Feeding our Sizing Presses...a 'Project-N-Progress'

[OS OK]

I've been tinkering with feeding my sizing press at an 'express' rate. I size before and after PC'ing the casts so...I'm sitting in front of this upside down press a lot lately. How can we expedite this process?
This short video is my latest 'brain fart' in action...but, there's a few bugs to work out. It actually goes pretty fast, much faster than you see in this video as I'm trying to film this...

What have you fellas done? Got any ideas to make an adjustable feed tube mount so that we can make the tiny little adjustments to accommodate the different nose profiles?

Feel free to join in and post your pictures/videos and comment or ideas...maybe we can have a 'project post' here where we can come up with something anyone interested can build from common materials and simple tools...

Thanks for watching . . . c h a r l i e

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHTYUrlsxBY

[runfiverun]

this is about how I do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7Fo8IPpVHc

[OS OK]

Pretty nifty rig there, never had a chance to be around one...if you wanted to run PC'd casts could you back off the lube and run them for size only?

I imagine those IDPA matches are what got you into this rig...Is that your daughter you shoot with?

[runfiverun]

actually mine sits lower and I can work it much faster than in the video.
mine is set up right on the bench and drops the boolits through a hole and down into a drawer.

I run slick sided 9mm's through mine with the die all set up to lube I just leave the lube cold and don't squirt it.
then when I do the plain stuff I turn on the heat and add the air hose and size-lube at the same speed.
P/C slows my process down by at least an hour per thousand bullets.

no IDPA here I ain't got the time for that.

[OS OK]

I was following other videos by the author you linked above...thought that was you and daughter.

[Walter Laich]

like the OP's tray idea

he is correct about the angle being critical. mine clamps on the press and I have some adjustment just by opening the clamps and moving it a bit; really more gross motor skills than a finely tuned adjustment

[OS OK]

I've found the angle is the most critical when changing profiles...I'm currently 'mulling on the mount' w/ adjustment...even going to bed I find myself looking at the different ideas!

There will be a breakthrough shortly!

[runfiverun]

that video was just the closest to my set-up [one of them anyway] that wasn't 3 minutes long.

[OS OK]

There will be a breakthrough shortly!


205064

"Bada Bing...Bada Bang . . . there's the solution to the adjustable feed tube holder!"

All I need to do now is make a permanent bracket for the top pan and clean up all the ragged edges of the plastics...apply a little rattle can and I can go to town on the next batch of casts!

This project is in the bag!

[Grmps]

The angle is important BUT the ram must be down for it to work 100% regardless of the angle.

[OS OK]

I ground the front bottom of the tube to fit under the Lee punch...it's sandwiched between the die and the punch. (kinda like a kids sliding board that would drop you off into a hole in front of the bottom of the slide)
Your right about the ram being down...if it's up that cast will try to bounce out of the die or skip over the top of it.

[Tazza]

This is how i do mine, but i manually load the tube..... one day i will setup a mr bullet feeder style collator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYMW5v0P5SY

I set the speed pretty close to what i can handle replenishing the tube as it sizes.

[OS OK]

I like that...

Back in the day I wired controls in factories there was always a geardrive motor to be had, all sizes. Wish I'd thought of this then, heck...PC'ing cast wasn't even on the menu around here in the early 80's. I was buying bulk back then.

Yours looks to be prototype stage...got a few details yet to tend to...when you figure out the feeder that's going to be hard to beat.

What do you do to interrupt the drive when a cast lays sideways across the die?

[Tazza]

Isn't that always the way? at the time you think na, i'd never use that, but years down the track, you think they would be ideal. Been there many times.

Most of the time it feeds just fine, but as you know, nothing is 100% and things to get hung up. When there is a jam, the VFD detects the current spike and shuts down. I reverse the direction, then stop and remove the obstruction and then back to business.

It is in the prototyping stage, i'd like to think i'd get it right fist time round, but no, there have been multiple alterations. Mainly ones that were not strong enough first time round. When there was a jam, feeder parts bent on me, the upgrade is rock solid now.

I was actually looking at it on the weekend thinking about giving it a lick of paint, but that didn't happen :)

Most of the feeder is built, i just need to start drilling holes for dropping projectiles, and working out the parts to reject specific shapes. The thing that scares me with working on that part, is if i mess it up, hours of work on the rest is out the window, so i need to get it right first time.

[OS OK]

Ha...I get it about passing on the paint, I hate to paint! Would almost rather get the old Henry out and patch a roof!

Make sure you have a cooler full of cold brewskis...that'll settle the nerves and you won't have any problems . . . :bigsmyl2:

Those VFD's are pretty awesome...just installed one, 3 HP 3 phase on my irrigation system, works like a charm...keeps 60 PSI and up to 34 GPM without a hiccup.
When it runs a smaller GPM rate I'm only paying for the HP it needs to develope. Worth the money for a pleasant change.

[Tazza]

It looks good after painting, but then you need to prep it then dismantle paint, all too much effort, the surface rust is there to protect the steel underneath :)

That is the great thing with a VFD, you still have pretty well full torque, even at low RPM, so you use less power. You can ramp up and down to prevent spikes in water pressure when turning on or off, i feel it is kinder to the motor with a soft start, true or not i don't know. The only thing i wondered about, was the cooling. Running at lower speeds means less air flow, and issue? no idea

I managed to save a VFD from my dads to be destroyed pile, he had no idea what it was. A few hundred dollar ABB device right there is what it was...

[waco]

I don't get the time to shoot as much as some. I just run them through a Lee size die in my Rockchucker press 100-200 at a time and call it good.
I get a modest 150-200 rounds per hour from my Dillon 550B
No big rush....

[OS OK]

It looks good after painting, but then you need to prep it then dismantle paint, all too much effort, the surface rust is there to protect the steel underneath :)

That is the great thing with a VFD, you still have pretty well full torque, even at low RPM, so you use less power. You can ramp up and down to prevent spikes in water pressure when turning on or off, i feel it is kinder to the motor with a soft start, true or not i don't know. The only thing i wondered about, was the cooling. Running at lower speeds means less air flow, and issue? no idea

I managed to save a VFD from my dads to be destroyed pile, he had no idea what it was. A few hundred dollar ABB device right there is what it was...

I'm running a submersible pump...the heat ain't no thang!


I don't get the time to shoot as much as some. I just run them through a Lee size die in my Rockchucker press 100-200 at a time and call it good.
I get a modest 150-200 rounds per hour from my Dillon 550B
No big rush....

Yeah...I quit trying to make the LnL try to set any records for output...heck, I cain't use them up that fast. It hasn't had to make a big run since spring, mostly I use the T-Mag II, love that press. Can't beat it for quick runs of workups at different load levels. It's so easy that now I run 10 rounds where I used to only test 5 per level.

[Tazza]

Water cooled! that will do the job

I sized many thousands with a lee classic C press with a bench setup in front of the tv, much to my wife's dismay, but you do what you gotta do. Nothing wrong with punching them through by hand, when you get a rhythm, it's pretty fast, if it sizes all you need, that's the setup for you. I should get a picture of that old setup, i keep eying it off in the corner of my loading room, taking up space, it's on borrowed time :)

[OS OK]

When I used to size on the Chucker I put a spring over the post that was a little taller than the post and a tad wider than the boolit...all I had to do was drop a cast in the spring and it would self center...I used to getter done pretty fast with that. Now, when I figger the right moves (feeding it with the ram down, it's awkward some) I oughta get going like a house a fire with this new setup. I like it.

[Tazza]

I like the spring idea, simple yet effective, also keeps your fingers away from being pinched.

[gundownunder]

I have my press mounted upside down and fit the push through sizing die so it protrudes up about a 1/2" above the base of the press. Put a piece of plastic hose as a collar around the base of the die, and press a plastic funnel into the hose. drop bullets into the funnel by hand and almost all of them will self align during the slide down the funnel, and drop straight into the die. It isn't hard to pump though about 1000 per hour

[OS OK]

I have my press mounted upside down and fit the push through sizing die so it protrudes up about a 1/2" above the base of the press. Put a piece of plastic hose as a collar around the base of the die, and press a plastic funnel into the hose. drop bullets into the funnel by hand and almost all of them will self align during the slide down the funnel, and drop straight into the die. It isn't hard to pump though about 1000 per hour

Sounds like a different approach...I'd like to see some pictures or a link to a video of your system.

[dansedgli]

I had a crack at converting my lee c press into a pneumatic press with the intention of adding a bullet feeder and lee bullet feeding die but it doesnt have enough grunt to size every bullet.

Back to the drawing board when i get time.

I need a bigger ram or 2 rams.


https://youtu.be/-gwh0scZTmc

[Tazza]

If the ram has the stroke, if you mounted it to the handle, you may get enough leverage. If not, a bigger bore cylinder or more air pressure should get you there.

A lee bullet feeder was the first setup i did for my sizer, it worked pretty well, not 100% but it did the job for me. No pinched fingers, and if you have an air cylinder, you want your hands a long way away :)

[OS OK]

That was quick!
Not sure what I saw but it looked like you are letting the push post slam against the die...I'd adjust the die so theres 1/8'' gap before that happens.
Are you going to flip it over for the feeder design or do it upright like it was?

[dansedgli]

I was going to try upright with the lee bullet feeder and my Mr Bullet Feeder feeding it. If that didnt work I was going to mount it upside down.

I just wanted to see if the ram I got for nothing would do the job first. I can get a 2nd one for nothing but I have since sized all my bullets manually so its off the to do list for a while.