Who was it that made Star sizer dies here?

[Buckshot]

..............Looks good! If you could substitute an 'E' clip for the flange to retain the die, you could use .750" ground and polished stock. This would save time, as it would eliminate turning down the OD from the flange to the body. Plus you'd only have to put in a simple groove for the 'E' clip. You would save money via the reduction in machining time and tool changes. Plus you would save by buying .750" stock instead of the larger OD material.

......................Buckshot

[IcerUSA]

The flange only keeps the die from going thru so the E-clip should work also .
Doing a leak test now , went back to the lathe and finished the sizer to .431 . Sized a few boolits with GC , left 1 in the sizer with the pressure handle cranked down on the lube , will see if it leaks out overnight .
Looks promising so far.
Might give the E-clip a try if I have any that size .
Sure will make it easier to make sizers for the Star.

Keith

[Marine Sgt 2111]

Oh hey you are very welcome. THe only problem is that the fixture leaves you no latitude (unless you manually retract the die from the fixture check the spacing with a depth mic) to space the holes at different distances. You have to remember one thing the understide of the flange governs the placement of the holes location on the die. Whether or not the holes are exactly 90 degrees indexed around the outside of the die or whether the middles row of holes is exactly rotated 45 degrees to the first and third rows is again really not that important.

On the plus side of all of this is that while in the basement going through some boxes looking for the original drawings I made years ago to make these dies, I found several bags of different sizes of brand new dies that I must have oiled, bagged and put in an ammo box and forgot about. I will check the sizes and put them up on the board later this weekend.

Dwight,

Thanks! I like the idea of an 8 sided fixture to index the holes.

John

[Marine Sgt 2111]

Hey Buckshot, remember you must maintain the .7500/.7505 O.D. so that you don't damage the luber's I.D. where the die sits. I would recommend against using a clip and stay with the flange design for several reasons.

First and fore most is that the flange under surface takes the full thrust of the bullet being pushed and swaged through the die. The flange tolerance thickness is .120/.124. At least that is what I held them to for the magma and ballisticast auto sizers. for your own personal use, in a manual sizer you could get away with making the flange as thin as .100"

IMHO

[Buckshot]

you must maintain the .7500/.7505 O.D. so that you don't damage the luber's I.D. where the die sits. I would recommend against using a clip and stay with the flange design for several reasons.

First and fore most is that the flange under surface takes the full thrust of the bullet being pushed and swaged through the die.

IMHO

...............Right, I understand the need for the flange. I also understant the need for the close clearance between die and press body, as there is no other seal to keep lube from escaping. I'm curious as to how a die body of the correct diameter is going to damage the bore of the press by being retained by an 'E' clip vs a flange.

Is it that under the pressure of forcing a boolit through die would cause the 'E' clip to damage the mouth of the bore?

.............Buckshot

[IcerUSA]

Test results on the overnight test was a success , no leakage .
Have been thinking about the E-clip but think a cir-clip might do a better job as the force against it would be in the 90 to 95 % range .
Might even try it with a reusable moon clip that could be slid out and the next die used to push the die in the sizer out , slip the moon clip on just before setting the new die , should stay in place as there is no movement other than the downward pressure .
Just ideas at the moment .

Keith

[Marine Sgt 2111]

Roger that Buckshot. An e clip will be fairly thin conpared to the flange, a clip can flex and "chew up" the edge of the bore that the die fits into. That is the very reason there is a relief groove on the die body, to avoid damaging the edge of the bore.

IMHO

[lathesmith]

Freak, looks like you have a nice new toy headed your way. To me, those mini-lathes are a lot like a 410 shotgun; they are often dissed as a "beginner's" or "kid"s" tool, when the truth is that both are very effective tools that are better utilized in the hands of experts rather than beginners. It is alot easier for a beginner to learn the basics with either a 12 gauge or a larger lathe. But that don't mean you can't learn machine work with a mini-lathe--you just have to have more patience and learn the craft within the limitations of the smaller tool's work envelope.
Hopefully, you will be able to find a local mentor to get you started with the basics; you can learn more in a few months this way than probably a few years on your own. Also, you are in good company here; ask lots of questions, and don't be afraid to try new things. The internet is a wonderful source of info for learning this and other skills; spend lots of time reading and researching, it will be time well-spent.
As far as specific tooling recommendations, I have plenty, as I have just outfitted my own garage in a similar fashion in the past few years. I opted for the slightly larger 8x12 lathe, and have been very happy with what I can do with it. I won't bore or bog you down with gobs of recommendations, but I don't mind sharing a few insights that are rather unique to smaller machines. To get started, I assume you don't have any HSS tool bit grinding experience. Based on my recent experience, I would recommend you get one of those inexpensive carbide-insert tool holders from Grizzly (or others) that use those TCMT 2151 inserts. This will get you cutting metal quickly and rather easily, and with a minimum of hassle. The great thing about these insert tools is that to get a new sharp edge, just rotate the insert; nothing else is required. This is perfect for a beginner.
Happy turning,
lathesmith

[chrisx1]

Would any of you guys turning these out be interested in selling some of your work?
After reading this thread, you may not be able to sell it for under the $40 that Magma sells them for.
If you could sell them for $30 they would probably go like hotcakes!!