[Steve Smith]

Seized up solid...had to hammer the bar out with a punch and hammer. Called Dillon and they said I should lube it when it starts to slow down. They're sending another bar. I never felt it slow down (was supervising a newbie and he was pulling the handle), but ok. However, I don't remember seeing anything in the book about lubing that bar. I guess I was under the impression that the graphite from the powder did that.

So, what do I lube them with and where? I don't want lube in my powder!


FWIW, the bar cycled approx 8000 times before it seized.

[Bottom Gun]

Lubing anything on a powder measure doesn't seem like a good idea even if they're talking about dry lube.
What's to prevent the lube from forming a glob of powder and dropping it into your case later along with a full powder charge?

I use a 450 and a 550 Dillon. Neither one has ever needed any kind of lubricant on the powder bar. I've been using the 450 for over 20 years without any kind of lubricant.

[larryw]

Ditto, any lube seems to be a bad thing.

I clean mine with alcohol when it looks grungy, but nothing else.

Did you figure out what caused the seizing: chunk of metal broke off, rolled edge, etc? Were you using the rifle or pistol powder bars (thick vs. thin)?

Sounds like it wouldn't be a good idea to challenge your friend to an arm wrestling contenst. :)

[uglymofo]

I use only graphite to lube my presses except for the ram itself, which gets oiled. You can find graphite in a squeeze bottle at the hardware store. They sell it for lubricating doorlocks (where the key goes in) so it has a fairly directional 'fine' nozzle. Comes outta the bottle like a firehose though, so try and be sparing with it. If you have to use a lube, I guess that's what I'd suggest.

I'm with Bottom Gun on this one, though-- I've used a first variation 450 for 25 years and never lubed the powder measure.

flame on-- I like the Hornady LNL AP better (assuming we're not talking about a 1050), especially for the money:) . <going to my bomb shelter now> :uhoh:

[Steve Smith]

I don't see any burrs or anything but I swear the (rifle) bar won't go back in the housing anymore! I probably have 15K on another measure with no problems at all. I don't get it. Maybe I just got a bad one?

[uglymofo]

This doesn't make any sense. If it seized up enough that you had to drive it out with a drift and a hammer, there have to be some friction marks on it somewhere, I would think.

Here are a couple really stupid questions-- can you find any shiny spots at all on the bar (or in the measure opening for the bar)? I'm sure you've checked, but is there any crushed powder or the like in the "tunnel" where the bar slides?

My Dillon powder bars have enough slop in them that they wiggle; even the Hornady and Lyman powder measures have a little bit of play in them. Obviously something ain't right; is the adjustment nut tight on the bar? Sometimes that used to work loose and allow the 'filler bar' enough wobble to bind inside the bar tunnel.

Last shot: did you remove and replace the powder measure recently? If so, maybe it's been reattached to tightly.

[larryw]

Oh well, its easy to fix: call Dillon and tell them all about it. :)

[Steve Smith]

Well, I know it doesn't make any sense! I agree that it should have a shiny spot somewhere.

To be perfectly honest I haven't had the time to look at it closely, but I did clean it and eyeball it and is just won't go back in. I wonder if the housing is damages somehow instead but I haven't checked that. The reason I say that is even the tip of the bar won't go back into the housing.

[uglymofo]

Damn. Sounds like voodoo if the hole's shrunk.

[hps1]

A little graphite won't hurt a thing on your powder bar. My press started out as a 450 with manual powder measure and has since been upgraded except for frame and automatic priming. Since I used 4895 powder, I found that rubbing a very thin coat of graphite on the bar "slicked up" the manual measure and resulted in less charge to charge weight variation. I have continued to use graphite on the bars of my automatic measures just out of habit.

I don't spray it on, however, just put a very thin coat with a cotton swab once in a while.

Can't imagine the bar seizing up like that, however.

Regards,
hps

[Mike Irwin]

Don't use a wet lube of any kind would be my recommendation.

Use a dry lube.

Graphite is what gives powder its gray look, so graphite spray or powder would be fine.

Something like Dri-Slide would probably also be fine.

[Nero Steptoe]

I moly-coated the powder bars on my Dillon measure, using Midway moly. (The same powder with which one coats bullets) Works great!

[Steve Smith]

Ok, looks like something got in between the bar and the housing because there is a groove in the housing and a shiny spot on that part of the bar...no evidence of anying in there though. I reckon I'll file the edges of the old bar and polish the interior of the housing and use it as a back-up to my four other backups.

[Watchman]

NEOLUBE.

Neolube is a graphite powder that is carried by alcohol. You brush it on and the alcohol evaporates. You buff or polish the neolube with a cotton rag and then you apply again. It works great, Ive been using it for about 20 years without a faliure.

We us it quite a bit at the nuclear plant that I work at. Its mainly used to keep parts with sliding friction on them from "galling up" mostly aluminum to aluminum(like your powder bar) and stainless on stainless.

It comes in a little yellow bottle and a little goes a long way.

[Fatelvis]

Ive found that most powders have somewhat lubricating qualities to them, and also rust preventitive too. Ive yet to lube any of my four Dillon measures, or my RCBS measure. It seems as long as you use them occationally, they work fine.

[Steve Smith]

I sprayed some dry-slide on the new one. We'll see how this goes. May be a year or more before I have a report, though!:rolleyes:

[hps1]

Where would one look for this product, bearing supply house or ?? Thanks.

Regards
hps