Finally.... Check material!

[Sonnypie]

I put in a special order for Amerimax Aluminum 68104 at my local OSH last weekend.
I was told they would be calling me.
I got a call from the home office today confirming they could supply me with a 50' roll as per my order. I thought it got lost or they wouldn't do it.
I confirmed to be sure it was that number because I need that thickness of flashing.
He assured me it was confirmed by Amerimax.
I love that "old Fashioned" hardware store.
10,000 Gas Checks on the way.

Holy Moly!
I need 250 POUNDS of Lyman #2. $722.50
10,000 primers! $300.00
16 POUNDS of Unique. $202.00 + Haz Mat

But only one 4 ounce bottle of LLA....


Sweetheart, All I want for Christmas is.....

I think I need a private range.
What a slippery slope this is.

[Rick459]

how much did that aluminum set you back?
Rick

[Sonnypie]

I think the guy said $13.?? ($13.72?)
My hope is to put a reel holder offside the paper cutter, and a stop for feeding off the cutter edge, and be able to more rapidly and accurately cut the strips.
Like the adjustable stop on a sheet metal shear.
(It's a sickness I have. I'm always looking at ways to improve what I'm playing with.)

[ditchtiger]

Amerimax Aluminum 68104
What is the thickness in thousands of an inch??

[edsmith]

.014 just got some myself.

[Sonnypie]

Amerimax Aluminum 68104
What is the thickness in thousands of an inch??

.014"
LINK

Scroll down to Flashing (left side), and click on Roll Valley Flashing. Look at the Yellow column.
Note the flashing thickness' at the top of the columns.

That is the size PatMarlins said to use, specifically.

6810X designates the Standard (.014") flashing.
68104, 6, 8 designates the width of the roll, in inches.
Pat specifies 4". I have used 6" in the .0092" thickness. 68006, which is economy grade. My local OSH carries that grade.
What the big box stores around me carry is the Versa Grade. Which is .0078"

I have a roll of copper that is .006" and it makes wienie checks that fall off.
The .0092 is better, but still does not crimp on properly.
I made some from .011" brass shim stock I had for a test. They worked well. And looked nice on the boolits bottoms. Sexy as checkies go.
But I literally exhausted all possibilities for buying without ordering.
Then put in the Special Order with my friends at OSH.

What would be absolutely the best would be Aluminum Banding in 1/2" X .014" thickness. Like the banding for pallets.
They make it, but it is .020" thickness. And a nice short 900 foot coil
That would make a continuous strip to feed through. Punch till your arm falls off.
In a perfect World...
(I always dream in Industrial Scale)

Amerimax #68104, .014" thickness, Standard Grade.

[ditchtiger]

What I found is dryer duct tubing.
Comes in a flat sheet and is folded on the edge to form a tube.
.010 thick, a 2' section 6' wide goes for $3.
The gas check wall tears away from the base sometimes when forming the cup though.

[edsmith]

real soft alu. will do that.

[Love Life]

Is this for the PB gas checks or the standard gas checks?

Please excuse me if it is a stupid question, but I am new to making my own gas checks.

[Sonnypie]

Is this for the PB gas checks or the standard gas checks?

Please excuse me if it is a stupid question, but I am new to making my own gas checks.

I'm going to be using it on 30 caliber GC style cast boolits, cast with RotoMetals Lyman #2 formula.
They are the only boolits I currently cast that need GC.
I only cast 120g, and 170g boolits for my 30-06 from this alloy.

My 45 ACP boolits are plain based (PB) and don't need anything added to them. And they are a different alloy.

My original intent was to use the roll of copper flashing I already have. But it is .006" and does not form checks that will stay on.
I have tried, and exhausted my other options with what I had, or could get, before settling in and ordering.
But .014" is the specific thickness that works with PatMarlins tool for 30 caliber.
It is the right thickness to work with the design of that particular check making tool.

And the only stupid question is the one not asked.

[DLCTEX]

Would a double layer of the .006 copper work?

[Love Life]

Would .016 copper flashing work if it has been annealed?

[Sonnypie]

Would a double layer of the .006 copper work?

Funny you would mention that...
I'm just in from the shop where I recast a bunch of 120g boolits into 170g.
When I tired of casting, I turned around and punched copper strips, then did double disk forming.
They still "bottle capped", but so far they seem to hold on.
After running through the sizing die I can't pick the GC loose with a finger nail. So it appears it will stay put at least through firing.

A test sized boolit with a double .006" copper GC


The same GC Boolit on the left, and a "as cast" boolit on the right.


My sizing die poops them out at .3105", since I reamed it out.
They're are going into a .3085 slugged barrel. (.002" over bore)
And the mold is dropping them (WD) @ .314" So it's a little "fat" over specs for that mold (Lyman 311291).
The copper I'm using is very soft as it is. It is a PITA to punch because the waste strip distorts around the punch at times.
But I wanted to run off a batch of the double coppers to test. I have a 12" wide roll of it that would probably make 100,000 + copper gas checks.
I have 75 boolits GC'd and ready to lube and size, with a pile of punchings ready to form, and a hopper full of 170g boolits I cast today.
The roll of 4" aluminum, .014" thick, should be in next week at OSH.

[Sonnypie]

Would .016 copper flashing work if it has been annealed?

Donno.
I did make 190 from a .016" Aluminum sheet metal 4" X 10" I picked up to try. It worked good, and I have a bit left over for a sample.
I had really hoped I could use the copper I have. But it isn't working out very well, too thin and too soft.

[Love Life]

I'm going to give the .016 copper a try. I'll report on it when I get it.

[Capn Jack]

I bought an 8"x50' roll of Amerimax Aluminum 68104 and it is .0147. I had to special order it through Sears and it was around $40.00 delivered to WA.

I'm using one of Charlie's Freechex III punches in .459 and I puting them on
RCBS 300gr. FN GC bullets, cast hard and sized .459 for my RRA AR.458S. So far they're shooting 1 1/2 MOA or less at 75yds. Too cold to try further.

I tried .010, but they would fall off. Anyone near La Conner WA. wants the rest
of that roll, come and get it. it's free. .020 Aluminum gutter jammed the cutter.

Jack...

[wallenba]

I'm sticking with copper for now. I got some from this place http://www.basiccopper.com/
Shipping was real fast and product is real nice and the thickness perfect. It is available in 1.4 mil, which is 0.014. I have not done the math, but it's gotta be cheaper than buying checks.

[Clyde]

Wallenba have you received that copper yet? The thickness you quoted, 1.4 mil is .0014 thick not .014, sounds too thin to work.

[wallenba]

Wallenba have you received that copper yet? The thickness you quoted, 1.4 mil is .0014 thick not .014, sounds too thin to work.

You are right. The stuff I ended up ordering is TEN mil and checks 0.011. I remembered it wrong while posting. Here is their actual thickness guide
http://www.basiccopper.com/thicknessguide.html
I remember now almost making the same mistake when ordering. Next time I'm going to order the 16 mil, the 10 mil works fine though.

[n.h.schmidt]

Hi
I checked out the prices of the copper you are using. Lets say you have ordered the 20'X 1" of 10 mil thickness. That's $43.99 I didn't check the shipping cost,plenty I'm sure. If you are going for 30 cal checks for instance.You need about a 1/2"square per check to work with. I know as I have made them for years.
A 20'x 1' strip is 240 square inches. A square inch can give you four 30cal checks.
4 x 240 gives you 960. Thats 960 checks for $43.99 and you get to do all the work. I wanted this to work too . Copper just dosn't work unless you get it almost free. You can make 30 or more aluminum checks for the price of one copper check.
n.h.schmidt