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Thread: Gonna build a shot maker

  1. #21
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    Thanks


    added to the to-do list

  2. #22
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Very, very impressive. You got to love the ingenuity and craftsmanship. Well done.

  3. #23
    Boolit Master

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    That is a very nice looking flame driven shot dropper. Can you tell us more about making the nozzles?

    Actually it is not all that different from the francis brothers document sthat were sent to me and that I have passed to others. The main difference is that the francis uses the flame to create surface tension in the lead drop to make it round.

    Anyway tell us more about your flame driven shot maker.

  4. #24
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    There is not a lot more to say about my shotmaker.13 drippers wide.The width of the device is the same as the rectangular coolant tank.The framework is made out of 1" angle iron and the shotmaker is free to pivot up and down in order to bring the bib down to be almost touching the surface of the coolant.
    I will try in the next couple of days to assemble the whole kit and caboodle and post a few pictures

  5. #25
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    Nine posts!!!!!! where in the heck have you been. That is a nice rig, thanks for showing it to us. Looking forward to the pictures.
    Lucky Joe
    "There's always a way."

  6. #26
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    Here is the setup.

  7. #27
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    In the above picture the lead in the cauldron has just begun to melt . 5.00 PM local time.Here is another picture with a 12 inch ruler to give an idea of scale.

  8. #28
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    Okay the time is 5.30 local time and all the lead I have is melted and fluxed in the cauldron .It is a mix of roofing lead ,wheelweights and range scrap.I estimate about 65 pounds.

  9. #29
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    The burner under the shotmaker is activated.

  10. #30
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    Local time 5.40 shot begins to flow.Very hard to see.I have to apologise for my cheap digital camera.

  11. #31
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    Local time 6.10.It has been running half an hour and the coolant is just warm.The lead has almost ceased flowing.

  12. #32
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    Local time 6.15. Coolant drained.

  13. #33
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    The shot is rinsed under the garden tap and then run through this homemade screen which is drilled full of 2.5mm holes. Shot size is dependant first of all on the size of the hole in the dripper and secondly by the level of lead in the shotmaker.The higher the level the smaller the shot ,however if the level is too high the droplets run into one another and a large misshapen blob results.The screen is simply to remove those.

  14. #34
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    Here is the shot bagged and on the bathroom scales. I read 26.1 kilograms which translates to just over 57 pounds of shot .Not bad for an hour and a halfs work and 5 bucks worth of propane gas. After it has dried I rumble it with a pinch or two of graphite powder and it is ready to go. This batch counted out to 450 pellets to the ounce. I have been using this shot for skeet shooting for the last 10 years and have never felt as though it has been responsible for a missed target.I hope these few posts help.

  15. #35
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    heathydee,

    Thank you for taking time to take and post the pictures. The fact that you have been using this for 10 years speaks for it's value. I'm sure you will have more questions from me and others here. That is a nice setup.
    Lucky Joe
    "There's always a way."

  16. #36
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    That's the coolest rig I've seen so far...

    You could easily make a coolant cooler to by cycling the coolant throught a radiator with a fan blowing through it for instance.

    I wonder how the non toxic pink glycol would work?

    PLEASE keep posting!!!

  17. #37
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    One thing that would be a great help is if you could take a closer pic of the nozzles mounted on both sides.

    One way to get a good or better picture out of a cheap camera is mount it on a tripod, and then hold the tripod as an extension and steady yourself. Breath deep, let half out and squeeze..

  18. #38
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    The drippers were made from stainless steel bolts. 8mm shank ,13mm across flats.The closest imperial equivalent would be 5 sixteenths with a half inch head.First the head of the bolt was gripped in a 3 jaw chuck in a lathe and they were drilled nearly all the way through with about a 5/32 drill.
    Next a simple jig was made out of a piece of angle iron which allowed me first, to run a 1/4 endmill across the head of the bolt at a 45 degree angle in order to give a flat surface on which to drill the bleed hole ,and then drill the bleed hole itself to a size of .024".I broke quite a few drills in this process.The drill press I have only does about 2000 rpm and the sums indicate 5000 rpm would be better.
    Brass spacers hold the drippers away from the trough. The shot drops about 3/8 of an inch on to the bib ,bounces two or thee times and into the coolant. Too fast to see individual pellets.
    No dimension appears to be critical other than bleed hole size.
    Last edited by heathydee; 03-08-2011 at 04:03 PM.

  19. #39
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    OK so you're saying the hole runs straight through the bolt right? Partially 5/32" then finished at the end with a .024.

    So if that's so, this means there's always a supply of lead on the feed side of the nozzle bolts, as the bolts sit up a bit?

    On the box tubing you used for a gas manifold (which was very clever by the way), how did you drill that out? Size of holes, spaced, how many?

  20. #40
    Boolit Master
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    heathydee,

    That series of posts with your pictures are awesome .......

    ...... and you are to be commended for your ingenuitity doubly more so!!!!!

    Thank you very much!

    Three 44s

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

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