Messages

76

Star Reloaders / Removal of #46 Rocker Arm Tappet & #75 the Brass Primer Slide Housing

« on: March 09, 2016, 11:21:53 pm »

Is possible to remove the Rocker Arm Tappet #46 (as part of a thorough clean-up) without separating the
steel Floor Base from the Aluminum Base?  I've removed the Primer Punch Rocker Arm #45, but can't figure out how to remove #46 without more disassembly than I'm up for.

Can #75* the Brass primer slide housing (a part specially fit for the specific machine at the factory) be removed and then reinstalled on the same machine without gigs, fixtures, or a lot of headaches? (again, for clean-up)

Thanks

77

Star Reloaders / Star Toolhead without recess cut in Lower Link Pin Boss

« on: March 09, 2016, 10:57:16 pm »

Is there a production timeframe associated with Star Toolheads that did not have the Resizer Die clearance recess cut into the lower link pin boss?  The toolhead pictured below does not have such a recess, and the TC station is 11/16-24.  Just curious if this toolhead would have an early, middle, or late "born on" date.

78

Star Reloaders / Re: Auto cartridge eject

« on: February 11, 2016, 12:07:42 am »

Thanks again.  Pics worth 1K words!  Very effecient set-up.
Nice H & G 6 or 8 cavity in the background.

79

Star Reloaders / Re: Auto cartridge eject

« on: February 10, 2016, 10:38:12 pm »

Thank you for the picture.
How did you attach the "wire whisker" and what sort of wire did you use to make it?  I assume it doesn't need to be as stout as the main wire that cams the finished round out of the machine.
Any chance for another photo with the whisker?

Thanks again!

80

Star Reloaders / Re: Automatic cartridge ejector

« on: February 10, 2016, 10:23:50 am »

Varmintpopper, Sent you a PM.

81

Star Reloaders / Re: Tool Head Questions

« on: January 27, 2016, 09:27:45 am »

Success.  With all parts cleaned up, I put a little blue medium strength Loctite in the TH slot.  Used a 3" C-clamp to "press" the key back in. The pin is now just a little proud of the outside of the barrel of the TH, indicating it seated deeper into the slot.  Slid onto and all the way down the column.  Felt smooth without any noticeable play.

With the TH fully engaged on the column, I tried twisting the TH CW & CCW.  The was a very, very small amount of rotational play.  For comparison, I put the original .38 TH on and tested the rotational play.  It too had a very small amount.  Just judged by feel, and didn't try to measure.

BTW, after removing the key, I put the TH minus key on the column and it slid up & down OK.  At that point, I knew the problem related to the fit of the key into the column's keyway.

In hindsight, if I had a similar situation again I would first try to squeeze the key farther back into the slot with a C-clamp.  Maybe the TH was administered the 1 meter drop test during shipping and the key moved slightly out of position.

Thank you very much for all the replies!  They were a huge help. I wasn't sure which direction to go when the TH wouldn't slide down the column.

82

Star Reloaders / Re: Tool Head Questions

« on: January 26, 2016, 04:46:29 pm »

I already had the key out before I saw the post from Bruce.  There was various debris between the key and the bottom of the slot in the Tool Head ("TH").

Original key width when first pulled out = a thin hair more than .250 ( all dimensions in inches).  Depth = .2505 to .2510.  Length = 1.875.  The bottom of the key is at the top of the .250 thru-hole that's at the bottom of the key slot in the TH (see picture that shows "pin" hole and hole at bottom of slot)

The bare key would not fit into the keyway on the column with hand pressure only at that original width.
With some hard stones (trigger work kind), polished the sides until it would just push into column keyway.  Width at that stage = .2495.  After final polishing on sides & a little "lapping" in column keyway with JB Bore Paste, width is now at about .2493.

The keyway at the top of the column was sort of crimped over, or not completely cut.  When the bare key was placed in mid-column (after "fitting" the key) and slid upward, it would not come out of the keyway at the top.  Some light file work on the column fixed that.

Test fitting in the top part of the slot in the TH shows that hard hand pressure will push key to the bottom of the slot using just the end of the key to test fit, but not actually installing it.

Here's the question now.  In the lower part of the slot in the TH there was hard dried stuff that looked like a sealant or loc tight that had been applied before the key had originally been installed.  Brushing, scraping, and solvent finally removed the residue.  Should I apply some loc tight, or something similar, in the lower part of the key slot before putting the key back in the TH?

83

Star Reloaders / Tool Head Questions

« on: January 26, 2016, 08:55:49 am »

Purchased a spare tool head for a project several months ago.  It's an "older" unit with 3/8th unthreaded hole in TC position. Got it all fluffed & buffed and tried setting it on the column for the first time.

• Slid on the column just fine until the key engaged the keyway on the column, then will go no farther. The key sticks out too far and appears to be canted in the grove in the tool head. Is it possible the previous owner tried to replace the key in the tool head with poor results? Is the key in the tool head a replaceable part? How can I fix this?
• Closely compared the spare tool head to one that came with machine in 1979 (& has 11/16-24 hole in TC position)  The bore of spare (older) TH is smooth while the machine's original TH has oil grooves cut in the bore.  Anyone have an idea when Star began adding oil grooves to the bores of THs?

84

Star Reloaders / Re: Parted out Star Reloaders on eBay

« on: December 14, 2015, 01:29:57 pm »

Out of curiosity, why would anyone "part-out" Star machines?  Seems like their value would be greater as whole machines, especially given the hand-crafted nature of each machine's original assembly.
Kinda like finding a batch of old, crusty, Single Action Armys in need of lots of TLC and then parting them out.

85

Star Reloaders / STAR BASE OR NOT?

« on: November 25, 2015, 11:38:48 am »

Can anyone tell from the attached picture if this is a STAR unit or a Phelps or other knock-off?

86

Star Reloaders / Powder Slides Identification

« on: October 17, 2015, 12:49:03 pm »

I recently acquired a couple of powder slides.  From the appearance/style of a given slide can the actual manufacturer be determined?
For example, in the picture the 3.0 Gr BE slide looks like other genuine Star slides that I have, but the 3.9 gr slide isn't made quite the same.  Is this a Phelps slide, or is it possible to tell?  Are there any known differences in quality or performance for slides not made by Star Machine Works?

87

Loading Data & Reloading Procedures / Re: Federal 38 Special Brass Primer Problem

« on: October 12, 2015, 10:48:50 am »

Reloading once-fired brass with sealed primers will get you "ringers" every now and then.  The fact that you are getting them with regularity is a bit unusual.  It could possibly be a combination of factors that allowed the sealant to migrate completely around the circumference of the primer down to the bottom of the pocket.  This effectively glues the primer in place.  When you attempt to de-prime, the force of the de-priming pin is great enough to push the anvil through the top of the primer while the sides remained glued in place.

I've had a few ringers, but never enough to try to figure out a fix.  My experience was more like:  clear the jam, disfigure the case and throw it away, continue reloading.

88

Star Reloaders / Re: Hulme Case Feeder Plate M-2

« on: September 04, 2015, 12:40:06 pm »

Thanks, Bruce.  Saw one on Ebay and didn't know if it was for 9MM/.380 or what.  My original literature from Hulme did not indicate a "Mark #" other than M-3 & M-3A.  The plates for 9MM, etc. that he offered were just described as such with no "M" or Mark numbers.

89

Star Reloaders / Hulme Case Feeder Plate M-2

« on: September 02, 2015, 05:07:59 pm »

What cartridges does a Hulme case feeder Selector Plate marked "M-2" handle?
Did Hulme refer to a plate marked M-2 as a Mark II?

90

Star Reloaders / Re: Strap Adustment

« on: July 11, 2015, 12:32:36 pm »

Thank you, Dave.  I'm going to print and put this in the "Star Binder".

Greetings,

The various caliber shell plates vary in outside diameter. A little math leads one to believe that the OD is tangent to the case OD.

So, rotate the shell plate 1/12 of a turn. The detent ball should be positioned under a case cutout, not the round 3/8" indexing hole.

Insert the strap with the upper set screw backed off so it does not touch.

Next, lightly tighten the Fillister head screw so the strap just touches the rim of the shell plate.

Last, tighten the upper set screw to snug up the strap and leave a wee bit of clearance with the shell plate.

Test the adjustment with an empty case and you should be spot on.

Cheers,

Dave