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Thread: DIY 100 pound pot/master caster

  1. #81
    Boolit Master
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    Looks good. I like the way it bounces when dropping projectiles, looks like it helps to make sure they drop from the mould. I wonder if you install a restrictor on the cylinder, you can get it to return without a bounce.

  2. #82
    Boolit Master
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    There are flow control valves on the lead pour and both the up and down for the arm. With the flow turned down further for the up motion, it just acts too lazy. Lower the pressure and there isn't enough force and more pressure didn't seem to help anything. With more pressure, the flow has to be run even lower.

  3. #83
    Boolit Master
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    How do you have the top limit set? I wonder if you put a stopper higher up, near the mould so there is less flexing from the top of the mould to the pivot point. That is what the bounce looks like to me at least.

    The air cylinder i use is about 1.5" diameter, pretty short stroke, but it also attaches directly to the carrier that the mould is on. So there is basically no flexing of the metal to cause a bounce.

    You have done an awesome job, from pictures to a working automatic machine, very nicely done! There is only a hand full of members on this site that i'm aware of that have this ability.

  4. #84
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tazza View Post
    How do you have the top limit set? I wonder if you put a stopper higher up, near the mould so there is less flexing from the top of the mould to the pivot point. That is what the bounce looks like to me at least.

    The air cylinder i use is about 1.5" diameter, pretty short stroke, but it also attaches directly to the carrier that the mould is on. So there is basically no flexing of the metal to cause a bounce.

    You have done an awesome job, from pictures to a working automatic machine, very nicely done! There is only a hand full of members on this site that i'm aware of that have this ability.
    The top limit is set by the end of the travel of the cylinder. I didn't want the cylinder to tweak anything by pulling against everything between it and the stop, which is inside the frame rail. The stop is a 1/4" plate tab, just like for the micro switch, and it sets down on top of an allen screw and nut. Changing the height of the head of the screw will change the limit for backward movement. Of course the down travel stops abruptly when the arm hits the bottom of the cam plate that opens the mold.

    The force on the up movement is very low. I will try extending the cylinder a tad so the frame stops it. Yes, I thought about a stop that would be more robust and less likely to get tweaked. Stopping the actual arm would make for a more positive stop and the forces are low enough that even on the down stroke, you can easily stop the machine by hand without the slightest of discomfort. Heck, that is a 3/4" cylinder at only 40 psi and the flow turned down to slow it. At 135 psi, it should make 54 pounds of force, which is hard to move by hand, directly on the cylinder. With such little force going up, a more direct stop should not tweak anything. Worst case, I will tack weld the chunks of steel that the handle and arm attach to.

    Last night, I ran the NOE 453 200 swc HG 68 mold for the first time. It worked great.

    Powder coating with screens vs. setting boolits upright on foil, looks like an improved process to get the speed up. The tedious hemostat work is hard on the hands and it takes forever.

    The upside down cheapo lee press for sizing is a pain in the shoulder.

    My solution:

    2.5" bore cylinder with a 4" stroke, pneumatic.

    Yep, the next project is a semi, or fully automated sizer for PC boolits. Amazon had the cylinder for $43 vs. $180 on McMastercarr. When it comes in, I'll play with it and see what size air lines, pressure and valves I need. IIRC, it has 12 times the force of a 3/4" cylinder. It will directly punch the boolits with no lever involved, if it goes to plan. It will need some sort of shuttle to get the boolits from a tube to the die. The MR bulletfeeder may just work to feed my 40 and 9mm boolits. 45 cal can be fed by hand into the tube for the low volume I use, since I don't have a conversion for that. The main thing is just to keep from pumping the handle.

    Thanks for the great comments.

    It has been a long project, that only got attention here and there, but I'm really happy with how it has turned out. The fancy mesh baskets may not be ideal, as placing an aluminum disposable baking pan on top of them actually kept the boolits from getting beat up by the basket or marred by the towels. That was one evening of welding practice, but I leaned a lot from it and when you make something without plans or prior experience with that type of work, it can be hit and miss. One of the 40 cal boolits always goes into the spru basket anyway. Sorting boolits from sprues is no big deal and gives me something to do while the machine runs. If it gets any easier, I'll just be calling up my contact and ordering bullets premade.
    Last edited by CGT80; 12-19-2017 at 01:35 AM.

  5. #85
    Boolit Mold
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    Oct 2012
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    Wingdale NY
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    I'm finally getting back to my build. What size hole did you finally wind up with in the nozzle? Bob

  6. #86
    Boolit Master
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    I don't recall what I ended up at, and I'm out of town right now. It started very small and I ended up going a bit bigger on the bottom of the pot and I think I went a tad bigger on the double pour spout as well. There has been an issue with the lead flowing slow from the bottom and I don't know if it was getting cool or if dirt got into it. It is easier to start small and go bigger than to find out it is too big. Of course the height of the lead column will change how fast it comes out of a given size hole.

  7. #87
    Boolit Master
    woodbutcher's Avatar
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    Hi CGT80.Thanks for a great thread.Please keep us updated as you are able.
    Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
    Leo
    People never lie so much as after a hunt,during a war,or before an election.
    Otto von Bismarck

  8. #88
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    HATCH's Avatar
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    how are the brass molds holding up?

  9. #89
    Boolit Master
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    Mar 2012
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    So far, the molds are holding up well, but I have only done a few runs.

    In May, I started working for the same company as my brother and have been fairly busy and still do work every month for another company, as well as work for the family business when I'm available. Shooting and reloading have been very slow. Monday starts my 7th week on replacing 30,000 feet or so of barb wire fencing on a Navy base. I stay at my brother's place during the week and don't do much on the weekend since my body needs to recover. We probably have a few more weeks on this job.

    Hopefully, I will have time to run that machine some more and get caught up on loading later this month. On the other hand, newer trucks are expensive and I am setting money aside to buy one.

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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