Star Sizer needs adjusted flowing lube?

[briarthorn]

Hey new to this forum I bought a Star sizer setup for 45 auto at a gun show, I started using it but I'm having problems with too much lube flowing past the bullet, its doing a good job of lubing the bullet but my problem is with excess lube sometimes on top of the swcutters, its also coming from the rear plunger spring on the backside of the sizer. Does anyone know how to adjust this problem out of the sizer or will I have to change lubes - P.S I have a heating block under the sizer because the huge box of lube that came with the sizer in the deal is fairly hard lube. Do I need to clean this stuff out and make my own lube for this sizer to work well? The rounds I've cleaned up are tac drivers but the excess lube is a bummer. I don't know the first thing about adjusting this baby could use some help from Star Sizer "guru" thanks. -  briarthorn

[2150]

"Briarthorn",
 Some things to check out on you STAR: 1.) Download the operating manual from elsewhere on this site, it contains sufficient information to cure some of your possible problems; 2.) Excess lube above or below your cast bullet may be caused by improper adjustment of the bullet stem (the top piece secured to the arm that moves up/down as the handle is pulled) and/or not using the lube holes in the sizing die that correspond with the profile of your particular cast bullet. Read the instruction sheet concerning the "matching" of lube holes and ram travel to your specific bullet. Did you receive a Die Extraxtor assembly with the machine? This tool allows for easy and rapid removel of the sizing die from the machine body. Lube out the back of the spring/ram parts can be from wear, but your choice of lube "may" have something to do with the apparent problem. The hard, wax based lubes can be difficult to use in the Star. The base heater is designed to soften the wax-lubes for smoother application. Pushing hard wax lubes thru the Star can cause mechanical problems. Suggestion: try a softer lube like SAECO GREEN which should work easily in your machine and be appropriate for .45 ACP velocities. You can clean out the existing wax lube by removing the brass "observation" cap on the left of the machine base, and then heating the lube to the point that it flows freely from the reservoir when you apply pressure from the top screw. You could also remove the sizing die and clean out the front area. 3.) Check on the diameter of your raw bullets and determine if they are undersized compared to your sizing die. If significantly undersized then lube can extrude past the bullet and flow in all directions. Good Luck! Contact me if the above text is too "detailed". The machine is a fine piece of reloading gear when properly adjusted/"21-50".
 

[briarthorn]

Still monkeying around with it, I didn't get to the fix yet still waiting for a few persons that have some time with the Star sizer to post ideas, like I had mentioned in the earlier post a huge box of blue lube sticks that came with the sizer are incredibly hard an this is why I added the heater - maybe that heater was a waste of money.  The sizer seems to be out of adjustment and the lube is flowing like the heater is way to hot, but theres isn't anyway to adjust the heater block - I think the heater is some of the problem, but still I don't think the sizer is adjusted incorrectly, small amount of lube on top of bullet an at the base of bullet.  A good call would be to take the heater block out from under it and switch to a soft or homemade lube, do you have any recipes for a good homemade lube.  I'm inserting an image link of where the lube is flowing from the rear spring/plunger area, like i had said I believe its from wrong lube and the heater thing. P.S.when I get to it I'll post a pic of the lubed on the bullet, got to get to work. briarthorn
(Saeco Green "roger that")
to see flow problem go here: =>http://www.box.net/shared/farojbp5fe

[2150]

To the Lubricator problem(s): Did you receive my private message with some additional thoughts about the problems and possible solutions? The excess lube above or below a normal size cast bullet is most likely the result of the injection holes being miss-alined with the lube grooves of that particular bullet configuration. That a simple and quick problem to fix. The leak of lube from the rear portion of the horizontal piston and spring is more troubling to understand without an examination. There is almost nothing on the machine that can not be adjusted, replaced, or repaired. Hopefully, someone with knowledge will stop by your location and take a look at your machine and correct its problems. It's a great piece of gear and worth the effort to get working; let us know the outcome! //"21-50".

[briarthorn]

Yes "2150" I did get that private message and read it, an I understand the lining up of the injection hole you talked about.  In your earlier post you mentioned a "die extractor tool" this I never got with the Starmachine, when I purchased the Star it came with 45 auto dies installed and a set of 40 cal. dies which will do me fine in my Sig 229.  Never the less I'm with your thinking its a bit misaligned and the settings need to be tweaked, I be making an order for Saeco Green soft lube in the future as you recommended. But now I'm off to dig around for the the operational manual - cleanup the blue hard lube - and wait for the UPS man to bring the green lube. I do thank you a great deal for the info and will post later with the out come of all this. "Until then Happy Trails and Thank you" "Keep your powder dry Pilgrims" briarthorn

[Star73]

We used the blue lube also and it worked quite well. I used a light bulb for my maual Star in winter, moving it or switching it off as needed.  It is a mess when things are not aligned as 2150 described how to correct and if too hot a real mess. Later we had a motor driven Star and used the same lube. We used a heater on it which was as I recall hard to reg. In the summer we placed sev sticks on the hood of the car to warm 1st. This worked pretty well as being powered it ran close to 50 bullets a min. Heat was important w/ the hard lube. The prewarming let us run w/o the heater until it got a little hard. Running it manually you would feel it easily.
All this stuff w/ heat is seat of the pants. Hang in there, you'll get it right. Just set it up as 2150 instructed.
Ron

[briarthorn]

Yeah Star73 "2150" doing me fine and is sharing a great deal of information about the star sizer as you've read.  Sometime back before locating this forum I wasn't sure if I could find the information needed for this Star, I knew that they had gone out of business a while back but apparently there are a great number of these sizers still on a lot of reloading benches - the nets a great info resource isn't it.  Actually on eBay these ol boys fetch a good price "hence" their highly valued an sought after, to think I just stumbled onto it sitting on a Penn gunshow table, I came early that morning a "good thing."  briarthorn

[briarthorn]

A million thanks for your help fellas, it was the hard lube causing my problems. I cleaned out an replaced the existing hard lube tweaked the bullet ram a bit and I'm now getting uniform lube in the bullets channel, the flow problem I was getting out the rear area is gone it must have been from excessive pressure I was trying to use combined with the hot heater block. I'll keep the heater in place it may come in handy to jump start it on those cold winter nights, my reloading bench is a tab cold in the dead of winter. I have not purchased the extractor tool as of yet I'm not sure if I'm going to size 40 cal. but it may be in the works for later and probably will not hurt to have one hanging around the bench. "2150" your information has been a god sent an educated me on the operation of my star, its back online and you were correct its worth every penny I spent on it. briarthorn