lead extruder

[jason f]

does anyone make and sell a lead extruder that i can use in a shop press.

[BwBrown]

I bought an extruding die with two different diameter inserts from someone here on the board.
It is threaded to be used in a press, the instructions are "use only the top of the stroke, push, screw in, push some more..."
I just found a piece of steel: 18" square, an inch and a half thick. My plan is to drill and tap the plate for the die, turn an adapter for the ram on my 12 ton hydraulic press, warm and lube a "slug" and press away.
So far it is just a plan - if anyone has any advice, I'm all ears.
Bob;

[clodhopper]

I am using a similar die. I warm the die with a small halogen light. I doubt to gets to 150 f. And I warm the 44 cal bullets in a wax melter, the kind that is used to melt perfumed wax.
I worry about thread wear, all that screwing in and out. BwBrown's plan to use a hydraulic power sound like a good idea.
You might want to consider a stop to avoid forming the die and punch with each other.

[xman777]

I've been looking for such a die. Do you remember who made it?

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I bought an extruding die with two different diameter inserts from someone here on the board.
It is threaded to be used in a press, the instructions are "use only the top of the stroke, push, screw in, push some more..."
I just found a piece of steel: 18" square, an inch and a half thick. My plan is to drill and tap the plate for the die, turn an adapter for the ram on my 12 ton hydraulic press, warm and lube a "slug" and press away.
So far it is just a plan - if anyone has any advice, I'm all ears.
Bob;

Sounds good, but I don't have any idea whether twelve tons would extrude say, one inch lead slugs into bullet-diameter wire. I'd try to rig up the simplest apparatus I could, to find that out, unless I had seen others doing it. You would feel a fool if nothing came out.

I've more or less got a 10 ton Enerpac hand-pumped press, on which I fitted a bed of 5/8in. 01 ground flat steel and a square ram. It has been living with a friend since a period I spent owning an apartment and living abroad, but I have visiting rights. I think the simplest device would be a sort of thimble internally threaded to fit the threads on the ram end of the Enerpac cylinder. I dare say it is the same thread on cheaper cylinders. You can't patent a thread.

[Outpost75]

Something which will greatly reduce extrusion force needed, and a technique used in the ammunition industry, is to pre-heat the lead billets in a boiling water bath before placement in the extruder. This dramatically reduces the compression force needed to make the lead flow. "Back extrusion" produces more uniform results than "direct" extrusion, in the manner of a cake decorator. The plant where I then worked used 2000 ton back extrusion presses to extrude three runs of .30 cal. wire simultaneously from 5" diameter lead billets weighing approximately 200 pounds each, which were tensioned wound wound onto automatic reels, which could carried loaded easily to double-blow cold headers used to rough cut, bleed to weight and pre-form bullets cores to be inserted into 7.62mm bullet jackets, filling M2A1 cans to be carried to the bullet assembly presses.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

It would be interesting to know the pressure that took. Enormous I'm sure, but anybody here is likely to be starting from much smaller billets.

[clodhopper]

Xman, if you are asking about my die, it has only make one size of wire and was made by A L Floyd a few years back.

[KAYDADOG]

I'm currently extruding lead wire using Corbin's H-die setup. The auto 4/post hydraulic press I built several years ago uses a 3.5" dia cylinder x 7" stroke. For example extruding a standard 0.312" core using soft lead will need about 1750/psi or 8.5/tons of fore to start the extruding process. It will initially take more force to get the lead flowing then pressure will start to taper off. Using the Corbin billit size which is aprox. 0.800" x 4.200" long will produce a 24"+ long wire in about 3-4/seconds depending on how I have the extend flow control set. Using 0.312" diameter for 9/mm, 357/mag and 357/sig. Can average about 30+/cores per length. It doesn't take long to extrude 20 or 40/ft of core wire.
Extrude 0.365" wire for 44/mag cores, pressures are about the same. Haven't gone smaller than 9/mm cores. Should run a test to see what it takes to run 22/cal cores, future test. You just can't beat the consistency when using an automated hydraulic press. I always was involved in hydraulic equipment and automation controls. That's why I invested the time and money to build a four post fully automated hydraulic press.
I wouldn't make cores any other way. Set press operation to full stroke, load billet, set relief pressure to 1800/psi, press cycle start and 24"+ lead wire is consistently finished extruded in 3-4/sec. every time.
Set my core cutter to length and can cut a 24"+ length in about a minute.
The only issue I can see using a hand hydraulic press is that it will be very hard to get a consistent flowing length. I don't know if one could consistently keep pumping the hydraulic jack from start to finished length. Starting billet size is one major variable. Corbin's billets seem to be the ideal size producing lengths of about 24"+ and about 25+/cores per length of wire using a 6" stroke press design.
Also using Corbin H-dies for finished jacketed bullets. I've found out core weight can be held to within -0.0/grains to +0.05/grains. There is almost no variation from initial core weight setup, extremely accurate setup. I use Corbin's bottoming out die body method and set pressure as needed. Use same method for all other operations, using minimum pressure for all the different operations. I've made a good investment, I can know make multiple calibers using RCE jackets but it's still only a hobby.
Based on all the people swaging out there I should start making lead wire for sale. Corbin's at about $7.00/lb pretty high. I could probably beat that by 50% but haven't really been serious about selling products. Time will tell.
If you have any questions feel free to send PM.
Hope some of the information helps. Started out with little information several years ago myself. With my background I wanted to do it right the first time. Unfortunately this is the expensive part of reloading to get into. But I always liked a challenge.

[just bill]

Xman, if you are asking about my die, it has only make one size of wire and was made by A L Floyd a few years back.

I bought A L's extruding a year or so ago, it had replaceable tops, which I have 3, it takes soft lead under .44 cal. I tried to have a die body with a .50 dia. for use with .50 dia. lead slugs, couldn't seem to get any one to make the die due to wall thickness and pressures. Now I wish I would have bought another die body.
Bill

[hardcase54]

My 22 extruder.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=extruder

[BwBrown]

Xman, if you are asking about my die, it has only make one size of wire and was made by A L Floyd a few years back.

A L Floyd made my die as well. My version has a threaded end with the extrusion hole. He made two different die ends, one for 22 and one for 38/9mm.
Bob;

[xman777]

My 22 extruder.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=extruder

Would you mind making another one of those?

[xman777]

A L Floyd made my die as well. My version has a threaded end with the extrusion hole. He made two different die ends, one for 22 and one for 38/9mm.
Bob;

What kind of press do these go on?

[hardcase54]

xman,

I'm recovering from lung surgery, but when I'm well I can. I don't heal as fast at 70 as I did in my 20's.

[xman777]

xman,

I'm recovering from lung surgery, but when I'm well I can. I don't heal as fast at 70 as I did in my 20's.

God Speed on a full recovery.

[hardcase54]

Thanks, I'll keep in touch.

[DukeInFlorida]

Contact chuckbuster.....

He's made lead extruders for me......



Here's his link: CHUCKBUSTER

And, here's a link where he recently indicated that he's interested in that business:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...extruding-dies

[257]

my buddy built one he heats his billits to about 350 degrees pushs them thru a die with a 20 ton shop press. he made different size diesfor different size wire die. works real well

[BwBrown]

What kind of press do these go on?

The threaded die and shell holder style "ram" were made to be used on rock chucker type of Corbin press in reloader mode - "O" style reinforcement, mechanical leverage.