View Full Version : Anyone know who made this press ?
Freebore
10-31-2009, 08:43 PM
Recently picked this press up and just finished rebuilding it today (was in pretty bad shape). I'm not sure who made it. The guy I got it from told me he thought it was a Lyman because it has a "L" cast into te frame. My guess it was made by Lieb because the linkage is similar to the Lieb presses.
It has universal rams that accept standard shell holders, the frame is cast aluminum and the die plate and shell plate are machined from heavy steel bar stock, tolerances are excellent.
Any guesses are as good as mine......
woolleyworm
10-31-2009, 08:52 PM
I would vote Lieb also, based on the size of the Linkages; I have never seen a Lyman that had such stout linkages. One very fine looking press; at this rate, you're going to have a reloading museum before long! Freebore's History of the Reloading Press. Darn fine work as always!
muddober
10-31-2009, 09:09 PM
Freebore, I see you are at it again and what a cool two stag press. I wished you had posted some "before" pictures of this one too so everyone could really appreciate your work like I do.
Ron
Freebore
10-31-2009, 09:29 PM
Here's what it looked like before
Insulation Tim
11-01-2009, 08:33 AM
Amazing job of refinishing this.
38 special
11-01-2009, 10:25 AM
looks kinda like a CH press
Appliancedude
11-01-2009, 10:38 AM
Thats awesome. Nice work.
johnlives4christ
11-01-2009, 05:30 PM
nice work, very nice.
oldreloader
11-02-2009, 08:39 PM
Nice job Freebore
gdmoody
11-02-2009, 08:53 PM
Man! Another beautiful job, you are a talented man!
Kevin Rohrer
04-09-2010, 12:44 PM
Freebore,
Could you tell us what steps you took and the procedures for getting that press to look so good? I have a couple old presses I use (Hollywood and Herters) that could stand cleaning up.
Freebore
04-09-2010, 11:48 PM
Freebore,
Could you tell us what steps you took and the procedures for getting that press to look so good? I have a couple old presses I use (Hollywood and Herters) that could stand cleaning up.
I use pretty much the same procedures for rebuilding/refurbishing old reloading presses
1) Degreasing... most of the old presses have years of dried grease and oil that over the years have collected a lot of general caked on crud, most degreasing solvents can take care of this, but I mostly use Heet (gas additive) which does an excellent job of cutting through and dries fast and clean.
2) Removing old paint.... I use Black Diamond sandblasting media, this media is an excellent choice for cutting through the old wrinks paint finish (and others) found on old presses, leaves castings look like they just came out of the mold.
3) Machined surfaces... (not rams or slide columns) restoration, this is a tricky step that depends on the surface. I like the satin/frosted finish as it covers up small nicks and scratches. To get this finish I use a fine white sandblasting media so as not to add a deep texture to the machined finish, but give a smooth satin look. This finish is also a good choice as it retains oil on the surface very well.
4) Polishing (rams and colums)...I spin polish most of these items on a lathe using a very fine grit paper and ScotchBrite material. Caution needs to be taken so as not to alter the original dimensions
5) Bluing...some parts need to be reblued, for this most cold blue agents work well, some need multiple applications.
6) Painting....Strickly optional and depends on the finish you want, Rustoleum has come out with a line of industrial type coatings that work well and have some great colors for tool applications, I believe some others are also available, this is the creative part and individual choice.
7) Caution....I'm alway very cautious when dissasembling these old tools so as not to lose or damage the parts. On occasion something does break and has to be remanufactured, for this I have milled and turned new parts, I generally replace all fastners with new ones.
This is the short version of what I do, some may have other suggestions that work just as well.
As a side note, the press in this thread was identified as a Leib 2 stage press and was finished using the above procedure and painted with Rustoleum Hammered Red finish (two coats).
Gearheadpyro
04-10-2010, 08:56 AM
Outstanding work!
Kevin Rohrer
04-10-2010, 07:43 PM
Freebore,
What do you think about powder coating as opposed to painting? I know a couple guys who do it in their garages and are pretty good at it.
Freebore
04-10-2010, 08:54 PM
Freebore,
What do you think about powder coating as opposed to painting? I know a couple guys who do it in their garages and are pretty good at it.
I have considered powder coating in the past, and still do toy with the idea. This proccess is now available to home workshops and has many merits, I may give it a try one of these days.
Kevin Rohrer
04-18-2010, 10:55 PM
Freebore,
What do you do to keep the handle from rusting? It looks to be bare metal and I am guessing that merely oiling it would get a bit messy.
Freebore
04-19-2010, 10:01 AM
Freebore,
What do you do to keep the handle from rusting? It looks to be bare metal and I am guessing that merely oiling it would get a bit messy.
You guessed right, I use only a light coating of machine oil on bare metal parts, this may be somewhat of a pain once in a while, but keeps the integrity of the tool neat and operational. I have seen some people using a semigloss clear coat that looks good, but eventually needs to be redone.
Kevin Rohrer
06-14-2010, 10:32 AM
Freebore: I found a solution to the bare arm. I just picked up a Hollywood Senior, whose arm diameter (.75") matches that of the C-H '444' I already have. For $2.50, C-H sold me the same red rubber grip on the 444. I blued the Hollywood post and put on the grip. Voila!
http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv29/KevinRohrer/Reloading/IMG_0197.jpg
woolleyworm
06-14-2010, 11:36 AM
Freebore: I found a solution to the bare arm. I just picked up a Hollywood Senior, whose arm diameter (.75") matches that of the C-H '444' I already have. For $2.50, C-H sold me the same red rubber grip on the 444. I blued the Hollywood post and put on the grip. Voila!
Nice work Kevin, glad to see these old workhorses getting taken care of.
Kevin Rohrer
06-15-2010, 11:48 AM
I'll tell you what, the only modern press I have seen that compares to my Hollywood for strength and build quality is my C-H '444'. Those are both Cadillacs in a world of Chevys (and a few Yugos).
http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv29/KevinRohrer/Reloading/IMG_0200.jpg
woolleyworm
06-15-2010, 06:05 PM
I'll tell you what, the only modern press I have seen that compares to my Hollywood for strength and build quality is my C-H '444'. Those are both Cadillacs in a world of Chevys (and a few Yugos).
NICE !!!!
Freebore has some competition !! ;) Thats kinda like saying Carroll Shelby is better than Harley Earl though.......!
:cool::cool::cool::cool:
Bindernut
06-15-2010, 06:18 PM
Ditto what woolley said. That's a nice 444!
Someday I'll have to clean up the old C-H 3-station that I've got bolted to the bench. It's basically like the 444 except only has three stations. Only one I've ever seen like it...but by googling around on the net I understand it should be a 333.
Freebore
06-19-2010, 09:02 AM
Freebore: I found a solution to the bare arm. I just picked up a Hollywood Senior, whose arm diameter (.75") matches that of the C-H '444' I already have. For $2.50, C-H sold me the same red rubber grip on the 444. I blued the Hollywood post and put on the grip. Voila!http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv29/KevinRohrer/Reloading/IMG_0198.jpg
Nice work Kevin, I really like CH reloading tools, I always thought that they make top quality equipment when it comes to reloading. Many new reloaders have never seen or even heard of the CH line (that's too bad), the handle on the Hollywood is an excellent idea.
Bob
johnlives4christ
08-09-2010, 05:43 PM
this sure is some nice looking projects yall have.
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