Lee hand priming tool

[Brad]

Those of us who miss the long discontinued round tray Lee hand priming tool know that the level was the weak part.
I decided to work on making a replacement today.

Holes drilled and getting ready to mark the areas that need to be removed.



This is after 2.5-3 hours of work. Lots of “by eye” milling, some filing, and lots of test, remove, retest.

 

[Brad]

Still plenty of metal to remove. I need to thin the part the lever will be attached to so I can get a full stroke to seat primers fully. I will make a lever from some Al sheet most likely then attach with a couple of button head cap screws.

This one shouldn’t break. It started as a short chunk of 1144 Keith sent with some Lee sizer blanks I bought from him. A bit of mill time made a chunk of round into a chunk of flat.

 

[waco]

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/5...latinum-series-perfect-seat-hand-priming-tool
Heavy die cast zinc. This thing is bullet proof. I recommend it 110%
I have gone through and broke three Lee hand held tools.

 

[Brad]

Now Walter, why would I be sensible and purchase a perfectly good tool? Why would I pass on the opportunity to spend 4-5 hours of my life making a replacement part?
Come on man, as a dude you understand the logic in spending 1000’s on tools to make something you could buy for 50 bucks.

Common sense has nothing to do with it. Right?

 

[waco]

Now Walter, why would I be sensible and purchase a perfectly good tool? Why would I pass on the opportunity to spend 4-5 hours of my life making a replacement part?
Come on man, as a dude you understand the logic in spending 1000’s on tools to make something you could buy for 50 bucks.

Common sense has nothing to do with it. Right?

LOL! Right. What was I thinking?...

 

[wquiles]

Now Walter, why would I be sensible and purchase a perfectly good tool? Why would I pass on the opportunity to spend 4-5 hours of my life making a replacement part?
Come on man, as a dude you understand the logic in spending 1000’s on tools to make something you could buy for 50 bucks.

Common sense has nothing to do with it. Right?

Well said. Several times I have done just the same - making a part where a replacement could have been bought. But I learn something by making the new part/piece, so there is always some good that comes from it

Now, I will admit, that Frankford Arsenal in the link is exactly the hand priming tool that I use. I love the depth setting for consistency.

Will

 

[freebullet]

Now that is some serious lee'mending.

 

[Winelover]

Never broke a Lee hand priming tool...................did wear one out. Quit seating the primer fully..........occasional FTF on first strike. For the price I paid, never investigated it thoroughly. Bought the new style. Like others, I didn't think it was as good as the original.

Next purchase was the RCBS hand primer. Worked very well but PITA to change shell holders. Tried their newer version, with the universal shell holder, but it balked on some cartridge calibers.

Finally, went to the RCBS bench mounted seater that uses the primer tube system and haven't looked back. Paid about what Walter's hand primer recommendation is going for.

 

[Brad]

Got it finished today. Just need a good washing to remove little bits of grit and metal. I will then oil it up and put it in use.
It seats primers well.
If I break this one I am in deep trouble.

 

[freebullet]

Richard would be proud.

 

[uncle jimbo]

It looks good. If or when I break my lever on my old time lee hand primer, I know who to go to for a replacement. I love my hand held primer tool.

 

[Ian]

Mucho better.

 

[Intheshop]

Looks good.

Very slight tangent....

Was gonna say "hillbilly" but no,it is a bonafide deburring technique. Where industry would throw batches of parts into big honkin rotary cement mixers to debur..... I swear,a nice older grinder with wire wheels makes quick work of "bustin" off sharp edges on parts,up to numbers expected in a small shop. Get two wheels.... a hard,stiff one and a soft finisher. Mine is a 1/2HP Milwaukee with guards removed. Great for hitting freshly cut threading jobs on the soft side.

 

[wquiles]

Very nice

 

[fiver]

why stop there?
you might as well finish the job...
build a whole new one, then you won't have to do it over the next 10 years one piece at a time.

 

[Brad]

I have thought about that.....

 

[waco]

Nice work Brad.

 

[358156 hp]

The part that always wore out for me was the other piece in Brads pics, the one with the large & small rounded ends. I went through three of them, and all of them wore a flat on the peak of the large rounded (okay, radius) end. The replacements LEE sold seemed even softer than the originals were. I now have the older style RCBS primer, the one that's a pain to change shell holders on.

 

[Brad]

Mine never wore anything out, they always broke where the lever went from the part that pivots to the portion you push to seat the primer.

 

[KeithB]

Brad, I've been real busy and haven't had a chance to chime in here and compliment you on some fine machine work. You have come up with a great solution to a persistent problem. I use a Lee hand primer and have broken several handles. Also broke the main body up where the shell holder fits, the top flange cracked from the thrust.

I know you understand first hand why nobody is willing to machine those for sale - there is no way you could charge enough to make a profit. Truly a labor of both love and frustration!