lee press getting stiff
- Thread starter cjmac
- Start date
bigedp51
Take it apart and clean it, the first that comes to mind is the ram or linkages are binding. And you will not know until it is taken apart.
I had to take my 1973 RCBS Rockchucker apart and the problem was reloading in the basement and the humidity.
And steel wool and Kroil cleaned up the slight corrosion on the ram and other parts. The other culprit was depriming primer residue inside the ram area and gritty resistance.
Now every year the press gets a Kriol bath to flush and clean the recessed areas. And now I lube it with a mix of synthetic motor oil and transmission fluid etc. This was AR15 bug juice designed to lube the AR15 (running wet) but I didn't like the smell of the hot oil and went back to CLP.
NOTE: The transmission fluid has a lot of anti corrosion ingredients and the main reason I use it to lube the press.
Besides the STP makes my press go faster.
Excellent, Cheap, and Homemade Gun Lube
This is a formula called "Bug Juice" we learned at an NRA Instructor School:
*2-Quarts Synthetic Motor Oil. We used 10-30 but weight ain't really important.
*1-Quart Automatic Transmission Fluid. Brand and spec. don't matter.
*1-Bottle of original STP. The blue bottle.
*1-7 oz. jar of Hoppe's Solvent.
http://forums.officer.com/t135655/
I had to take my 1973 RCBS Rockchucker apart and the problem was reloading in the basement and the humidity.
And steel wool and Kroil cleaned up the slight corrosion on the ram and other parts. The other culprit was depriming primer residue inside the ram area and gritty resistance.
Now every year the press gets a Kriol bath to flush and clean the recessed areas. And now I lube it with a mix of synthetic motor oil and transmission fluid etc. This was AR15 bug juice designed to lube the AR15 (running wet) but I didn't like the smell of the hot oil and went back to CLP.
NOTE: The transmission fluid has a lot of anti corrosion ingredients and the main reason I use it to lube the press.
Besides the STP makes my press go faster.
Excellent, Cheap, and Homemade Gun Lube
This is a formula called "Bug Juice" we learned at an NRA Instructor School:
*2-Quarts Synthetic Motor Oil. We used 10-30 but weight ain't really important.
*1-Quart Automatic Transmission Fluid. Brand and spec. don't matter.
*1-Bottle of original STP. The blue bottle.
*1-7 oz. jar of Hoppe's Solvent.
http://forums.officer.com/t135655/
jonbearman
I live in new york state,how unfortunate !
Send it back and if it is worn enough they will probably give you a new one.
tagbigedp51 said:Take it apart and clean it, the first that comes to mind is the ram or linkages are binding. And you will not know until it is taken apart.
I had to take my 1973 RCBS Rockchucker apart and the problem was reloading in the basement and the humidity.
And steel wool and Kroil cleaned up the slight corrosion on the ram and other parts. The other culprit was depriming primer residue inside the ram area and gritty resistance.
Now every year the press gets a Kriol bath to flush and clean the recessed areas. And now I lube it with a mix of synthetic motor oil and transmission fluid etc. This was AR15 bug juice designed to lube the AR15 (running wet) but I didn't like the smell of the hot oil and went back to CLP.
NOTE: The transmission fluid has a lot of anti corrosion ingredients and the main reason I use it to lube the press.
Besides the STP makes my press go faster.
Excellent, Cheap, and Homemade Gun Lube
This is a formula called "Bug Juice" we learned at an NRA Instructor School:
*2-Quarts Synthetic Motor Oil. We used 10-30 but weight ain't really important.
*1-Quart Automatic Transmission Fluid. Brand and spec. don't matter.
*1-Bottle of original STP. The blue bottle.
*1-7 oz. jar of Hoppe's Solvent.
http://forums.officer.com/t135655/
Dusty Stevens
Shiner
Check the pins along with the ram. If its the aluminum body scuff out the body the ram rides in. It gets a layer of galvanic corrosion over time thats sticky
Toolbreaker
Gold $$ Contributor
Dusty Stevens said:
Right here. Links and their corresponding pins will wear out over time. The links will elongate while the pins will wear on the "loaded" side if they don't or can't rotate. Pull the linkage down & replace/rotate the pins where needed (with generous amounts of oil). Some Scotchbrite on the ram, followed by a Scotchbrite "flapper" on a drill motor for the casting bore, and you should be back in business.
Take the handle off and put in a bucket. Pour in enough kerosene to cover the press and let soak for a day or so.
Remove, Operate the ram a few times, rinse in the bucket again and then hang up to dry for a few hours. Oil the ram and linkage with some motor oil and you'll be good for another 10 years at least. If the ram hasn't worn to the point the cases miss the bottom opening on the dies, and the linkage hasn't worn to the point it actually breaks, you haven't reached the end of the press's life.
Remove, Operate the ram a few times, rinse in the bucket again and then hang up to dry for a few hours. Oil the ram and linkage with some motor oil and you'll be good for another 10 years at least. If the ram hasn't worn to the point the cases miss the bottom opening on the dies, and the linkage hasn't worn to the point it actually breaks, you haven't reached the end of the press's life.
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