Polish everything on your press!

T

THRASH

Inactive
Hey all, I just got my carrier & primers back from MagicMike... and WOW!!! So I took it to the next level by polishing the carrier ribs, case feed parts and shell plates. In the pix that follow you'll see what I did. It's hard to see the carrier ribs, but MagicMike milled those flat and I hit them with some Dremel polishing pads & rouge. With the slider ramp I used a bench-buffer w/6" polishing wheels and 3 different grits of rouge... and I could see my teeth in its reflection. I hit all the edges and the underside as well, using the Dremel. Also polished the case feed slider & bar, no lube necessary! Same on both sides of the shell plate (a stock, unpolished .380 plate shown next to my polished .40), except I first hit those with 1000 & 2000 wet sandpaper. End result: When I sit the plate loose on the carrier it will spin like its on bearings. Just say no to friction!











 
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I've sent two of my presses back to Dillon for repairs, and each time they came back clean and working better than when I sent them off.

Polishing sounds like lots of work, but on your recommendation, I'll do it one day to see the effects. What makes my presses less smooth are the grains of powder, dead primer dust, tumbling media, and case lube that builds up in the press. I clean my each of presses every 25,000 rounds or so.

Very interesting.
 
I mostly just blow my Dillon out with the air hose every now and then, But, I am sure a good cleaning would help it...but I doubt seriously if I will ever do it.
 
I've been messing with a Lee Load Master for a month,
Sticky, Glitchy, Ill fitting parts, Replacment parts all different sizes/shapes...
Polishing, lubrication, constant adjustments and a ton of aggrivation.

I should have got another Dillon and got it over with.
 
I've been messing with a Lee Load Master for a month,<br />
Sticky, Glitchy, Ill fitting parts, Replacment parts all different sizes/shapes...<br />
Polishing, lubrication, constant adjustments and a ton of aggrivation.<br />
<br />
I should have got another Dillon and got it over with.

They aren't for everyone. It takes patience and time to get them right. Plus peoples skills are different when setting them up and that adds to the "not good for" list. The better the set the better the result.

I too wish they were more hassle free. The priming system and feeling when something did not go right is 99% of the battle with smooth operation.

When they miss prime its like a bad part or operation on an assembly line and if not fixed when needed it fouls up the works and breaks the whole process down.

If you have to wait to buy a Dillon try running the priming and depriming parts of the process separately and loading will go so much smoother.
 
I sure seems like some of you need a life.......polishing a Lee Load Master. You just ground off valuable metal and decreased the service life.

No I don't polish the rims on my cars either.... just wash them and one set was made in 1968 back when they were real magnesium..........

YOU have no way to measure how much metal you have removed. If you had bothered to weigh the parts on a digital scale before and after ....then maybe you would have something to talk about.

My rims are rarely still enough for anyone to see the difference .....
 
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Hartcreek, I'm polishing, not grinding, and doing things right. Hardly any material is being removed (hence the diff of polishing vs grinding), The polished surface = less friction, a benefit in any instance where metal meets metal, even on a Dillon. It doesn't take that much effort, as with anything, you just have to have the right tools, the buffer at Harbor Freight was $35, cloth wheels & rouge $15. After polishing the shell plate & carrier ribs (and a bunch of other stuff), it spun like there were bearings underneath, PLUS there's the benefit of not needing as much lube, which gums up all the works. Just say no to friction whenever you can. And your rims would look way better after you polished them.
 
I am in the camp that polishing should be done minimally, at best. If a burr is evident, by all means, polish it off. If a surface shows wear, then both mating surfaces may need a bit of attention with 2000 or 2500 grit Sc paper.

I would advise against using any sort of powder tool and would stick to polishing stones and/or Sc paper adhered to something like a popsicle stick, so as to not round surfaces. Also, before attempting polishing, I would first thoroughly clean and then lubricate, using what the manufacturer of the equipment recommends. I'm not a gunsmith, but more familiar than the most people of mechanical devices (presses, machining tools (CNC & manual), tooling & tooling stack-ups, etc.), by my day responsibilities.
 
Generally,polishing is a cosmetic operation it does not reduce friction because
it increases surface area,oil needs to get between two metal surfaces in contact to avoid galling and reduce friction.If the surface is rough then it can be
smoothed out but not polished to avoid excess wear.
 
Lifelong Machinist and Mechanic, working on automotive, motorcycle, and marine, and manufacturing using milling machines, lathes, and grinders, as well as welding and fabrication, and electrical, and building the house and shop that I live in. Yeah,,I guess you could say that I am mechanically challenged, but I'm only 64, give me time, I'll get better, I promise! :D:D
 
Dayam 1100tTAC, you got a year on me, I'm only 63!

Through the years how many tools/devices have seen made worthless by someone meaning well, polishing? How many tooling stack ups have you examined that won't work, in spite of polishing, that made parts "slip/slide" easier, but in effect all that was done was to increase the size of the running clearances making components overly large.

If there is binding, if there are burrs, etc., then yes, examine the fit, but also if lubrication is missing. If galling is present, smooth it out & lubricate. Above all, follow manufacturer's maintenance instructions.
 
1100 tac said:
Lifelong Machinist and Mechanic, working on automotive, motorcycle, and marine, and manufacturing using milling machines, lathes, and grinders, as well as welding and fabrication, and electrical, and building the house and shop that I live in. Yeah,,I guess you could say that I am mechanically challenged, but I'm only 64, give me time, I'll get better, I promise! :D:D
Click to expand...

I meant it as a joke about how many can not get a load master to work. I thought you were joking too. After all you called the load master a turnip.

If your old enough to sling mud be old enough to wear it. Just childish to be your age and not be able to take it. That's what grown men do in my book.

I'm sitting here with this smile for a reason. I dont care if they do kick me off of here for speaking up about how people snub others and get mad when someone returns the favor . because if they do they are no better and i have no need for listening to the insults that pour out of the purist minds on a daily basis.

Good day
 
You did notice the two big smilies, right?

Trust me my friend, I don't get offended very easily, and sometimes it is difficult to convey emotions in print

"Ain't worried 'bout a thing" :D
 
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