Messages

106

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: For Sale - Pyrex powder hoppers

« on: June 13, 2018, 07:57:38 pm »

Greetings,

The greatest challenge with Star is that there are few fully dimensioned drawings remaining. When Bruce Williams bought the company from Pioneer, lots of tooling was supplied; but, few drawings.

Seems like "Tribal Knowledge" prevailed at Star...

So, this begins the task of Reverse Engineering the parts.

What were the original Star designers thinking?

Fortunately with the aid of thread gauges, hardness testers, microscopes and an abundance of existing spare parts a lot of reconstruction has taken place.

Oh yes, I forgot the Internet. Via the Internet, I was able to locate that weird powder hopper thread. It is not listed in any of the standard tables in the Machinery Handbook. I stumbled on it merely by accident.

Star's primary products were sprinkler heads for the Citrus farmers in California. Perhaps this is why the odd threads? Look at the Expander Plug and decapping rods for the Sizing dies. Both are 27 pitch!

Cheers,

Dave

107

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: For Sale - Pyrex powder hoppers

« on: June 13, 2018, 12:03:36 pm »

Greetings Dram Worx,

I found the thread specification.

https://law.resource.org/pub/us/cfr/ibr/005/sae.j476a.1961.pdf

Refer to Appendix D, Section D.6 and D.7.

The thread is a 9/16-27 Dryseal SPL-PTF, OD .5625

It involves a bit of math.

Easy to cut on a CNC lathe. More challenging on a conventional lathe.

27 NPT inserts are readily available.

Cheers,

Dave

108

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: For Sale - Pyrex powder hoppers

« on: June 10, 2018, 07:18:23 pm »

Greetings,

The original Star hopper has a threaded brass fitting with an Aluminum disk mounted just above it which asks as a powder baffle to provide a constant amount of powder pressure.

Regarding the thread, the original Star thread is a weird TAPERED thread. Many after market vendors do not cut a TAPERED thread, rather a straight thread.

As a result, the constant removing replacing of the threaded hopper ruins the TAPERED thread of the powder housing lid.

Cheers,

Dave

109

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: For Sale - Pyrex powder hoppers

« on: June 09, 2018, 12:16:25 pm »

Greetings,

Does the base of the hopper have the original baffle?

Also, does it have the proper 9/16-27 TAPERED thread?

Cheers,

Dave

110

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: need Taper Crimp Die in .44mag

« on: April 01, 2018, 12:54:52 pm »

Greetings,

The Taper Crimp die works well for light loads.

For heavy loads consider buying a second seating die to use for roll crimping at the last station.

Cheers,

Dave

111

Star Reloaders / Re: threads

« on: December 01, 2017, 09:12:51 pm »

Greetings,

Star threads are most interesting.

Dies are 11/16-24

Expander Plug is 1/2-27

Powder Hopper thread is a strange tapered 27 TPI. (I made a custom tap for Bruce Williams to clean up threads damaged with aftermarket straight threads.)

Seating die stems are 5/16-32 for 38 caliber and smaller. For the larger calibers, 3/8-24 is used.

All taps can be purchased from McMaster-Carr. With the exception of the Powder Hopper thread. Never did find one for sale via the Internet.

If you do decide to modify the tool head, make sure the die will clear the shell plate. 38 and smaller have a 5/8" die clearance while the larger ones are 3/4".

Enlarging the holes is not a job for the drill press. It needs to be done on a Bridgeport or similar machine capable of holding the hole locations.

Personally, I would not modify a Star Tool Head. I would buy a Dillon instead.

Most of the Phelps shell plates I have seen may work with 7/8-14 dies. However, the center hole is larger than the Star 1.247" diameter and may rattle around a bit on a Star machine.

Cheers,

Dave

112

Star Reloaders / Re: Help! Star Universal Loader Binding on the Shaft

« on: October 29, 2017, 12:57:09 pm »

Greetings,

Your best option is to telephone Bruce at StarMachineWorks.

 (908) 750-6312

Cheers,

Dave

113

Star Reloaders / Re: Star-made shell plates

« on: October 24, 2017, 11:37:00 am »

Greetings,

I have seen two style of shell plates.

The old original ones appear to have been sand blasted prior to grinding. This would remove any "crud" from the heat treatment and also gives the plate a nice visual appearance.

Toward the end of Star's reign in San Diego, and perhaps with the Pioneer owners, I have a plate that still retained the black appearance from the heat treatment. It was never sand blasted as the old ones.

Does this address your question?

Cheers,

Dave

114

Star Reloaders / Hulme Case Feeder

« on: October 12, 2017, 12:29:32 pm »

Greetings,

More clues...

American Rifleman, January 1951, page 79 has a Hulme Advertisement. Also says "Patent Pending".

Cheers,

Dave

115

Star Reloaders / Re: Pre Patent Star

« on: October 11, 2017, 12:02:25 pm »

Greetings,

My 1959-1960 Gil Hebard catalog lists the Hulme Case feeder for the Phelps.

Same case feeder, different machine.

Cheers,

Dave

116

Star Reloaders / Re: Star upgrades almost done

« on: September 24, 2017, 11:40:05 am »

Greetings,

Nice looking shell plate.

Did not know they came in 44-40!

Cheers,

Dave

117

Star Reloaders / Re: Backwards Primers

« on: August 25, 2017, 12:18:00 pm »

Greetings,

A handy Small Primer Tube cleaner is a 0.177 Bore Snake.

Put a little 99% Isopropyl alcohol on the snake to clean the "crud" away.

Cheers,

Dave

118

Star Reloaders / Re: Backwards Primers

« on: August 23, 2017, 11:22:38 am »

Greetings,

The only time I had primer issues was with a Phelps primer feed tube. It allowed the primer to enter sideways.

If yours is genuine Star, how the primers get upside down is a mystery to me.

Cheers,

Dave

119

Star Reloaders / Re: Universal Press Pricing Question

« on: July 03, 2017, 12:01:47 pm »

Greetings,

Go to eBay and search for Star Reloader.

Then click on the Completed Items or Sold items.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=star+-NC+-holster+-knife+-lyman+-rcbs&LH_SpecificSeller=2..couragecara%2Cspdcustomgrips%2Cbastionllc%2Csheltonsclothing%2Copticsplanet+ecop%21&_saslop=2&_sop=10&_fss=1&LH_Complete=1&_sasl=couragecara%2Cspdcustomgrips%2Cbastionllc%2Csheltonsclothing%2Copticsplanet+ecop%21&LH_Sold=1&_osacat=31823&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xstar+-NC+-holster+-knife+-lyman+-rcbs+reloader.TRS0&_nkw=star+-NC+-holster+-knife+-lyman+-rcbs+reloader&_sacat=31823

They range from $400.00 to $1000.00. Bidding fluctuated based on how much alcohol the Bidder has consumed.

Also consider add-ons such as the Hulme Case feeder.

Cheers,

Dave

120

Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: 9mm star made shell plate wanted

« on: June 13, 2017, 03:41:48 pm »

Greetings,

Thanks for the "heads up".

Berdon was local. Now long gone, I suspect.

Made a variety of shooting stuff.

Sorry to read not all of it was top notch.

A lot of the "vendors" on eBay claim to make Star accessories. When I challenged them on the dimensions of some of the features, the reply was, "I have sold lots of them and they work fine."

Caveat Emptor is the term the Romans used. Not sure if Julius Caesar used a Dillon or Star...

Cheers,

Dave

Cheers,

Dave