram out, and press a bushing(preferably bronze) in it. Then you would need to ream, then hone(this involves more work than it sounds like) the bushing, so it aligns with the die hole. That, is a lot of work, for something that probably isn't worth the time or effort.

Now, if you're bored, and like tinkering, like me, you can redesign and re-engineer the entire thing.

Sent from my VS880 using Tapatalk

IIRC, the ram is misaligned sideways from the shellholder slot. I don't have the wherewithall to do any machining or other corrective work requiring tools to this press. Fortunately, I don't have a lot of money involved in it, relatively speaking.
I may just scrap the thing and call that a good way to help de-clutter the loading room.
Although that suggestion about giving it to someone I don't like makes some sense.

[jimkim]

IIRC, the ram is misaligned sideways from the shellholder slot. I don't have the wherewithall to do any machining or other corrective work requiring tools to this press. Fortunately, I don't have a lot of money involved in it, relatively speaking.
I may just scrap the thing and call that a good way to help de-clutter the loading room.
Although that suggestion about giving it to someone I don't like makes some sense.

Is it the frame or the ram, that is the problem. You may be able to find another ram, that fits, or can be adapted. Calling the manufacturer, would have been my first choice. Earlier, I assumed you had, or tried. My apologies.

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[tazman]

Sorry, I misspoke and did not say exactly what I was thinking.
When the ram comes to the top, it is out of line with the die hole at a 90 degree angle from the shellholder slot. Allowing the shellholder to float in the slot would not correct the problem since it is in the wrong direction. The casting does not appear to be bent or damaged in any way. It is off far enough that 38 special brass must be aligned by hand in order to enter the sizing die. With longer brass, you can actually see some bending of the brass.
Correcting this would require machining skills and equipment I do not possess.

[Geezer in NH]

I would cut it in half with my sawzall and through it in the metal pile at my town dump.

That way it is gone so no one can recycle it for reloading. Or sell it on Egay

[country gent]

Heres an even mor unique Idea. Stop by the local hardware store and pick up a light socket with a threaded stem install that in an old polished die and into the press a old shellholder and case in the ram. mount on the endtable and a light shade you have a very different reading lamp.