Different Saftey Cam

[rbwillnj]

I recently aquired my second Star Universal Press.  This one came set up for 38 Special.  Along with this press came a Saftey Cam that is a different shape than that on my other machine, and different than those pictured in the parts list.  I wish I could post a picture, because it is difficult to discribe.  It has sort of a hook on it, and it has a second spring.  For the life of me, I have not been able to figure out the second spring.  It doesn't look like a home made part, but it does have 38 scribed on it.  I was wondering if this was a replacement safety cam that came with either the Hulme case feeder, or with the taper crimp die.

Does anybody know what I'm talking about?

[rbwillnj]

Never mind, I figured it out.  The extra spring is an auto case ejector.  The piston on the Hulme Case Feeder pushes on one end of the spring on the down stroke, and the other end of the spring kicks the loaded round out of the last station.

[Kenneth L. Walters]

Star actually made two safety cams.  I think the one you are talking about was their second.  It was designed to kick revolver cartridges out of the side of the machine.  I had several of them.  Worked wonders.

Star didn't update their design when they developed something new.  I know that this isn't going to make sense but it was true anyway.  Ellord Mott kept playing with his design and every once in a while he would come up with an improvement.  This second safety cam was a case in point.  He never announced it because he didn't want to have to bother with all the orders he thought that he might get.  BUT if you knew him you could buy them.  I had several.

I liked old Ellord and it must have been mutual.  He gave me one of the few straightline progressives he ever made back in the 30's.  You can see a picture of it in Sharps'e old book.  Weird machine.  Might have made as few as 3 or as many as 20.  Last time I knew Ron Peterson of Ron Peterson Guns in Albuquerque had mine.

Ellord also designed the rifle unit.  Actually the U.S. Army forced him to.

[Jerry Lehrer]

Y'know that the loaded round ejector/safety cam was conceived by Bill Mitzner of Los Angeles. He could not perfect it though.  He gave me the prototype which I made work by making the Shell Plate Thrust Nut #14,
into a smaller diameter to clear the "hook". 

The prototype that I submitted to Star was made of soft steel as I had no setup for heat treating. Star
made it of hard steel and ground down the diameter of the thrust nut.  One could put a large diameter
washer under the Nut, to elevate it and still force down the shell plate.

[rbwillnj]

No modification of the thrust nut was made or needed with the Auto Eject Safety Cam that I have.  The one I have was marked 38, but by shortening the Length of the hook, I was able to get it to work with 45 ACP.   It works well as both a safety cam and as an auto eject mechanism, but in order to use it, you must have enough clearance under the taper crimp die.   I like the auto eject that Ray Brandis offers better.

[Jerry Lehrer]

R.B.  You must have the newer, smaller diameter thrust nut that would clear the "hook"

Does the Ray Brandes Ejector act as a safety cam also?

[rbwillnj]

Ray's loaded round ejector does not act as a safety cam, however, it does keep the cartridge fully seated in the shell plate at the taper crimp station until it ejects it.

[Star73]

It looks like the standard safety cam might be modified to do the same job?

Jerry & RB what do you think?

I modified my machine using SS wheelchair spokes as "guides", 1 to hold the case in position [no e-mail]@ TC, the other to eject it.

But I would like to have the safety  part.

Thanks, Ron

[Jerry Lehrer]

No, not really.  It would require welding, re-heat treating as well as making up the ejector spring itself. Not to mention reducing the diameter of the Shell Plate Thrust Nut to clear the "hook".

[Star73]

No, not really.  It would require welding, re-heat treating as well as making up the ejector spring itself. Not to mention reducing the diameter of the Shell Plate Thrust Nut to clear the "hook".

Jerry,
I decided to give mod of the std cam a try. My fin rnd ejector is sprg wire & independant of the SC. I'm reshaping the old SC to clear but right now am just getting ready to resume the project...had a forced interruption..surgery then infection which cost about 6 wks and did God knows what to my train of thought!

Do you think the orig cam whould be heat treated?

Thanks for any comments,

Ron

[Jerry Lehrer]

Ron,

The original safety cam is heat treated  VERY HARD

Jerry