I use 25 grams of powder for each puck, this gives me 10 pucks per 250 g batch. Use a dowl or similar object to tamp and level the powder in the die before pressing.
Wally
|
   
   
|
|
I use 25 grams of powder for each puck, this gives me 10 pucks per 250 g batch. Use a dowl or similar object to tamp and level the powder in the die before pressing.
Wally
04jeep
I'm not sure, had some meal made up and was just taking a teaspoon and put it in the press. Put a heaping teaspoon in sprayed it with the water then probably another heaping spoon full and sprayed it then pressed it. It was my first time to make pucks. I'm glad I didn't make them any thicker they would have been harder to break up and grind. Still have not loaded any in my shell cases to test. Been busy with some coating and some smokeless loads. Life takes up the rest.
While I work at it, it is by God's grace that it happens. So it is best I ask him what, how and when before I start..
I recommend pucks in my dies to be about 5/16 to no more than 3/8 thick. The thinner pucks break up easier &
compress tighter than thick ones. I lightly mist the meal powder in a bowl & mix it real well before pressing.
Fly
They are ground up now but that was about the thickness of the two teaspoons. Will dampen the whole lot next time then press.
While I work at it, it is by God's grace that it happens. So it is best I ask him what, how and when before I start..
1.5 oz in Fly's press will compress to 1/4". I just break it up with a tile nipper, grind it and it works great.
3.5 oz of dry mix will give you a 1/4" puck in a 3 " powder die.
I made some pucks with Flys recommended heaping teaspoon of powder per puck, I didn't get to grind them for over a month, did a few last week and I could snap them with my hand, is it to soft? I was using a arbor press to compress the pucks. Also when I ground them up in the duracasa coffee bean mill, it churned out dust, so I adjusted the grind, and it started giving me more dust and big chunks, no ffg-fffg sizes. I'm going to play with it some more and see if I can get it to work right
Ok I know you all have talked about weight to vol I just weight 20 of ffg on scale then 20gr of my screen powder should I get the same for say the fps I know it fills my cly on 1851navy .36 cal full I have to press some down then add rest shot today and got 889fps with my homemade what you think
That sounds as if you're doing it right.
May be too soft. Start with a fairly large grind and it will probably throw 3fg at various settings which don't look like they would throw 3f.Originally Posted by BlackPowderBen
The small hf press will do the job for you.
I would also try dextrin or gum arabic, that might help.
You guys have me thinking. I recommend 1&1/2 TPs to 2 for my pucks. I never weighted the meal Just eye
balled it. When I first started pressing I started with a to big press dia. I only had a 4 ton boodle jack press.
With a 3" puck it did not pack very well with out adding to much water. So I messed with dia & thickness till
I got it right.
That little 4 ton press worked very good. I then stepped up to a 12 ton. I can't tell much different. That where I came up
with that dia. I knew most people will have a back yard boodle jack press.
Fly
My next project is to cut out .025 aluminum sheet into 2" circles and use those to make multiple layers. Hopefully it will work.
Another of our stalwart home brew bp members reports that he uses 18 grams of water per lb. With success. Pour the mix in a gallon or quart bag, add 18 grams and mush it around until it is all damp.
18 grams = 18 mililitres or
1.125 grams per oz or
23 drops per oz
Therefore 1.5 oz will take 35 drops
Last edited by Texantothecore; 04-30-2016 at 11:27 PM.
Lately with the rains and the humidity causing the powder to form a giant ball (alleviated by using the copper pipe filled with lead thingy's) I have had great success without spraying any water at all. Just sift it out of the mill, spoon it into the dies, then pressure them on up. I do leave the die under compression for about an hour though. It just seems to make the pucks that much harder.
I am the one your mom warned you about!
That's funny you say that about high humidity. I have a friend, fireworks guy that lives in South Fla that
says the same thing.
Fly
Any of you use arbor presses rather than shop presses for compressing the powder into pucks? I'm going build a stronger workbench and mount it to that and use a metal pipe for extra leverage and hopefully get more psi.
That's what I use a two ton arbor press with a three foot length of pipe. Dampen powder and hold for about three minutes. But I have just started making the powder. Have done burn test which looks promising. Want to load some in cartridge but have not got to it yet.
Also want to test some mimosa wood. Something else I have not got to yet. But they are both on the list.
While I work at it, it is by God's grace that it happens. So it is best I ask him what, how and when before I start..
Ya I think you guys with arbor presses need a long cheater bar. If I were you
I would get a small hydraulic bottle type press.Harbor Freight has a table top
6 ton press under $100.
Fly
Ya I think you guys with arbor presses need a long cheater bar. If I were you
I would get a small hydraulic bottle type press.Harbor Freight has a table top
6 ton press under $100. http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-a...ress-1666.html
I know a guy that uses this same one & it works as good as any for this. It does not have much room
under the ram, but it works super.Get a HF 20% coupon & you save that much on purchase.
Fly
I have that one. It has PLENTY of room under the ram for a BP compression die. That tool alone took my BP quality to the next level.
How's the new retort coming?
Posting Permissions
| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
Reply With Quote