Wrench for die lock nuts

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raljr1

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So I have been using pliers to lock my dies in place since I don't have a 1-3/16 or 1-1/8 open end wrench...searched the web and found a small box wrench with both sizes, but it was one off and no longer available...the thought of buying a couple large, expensive wrenches just bugged me , but so did having a bunch of different sized tools laying around the bench. I searched online and came up with this. 8 inches long adjusts up to 1-3/8"...probably cheaply made, but it isn't like i am torquing cylinder head bolts. Arrives tomorrow and I will see how it goes.
e5060516685c79290f1f0688b93028ea.jpg


Robert
 
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Guess you haven't seen LEE's newest lock nuts for dies...?

They are knurled, have a locking screw (like on Hornady, not like RCBS) & a rubber O-ring! And there is a designated (as in proprietary?) wrench that fits the knurls available as well...

Cheers!

P.S. I've used an adjustable wrench for dies for years. A big one for the bottoms and a little one for the tops.
 
I've always kept a couple sizes of common adjustable wrenches in a drawer near my press. However, for an adjustable wrench that opens wider than common Crescent style wrenches I have automotive wrenches. They pre-date the common kinked Crescent style. Their jaw moves down their handle. I do not have a smaller size handy to measure but to give you an idea my 19" automotive wrench opens to 4 1/2". They are still sold new with Crescent's name on them. You can find them on Amazon searching for automotive wrench. Even though they are U.S. made mine were only a few bucks at a swap meet.
 
I have a rather large,ancient crescent wrench I “borrowed” from my dad about 40 yrs ago on my bench
Which reminds me,jr still has my orbital sander!
 
k22fan said:
I've always kept a couple sizes of common adjustable wrenches in a drawer near my press. However, for an adjustable wrench that opens wider than common Crescent style wrenches I have automotive wrenches. They pre-date the common kinked Crescent style. Their jaw moves down their handle. I do not have a smaller size handy to measure but to give you an idea my 19" automotive wrench opens to 4 1/2". They are still sold new with Crescent's name on them. You can find them on Amazon searching for automotive wrench. Even though they are U.S. made mine were only a few bucks at a swap meet.
Click to expand...


Most old guys, if they ever worked on old cars, would know them as “monkey wrenches”.
Bob


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I never wrench the die tight into the press, so they generally come back out with little effort.
If one does resist removal, I have a crescent wrench that just barely makes the span to loosen the die.

Knurled lock rings are another matter. W/O wrench flats on the die you re left with using a pliers and a strip of leather to avoid marks.

Some older mfg dies have wrench flats cut on the die body above the knurling which is handy. Smaller common wrench size for one thing and you can use knurled lock rings and not have to think about how not to damage the knurling on them.

If the set screw in the lock ring is the allen type (socket), you can sometimes just use the allen wrench for a handle and turn a slightly stubborn die loose.
It won't work with a die that is heavily wrenched down on the press though.
 
There are these things called deep well sockets........just saying.

The need for wrenching on the lock nuts kinda depends upon what kinda of forces you're using and how long your production run is. Sizing dies and seaters seem most needy of a bit more than finger tight. Also kinda depends upon how muscular your fingers are.
 
Go to O'Rielly auto parts. You can buy single wrenches for a reasonable price there - they have a 1-1/8" combo wrench for just over 6 bucks. I snug most of mine down with a wrench too so that they never move accidentally - because I have a separate turret die plate for each caliber.
 
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bjrjar said:
Most old guys, if they ever worked on old cars, would know them as “monkey wrenches”.
Bob


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Negative. In their day automotive wrenches were a big improvement over monkey wrenches.

For another comparison, my 11" Diamond Tool & Horseshoe Co. automotive wrench opens to about 3 1/4".

I agree with most of the posters. Finger tight is how dies are normally turned into presses.
 
I use a 10" Crescent adjustble wrench I've had forever. It opens just enough to comfortably snug the die nut.
I like to lock my dies with a wrench, because I'm picky about case length and crimp quality. There's enough play in my LNL press that I want to keep out lost motion anywhere I can, and a crimp/seating die is probably the worst place to have it.
 
I got this one with a bunch of reloading stuff in an estate. I've never seen one before but its pretty slick. With the handle down at a 90 degree angle you can loosen a snug die. When the handle is up you can spin the die out of a tight spot on a turret head press.
 

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this has me thinking of a trip out to the shop and get out a piece of 1/8" aluminum or steel and start hacking. The flats on the Hornady hex rings are just a tiny bit smaller than the Lee hex nuts and the teeth in the newer "gear toothed" rings are big enough that a couple teeth cut into the jaws of a wrench made to fit the other rings would make it fit all 3!
 
One of the nice benefits of a Forster Coax press is not worrying about die ring wrenching. Just twist the die to where you want it in the ring and run the grub screw (set screw) in to fix the ring position. Works on either split lock rings or solid rings with set screws and a lead plug. No big wrenches. Forster branded rings have knurling instead of wrench flats. I am an admitted Coax fanboy.
 
I will never part with the Co-Ax that I've had for 42 years but I would not choose one for my only press. While its compound leverage combines with its 180 degree handle stroke to provide the best leverage of all the presses I've used, it is slow. Some die lock rings fit the slot. Some don't. 1970s RCBS ring fit. Early 1980 and later RCBS rings have to be thinned in a lathe. I've never attempted to make Lee's rubber O ring die rings work. Even if they would, how'd you keep the ring in exactly the same position between uses? For priming early Co-Axes use shell holders with the same dimensions as RCBS shell holders except those for the Co-Axe have a larger hole through them. RCBS shell holders can be drilled to make them work. Newer Co-Axe presses have a sliding jaw universal shell holder on top for priming. The Co-Axe is such an unusual press that for $30 I was able to buy a second newer one from a gun store that has been selling used reloading equipment for decades. They did not recognize it as a reloading press. They though it had something to do with plumbing.
 
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