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Messages - rbwillnj

226
Star Reloaders / Re: Auto cartridge eject
« on: February 12, 2016, 07:59:20 am »
Ray-Vin has taken the Moon indexer and Case Kicker back from SB Sales Distributing.   They say the moon indexer is shipping now and the Case Kicker will be back in the spring.

http://www.ray-vin.com/

If you are looking for a less expensive alternative, I have quite a few of the Brewster indexers in stock.

227
Star Reloaders / Re: Auto cartridge eject
« on: February 11, 2016, 06:47:43 pm »
Lindy...  And you probably have the forearms to prove it..  Those babies are HEAVY.

I like the mold guide you have constructed on your Lyman furnace.

Bruce

228
Star Reloaders / Re: Automatic cartridge ejector
« on: February 08, 2016, 10:39:51 pm »
Wow, never saw anything like that.

229
Star Reloaders / Re: Automatic cartridge ejector
« on: February 08, 2016, 10:00:46 am »
The attached picture shows an Eject-Ease installed.   The Eject-Ease is nice because it can be used with any taper crimp die.  It doesn't require clearance between the taper crimp die and shell plate.  Unfortunately it is no longer manufactured.

Bruce Williams

230
No offense taken.

I wanted to make it clear that while I STRONGLY recommend an OEM Primer Follower Rod with NO added weight, that alone does not eliminate the possibility of primer explosions.    Star reloaders have many safety features designed in, but the ultimate safety feature is careful use by the operator.

Bruce Williams

231
Star Reloaders / Re: Tool Head Questions
« on: January 26, 2016, 07:45:35 pm »
I don't have any information on how Star installed the key, but I have quite a bit of original key stock and it measures 0.2504" square.  The keyway in the tool head was cut with a shaper.  The cutting bit for the shaper measures 0.2485".   Therefore I would speculate that the key was press fit into the keyway.   I don't think there would be a problem using some Loctite as long as you get the key firmly seated in the tool head.

232
From a resourceful ham handed operator.

http://www.starreloaders.com/forum/index.php?topic=959.msg3613#msg3613

It only takes a moment of inattention or a minor distraction.....or just being in too much of a hurry.

Bruce Williams

233
Star Reloaders / Re: Tool Head Questions
« on: January 26, 2016, 01:01:25 pm »
I would be careful about knocking out the key.   Although your tool head has the 3/8" hole at the taper crimp station, it is actually what I consider to be a newer style tool head.   Tool heads like yours have a pin through the side of the tool head that goes into the key.  If you attempt to remove the key, you will really bugger it up.  Even on the Old style tool heads that do not have the pin, you are likely to bugger up the key trying to remove it.

I have never seen a Star tool head where the key sticks out too far, although it often seems that might be the problem. 

The most frequent problem is at the taper pin hole.  If the pin is inserted with too much force, the it can deform the hole a bit and cause a raised area around the hole.   Role a very fine file over the hole in the column, front and back, and see if you see a raised area. If you do see a raised area keep rolling the file over the area until the raised area is flush with the rest.

If the problem is not there, then there could be a burr in the keyway, or on the bottom of the key.   Run a fine file along the inside edges of the keyway to see if you can find a burr.    If you don't find anything there, try to file the corners of the key while it is still in the tool head.

Of course if none of that works, you can send it to me,

Bruce Williams

 

234
Dropping even an OEM follower rod down the primer magazine can set off primers, but the longer the drop and the heavier the rod, the more likely you will have an incident.   i.e. if there is only a few primers left in the primer magazine and you let the follower rod free fall, you are likely to experience some ringing ears or worse.

As I mentioned earlier, the principal reason for the nylon or fiber end is not to prevent primer explosions, but to prevent damage to the primer slide.

There really is no reason to add extra weight to a follower rod.  The OEM rod works fine, and if you are having problems there is something else wrong.  It might be a bent primer follower, a dirty primer magazine, a small burr on the end of the primer magazine, or something with the primer system that is out of adjustment.  Better to fix the problem than compensate for it with a heavier follower rod.

New primer follower rods are only $15.

235
Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: WTS 1/2" Powder Slide Kits
« on: January 22, 2016, 09:25:56 pm »
Bump

236
Star Reloaders / Re: Primer Follower Rod steel , no fiber end tip .
« on: January 20, 2016, 11:34:56 am »
I'm pretty darn sure your solid steel rod primer follower was not a factory option.   All that I have seen, have a soft end, either a fibrous material as you described on early models, or a nylon rod on later machines.   The parts that I obtained when I purchased Star included parts and fixtures for making the follower rods with a nylon end piece.

I don't know if your follower is safe or unsafe.  Whenever you deal with primers, there are inherent risks involved, and proper care must be taken.   I don't know the weight of your follower rod compared to the original, but I would not recommend using a follower that is heavier than the original, and I definitely would not recommend adding weights to a primer follower as I have seen on many machines on eBay.

An important function of the Primer Follower Rod is to drop down into the primer slide when the last primer has been used.  This prevents advancing the shell plate and loading a round without a primer.   I think the primary reason for the soft end on the follower rod is to prevent damage to the primer slide.    At one time or another we have all pulled down on the handle when the machine has no primers, and the follower rod is all he way down causing the primer slide to jam into the follower rod. 

Bruce Williams

237
Star Reloaders / Re: Parted out Star Reloaders on eBay
« on: December 27, 2015, 09:16:58 pm »
The tool head is the same except the Angle Lever Cam.  The Progressive uses #49, the Universal #49U.   The difference is because a Universal Steel Floor Base is larger than a Progressive Steel Floor Base.

Bruce Williams

238
Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: WTB Chevron Case Feeder
« on: December 18, 2015, 10:41:49 pm »
I have a number of them.   You can contact me directly.

Bruce Williams

239
Star Reloaders / Re: Hulme Case Feeder Question
« on: December 11, 2015, 10:58:38 pm »
If you have a Hulme Case Feeder and both machines are drilled and taped for mounting the case feeder, there is no reason you can't switch it between the machines.   The M3 top plate (also the M2) top plate is for both 45 ACP and 38 Special.   You just have to remove the top plate and rotate the top plate 180 degrees to change calibers.

On some Star reloaders, the tool head comes down a little lower than on others and the top plate can interfere with the travel of the tool head.  This is not specific to Progressives or Universals, it's just how some machines were assembled.  In a situation where this occurs, the top of the top plate that extends under the tool head must be milled a little bit to eliminate the interference.

Bruce Williams
Star Machine Works

240
Star Reloaders / Re: Parted out Star Reloaders on eBay
« on: December 10, 2015, 09:36:54 pm »
The steel floor base of the Progressive is about 1/8" (0.130") smaller in diameter than the steel floor base of a Universal.  That means that a case feeder mounted on a Progressive would end up about 1/16" closer to the primer push rod to which the cam is attached.  So it I wouldn't be surprised if you had to adjust the height of the cam to compensate.   

Bruce