Show Us Your Homade Equipment

[deltaenterprizes]

On a couple of machining forums I visit there are threads on shop made tools. I am sure there are plenty of do-it-your-selfers here. I would like to see your home made tools, even if it is a common household article adapted to casting or reloading use.

If this is in the wrong place please move it.

[Reverend Recoil]

I never seem to have the right screw driver or punch that I need for gun work. I make my own from valve springs, Allen wrenches and concrete nails. Concrete nails are of tough high carbon steel and make good stock for small tools such as screw drivers and punches. The concrete nails used here are 2 ½” long.

I grind the head down by chucking the nail in a cordless drill and turning it against the stone of a bench grinder. Reverse the nail in the drill chuck to grind the punch to shape. I used a Dremel moto-tool to grind the screw driver blades. Dip in water often while grinding so you don’t over heat the nail and lower its hardness.

A short section of white oak broom stick and epoxy completes the handle. One can be made in a little less time than it take to photograph and post them on this web site. Material cost is 10¢ each.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwayne09316/P6010106.jpg

[WILCO]

Great idea!

[deltaenterprizes]

Thanks for a great idea.

[EMC45]

Been wanting to try this for a while!

[deltaenterprizes]

Making screwdrivers or the thread?

[quack1]

Not really a tool, but this is my home made, bottom pour, gas fired pot. Made it about 35-40 years ago and still use it. Holds about 18lbs of lead. Just wish I would have made it out of stainless.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/1quack1/IMG_0060.jpg

[CiDirkona]

$5 lube cake cutter.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/cidirkona/utf-8BSU1BRzA2MTIuanBn.jpg

(Has been replaced by a Star... other end of the spectrum...)

[beanflip]

I some what tried to copy Sinclares wooden press stand. This is what I came up with

If anybody wants to build one pm me for more pics and some measurements .

[Von Gruff]

I grew up with parents who had lost thier home and business because of insider trading so things were tight for us as kids in the 50's. They grew up with the depression as a childhood economis condition. Consequently the first thought when I have wanted something has been how can I make that and it has leaqd to a life of satisfaction from making and adapting many things.
From the simplest need for a small flat spoon for tap trickeling powder onto the scales made from a 6in nail to building a motorcycle from the ground up. Made my own knives, and rifle stocks, doing my own leatherwork, and a loom to weave wool after shearing the sheep and spining the wool.

My father tought me that if someone else can do something there is no reason that I cant. Maybe not as well but certainly servicable enough to satisfy a need.

His question most often was "How do you know you cant, have you tried yet"?

My philosefy has always been to make what I can and save the few dollars I have for those things I cant make. This serves me well now as i am retired ( not intentionally but related to work injury that the insurance wont cover) and still get to do most of what I would like to except the hunting trips are necessarily curtailed.

Von Gruff.

[Reverend Recoil]

Von Gruff, I like the way you think. There seems to be a lack of creativity and resourcefulness in America today. Many times I have flipped through tool catalogs wishing I owned all that stuff. Now I go through them looking for tools I may be able to fabricate myself. I now have three drawers full of tools at practically no cost. There is usually a lessen to learned in making each one.

The reason I shoot rifles instead of playing golf is that I cannot make my own golf balls.

[cheese1566]

This is the power trimmer I made from an old 6 colt cordless drill. It is powered by a converted computer power supply. It can be used in conjunction with my old Hornady trimmer, alone with Lee trimmers, or with prep tools for debur/chamfer, primer pocket cleaning...
The modified power supply can produce 12, 5.5, or 3 volts DC power. They make a good general regulated bench top power supply. This modification can be done for a couple of dollars depending how fancy and complicated you want to make it. This one was done for under $10. The power supplies are very common from junk computers.
27717

[WILCO]

I made a gas check trimmer sometime ago. Needed it to square up my checks.

[smokemjoe]

I took a pliers and ground out the the gripping teeth, concaved the nose to semi round on the end , makes a great bullet puller. Good for other things also,

[WILCO]

I took a pliers and ground out the the gripping teeth........


Pics?

[mdi]

$5 lube cake cutter.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/cidirkona/utf-8BSU1BRzA2MTIuanBn.jpg

(Has been replaced by a Star... other end of the spectrum...)

Now that's a good idea. I always made my cake cutters out of stainless steel tubing reamed to size because cartridges were too small to hold in my fat fingers. Your tool could be used for every thing I cast; I have brass and shell holders already...

[Chicken Thief]

I made this decapper umpteen yrs ago with the intention to make a better/perfect one. It works so well that i just kept it as is.

It's a wirecutter a Lee universal decapping stem and some tidbits velded together:
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm153/Chickenthief/Skydning/R0010362.jpg
http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm153/Chickenthief/Skydning/R0010363.jpg

Does seaters, sizers, GC cutters and formers, expanders, compression plugs etc qualify for this thread?
If so then i have a buttload of pics to share.

[ronbo]

Homemade rotary brass tumbler made in the 70's

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/sling_1079.jpg

[44Vaquero]

This Press was made by my Grandfather Dominick in 1989. I had just graduated from college and was dirt poor but I did own a Ruger Single-Six in the then brand new .32 Magnum! This is how the old timers did it, according to him after the war, when they could not afford fancy store bought tools!

I still use it from time to time just to keep me grounded with my roots! He still uses his home built press(As built circa 1947) to load about 40 different calibers rifle and pistol! His is a little bit different with polished and ground links that are interchangeable for for length of travel and leverage about 3 times the weight of this one.

[bumpo628]

I made a rotary tumbler from an old treadmill. I just chopped off the rest of the frame and moved the rear roller close to the front one. You can change the speed using the front panel based on how much weight is in the cans. You can also pull the cans off while it's running to check on them.

31590

Here's an old cell phone video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv1M_wnqges

[DABULLMAN]

old walker was sitting in my garage that i got from spring cleaning one year and thought about giving it to my grandma but sorry grandma :twisted:

[geargnasher]

Glad this is still going. Here's my contribution, a cast trimmer station made with a bunch of scrap and extra Lee deburring "tools" I had laying around from various kits and gunshow grab-bags I've purchased.

Chuck the case in the drill using the added knob for fatigue-reducing leverage, poke it over the trimmer, pull the trigger wide-open on low-gear, shave the mouth, then go into the outside debur to the left, inside debur, and finally neck brush without releasing the trigger. I can do a box of 50 easily in seven minutes.



http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28957&d=1296281781


Here's another one the Lee crowd might enjoy, when I purchased my first turret press two years ago everyone on the planet was sold out of the powder measure risers, so I made one myself. I've since purchased the factory riser, but found it unsatisfactory as it STILL doesn't put the measure up high enough to clear all the dies. The all-thread nipple on the bottom had to be cut to straight threads with a 5/8"X11 die, the 3/8" NPT was the correct pitch, but the taper wouldn't thread into the top of the die more than one thread.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16301&d=1255230423
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16300&d=1255230360

Gear

[bumpo628]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16300&d=1255230360
Gear

It looks like your powder hits terminal velocity when it enters the brass. Wow!

[geargnasher]

It does pound into the case with authority, a nice audible confirmation that there's some powder in there.

Are those ice cream buckets on your re-appropriated treamill?

Gear

[bumpo628]

It does pound into the case with authority, a nice audible confirmation that there's some powder in there.

Are those ice cream buckets on your re-appropriated treamill?

Gear

No, they're 3-lb coffee cans with lids on each end (so they don't walk).

[littlejack]

Made in America, By Americans!!!!!

[44Vaquero]

Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!

[7of7]

The reason I shoot rifles instead of playing golf is that I cannot make my own golf balls.

Have you tried?? :kidding: couldn't resist..

[44Vaquero]

This idea was very quick and easy! One wide mouth bottle, 3 screws and a drill! If I ever switch out to a 20 oz bottle I may not have to empty it for years!!! I opted to cut the bottle down so it would not interfere with the counter below the press.

[HollowPoint]

DIY Soft-Pointing Tool Version 4.5

Back when I first joined this forum I started work on a home-made soft pointing tool that turned out to have absolutely dismal results with the first prototypes I made.

Some of you may or may not remember those efforts; and pictures.

I kept at it till I had DIY Soft-Pointing tool that worked just how I'd envisioned it. Since then I've had excellent results with it on larger caliber cast pistol bullets. It also works well with 30 caliber and up cast bullets but not as good as with larger diameter bullets.

I did a write up on the results including pics and everything a year or two ago. It was a thoroughly enjoyable project until some concerned fellow casters started prompting me to get it patented.

I'm sure it was suggested with the best of intentions but, that pressure turned this otherwise enjoyable project into a race to get it done before someone stole my idea and claimed it as their own.

The reason I took on this project was because it took way to long to make up a batch of soft-pointed bullets via the traditional cast-bullet-way. (the method explained in one of the stickies posted on this website)

With this tool I can make soft points at the same pace I generally cast my bullets.

I'm presently working on version 5 of this Soft-Pointing Tool. Version 5 includes integral 12 volt actuators with electrical push-button switches that replace the manual thumb-levers it has now.

These actuators will allow for smoother transition between my soft alloy and my hard alloy as well as the ability to dial in a more exact amount of each alloy.

I get a good transition between alloys in its present configuration but at the bottom of each thumb-lever-stroke, there's a slight jerking motion that I know the new electrical actuators will resolve.

I'll be able to power it from my 12v cordless drill batteries with ease and minimal clutter on my casting table.

I've included a picture of version 4.5 just so you have an idea what I'm babbling about.

I'll be removing the picture in a day or two. I just wanted you all to see what's possible with a little work without giving up.

HollowPoint

[44Vaquero]

HollowPoint, DIY Soft-Pointing Tool Version 4.5 Very cool! Looking forward to seeing 5.0 in action!

[Firebricker]

HP, Does it work kind of like a powder measure except with lead ? Would love to see a picture of one of your finished boolits if you get time. Nice work and ingenuity. FB

[HollowPoint]

Greetings gentlemen:

The best way I can describe how is works is by referring to the two reservoirs at the bottom of the tool as, "Ladles."

Many bullet casters use a ladle to cast their bullets rather than a "Bottom Pour" fixture on their melting pot.

The "Ladles" in this case have holes in the bottom of them. The holes are plugged by the vertical rods shown in the pic. The vertical rods are raised to unplug the holes in the bottom of the "Ladles" by means of thumb-levers.

By pressing the thumb-levers all the way down (soft-alloy first then hard-alloy) till they bottom out, it releases the pre-adjusted amount of alloy into the bullet cavity of your bullet mold. Adjustments are made via the adjustment screws at the top of the tool.

At the bottom of the thumb-lever-stroke, when the lever is released, these same thumb-levers reset themselves by means of a small spring and pivoting joints.

The finished bullets don't look any different than any other cast bullet you would cast out of a given bullet mold. The only difference is that they are cast of lead with two different hardness levels; soft at the nose and hard at the tail.

When I did my bullet testing with the bullets I'd made with this tool I used my Lyman Devastator hollow point mold. I posted close up pictures so that folks here could see with their own eyes that this tool really worked.

The fired bullets themselves had the classic Mushroom look but only as far back as the alloy-transition point between the soft-alloy and the hard-alloy.

Because the two different alloys are poured one right after the other, (soft-alloy then hard-alloy) while they're still in their molten state, the two different alloy are blended at that transition-point so it's not just two different alloys butted against each other.

I guess if I wanted to get nit-picky, I could say that it actually creates a third alloy by combining the soft and the hard alloy at the transition point between the two alloys.

With the traditional method of making cast bullet soft points, there is also some mixing of the two alloys but, I don't believe the mixing is to the same extent as with this Soft-Pointing Tool.

HollowPoint

[mckutzy]

HollowPoint- Is this tool heated by a torch or just dipped into the separate pots before u "pour" like a regular ladle?

[HollowPoint]

When I first started using it to make soft points I would stick a small rectangular shaped tin can filled with the softer alloy down into my molten hard alloy. It took a while for it to melt but it eventually did.

I had to secure that Soft-Alloy-filled tin can down somehow cause it had the tendency to want to float up a little and tip over into the hard alloy.

Now days I just use a piece of flat metal that I cut to the exact shape of the inside of my melting pot to split my melting pot down the middle. (in effect giving me two compartments within the same pot)

This metal partition also still wants to float up so I had to rig up an anchor at one end of it to keep it from floating up and tipping over and mixing my two alloys.

If you'll notice in the pic I've provided, there's a space between the two reservoirs/ladles that allows me to just set it down into my melting pot with one of the reservoirs in the soft-alloy side of the partition and one in the hard-alloy.

The same heating elements in the pot melt my alloys and heats up the metal that the Soft-Pointing Tool is made of.

As long as my partition is set so that my pot's drain hole is on either side of that partition, I can drain my melting pot when I'm done, one side at a time without the two alloys mixing together.

Because of the small size of the reservoirs/ladles on this present tool, it works best with a two cavity bullet mold up to 45 caliber. When I finally upgrade to my next version, I hope to enlarge the capacity of my reservoirs/ladles a little so that I can pour enough to do at least a four cavity mold.

In order to keep my alloys from wanting to harden before they're completely dispensed, I'll have to thicken the walls of the reservoirs. This means I'll have to find a happy-medium between the weight of my tool and the amount of lead it will hold.

I'm afraid that trying to describe how it's done with the written word makes it sound far more complicated than it really is. It's actually a very simple setup.

I deleted all the pictures I'd taken several month ago otherwise I'd just post them so you can see what I'm eluding to with my written descriptions.

Well, that's it for now. I've appreciated your interest in this DIY Soft-Pointing Tool. I really liked the ideas shared by the other guys here too. The simpler the better.

I'll be taking down the picture I've provided at the end of today.

HollowPoint

[44Vaquero]

This press has been used to form everything from .30 cal up to .451. I do not know when my Grandfather Domnick made it, but I am 45 years old and can remember it on the wall as a kid!

[Jim]

Home built hydraulic press for down sizing jacketed bullets.
http://fgsp.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/press-001-e1302052206490.jpg

[John Boy]

I only have 1 real top punch for each caliber I shoot. In total though have close to 60 molds that I cast bullets & lube ...
Real top punch plus heavy duty aluminum foil:
Fold the foil into a square - put some lube on one side - push into the real top punch and lube any bullet of that caliber

[Cranium]

Roller handle and a 6" lift for my Hornady LNL press.

The roller handle was about a $30 project ($20 for the handle). And the I-beam was a $20 project ($10 to cut it to length).

http://imageshack.us/m/3/108/hornadypressmods.jpg

2nd custom project was a digital (PID) temperature controller for my Lee furnace. This was about a $100 project but now my temperature is maintained for me within a couple degrees of where I want it.

http://imageshack.us/m/834/2750/pid1sttimeuse1.jpg

[adrians]

my trusty 45 lubesizer,s handle would annoy me by droping down a little so i drilled and tapped the handle , screwed a nut and bolt in the wood base put a spring in and now my handle returns to its upright position (its adjustable by just turning the nut up/down for tension ) not a big deal but now it don't annoy me no more.


also if you get a "toastmaster" (my daughter left this when she left:D).
cut some slots in the sides and you have a mold warmer with temp control up to 400f,,,easy done and it works.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Adrians...or anyone else watching.
regarding your lyman 45 spring.
I found a stronger spring to solve that same problem,
especially when I added a larger "homemade handle"
Jon

[adrians]

jonB, thanks that looks perfect for my deal and it's only a buck!.
i will try the small engine repair shop down the road from me (they repair a ton of lawn mowers) i bet they have something just like that spring.
i robbed my spring from my desk lamp, you know those adjustable ones with the big magnifying glass on it , tommorow is a good day to go down to the "grass cutting shop":mrgreen:.
my lamp thanks you as do i ...:evil::drinks::twisted:

[MBTcustom]

heres a couple of my paper patch molds.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_177714dae376141949.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=560)
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_177714dae385053a9b.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=582)
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_177714dae38503b402.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=580)

And my custom lee loader and case, for my pet wildcat the .458 Malcolm.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_177714dae38376a02d.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=579)

[Poppaclutch]

Here's a pic of my diy ladle and cake cutter. Made the cake cutter out of 1" aluminum rod for a more comfortable fit. Made the ladle by welding two 3/4" iron pipe caps together and using a grease fitting for the spout. Removed the threading. Holds too much lead but pours great.
Think I will make a smaller ladle out of 1/2" iron caps. Also had to cut 4" out of the handle.
56756 56757

[ffg]

I made a rotary tumbler from an old treadmill. I just chopped off the rest of the frame and moved the rear roller close to the front one. You can change the speed using the front panel based on how much weight is in the cans. You can also pull the cans off while it's running to check on them.

31590

Here's an old cell phone video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv1M_wnqges

Now that is the proper way to use a treadmill !

[GP100man]

Not fancy ,but I did make it !!scrounged the nut from the farm bolt bin. a little left over 1" flat bar & 1" angle.

Cost 1 6013 welding rod , 5min of runnin the welder .
& drillin 2 1/4" holes.

AND - - it WORKS !! Tall enuff to get under.

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/Herters-1.jpg

[454PB]

Is that powder measure on the right a Herters? I have one just like it, except the drum doesn't protrude out the left side like yours.

[RP]

A primer catcher for the press that just spits them out the side of the rams.
http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg31/Ricky1965/RELOADING/027.jpg
And this was one of my ways to anneal brass to swage into 44 bullets it was slow and did not work as well as I thought it would. Now I bulk anneal it over a gas burner. Also while its still hot I drop it into a critic acid mix they shine up on contact.
http://http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg31/Ricky1965/RELOADING/007.jpg

[GP100man]

Is that powder measure on the right a Herters? I have one just like it, except the drum doesn't protrude out the left side like yours.

Yep it`s a dial with numbers on it ,while they don`t corrospond with a weight they do give a reference to drum position & very repeatable settings.

It`s the only measure I own that does`nt bind or spill H-110 !

[Catshooter]

RP,

That is cute as hell. I love it.


Cat

[Ziptar]

My homemade brass tumbler made from a Ronco™ Showtime™ Rotisserie Grill and an Utz Snacks "Barrel O' Cheese Balls" Container.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWEUQHX0PLA

It's tumbled over 10,000 cases at this point and is still going strong. I thought I'd at least would have had to replace the cheese ball barrel at this point but, still have the original. I did 1200 .45 ACP cases at once last week. Full build details in this post. (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?113964-My-Homemade-0-Cost-15-Minutes-to-Build-Tumbler-w-Built-in-Timer!-(Maybe-)&p=1255004&viewfull=1#post1255004)




Thanks Ron!!! :-D




57627

[FAsmus]

Gentlemen;

Here is a shot of my casting outfit, made from a cut-down turkey cooker. The burner is shielded by a modified Christmas-popcorn container. This serves not only as heat shield but protects the bench top from splashed or spilled alloy. The bench top itself is made of salvaged black-board slate.

58090

The pot is stabilized by placing it into an upside-down modified coffee can - which also serves as a heat shield. The extended rack around the burner serves well for placing a mold for preheating the tools and for heating ingots (when casting in the cold) prior to adding them to the pot. The oil can is full of olive oil which serves me very well as flux and the bed-pan is where I collect sprues during a casting session.

Good morning,
Forrest