Automatic Mould Knocker

[BattleRife]

Whilst continuing my journey through old gun magazines, this morning I discovered this astonishing bit of wizardry. Found in the November, 1956 issue of The American Rifleman, it is a single page contribution describing a design for an automatic mould knocker: a brass-faced trip hammer that is cocked by the action of opening a pair of mould handles, then tripped as the mould blocks approach their limit of travel, delivering a whack to the side of one of the blocks to help dislodge the bullet. I think it goes without saying that the idea really didn't catch on. I thought the folks here would enjoy the idea, and maybe have a few comments. Better yet if anybody recalls ever hearing of anyone actually trying to build and use something like this.

[17nut]

I made a mould wacker from brass years ago.
Stopped using it after one session when the sprue plate of the mould i used, got beaten up and severely deformed.

That idea will destroy/deform a fine iron or even worse aluminium mould in short order.

Bang the handles, not the mould!

[Bent Ramrod]

It looks to me like the head of the knocker hits the tenon on the handles that the mould screws into. There shouldn’t be any damage to the mould itself, if that’s what's going on.

Kind of ingenious, assuming that the casting always sticks in the same mould half.

On the other hand, if that is happening, a check of the offending half for burrs or other obstructions, and a mild lapping, would certainly take less time to do than making and fitting those parts.

[Dragonheart]

I don't need anything more than a length of an old hardwood shovel handle filled with lead to give it some weight to quickly open 1 to 4 cavities. But more cavities becomes a real chore.

I designed and constructed my Ram Tapper to open the massive H&G multi-cavity molds. Cutting 10 sprues at a time is no easy task not to mention supporting the weight of a cast iron brick while trying to do it.

With Ram tapper I flick the lever and the cylinder's ram quickly pushes the sprue plate open utilizing a roller bearing set at the end of the rod. All the while the mold is completely supported in the cradle. Lift the mold out of the cradle and tap the knuckle of the handles on a large lead block and all 10 bullets drop into a waiting pan. I do 30 bullets a minute so I have to continually feed my 20 pound Pro-Melt with ingots heated in a hot plate oven as my operation is a pot drainer
.