Recent Posts

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1
Star History / Re: No more Star Greasers....
« Last post by fc60 on March 02, 2024, 08:15:37 pm »
What about dies, is there someone who makes dies for the Star sizers?

Greetings,

Original Star dies are made of Tool Steel, hardened, outside ground, inside honed, and the leade polished.

Not to mention the holes on the side to grease the bullet....

Also note the profile of the entry hole of the die. It is a slightly larger diameter followed by a taper.

They look simple; but, are a precision tool.

Lots of folks are making dies made on a lathe with no heat treat.

Only a small piece of grit will scratch/score the inside of the die and your bullets will now have a scratch on the outside.

If you mistakenly press a slightly oversize die (the 0.7500" diameter) into your press, all your original Star dies may start to leak lube at the top and bottom because the hole in the Greaser was swaged larger in diameter.

Machining a die properly is not difficult; yet, it is time consuming to do right. Especially one die at a time. Doing ten identical dies would make it less tedious.

I do not envy your quest for aftermarket dies.

Cheers,

Dave

2
Star History / Re: No more Star Greasers....
« Last post by Humbo on March 02, 2024, 05:29:15 pm »
What about dies, is there someone who makes dies for the Star sizers?
3
Star History / Re: No more Star Greasers....
« Last post by rbwillnj on February 29, 2024, 12:34:53 pm »
I assume you want a flat punch like those offered by Magma.   I can make Lubesizer punches.

As it turns out, I have a bucket of unhardened expanders that use the same thread as the lubesizer punches.   They are easy to turn down into punches.   I can also do nose punches, but I need a sample bullet.

I also have the punch nuts as they are the same as the expander nuts.


Bruce Williams
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Star History / Re: No more Star Greasers....
« Last post by brian_a_mcmillen on February 29, 2024, 12:12:45 am »
I just noticed that Magma is gone.  I think I ordered the very last die about 3 weeks ago but I forgot to order the top punch and tried to call on Monday…no answer.  It’s a real shame that yet another family-run shooting company has gone away.  Any ideas where I can find a .223 top punch?
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Stars Want to Sell/Want to Buy / Re: WTB: Adjustable powder bar
« Last post by w4ti on February 12, 2024, 09:45:34 pm »
Hello,

Sorry for the delay here- I did speak with Rich, and he didn't have any adjustable bars for sale, and due to business circumstances, most likely wasn't going to have any made in the future either.

Feel free to reach out to him for other parts.

-Chase
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Star History / No more Star Greasers....
« Last post by fc60 on February 09, 2024, 08:34:15 pm »
Greetings,

When Star of San Diego closed, Magma Engineering purchased the Greaser tooling and parts.

I have now learned that two weeks from today, 09FEB2024, the assets of Magma Engineering will be auctioned off.

Mr. Clausing said that sourcing of castings and other material along with not being able to find skilled conventional Machinists led to his decision to close shop.

No one has come forward to purchase the company.

So, if you want a Star Greaser, now is the time to buy.

Hopefully, we will not see Star Greasers of Communist China on the horizon.

Good news, taken care of, the Greasers will outlast the owner.

Cheers,

Dave
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Star Reloaders / Re: Glass Powder Hopper
« Last post by fc60 on February 01, 2024, 11:44:19 am »
[no e-mail]@

I have not used mine yet. I need to trim the cut off slide so it fits the machine.

What other issues should I watch for?

Cheers,

Dave
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Star Reloaders / Re: Glass Powder Hopper
« Last post by oger on January 31, 2024, 10:03:28 pm »
If it's the one I think it is that's not the only problem.
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Star Reloaders / Re: Glass Powder Hopper
« Last post by fc60 on January 24, 2024, 01:42:21 pm »
Greetings,

I was able to cut the thread to the proper Star Tapered 9/16-27.

So, I install it on my machine and, grrrrr, when you push the slide in to stop the powder and try to unscrew the hopper the slide is too long and binds on the tool head.

So sad. A nicely machined part that does not work.

Cheers,

Dave
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Star Reloaders / Re: Glass Powder Hopper
« Last post by fc60 on January 11, 2024, 07:59:27 pm »
Greetings,

Good point. I believe Star would not endorse shut off devices on the hopper.

For me, I would be lost without a hopper with a shutoff.

I am constantly changing powders and weights to support my testing needs.

Cheers,

Dave
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