A Different Kind of Card Punch for Reloading a 30 Cal Nagant Revolver

[DoctorBill]

I previously posted a thread on making a Card Stock Punch for my 45-70 and my 577-450 Martini Henry.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?163477-How-do-you-make-a-Paper-Punch-for-45-70-Discs

I recently bought a 7.62x38R Nagant Revolver - those $98 specials you see once in a while.
Darn Nice Pistol.

Anyway - some people shoot them with Black Powder and place a 30 cal card disk underneath the bullet.

This, of course, requires one to come up with 30 cal card disks.....I'll just pull some out of my butt.

So - long story short - I made ANOTHER punch - this time differently than the previous one.

I was going to try cutting a slot thru the Threaded Rod I am using so that I could slide card strips
thru the punch from the side.
Being a newby, amateur, half baked, illiterate, unwashed dip wad, I didn't know how to cut such a slot.

My machinist friend, Gary suggested that I instead afix a plate to the top of the Drilled out, threaded
Rod (7/8ths x 14 tpi Threaded Rod Stock from ENCO) and punch card disks with that.

So here is a drawing of such a thing - easy to make and once the Threaded Rod is drilled out lengthwise
for the Punch Rod (Drill Rod), one can finish it with a Drill Press. See picture below.

http://s19.postimage.org/3wsu2dndv/30_Cal_END_Punch.jpg

I used 7/8 x 14 tpi Threaded Rod (about 2.25" long) and drilled it on my 9x20 Lathe with
a 5/16th drill (0.309) and cut a length of 5/16" Drill Rod (ENCO) for the punch.

I had to Hone the rod in the punch with Flitz Metal Polish to get it to work smoothly.
No sweat - honed easily with the Drill Rod in a hand held Drill Chuck for leverage.

I then used a square file to make a Slot in one end for inserting strips of Card Stock (food packaging,
KFC or McDonalds take home carriers, Milk Cartons, etc). See photo

http://s19.postimage.org/cgc804vqb/Rod_End.jpg

Then I cut a piece of iron Flat Stock to fit over the of the Threaded Rod, Drilled a 5/16"
hole and set it on the Threaded Rod and used the Punch Rod as an aligning tool to
drill two holes on either side of the flat top piece.
I held the Threaded Rod inside a couple of 7/8" NUTS tightened together (Gary's suggestion)
to prevent the threads being damaged. Rotate them (all) around if they don't line up.

Here it is all in myDrill Press Vice being set up for drilling the two side holes.
http://s19.postimage.org/7iynf0tr7/Aligning_Everything_1.jpg

Here I have the little end plate on the Threaded Rod all aligned with the Punch Rod.
http://s19.postimage.org/w0qr2wwbn/Aligning_Everything_2.jpg

I drilled ONE hole, tapped it for 10-32 screws and tightened it down with the Punch Rod
in place again to assure alignment and drilled the SECOND hole - tapped it and I was done.
I had ground the cutting end of the Punch Rod to a concave curve (sharp edges) on a 6"
grinder so it would cut the disks nicely w/o a lot of effort.

Here it is assembled - it ain't pretty.
http://s19.postimage.org/l2fhkq7qb/It_Works.jpg
I probably could have used a 'Slug" from a metal Electrical Box for the top piece !

and here I am making a butt-load of disks for reloading the Nagant Revolver.
http://s19.postimage.org/mir02van7/Cutting_30_Cal_Disks.jpg
I might dress it up by grinding the Top Piece round - just for show...

I thought maybe someone would like to make a punch w/o a lot of machinery required.
or not......

DoctorBill

PS - the card material strips are easily cut to any width with a Model Airplane Hobbyist tool called
"Bulsa Stripper" by Master Airscrew - about $8.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/WTI0001P?I=LXAA63&P=8
http://s19.postimage.org/690tzyzz7/Strip_Cutter.jpg

[Dutchman]

You might experiment with your punch by using a centerdrill to "hollow" the nose of the punch. I think a No.4 centerdrill is 5/16" diameter. It would leave somewhat of an edge, better than a blunt square nose punch. You could also use a 5/16" ball endmill in the lathe tailstock and run it into the punch face until you get the edge you want. And further, if you get the book below you can learn how to heat treat the punch and temper it to a harder state better suited as a cutting tool. But you would need to make the punch of W-1 (water hardening tool steel) or 0-1 (oil hardening tool steel) and heat treat and temper to a straw color. I'd use W-1 for this application. The book below has a full color temperature chart for heat treating and tempering (my older copy does anyway).

Your square top plate: You can make this of round material. Drill the center hole on the lathe, chamfer the top of the hole but leave the underside hole edge sharp. Then with the punch indexing (centering) the plate you would drill the tap drill size through the plate into the die body. Then drill out the plate to the clearance size drill. Tap the die body and screw the plate down. The top plate could be 1.125" or 1.250" diameter x .125" to .187" thick.

Ideally you would ream the die body for the punch rod diameter.


a 5/16th drill (0.309) and cut a length of 5/16" Drill Rod (ENCO) for the punch.

5/16" is .3125" [smilie=1:


This book is the best of it's type ever written by the hand of man.

The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Alexander Weygers. This is 3 of his books in one volume. Don't let the "blacksmith" part throw you off. There is a multitude of information that pertains to what you're doing and will be doing. Don't question, just get it. The 2nd and 3rd books in this volume are about making tools. Heat treating is also covered.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Modern-Blacksmith-Alexander-Weygers/dp/0898158966/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356862207&sr=1-1&keywords=alexander+weygers

Alexander George (Alex) Weygers, (October 12, 1901–July 23, 1989), was a polymath Dutch-American artist who is best known as a sculptor, painter, print maker, philosopher, and author.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Weygers

[Jim]

I use a $7 hole punch set (http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-hollow-punch-set-3838.html)from Harbor Freight and make cards from .075" #4 LDPE. I put the punch in an electric drill and spin cut 'em.

[DoctorBill]

Dutchman -
5/16" is .3125" My Drill Rod mic's out to 0.311. It all fit tightly, that's why I honed it
with "Flitz" Metal Polish.
The disks come out .309"

make the punch of W-1 (water hardening tool steel) or 0-1 (oil hardening tool steel)
My Drill Rod is Oil Hardening from ENCO. (408-0017)
I think it is hard enough to handle card stock. I use Food Packaging card like over frozen dinners....
KFC Carry Home Boxes, COSTCO Frozen Lazagni Packaging.....

http://s19.postimage.org/q40nrbjc3/Making_Disks.jpg

...better than a blunt square nose punch.
I had ground the cutting end of the Punch Rod to a concave curve (sharp edges) on a 6"
grinder so it would cut the disks nicely w/o a lot of effort.
The end looks like a paper punch end - sharp and concave.

This book is the best of it's type ever written by the hand of man.
The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Alexander Weygers.
Won't Machinery's Handbook do ? 14th Edition 1951 ?
Be not dismayed - I just ordered a copy from Amazon !

Jim -
I used to do it that way - these punches are MUCH better - perfect disks !
But w/o the Lathe and Drill Press, you have to use the H-F Punches....

DoctorBill

[Dutchman]

This book is the best of it's type ever written by the hand of man.
The Complete Modern Blacksmith by Alexander Weygers.
Won't Machinery's Handbook do ? 14th Edition 1951 ?
Be not dismayed - I just ordered a copy from Amazon !

The Machinery Handbook is required, yes, but the Weygers books will leave your jaw hanging. Drop me a PM when you get it and let me know what you think. Weygers could break bread with de Vinci himself.

Dutch

[DoctorBill]

Using my LEE Powder Scale, I figure that I got 663 disks from just one of those
COSTCO Kirkland Meat & Sausage Lasagna cardstock covers !

179 gr total @ 0.27 gr/disk.

I will probably never need to use that punch again !

DoctorBill

[arjacobson]

I make tools that work exactly like a freechex3 except they dont form a cup. They just punch powder wads. You just punch off the edge of the material you are using. Then use a paper cutter to trim the holes and start over.. You can easily do 1000 an hr. The tools I and another forum member are working on will let you punch up to .125 thick material.

[Rojelio]

DoctorBill, you inspired me.
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/rojelio0/IMAG0158_zps42a11b00.jpg
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb280/rojelio0/IMAG0156_zpsbc424d72.jpg

[nhrifle]

Ok, I bow to greatness. The two tool setups here are much more elegant than how I do it. I sacrificed a case of whatever caliber I need wads for, sharpen the mouth with a chamfer tool, and tap the sharpened case mouth into card or wad material. Works pretty well, but I like the die punches you came up with.

[TheGrimReaper]

Here we go another neat project!!!