Core mold or Swaging rope

[just bill]

I put LaFaun's lead extrusion die to work today. makes me wonder why I just spent over half the cost of a New Walnut Hill on adjustable core molds???????

You really need to check out his vendor site he has some interesting accessories. Check out his Rock Chucker mods and stuff.

Bill

[tiger762]

I just got the PM that said my lead extrusion kit is on its way! I ordered it with 3/16" and 1/4" dies. Does it require 100% pure lead? I ask because I can never find pure. Just "soft" lead.

I put LaFaun's lead extrusion die to work today. makes me wonder why I just spent over half the cost of a New Walnut Hill on adjustable core molds???????

You really need to check out his vendor site he has some interesting accessories. Check out his Rock Chucker mods and stuff.

Bill

[alfloyd]

"Does it require 100% pure lead?"

It works with lead up to 7.0 BHN, that is what I use to test them with.
It will NOT work with clip on wheel weights.
The softer the better.

Lafaun

[fredj338]

I find a core mold really easy to use & allows me to use range scrap or scrounged lead for cores. Extruding, you still have to cast something right? So why not cast & then swage cores?

[Spaceball]

Do you have any pictures of the die and the process of making the wire?

Thanks

[257]

there are some vids on you tube of people swaging lead wire, some are quite interesting

[runfiverun]

I find a core mold really easy to use & allows me to use range scrap or scrounged lead for cores. Extruding, you still have to cast something right? So why not cast & then swage cores?

this is my train of thought also.
I still have the cutters and stuff though.

[just bill]

this is my train of thought also.
I still have the cutters and stuff though.

You are absolutely correct, either way you have to melt lead, fill a mold, make the cores, weigh them, cut them and do all that stuff with $190+ mold,by the way is probably a modified LEE that is(not adjustable) you can make 6 cores, depending on the diameter maybe 11, max length 1", which I will do too, with a $40-$50 fishing mold and a drill I can make a very large core mold, with up to 11 holes, no sprue plate to contend with, and proceed to make cores 3"x .431 dia., that can be extruded to any diameter (up to .431 dia.) with an additional size top for $30. There are many ways to attack this position, bottom line is however they are made, shootem and enjoy em.

Thanks,
Bill

[tiger762]

What do you guys think of this. I have a hydraulic press with an air-over-hydro 20-ton jack. Taking a reloading press top plate (7/8-14) and put the lead extrusion die in it upside down (so that the lead wire will flow out the bottom). Center it up on the press' plates. Drop a 0.43" core in the die. Top it off with the punch, and go to town on it hydraulically?

You are absolutely correct, either way you have to melt lead, fill a mold, make the cores, weigh
them, cut them and do all that stuff with $190+ mold,by the way is probably a modified LEE that is(not adjustable) you can make 6 cores, depending on the diameter maybe 11, max length 1", which I will do too, with a $40-$50 fishing mold and a drill I can make a very large core mold, with up to 11 holes, no sprue plate to contend with, and proceed to make cores 3"x .431 dia., that can be extruded to any diameter (up to .431 dia.) with an additional size top for $30. There are many ways to attack this position, bottom line is however they are made, shootem and enjoy em.

Thanks,
Bill

[runfiverun]

by go to town you mean move forward gently and slowly it could work.
if you could have a die built for the purpose with a long shank [fit to the punch] and a tapered section to the wire diameter hole you could knock out some decent lengths of wire.

[midnight]

I extrude my wire with an RCE hydraulic press & RCE extrusion dies. To give you an idea of the pressures involved, the hydraulic pressure I use is about 1750 psi. That doesn't sound like much but the ram I believe is 3 1/2in in diameter. That ram drives a punch that is only about 3/4 in in diameter. Last time I did the math it came out around 32,000 psi. My billets are about 3/4inX4in. I'll post a few pics.

Bob

[alfloyd]

"I have a hydraulic press with an air-over-hydro 20-ton jack."

How are going to get the ram back out once you push it to the bottom of the die?
The air over hydraulic shop press only has power in one direction.
The springs on the jack will not pull the ram back out of the die.

Just asking.
Lafaun

[tiger762]

The old-fashioned way By turning the valve on the front/bottom of the jack. Both the jack and the press itself has spring return. I'll take a picture later today when I get a chance. It will be a "semi-automatic" process that still requires some manual intervention. I plan on having a stop to keep the press from withdrawing up too far as well as one to keep it from going down too far. Just looking for a way to avoid having to constantly back out the die when using a reloading press. The air/hydro is equivalent to raising/lowering the bottle jack's handle about ten times per second. Will also keep the press-to-punch interface "loose" so to speak, at least until I tram the press true. The reason being that if I made up a collar to secure the punch to the press, any amount of deviation from perfect alignment would damage the die. So the process would be to toss in a soft 44cal bullet, then slide the punch into the die so that the two are now aligned, then bring the press down on it. The die will be screwed into a spare reloading press top plate, sitting on the press plates.

"I have a hydraulic press with an air-over-hydro 20-ton jack."

How are going to get the ram back out once you push it to the bottom of the die?
The air over hydraulic shop press only has power in one direction.
The springs on the jack will not pull the ram back out of the die.

Just asking.
Lafaun

[Smokin7mm]

There have been several threads on extruding lead wire. I use a 20ton air over hydraulic jack with a frame made of channel. My die has a 3/4" bore and I use a billet about 2" long from a homemade mold. Ram is a Grade 8 bolt shank. To remove the ram I retract the jack (spring loaded) and slip a wrench between the die and bolt head and pop it out. I have 3 different sizes of inserts that got into the top of the die for different size wires. Here is a picture of my set up.




Bret

[fredj338]

You are absolutely correct, either way you have to melt lead, fill a mold, make the cores, weigh them, cut them and do all that stuff with $190+ mold,by the way is probably a modified LEE that is(not adjustable) you can make 6 cores, depending on the diameter maybe 11, max length 1", which I will do too, with a $40-$50 fishing mold and a drill I can make a very large core mold, with up to 11 holes, no sprue plate to contend with, and proceed to make cores 3"x .431 dia., that can be extruded to any diameter (up to .431 dia.) with an additional size top for $30. There are many ways to attack this position, bottom line is however they are made, shootem and enjoy em. Then I am only swaging 224 bullets.

Thanks,
Bill

The mold I have from BT is a Lee w/ 11 cavs. They throw about 57gr cores from prue lead. Not adjustable, but then I don't plan on making anything heavier than 60gr finished bullets. If I did, not a problem to deepen 5-6 cavs w/ a drill bit for heavier cores. Just seems easier & cheaper than swaging wire & cutting & casting???

[just bill]

The mold I have from BT is a Lee w/ 11 cavs. They throw about 57gr cores from prue lead. Not adjustable, but then I don't plan on making anything heavier than 60gr finished bullets. If I did, not a problem to deepen 5-6 cavs w/ a drill bit for heavier cores. Just seems easier & cheaper than swaging wire & cutting & casting???

When I started this thread I looked up the 2014 price of BT's mold, $195 + handles. I have seen other adjustable molds for $100-$165 depending on your needs. I have 2 adjustable core molds in the pipeline, not in hand, yet. I have 3#of .25 lead ropes in hand by using the extrusion die. The point is, again, how we get to the results (swaging) that fits our way of doing things is as individual as each one of us. I have tried the top shelf mold makers and they do not make adjustable core molds, but some one does. The whole idea of the extrusion die is making cores from 44 cal (or other soft bullets you may have) especially if you have bullet molds. Just as their are people making dies to convert casings to make jackets. There again is another rub. Depending on the core diameter of each style casing modified for a jacket you need either a $195 core mold or a $30 top for an extrusion die.

Bill

[fredj338]

If you have access to a machine shop, you can make your own core mold from a Lee blank pretty cheap. For my needs, 223 swaging, an adjustable core mold is just over kill. I can, if I want, use cast cores to 60-65gr & just squirt the excess off for lighter bullets. Your needs are diff, but that is JMO.

[just bill]

If you have access to a machine shop, you can make your own core mold from a Lee blank pretty cheap. For my needs, 223 swaging, an adjustable core mold is just over kill. I can, if I want, use cast cores to 60-65gr & just squirt the excess off for lighter bullets. Your needs are diff, but that is JMO.

You don't need a machine shop. There are threads showing store bought and home made blank molds, a drill bit, drill press (which cost far less than 1 hr( $100.00/hr) machine shop time, $69.99 at HF, and way more versitle) and the cores they made. Lee blank's: Titan $39.14, Lee $53.00, + handles $16-$24. You can buy Lee molds on sale that are near the diameter you need and drill them out. If your core diameter is less thea a 22 cal then you need the more expencive blank mold. No opinion on my part, just pulling numbers from web sites.

Bill

[fredj338]

I have access to a full machine shop, so it would just be a matter of getting a mold & putting it all together, but really, my time is worth more than that so I was happy to pay BT for the mold, but when I got mine, they were cheaper. At $65-$75 for the mold + handles, paying someone $100 to do the work is a no brainer for me, but that is me. In the end, much easier, probably cheaper than squirting lead wire. Casting is casting. You still have to cut the wire after extruding & then still have to swage the cores to final weight, a mold for a single caliber user like me makes more sense.