A good way to prevent that on any plastic part is wiping it down with 303 Aerospace Protectant, which works wonders on any plastic, resin, or rubber. That, and avoid extremes of temp and especially UV light. Sunlight is not good for plastics.
Neat vintage reloading gear
- Thread starter HowieG
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A good way to prevent that on any plastic part is wiping it down with 303 Aerospace Protectant, which works wonders on any plastic, resin, or rubber. That, and avoid extremes of temp and especially UV light. Sunlight is not good for plastics.
20 hours seems excessive depending on how much your time is worth, but you are probably working on this for the fun of it.
Yes, there's no way 3d printing his would be commercially practical - not a problem doing it for myself. The same thing applies to hand making a knife edge - it might take me half a day, but I'm well retired and enjoy tinkering away in my home workshop.
I have got a Vac former and, with a well made form it would work ok - it would make a dust cover - but not to the quality of the injected moulded original.
JJFitch
Member
Do any of you have any interesting vintage reloading gear you would like to share with us?
For you youngsters, this is a Herter's Oil Damped scale from the early 1960's. Oil damped because magnets weren't invented yet. A paddle on the beam hangs in the reservoir that the user filled with oil. The base is cast iron and the scale weighs 1.6 lbs.
I don't know what it cost back then, but the very similar Redding Model 1 scale was listed for $14 in the 1965 Shooters Supply Service catalog.
View attachment 1045874
Herter's used to have the most reloading gear in their catalogue in the 60's and early 70's.
I had that very same scale from the mid 60's. As I recall it was under $10! The little oil reservoir and paddle to stabilize the beam was unique. Their "C" press was a beast way stronger than need be but of course they last forever. the only drawback was that their dies a different size than the industry standard we see today! (I wish that I could have saved one of their catalogues from that era)
Thanks for the memory and smiles.
P. S. Vintage?? I retired from competitive shooting a couple of years ago due to arthritis. I celebrated my 75th last week!
Yeah, no doubt. Making an exact replica would take some doing. Frankly, if the market were there, some injection moulding house would be making them right now. As far as covers go, Midway sells flexible covers for scales for about 6 bucks. They say RCBS on them.
Herter's used to have the most reloading gear in their catalogue in the 60's and early 70's.
I had that very same scale from the mid 60's. As I recall it was under $10! The little oil reservoir and paddle to stabilize the beam was unique. Their "C" press was a beast way stronger than need be but of course they last forever. the only drawback was that their dies a different size than the industry standard we see today! (I wish that I could have saved one of their catalogues from that era)
Thanks for the memory and smiles.
P. S. Vintage?? I retired from competitive shooting a couple of years ago due to arthritis. I celebrated my 75th last week!
Well, if you really like catalogs, Ebay has 88 listings for Herter's catalogs at the moment. They aren't hard to find.
Jim Watson
Member
When I got out of college and had a regular paycheck, I wanted to reload. But quarters were tight, so I needed something small. I had already heard too many stories about seating primers with a mallet on a Lee and the Lyman 310 tong tool takes a lot of squeeze. So I ordered a W.H. English Pak Tool. Compound leverage like a loading press, but hand held. I still use it for short run priming and wish I could still get shell holders for it, all I have is .45ACP/.30-06 etc and .30-30.
troy fairweather
Member
Ya I figured it would be a pain to print, but I wouldn't car if it took a week if it were for myself lol. Wonder if the Rosen printers would be better.
getting a price from a place that can make the mold and inject the plastic would be interesting, probably a few thousand bucks.
troy fairweather
Member
You could probably call this lee hand press vintage, my dad had it for 20-30 years before he have it to me. We used the crap out of it, mostly depriming but I used it for a portable reloading setup. I'm thinking over the years the metal work hardened and it broke, I was neck sizing some 308wins when it went.
GeoDudeFlorida
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Then again, what more does anyone really "need"?
Jim Watson
Member
9mm, .223, .38, .40-65. The .30-30 works for .38-55.
That's great. I never even heard of that. Wish I had.
.45Coltguy
Member
Man, some of you guys do indeed have some vintage handloading gear. My oldest is a OHAUS 10-10 and a RCBS RockChukar single stage made in 1977. Wait, I do still have a Lee Loader for 30-30 in the cabinet. That one made me get the RCBS single stage! Not that vintage, but, oldest I have. I think!
Edit: my 10-10 was manufactured in Florham Park, NJ, U.S.A.
Edit: my 10-10 was manufactured in Florham Park, NJ, U.S.A.
PWC
Member
I have the same Pacific powder balance (circa 1932). It doesn't read weight directly, thus it is not a scale. Put known weight in pan (calib weights) and zero the beam. Remove weights and drop powder from Lyman 55 and adjust until the drop repeatedly zeros the beam. Use left thumb and finger to lightly brush the pointer to dampen + / - swings.
I bought a Lyman pocket digital scale and RCBS check weights to to measure bullets and cases. So far, using the proper care for the digital, it is 1:1 with my gravity powered balance beam.
I think you can get a replacement part at Titan for 12.00
PWC
Member
Go to Antiquereloadingtools.com go to forum, scroll down to Webster scales. Interesting read on early scales and who really made them.
tightgroup tiger
Member
Here is my Dad's old Redding #1. It is the same scale as HowieG's Herters ^ above (Howie's Pic) and his Redding #1 except his #1 has adjusting nuts on the end of the beam.
it's oil dampened also.
I would love to know which of the companies, Herter's, or Redding, designed it.
Anyone know if Redding bought out Herters? Or did Herters just use other companies designs?
Disagree. The definition (Merriam Webster) of a SCALE is a machine or instrument for weighing. This type of scale is a beam balance scale. Pacific realized this and that is why it is called a scale on the box and in the instructions.
The classic example has a beam and fulcrum with a pan on each end. You introduce an unknown weight in one pan and add known weights to the other pan until the beam balances. In our example, the Pacific scale, there is one pan on one end of the beam and the moveable balance nuts on the other end of the beam take the place of the second pan. You could easily measure an unknown weight of powder by pouring it in the pan and then adjusting the balance nuts to achieve beam balance. Then remove the powder and place known weights in the pan until the beam balances again. You will then know how much your powder weighs.
GeoDudeFlorida
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The classic example is the scale of justice held by Justicia (Dike in the Greek panacea).
By the way, that also is a scale that could not be read directly because Justicia wears a blindfold. Justice is blind.
BRatigan
Member
The best and strongest press I have ever had. Its a Herters 0Super with an inch and a quarter ram. Also an old bullet sizer from yesterday. All are perfect and nearly 70 years old.Austin Albright
Member
I have one just like one on left. Still my main scale. Don't see the need to go digital. Have original box with price written in ink. $17.99
Probably purchased in about 1969 when I was in high school.
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