Grinding reamers

[Bent Ramrod]

It was just some kind of clear plastic rod found in a scraps and remainders bin. I don't think it's Lexan or anything exotic like that. The stuff I have melts if you crowd the drill or reamer to much.

If you can find a plastic fabricator or the plastic bin at a junk yard, you ought to be able to find something useful.

[bearcove]

As a side note most plastics seem to machine well. We face and fuse all sorts of pipe. cuts real easy.

[Bent Ramrod]

Oh, yes, absolutely. Nothing like machining plastic to give the amateur machinist delusions of adequacy. The drilling goes smoothly, the boring doesn't taper, the cuts can be heavy, if you don't mind clearing the melted stuff away, and the polishing goes like magic. Then I start on a piece of steel, and it's another story entirely.

But, as the man said, "Excelsior!"

[Chill Wills]

I check the sharpness of homemade (and rental) reamers by drilling a pilot hole in clear plastic rod and reaming a "chamber" in it. A bad job on the flutes will show as circumferential lines and opaque spots scored in the "chamber," while a properly sharpened reamer will let you see through the plastic as easily as before the pilot hole is drilled. You can even test your cartridges in it for fit.

Work at least as slowly as regular reaming to keep the plastic from overheating and melting. As educational and much cheaper than spoiling a barrel with the same chamber scoring. You can shorten the plastic rod and do it over and over until everything is right.

This is a good idea for a dangerous rookie like myself! I've been using barrel stubs and hunks of scrap steel but I like the idea of clear plastic and working the bugs out of a setup before going for score.

[Hannibal]

It was just some kind of clear plastic rod found in a scraps and remainders bin. I don't think it's Lexan or anything exotic like that. The stuff I have melts if you crowd the drill or reamer to much.

If you can find a plastic fabricator or the plastic bin at a junk yard, you ought to be able to find something useful.

I check the sharpness of homemade (and rental) reamers by drilling a pilot hole in clear plastic rod and reaming a "chamber" in it. A bad job on the flutes will show as circumferential lines and opaque spots scored in the "chamber," while a properly sharpened reamer will let you see through the plastic as easily as before the pilot hole is drilled. You can even test your cartridges in it for fit.

Work at least as slowly as regular reaming to keep the plastic from overheating and melting. As educational and much cheaper than spoiling a barrel with the same chamber scoring. You can shorten the plastic rod and do it over and over until everything is right.

This is a VERY intriguing concept and would have saved me a great deal of trouble not so long ago. If anyone has any idea about what type of plastic suits this purpose, I would be most appreciative if you would post this detail.

[endwrench]

We use quite a bit of Lexan and Plexiglass sheet where I work and they both melt and turn white when cut. I think most any clear plastic would work for this purpose.

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[Sanchez]

Wrong machinery.
Suggest reading-up on the topic before wasting more time, & be advised that proper reamers are frequently rented nowadays.

Have 2 lathes and a drill/mill. not for profit understand concept never applied

[Sanchez]

Try Lexan(R) or Lucite(R), lubricated w/ hot soapy water & glycerin. Do not use any common petroleum-based cutting fluids on polymers.

If anyone has any idea about what type of plastic suits this purpose, I would be most appreciative if you would post this detail.

[bearcove]

Wrong machinery.
Suggest reading-up on the topic before wasting more time, & be advised that proper reamers are frequently rented nowadays.

I know this. And have read on the topic, was just for discussing that I kept this simple. Want to do stuff that is different. Like a 416 Barnes and 416x2 or 38-56imp...

I don't care how a working shop does gun work for a profit. This is for fun. If I have 160 hours in a 38-56 rifle that I made the reamers for the chamber and dies, threaded , chambered and fit the barrel and spent another month on the furniture that's fine. Doing it is the point. Not dividing the value added by the hours to decide if its a good business venture. My kids will get it some day and scratch their head and wonder WHAT WAS HE THINKING????

[KenH]

I like that idea of using clear plastic as a test for a new reamer. I think I will be trying that. I made a 6-fluted reamer for 50-70 using W-1 rod. All I needed to do was clean up the chamber a bit on a Swedish 12.7X44R so the 50-70 brass would fit nicely.

Ken H>

[bearcove]

I think a piece of round stock, plain ol mild steel would be a better test. Better would be a piece of barrel cut off.

[MaLar]

I know this. And have read on the topic, was just for discussing that I kept this simple. Want to do stuff that is different. Like a 416 Barnes and 416x2 or 38-56imp...

I don't care how a working shop does gun work for a profit. This is for fun. If I have 160 hours in a 38-56 rifle that I made the reamers for the chamber and dies, threaded , chambered and fit the barrel and spent another month on the furniture that's fine. Doing it is the point. Not dividing the value added by the hours to decide if its a good business venture. My kids will get it some day and scratch their head and wonder WHAT WAS HE THINKING????

Any photos would love to see your project!
I make my own D reamers never tested them just did it they work fine specially the straight case reamers.

[Moleman-]

Usually you have enough material left on a barrel to screw up the chamber several times before it's an issue. Whatever you use should have the same land diameter as what you're going to chamber. Since I mostly use standard calibers I have in the past used a Green Mountain gunsmith blank for things like dies, bushings ect. For around $30-$60 they're a good option next to a similar length and diameter of 4140 especially when you factor in it already has the exact precise pilot hole needed for whatever chamber reaming you want to do.

[rusty marlin]

You don't need a grinder to make reamers. I make straight flute reamers and custom saws with my lathe and mill. If you are using an even number of flutes, 4 or 6 you can get away with fluting in a 5C collet chuck, odd numbers of flutes are most easily laid out with a dividing head.

Moleman laid out the process very well.

If you can find a copy of Advanced Gunsmithing by W,F, Vickery, chapter 3 is all about Chambering tools.

[bearcove]

I'll look for that I have the old NRA gunsmithing books and a few other books of that era and the new stuff that is available. The newer the book the lesser the info.

[paul h]

Another option is buy the reamer you want and then sell it on ebay after you've used it. You'll typically recoup 50-75% of the cost of the reamer, can take your time using it, and don't have to wonder if the reamer you rented is sharp or was abused by the previous user as you've got a new reamer.

While one certainly can make a homemade reamer, it is one of the more advanced and precise tasks of machining, hardening, grinding and sharpening and all the skills required to do those tasks to the highest order. Some tasks I'll gladly pay to have the experts do, and chamber reamers is one of those.

[bearcove]

Problem is the stuff I want to do is all wildcat, Reamers and custom dies come quite dear. If I do a 358 win I would just buy a reamer. Use it and put it in the toolbox.

[samari46]

Back in the 20's and 30's if you look at some of the wildcat cartridges they had most of them had a lot of taper. I read somewhere that a lot of the reamers used for such cartridges were made from taper reamers as that was the easiest way to get a reamer and machine it down to get what they wanted.Frank

[Moleman-]

I like making reamers but I wouldn't make one for something that was cheap and available either. I had a custom reamer made back in 2012 by Manson Reamers for $222. I've since tweaked the chamber design a bit two times and just made my own reamer. If it worked great, it didn't cost me $222 each time to test something. If not I'm out a couple dollars for the drill rod and still got to spend an afternoon in the shop which is fine with me. If someone has a mill and a lathe, can read a micrometer & caliper they should be able to make a reamer if they're motivated enough.

[John 242]

Fred Zeglin from Z-hat Custom used to teach a week long class during the summer where students made reamers and reloading dies for their own wildcat cartridges. I didn't take the class and I've only heard about it. I'm not sure what tools they used. Fred has done an AGI video and teaches his class at both Trinidad in CO and MSC in OK from time to time.

You've gotten a lot of good advise here, but if you want to contact Fred, he may be able to give you some ideas or help you out.
http://z-hat.com/taming-wildcats-dvd...om-cartridges/