Lyman 450 Lube Sizer - tube cracked/split

oscarflytyer

oscarflytyer

Well-Known Member
So I got a Lyman 450 lube sizer used on the other forum. Didn't set it up for awhile. When I finally drug it out and went to set it up, I noticed the lube tube is cracked (w/o looking again) probably 2-3" down one side. I haven't used it yet.

Recommendations/thoughts on repair? I was thinking JB Weld/Liquid Steel/Liquid Metal Filler/something of the sort. As it is cast metal, don't think there is any heat/weld/solder fix...

And - I tried the Lyman warranty... IIRC, they would only give me ~$40 credit towards a new unit. And I have 2-3 others/no reason to spend stupid $ to get a new one, even with the credit - AND I use mostly BLL on everything anyway - but I do like to fill huge lube grooves with lube just because...
 
bruce381

bruce381

Active Member
do not if JB weld will work but worth a try grind a small grove in over the crack and fill and smooth and cross fingers
 
B

BudHyett

Active Member
Cast iron can be welded, but you need an experienced welder with experience. The lubrication process will generate pressure, but hopefully you're not using lubes needing heat for this unit. Once welded, use for soft lubes.

I broke a RCBS lubricator after an approximate decade of use, this was due to a sand spot in the casting. You might have the same condition with your unit, have someone experienced with machining castings check the area for the crack being caused by sand in the casting. RCBS replaced the unit no-charge.
 
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P

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
I don't know if the pressure in the reservoir would expand that crack. I suspect getting the interior of that crack de-greased enough for JB weld or some other epoxy to hold will be a futile effort.

Then there’s the crack on the inside of the bore. That will tear up the O-rings on the piston. Probably not fast enough to be a huge problem and O-rings are cheap, but still an issue.

You could enlarge the bore and put a sleeve in the bore. This would likely be the most permanent fix, but it is a lot of work.

Cast iron can be welded but the inner bore would likely need to be cleaned up and again -lots of effort.

But the OP has already pointed out the obvious solution in his own words:

“……And I have 2-3 others …..”

The damaged unit is a fine collection of spare parts for the other 2 or 3 lubrisizers.

If you want to take a shot at welding the casting and re-boring it, Or sleeving it, you can. But you’re going to have to strip most of the parts off anyway.

Don’t lose sight of what we’re dealing with. It is a relatively common, relatively inexpensive casting, not an irreplaceable Duesenberg engine block.

The most economical, and likely the most pragmatic solution is to acknowledge the failure of the casting (a major component of the unit) and accept the loss. Cannibalize the unit for spare parts and press on.
 
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
If I had a friend who is a welder and familiar with welding cast (nickel rod) so I could 'swap' for the welding job, then I'd have it welded, and if the inside is relatively smooth, I'd use it as is. I would not use the O-ring pressure nut, I'd use the old style brass sleeved pressure nut. If you don't have one, you have a friend who does ;)
.
If you can't get it welded on the cheap or for swap, then I'd follow P&P's advice and save it for parts.
That's my 2¢
 
BBerguson

BBerguson

Official Pennsyltuckian
I have a buddy that can weld cast iron. The trick is to heat it up first. With that said, I’d weld it and then sleeve it. I would imagine that the hydraulic pressure is pretty high and just welded it’s liable to crack again.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
i don't think it's that high of a pressure.
i've filled automotive heads water jacket openings that hung out over open air with the JB weld before and had it run along just fine even after 200+ heat cycles.

get you some JB weld and some aluminum radiator sealant and cram the crack full of the stuff and give it a run.
then use your dremel tool to polish any glop off the inside.
what you gonna be out an hour or two of time?
 
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
The pressure is as high as you make it. It doesn't take much pressure to push heated lube through the Die ports. Anything else that is done where higher pressure is needed, just needs to be avoided with a "repaired" Iron reservoir.
that's 2¢ more ;)
 
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
if you do weld it, it would be nice to know if it is cast iron or cast steel. How you weld it depends on that. Cast iron has more carbon and can get extremly hard. My bet it is cast steel.
 
BBerguson

BBerguson

Official Pennsyltuckian
Of course the real answer is powder coat all your bullets and just use it as a sizer. Mine only gets used for 45-70 bullets because I don’t have a Lee push through sizer that size.
 
J

Jeff H

NW Ohio
I have a "spare" Lyman 45 which cracked from the set screw which holds in the die being over-tightened. It had been welded up somewhat unprofessionally, but the welder's intentions were good. Keeping the whole works in one piece is a convenient way to store the spare parts which comprise its only real value.

The "spare" has been laying in the top of a 2/3-full, 5-gallon pail of 80s/90s wheel-weights for something like thirty years now. It's out of the way, not causing any harm. I so rarely use the functioning 45 that there's little chance I'll ever break it.

But then, looking at the prices of this stuff today, it may not be as bad an idea to end up owing a favor to a machinist to bore it out and sleeve it, as mentioned above.

Or,... set it in a 2/3-full, 5-gallon pail of old wheel weights and forget about it until things get so bad that fixing it becomes a more viable consideration.
 
Pressman

Pressman

Active Member
I have a cracked one from 25 years ago. It cracked while in storage. A State certified welder tried to weld it without first turning a bore insert to hold the casting from changing shape. Not a good idea. Now it's just a relic too a past Lyman mistake.
 
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