So you can't afford one ?

[Ben]

Maybe you can't afford a Lube- Sizer right now. Here is a way to get around spending that $150 +.

There is a sticky on this , but here is a " refresher " for you.

If you have a mold and some Hornady g/c's , the rest of this is pennies and you'll end up with bullets that shoot groups as well ( or possibly better ) than those from your $150 lube sizer. Here is a group fired with bullets using this system :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/VZ%2024%20Flutted/IMG_1075.jpg

My photos show a metal pan, after more work I've determined that isn't the best melting pan to use. Go to a thrift store and buy and old skillet. An old aluminum one will work just fine as long as the bottom is FLAT.

If you go the fruit juice can route, cut the bottom out leaving about a 1.5 " rim around the bottom of the can ( see photos below). I'm using home made lube, you can use whatever bullet lube you have.

This example is for .30 cal, but this process can easily be used for 8 mm, .35 cal, .41, .44 or .45 cal. cast bullets just as well.

You'll need to determine the size of cast bullet you want to fire out of your rifle or pistol. In my case, I shoot an awful lot of .310" dia. cast bullets in my 06's and 308 Win. rifles. So I took a .310 dia. sized cast bullet and a a fired 30 / 06 case that would barely slide over the .310 dia. bullet with little or no resistance.

Drill out the flash hole of the case and put a 20 penny nail through that hole. Turn the head of the nail to about .295 " , put a little wooden dowel on the end of the nail and your finished.

See photos :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/006.jpg

It is interesting to note that a lot of lub sizers come from the factory with top punch / sizer die mis - alignment. The issue of mis - alignment can and will size one side of a bullet more than the other side of the bullet , wrecking accuracy. This system is free of that problem, a bullet is sized WITHOUT any mis - alignment.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/0032.jpg

Melt your lube slowly and don't over heat the lube. Lube can and will be damaged if it gets too hot.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/007.jpg

In the photo below the bullets that have already been sized .310" and had their g/cs installed are placed in molten lube to the proper height and allowed to cool in the lube until the lube turns into a solid.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/0042.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/0072.jpg

[Le Loup Solitaire]

That is an excellent tutorial on pan lubing and cake cutting. It is clearly written and well illustrated. I am sure that it will help many of our members both new and old to prepare their castings for their use. LLS

[Maven]

Very creative, Ben. And, once again, the photos are excellent!

[1Shirt]

Reminds me of the good old days when all I could afford was pan lube and cake cutting. Works well, and there area some good memories of back then.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Reg]

I like your concept on the Kake Cutter . Simple, well thought out. Will have to make up a couple to play with.
Always trying to use the bullets "as cast". They always seem to work better.


:drinks:

[Ben]

Thanks fellows,

Most of you understand ( and hence can appreciate what you are seeing ) the concept because you've done it before.

My efforts above are really directed towards some of the young reloaders that may have been hedging a little bit on their commitment to casting. I'd hoped that they would read this and realize they don't have to have hundreds of $'s to get into casting, lubing and sizing their own bullets.

I was an educator for 25 years, I guess a little bit of it is still in my blood.

Ben

[Ben]

Today, I decided to step up production a little. I didn't like the bottom of the
pan not being smooth, so I got a larger pan that had a smooth bottom .
The bullets in the pan are Lyman .30 cal. 31141 g/c HP's.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/013.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/015.jpg

Here they are after using the " Kake Cutter " to remove them from the solidified lube .
It is important to note that I made no attempt to clean the bullets, I simply held the Kake Cutter over the box and hit the ejector button.......this is what they looked like as they fell into the box :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/017.jpg

[hiram1]

and this is why i love it here

[jerry_from_ct]

I have a Lyman 450, but I'm becoming a real fan of Lee push thru and a slightly modified "Recluse" tumble lube formula.

I find it faster, minus the dry time of course, installs checks well and the lube works great.

[Boolseye]

Sweet. THanks, man–great tutorial.

[btroj]

This goes to show that you don't need lots of equipment to get good results. I bet Ben puts those pan lubed, low tech bullets into tiny little groups too. Amazing what you can do even when going low tech.
Thanks for reminding us that it is the quality of the bullet and prep, not the equipment, that makes for good results. You don't need lots of "stuff" to make a good bullet.

Thanks Ben.

[Ben]

btroj :

I bet Ben puts those pan lubed, low tech bullets into tiny little groups too.

Interesting you should say that........

This is an actual group that I fired with my hvy barrel stainless , 308 Win. with the above spire pt. bullets lubed and sized with the system as described . I'd like to include these photos so that you'll see you don't have to accept " sub par " performance if you choose to use this system to size and lube your bullets :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/VZ%2024%20Flutted/IMG_1075.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/VZ%2024%20Flutted/PICT0007.jpg

[GLL]

Outstanding presentation !

Good to see you found a "STAR" production grade pan ! :) :)

Jerry

[Ben]

Jerry:

I'm hoping that this article will get some young shooters interested in casting and lubing their own bullets. When we all started MANY yrs. ago, we had a lot of testosterone and a very little bit of money. Probably the same now for these young guys.

If this article helps to get some young casters going and they enjoy the hobby and move forward with their shooting and casting, it will be well worth my efforts.

BTW.... that Star production grade pan cost me a lot of money at the thrift store, ( .49 ).

Best,

Ben

[Wally]

Lee still offers (last time I checked) aluminum "cookie cutters" in a variety of calibers...I have purchased a few directly from them...I suggest you call them first should you want one. Mine are in the .22 & the .30 Calibers.

[MtGun44]

Top notch work Ben. One simple alternative to your elegant cake cutter is to just saw off
the head, the boolits pop out of the top as you cut the next one.

I think the lid from a cookie tin would be a good pan, too.

Of course, the second set is done with the boolits set into the holes from the previous batch
and then a heat gun makes quick work of reheating.

Compared to the stink, stickness and common failures of LLA, I think I will send all
the "I can't get my TL boolit to work in 9mm" guys here for the best alternative at a
low cost.

Bill

[jrhoney]

Wow that is pretty ingenious. Thank you for this method since it is going to be the way I have to do things for the near future. Great name for the device by the way.

[Jal5]

I have to try the lid from the cookie tin, never thought of that myself!

Joe

[Ben]

The cookie tin may or may not work. Once you get that lube liquid, I usually feel a little better if there is 3/4 " or more of rim above the liquid. Don't know if the cookie tin lid will give you that or not ?

[Ben]

Today I changed pans, I think I like this one the best. Here are SAECO 315's , g/c'd and sized .311" sitting in my " Ben's Blue Lube " waiting on the lube to solidify and then I'll cut them out with the " Kake Cutter".

Here is a link on the " Blue Lube " :

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=118838

It doesn't take long to accumulate some bullets with this system. There are about 50 bullets in the pan and there is room for quite a few more.

Ben

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/PICT0002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/PICT0004.jpg

[geargnasher]

Outstanding, Ben, just outstanding.

Why hasn't someone made this a sticky already!?? I know we have a VS that makes a similar tool in many calibers, but someone might want to try the cheap route and see if they like it before shelling out the bucks for a professionally made one.

Gear

[Ben]

Gear,

Thanks......Like you say Gear if money is an issue a young caster really needs to try this system, if you've got a cheap Lee push thru sizer, a mold, a couple of sticks of lube ( we all know that can be made at home for CHEAP ), a fired case and a tiny bit of mechanical skill, you're in business.

I didn't mention this, but when I started using lube sizers 40 yrs. ago , I had one that must have been drilled off center at the factory. The top punch and the die weren't lined up properly. My bullets were always sized on 1 side more than the other. I eventually got rid of that piece of junk. I never shot a decent group as long as I was using that mis-aligned piece of junk to lube and size my bullets.

This system will not allow that to occur.

No more mis-aligned bullets that are sized off center with this system ! ! I've shot some pretty impressive groups with this system.

I hope some young casters will look at all of this and " jump in " . You've got to admit, the price is right.

Ben

[hicard]

"I've shot some pretty impressive groups with this system." Yes you have Ben.

[clodhopper]

Today before reading the post I took my 8 year old grandson out to the range, he is pretty good with his savage lefthand .22.
We brought along a contender carbine 20" in 7mmTCU, I let him shoot up some 130 grain lee's.
Then took him home and introduced him to the mould that made the bullets,
He tried pouring some but just could not get the speed up enough to get the mould working good.
Then I got out the old .285 lee size and lube kit. with hammer powered push through size die, lube pan and kake cutter.
These were my first bullet casting/sizeing tools, purchased in the early eightys. Didn't cost much money but the bullets produced would shoot under a minute in my old super 14 7mmTCU barrel.
He will shoot the bullets he cast next trip to the range.

[Ben]

He will shoot the bullets he cast

Allowing a young shooter to " shoot the bullets that he cast " will get him deeply involved in the shooting sports very quickly.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

Thanks as a new guy starting off , this is very help full
i had already seen pan lubing , and was planing on trying that , i found a nice 8x8 inch silicone baking pan last time i was at good will for a dollar something the video on pan lubing i had watched used that then pushed them back out thru the cake with a dowel but this looks like it would work better for a softer lube

i also got a 3 quart sauce pan for a dollar something at good will to mix up lube in

i have paraffin wax lots of that as the wife uses it for crafts and candles

some less than a pound of bees wax as i use it for my black powder lube


i would like to use the paraffin, i have read and lithium grease , and stp oil treatment look like good ingredients in many lubes , off to look thru lube recipes.

[Maximumbob54]

Is there a problem if I don't size them first before I pan lube? Will the push through die alter the lube in the grooves?

[Jailer]

You can size after lubing no problem. I size all mine after pan lubing.

[Ben]

Maximumbob54 :

The only reason I suggested sizing 1st is that you'd have a reliable consistent dia. of bullet for your Kake Cutter to fit and be able to cut the bullet cleanly out of the lube with. I have some .30 cal. molds that cast .314 and .315 that my current Kake Cutter you see in the photos wouldn't come close to working with.

Ben

[diehard]

I pan lube and tumble lube, both of which can be messy endeavors. When pan lubing I simply remove the cake and push the bullets through the solidified lube with my thumb, which as you probably know, make useful but not so pretty bullets!

Your tool has inspired me to head to the garage and make one of of those cutters.

Thanks for a great post!



Happy 4th of July.....be sure to teach a kid (anyone's kid)what it really is all about today!

Laurel

[Black Wolf]

When you size the bullets initially (before putting them in the pan lube) are you sizing them without any lube whatsoever?

[Ben]

Black Wolf :

I wouldn't recommend running dry bullets through a sizer. I've heard of people doing it, but I prefer to keep about a 3/4 " circle of wheel bearing grease on the top of a baby food jar lid close to my press that has the Lee sizer in it. I put a VERY THIN layer of lube on every 3rd bullet that I'm sizing with the die. This will keep a very thin film of lube inside the die.

Works just fine for me. Then each bullet is sized identical, and your Kake Cutter will be a snug fit on ALL of them.

Best,

Ben

[tomme boy]

What do you suggest for a case for a .452 bullet?

[mjr350]

What a brilliant idea.
I only have the lee push through sizer at the moment and I Pan lubed my .224 bullets for the 22-250 today for the first time ever and 30% failed because I poured the lube around the bullets and pushed the out by hand which up until now as the only way I have seen it done.

Ill be casting .316 for the No4 Mk1 soon when the NOE molds come through and will be using the above method along with a 450 lube sizer. Will be interesting to see the difference.

I like the idea that the pan lubing is getting back to basics which is what casting is all about.

[DLCTEX]

What do you suggest for a case for a .452 bullet?

I would try a sized 45-70 or 458 Win. case for .452. Or for short pistol boolits a 45 Colt case may work.

[Stephen Cohen]

Another good way is to cut base off shell and solder it into a hole in a small can,each bullet pushes the next up into the can.

[Ben]

tomme boy :

I'd think that a FIRED 45 long colt would work just fine on sized .452 cast bullets.
As a matter of fact, I've done that very thing before. It works fine !

Ben

[ErikO]

I'm fileing this nugget away for when I start my casting this fall. :)

[midnight]

I cast for my 50BMG. The bullets are too long for any lubsizer so I pan lube them. I made a similar Kake-Kutter from a fired case but I had to make a neck expander since I had no case fired with a bullet larger than 0.510. I just took a 0.500 steel rod and heated it cherry red and pounded it til it expanded. After chucking it in the drill press I filed & polished it down to 0.514 and chamfered it til it was sharp. Works great!

Bob

PS: Buckshot made push through sizing dies for me and he will make Kake-Kutters in most any diameter you want.

[flashhole]

Excellent thread. Thanks for sharing and the photos are great.

[lesharris]

A cut off section of a steel golf shaft can be used as a cake cutter also.
Cost is minimal,damaged shafts are usually thrown out especially near end of season.
Check at golf courses,driving ranges,even miniature golf courses,and of course fellow golfers.
Since the shafts are tapered on the outside and inside one shaft could supply many caliber cutters.

[SSGOldfart]

keep up the good job of teaching your tricks to the rest of us that's why we are reading this forum,learn a little every day

[SSGOldfart]

great job Ben guess I can go ahead and get started with out a lube sizer

[Ben]

There are people on this forum that know 100 X what I know.

However, I'm more than happy to pass along anything
that would be a help to you guys.

Thanks,
Ben

[SSGOldfart]

great job good show I'm sure these will help others young & Older get started or restarted Casting Casting is a lot like handloading take your time and start with small runs you'll find what works best for youI look at accuracy over mass production myself,if you run into problems take a step back and ASK there is a lot of knowledge:groner: right here on this forum! thanks to guys like Ben& others that would be happy to answer your questions:p;) if I can be any help just shoot me a PM:groner:

[SSGOldfart]

Outstanding, Ben, just outstanding.

Why hasn't someone made this a sticky already!?? I know we have a VS that makes a similar tool in many calibers, but someone might want to try the cheap route and see if they like it before shelling out the bucks for a professionally made one.

Gear
nothing cheap except the price tag on these tools:-P
Ben's tools are professionally made I own a couple now[smilie=p:[smilie=p:

[PB234]

Thank you. Saves me some mony and space on my bench and helps me enter the hobby.

[Capn Jack]

Ben,
The venerable -06 case....I've made cutters for .30, 357 and now .458. Just depends on where you cut it off. Then I bevel the edges with a file. I've always pushed them straight through, which gets tougher as the lube cools. It also leaves lube on the front surfsce of the boolits. I'm going to build one of your "Top Punch" cutters. Thanks for the idea.
Jack...:coffeecom

[Ben]

Jack,

All this is FREE, all you have to do is take the ball and run with it.

Good Shooting,

Ben

[Northface37]

Ben- Awesome presentation! I really enjoy reading your posts (although this is only my 3rd now), I like the pictures with the explanations b/c greenhorns like myself really have no clue what things are supposed to look like during the different steps. I am getting into casting and have yet to get the necessary supplies and thought maybe you could give me some suggestions on equipment. Im looking at the 20# Lee Pro 4 Melting Pot. I know that I will need some sort of muffin tin or mold for the lead and a separate pot for smelting. I have the 30 cal bullet mold I want to use. However, after much reading of your posts about bullet lube etc, Im a little out of sorts with that. What bullet lube should I get? and can you think of any other items I would need.

thanks and keep up the lessons for us newbies


Andy

[Ben]

Andy,

I'm a visual learner ( and have been all my life ). You can talk about rebuilding a carburetor all you want and it most likely won't have much of an impact on me.

You let me see all the steps in it's entirety and I just may have a shot at doing it right. This is probably why I use so many illustrations in my communications. THANKS for those nice comments.

Your best bet on lube for pan lubing is Lar's . He is very reasonable in his prices and makes some fine lube.

Lar's 50 - 50 Beeswax lube would probably work best for your pan lubing .

Here is a link to Lar's Lube :

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=56454

I have not had much luck with bottom pour ( although many here on the forum swear by it ! ). I use a dipper for ALL my casting.

What calibers will you be loading ? Do you have any equipment currently or will you be buying most of it ?

Yes, you'll definitely need to do your smelting in a separate pot.
You should be able to find some cast iron muffin pans at the Thrift store.
If you know anyone that is a welder. Nice ingot molds can be made out of angle iron.

[Northface37]

Ben- I am currently looking to cast for my 300WSM and 30.06 (30 cal), .223, .22 for the rifles and then I will eventually be casting for my 9mm and maybe 45 if I can get my hands on one. After all of that I may delve into 50cal muzzleloader but most likely not. I dont shoot it hardly at all.

I have no equipment need for casting except access to a 9mm and 30 cal bullet mold from friends. I have all of the necessary equip for reloading my 300 for the exception of powders and primers ( just ordered blammers g/c's the other day).

The main reason why I like the drop pour is that fact that i can do more than just one at a time. Plus Im not sure how much of a mess I would make with dipper.

But, I am not totally sold on the bottom pour, what other alternatives that you trust would you recommend???

[Ben]

As to making a mess, I always had a much larger mess with the bottom pour and dripping , etc. than could have ever been possible with a dipper .

Have you ever cast with a friend and used both methods.

Would be nice if you could use a bottom pour to make about a 100 bullets, then use the dipper method for about 100. By doing this, your money would be spent on something that is already proven with you ? ?

Ben

[flashhole]

I went the dipper route first then migrated to a Lee Pro 4-20 bottom pour pot. No comparison in my mind the bottom pour pot is so much easier.

[Northface37]

I have used a friends bottom pour. Ithink my friend is coming in this weekend so ill try dipper. I thought the bottom pour was a littletricky at first to get the timing down. but once u get that down it seems like smooth sailing. thanks for input guys. ill let you know how it goes.

[Ben]

By the way, I've seen a few molds that didn't like bottom pour , but would produce a good bullet with a dipper.

Most likely there are situations where the reverse is also true ? ?

Ben

[Northface37]

Yes tis true. Food for thought, love it.

[Christorbust]

Ben, the lee instructions say to avoid dipper pour because the aluminum gets hot spotted. I would be interested to know if anyone has tried this/results.

Just curious, when you say dipper pour can I assume you mean a Rowell ladle?

[Ben]

Christorbust

I use a Lyman dipper that looks like this , it has worked with every mold I've ever tried it with, and believe me, that's a lot of molds ! !

As to a " hot spot ", I'm not exactly clear on what they mean by that ? ?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_4414e8a3ab2e7182.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=2339)

[Christorbust]

That looks slightly different, but similar to a rowell. They probably both keep crud out.

http://www.theantimonyman.com/images/Rowell2.jpg


I think it means that it super heats the aluminum in one spot, and it can warp.

[mold maker]

Now I'm confused. (not unusual) How does the method of filling a mold, make a difference in hot spots in an aluminum mold? Same temp lead, through the same sprue hole, into the same mold????????
LEE makes some good casting equipment, but some of their instructions are weird.

[Ben]

I too am confused. Warp a mold while using a ladle. I don't think so.
I've been casting with a ladle since 1965, I've never warped any brand of mold.

? ? ?

[Christorbust]

I assume that as you turn the ladle it comes in at a little bit of an angle, heating up one of the sides more???

Pure postulation.

Yeah LEE's directions are not the best, its kind of like an exciting mystery to figure out!

[mooko]

I cast for a lot of different sizs bullets from .243 to .581. I got really tired of fighting with my old Lyman sizer, so I tried pan lubing. It does work great. Some outfit used to sell Kake Cutters, but I can't find anybody making them anymore. I'm too anal to want to give up one of my 577 Nitro cases. However, I ran across a discussion a year ago on some board about pan lubing buffalo rifle bullets. The guy was using one of those silicon cake pans that are flexible to pan lube. He avoided having to use a kake cutter because the cake of lube along with the bullets would just pop out of the flexible pan. Then, he just poked the bullets straight out, and the lube stayed in the grooves. He was using SPG lube, but any firm lube should work. I trotted out and got a silicon pan and have cut my bullet production time considerably. I use both SPG and DGL lubes. Try it. You'll be free again.

Mike

[Pigslayer]

Thanks fellows,

Most of you understand ( and hence can appreciate what you are seeing ) the concept because you've done it before.

My efforts above are really directed towards some of the young reloaders that may have been hedging a little bit on their commitment to casting. I'd hoped that they would read this and realize they don't have to have hundreds of $'s to get into casting, lubing and sizing their own bullets.

I was an educator for 25 years, I guess a little bit of it is still in my blood.

Ben

Excellent tutorial. I really enjoyed that. It's inventive, simple and . . . it works!!
Reminds me of a long time ago as a young man with family & no money. I would sit out in my shed/shop & cast bullets with a Lyman lead pot, a propane torch & Lyman lead dipper. I had a lot of fun.

[trench]

man, just get a Lee sizer die for use in your reloading press, and roll the bullets around in a shallow pan of Lee liquid (alox?) lube, prior to using the press to force them up and thru the sizing die.

[AndyC]

My little pan-lubing setup in 2009 before I lucked into an RCBS lube-sizer cheap. I cut off the neck and case-head of a 300 Win Mag case I had lying around and used the resulting tube to cut the .45-cal 200gr SWCs out of the cake:

http://i39.tinypic.com/dlm649.jpg

Worked very well :)

[WilNsc]

Great use for odd caliber range brass. Never know what size you'll be casting in the future.

[.22-10-45]

Hello, everyone. excellent posts! I have lubrisizers, but for the very soft lubes either for revolver or single-shot rifle, I like to pan lube. Use dbl. boiler to avoid overheating. Have made "cookie cutters" in past..nowdays, I just push bullets base first thru cake..lube groove filled & driving bands left clean.

[Mrbrent]

This inspired me to make a cake cutter today so I thought I would post some pictures of it. I am cutting a 230 Gr boolit from a lee mold. I used a 454 Casull case and made the rest from junk in my garage.

http://gkosin.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Other/i-HWjkgQh/0/L/MG3802-L.jpg

http://gkosin.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Other/i-4MsMTq9/0/L/MG3799-L.jpg

http://gkosin.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Other/i-FxxQBbr/0/L/MG3800-L.jpg

http://gkosin.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Other/i-rPZwtCJ/0/L/MG3804-L.jpg

[Ultravox]

Wow Mrbrent, that looks great. I'm inspired to make one kind of like it. :)

[BulletFactory]

how did you get the washer where it is?

[bruinruin]

Fun and informational thread. Thanks to all for adding to my (meager) casting knowledge.

[GunStuff]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/0032.jpg


Ben, Thank you for this thread. I just read all four pages. I have one question from post #1. How did you open the push through die to .310"?
Peter

[DeanWinchester]

I can afford a lubrisizer and I STILL pan lube. I sold my last lubrisizer here in the classifieds. They might be fast but they are a pain and for me, NOT worth the effort.


I am confused by ya'll's little syringe contraptions. You have to cookie cut one boolit and then plunge it back out. WHY? Here's my boolit cookie cutter for 45 cal. [I have one just like it for every caliber.] It's made from a golf club. As you cut boolits out, they slide out the top. Once the tube is full, you cut one, and pick one off the top. Cut and pick. Easy to get a rhythm for. MUCH cleaner and simple, not to mention faster.


http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd371/Reloadingfool/photo-9.jpg

[DeanWinchester]

Also, take care NOT to tear your cooled lube up as you cut out the boolits. If the flat of lube remains intact, there'll be neat little holes left, you can just pop a boolit right back in there, adding a pinch of lube as needed. I use a toaster oven. Refill the holes with more boolits, add a bit of lube and pop them back in the oven. If you use a manicurist fan and two pans of lube you can get a cycle going. When I need to do a bunch I can get two or three pans going at once and work nonstop. One is melting the lube to around the boolits, one is under a fan cooling while I am cutting out the boolits from another. In the time it takes to cut out the boolits, run them through a sizer and refill the pan, the one in the oven is ready to come out and the one cooling is ready to be cut.

[JesterGrin_1]

Sorry to bring an old thread back up. But what could I do for a .381 cookie cutter?

I am thinking about trying this for my 38-55 with Felix Lube?

Thank You.

[PS Paul]

WOW! What a tip! This is THE BEST forum EVER! I gotta say, I thought I knew a thing or two and had come up with some creative solutions myself, but some of you good men just keep comin' up (and politely offering- free of charge - ha-ha) with some of the greatest solutions to some of the most commonly encountered problems! Thanks, man!

[Ben]

The information here is free to you.............. Enjoy ! !

You'll meet some fine people on this forum.

Ben

[Hamish]

Sorry to bring an old thread back up. But what could I do for a .381 cookie cutter?

I am thinking about trying this for my 38-55 with Felix Lube?

Thank You.

Would .382 be ok?

http://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-the-diameter-of-the-opening-of-a-size-8-ring

Just don't let Her catch you.

[fryboy]

a fired case , especially something such as a 38-55 or 375 win makes a great kake cutter for it's own boolits , if you dont have a fired one they can be expanded with a "m" die , the golf clubs ( as dean pointed out ) also work , merely drop a boolit in it and cut off just above where it stops

oh geez ben i didnt know you was a educator .. i hope it wasnt english as mine is really bad ;) to be fair i do tolerable well at american tho , it does go far to explain why so many of your threads are good stuff tho ! ( thanx for that )

[Ben]

fryboy

I'm not grading papers anymore with
red ink pens ( remember those ? )

You communicate well, that's good enough for me.

Good Shooting,

Ben

[fryboy]

yes sir i do lolz , i still use red lines but not for papers lolz ( blue prints and change orders etc ) i've also taught many a person that if all the lines are in one color but one then that one is a fix ( so to speak ) and important , a few years back i used to have to carry several different colors of keel , i kind of miss that as sharpies just dont last as long nor remove as easily if needed
speaking of keel .... the carbon black actually makes a semi decent flux and a pretty good lube colorant but the red ? every time i melted that one batch of lube more and more settled to the bottom ( ie; never gonna use/do that again :P )

umm in case anyone is wondering what "keel " i'm referencing it's an old school name for a lumber crayon ( yup bigger than regular crayons and oft bigger than the big crayons and usually hexagon shaped ) the new stuff isnt as good as the old stuff ( barring that carbon black ) and seems nowadays to be made more of some kind of plastic type substance , btw ? the fluorescent ones also do not make good lube colorants - no matter how pretty they may be

[abqcaster]

I just bought some nested funnels from the dollar store. Each size funnel tube fits a different caliber. I just pop the bullets into the funnel tube and the bullet I pop in last pushes the previous one up into the mouth of the funnel and seals the tube, etc. So the mouth of the funnel becomes a reservoir for roughly lubed bullets until I run them through my Lee sizer.

[TopHat]

Threads like this are why I joined here.

I have cast some 230gr 45's (my first) but haven't loaded them yey because I thought I needed to spend more money on a lubber. Money is really tight right now and the project was put on hold for lack of funds. Now I am off to the workshop to make a cake cutter :)

Thank you for this great information!

[Jal5]

Hey Ben-
I have been using your cake cutter and have it in several calibers now, thanks.
That pan though gives me fits on top of the hotplate. It sometimes flexes at the wrong moment spilling the boolits over into the hot lube. Do you have this problem?

[dnmccoy]

I searched but what can you use as a cake cutter for a 9mm sized 356-357ish?

[Ben]

Hey Ben-
I have been using your cake cutter and have it in several calibers now, thanks.
That pan though gives me fits on top of the hotplate. It sometimes flexes at the wrong moment spilling the boolits over into the hot lube. Do you have this problem?

Jal5

A friend of mine who pan lubes has already tackled your problem. His thin metal pan did the same thing yours did.

He bought a thicker flat bottom aluminum used skillet at a Thrift Store for $2.00 .....No problems since that purchase.

Ben

[Ben]

I searched but what can you use as a cake cutter for a 9mm sized 356-357ish?

A once fired 35 Remington case would be my choice.

Ben

[357maximum]

My wife bought me the best pans for panlubing a few years back. They are a relatively heavy gauge stainless pan about 3/4 inch deep and 11 inches or so in diameter with a small lip at the top. They came from the home area of Kohls I think. They are actually saucers for putting under houseplants to catch an overwatered situation. They work much better then the holiday popcorn tin lids I had been using.

[Ben]

You learn as you go, & Yes the flimsy thin metal lids are poor choices for this kind of work.

You need a flat bottom pan that is thicker , like a skillet.

[slohunter]

I've been doing it this way since the 80's, see no need to change now. Just wish Lee would reintroduce their old cookie cutter kit. Happy Casting!

[trying2learn]

I've been doing it this way since the 80's, see no need to change now. Just wish Lee would reintroduce their old cookie cutter kit. Happy Casting!

I got one off ebay but it seems to make a small mess of things. Am I suppose to let the lube dry almost completely. I had been letting it almost get there but it seems to smear everywhere.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[Ben]

I got one off ebay but it seems to make a small mess of things. Am I suppose to let the lube dry almost completely. I had been letting it almost get there but it seems to smear everywhere.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

What kind of lube are you using ?

Ben

[trying2learn]

What kind of lube are you using ?

Ben

Tak1 I believe is its name. For now anyways. When I run out I plan to trt making my own.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[Ben]

I got one off ebay but it seems to make a small mess of things. Am I suppose to let the lube dry almost completely. I had been letting it almost get there but it seems to smear everywhere.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I'm sorry that you're having problems. How " snug " is the fit of the " Kake cutter " on the cast bullet. Mine is fairly snug.

As a result, my bullets are cut from the lube very cleanly, these you see below have not been cleaned, only pulled from the lube :


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/Lube%20Size%20on%20a%20Budget/0072.jpg

[trying2learn]

Ben mine are clean on the sides but the tops are covered from all the lube that is in the sides. I will do a few this weekend and take pics of it. Also it is a snuh fit to the point it sizes them down just a hair.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[Ben]

Do you have the melted lube height in the pan filling the lube rings only, not the remainder of the bullet ?

Let us see pics prior to removal of the bullet from the solidified lube and show pics of the " mess " after you've removed the bullet so we can see it.

We should be able to offer some suggestions after seeing these pics.

Thanks,
Ben

[trying2learn]

Ok will do. Thank you.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[trying2learn]

This is a pic of some I had already done. Notice the clumps. They mainly show up on ones about ten into using the lee cake cutter I purchased. I redid some of them just now on a plate of steel over a hot plate I welded up to see if it made a difference. Being able to see it in the open as opposed to having to pull a tray out to check.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[trying2learn]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/15/vehyra7e.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/15/re9u2ahe.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/15/4evysuga.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/12/15/tehujase.jpgOk here are some more. They came out a little better this time. But after about five cutting out they started having the lube starting to show up on the tops and sides again. I out a pic of the little metal table I made. Or atleast the best I could get while it was in use.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[Ben]

I'm not certain what to tell you unless your lube is a little bit soft and it is smearing.

[trying2learn]

That's what I was starting to wonder if I should let it set up a little longer. When I tried ti pop them out the bottom it came out in a clump.

Update ben I let it set longer and it turned a little better. I am going to clean the cutter and see what it does then. Rhanks for the help.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[Ben]

OK, sounds better.

Sounds like you're making improvements.

Ben

[trying2learn]

I guess the best way to ask my question is. Is the lube suppose to be set to the point it almost makes a snap instead of being bemt back and forth to break apart before I start removing. That's what I was doing it at was when I had to bemd it back amd forth to break it apart. If I let it set up say over night it is more snappy vomong apart.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[MBfrontier]

Hi, Ben.

After reading this thread I am ordering a couple of Lee Bullet Sizing Dies and start pan lubing some bullets using your cookie cutter method instead starting off buying all the lubrisizer equipment. I like the idea of getting started before I make a further investment.

Thanks for sharing this and thanks for responding to my new caster thread.

[Odfanatic]

I have been researching the best method for this as well, and this just feels right. Thanks to all for excellent ideas.

[chutesnreloads]

There was a question asked in post #74....."How did you open up the Lee sizing die?"...that was never answered.I'd appreciate a few of the expert's ideas for this operation.Great sticky by the way.

[GunStuff]

I asked the question in #74. I have since made a crimping die for the .43 Mauser out of a .338 Win. Mag. crimping die by opening it up with a red grinding stone that came with my Dremel kit. Grind and fit was the procedure I used. The die works very well.
Peter

[TangoDownPro]

I am truly overwhelmed with the amount of great information I'm reading in these forums. I'm still torn between pan-lubing vs. tumble lubing with Lee's liquid alox. Right now, as it stands I will only be reloading cast boolits for my handguns. May do rifle later on down the road.

[meeesterpaul]

Nice post.Thanks

[Ben]

There was a question asked in post #74....."How did you open up the Lee sizing die?"...that was never answered.I'd appreciate a few of the expert's ideas for this operation.Great sticky by the way.

Sorry to be so late in offering you an answer !

I take a wooden dowel slightly smaller in dia than the die.

In this case, it was a .309 dia. die. I used .320 sand paper and slit the end of the dowel for a 3/4 " wide strip of the paper. A bit of trial and error fitting of the paper length will allow a snug fit up in the die.

Chuck the dowel rod in a variable speed drill and spin the sand paper VERY SLOWLY inside the die, moving it back and forth.

Check the die OFTEN ( by pushing a cast bullet of larger dia. than the die opening through the die and mike it ( do not use calipers as they aren't accurate enough for work like this ) to see how much progress you are making ) as it is easy to remove too much metal.

Once you've removed too much metal, you're in trouble as you can't put it back into the die !

SO......GO SLOW ! !

On mine when I had removed enough metal that the die was sizing .3097", I removed the .320 paper and changed over to 600 paper. I spun the 600 paper inside the die until I had a slick and polished interior to the die that was mirror smooth and sized a bullet .310" , dead nuts on !

[Mortonspoint]

instead of going through all the trouble of making the kake-cutter, why not just off the base of the 30-06 case and let the bullet enter the case. Then push in another bullet and another and another until they start to pop up out of the cut off end of the case. The last one you can push up in the case with a flat head nail then just flip out. Or you could push out each bullet individually. I like this method and it a good way of saving a ton of money.

[Bullshop Junior]

This is actually pretty awesome since im gonna be stuck pan lubing for awhile. Glad i opened this!!

[wrenchman5]

Great tutorial Ben. I'm just getting started with casting my own boolits and the sizing/lubing has been an area where things have been a bit fuzzy in my mind. The photos and tips help ALOT. :)

[Lead]

I like your boolits mine using the cut off shell didn't work as good as just pushing them but it was probably my shell as I didn't use the right shell lol couldn't part with brass from 1954.

[psychicrhino]

Thank you Ben. Gread pictorial.

[Ben]

Great tutorial Ben. I'm just getting started with casting my own boolits and the sizing/lubing has been an area where things have been a bit fuzzy in my mind. The photos and tips help ALOT. :)

If you're like me.....If I can see it, it really helps vs. just reading it.

Many thanks,
Ben

[Bob Maerdian]

I cast a lot of Min'e boolits and use the same method to lube them. I don't use a cake cutter. I let the lube cool and solidify and turn the container with the lubed boolits over in my hand and tap - pry out the cake of lubed boolits. I'll turn the cake of boolits right side up (point up) and press on the bullet point with my thumb. Nomally the boolit will just pop out of the block of hardened boolit lube ready to size. I use this method with rifle and pistol boolits.

It works for me!!

[usmc1963]

nice i like it i tryed to use my wifes cake pan to lube head still hurts from frying pan

[bignut]

Thanks for the info Ben! I'm gonna give this a try..

[user55645]

You can always find a way to re-purpose old brass :)
Nicely done

[Creepin]

Excellent idea, thank you. I will do something similar.

[marcel909]

sound great.:drinks:

[jfjohn77]

I'm new here, but not to reloading. Been rolling my own ammo for 37 years, fired more cast bullets than I could ever count, but never cast my own. Just spent the money to buy then. Got more spare time now, so I thought it's time to start. I learned a lot just reading these and other posts. This just makes sense... Thanks Ben!

[deboog93]

nicely done and good information

[Ben]

I'm new here, but not to reloading. Been rolling my own ammo for 37 years, fired more cast bullets than I could ever count, but never cast my own. Just spent the money to buy then. Got more spare time now, so I thought it's time to start. I learned a lot just reading these and other posts. This just makes sense... Thanks Ben!

You are more than welcome.

Ben

[alamogunr]

I just ran across this thread. My main thought is that it would be excellent if Photobucket hadn't done their nasty. Still informative for someone that has never pan lubed.

[44magLeo]

Yes, those photo bucket pics are crap. I don't use any photo sharing sites. I just load the pics in my computer, then load them on here .
Would it be possible to fix the pics so we can see them clearly?
Leo

[44magLeo]

On making cake cutters, you can get brass tubing in various sizes. Copper tubing from the hardware store will work too.
Get it a bit big and use your size die to make one end small enough.
Leo