You tube video of a Magma bullet sizer automated automatic operation that's nice

[6bg6ga]

I guess I get excited like a little kid every time I get to observe in person or watch a decent video of reloading based equipment. Those that own a Star or Magma with a feeding assembly know that after time sitting down feeding the tube and pulling the handle your arms and shoulders start to get sore. Anyway I would suggest that anyone wanting to automate their machine to view the video that a gentleman by the name of Dan made about a week and a half ago. The operation is simple as it involves a few hand made parts and the purchase of a timed relay, 4 way 2 position control valve and a air cylinder. This guy has even gone to the trouble of making up some of the "special parts" to sell for those who don't have a machine shop in their garage.

Hats off to Dan for the cost effectiveness, and kiss principle of his project.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0TlizGeRzY

[BNE]

Nicely done.

[jmorris]

Not a magma but on my last one I used a gear motor instead of pneumatics.

[jmorris]

The first one I built is pneumatic though.

[onelight]

Those sizers are all amazing !
Especially to a guy that hit his engineering peak at 10 years old with a windmill made from an erector set.

[6bg6ga]

Not a magma but on my last one I used a gear motor instead of pneumatics.

jmorris's work is amazing.

I've just about given up hope on making my gear reduction motor and speed control work with the Magma/Star sizer. I simply cannot find a flat face pulley with a 1/2 inch shaft to fit my Bodine gear reduction motor and the shaft on the Star/Magma sizer lubricator.

So far I'm starting to look at Dan's work seriously but it would be nice just for grins to have one of my sizers work with Dan's air setup and one working with my Bodine gear reduction motor and speed control.
So close and yet so far from completion.

[6bg6ga]

I keep scrounging around the garage picking out more pieces that I can use with the sizer project and I think I'm halfway there now. Wire I have along with a timed relay and 9 pin octal socket and fittings so the only thing left for me is to order a 4 way two position solenoid control valve and the air cylinder after Christmas. I'm cheap so I'm going to try a different cylinder with the same specifications as the one Dan listed along with a different brand of solenoid control valve.

[HATCH]

good work but this has been done before.

[6bg6ga]

good work but this has been done before.

And so has your automation of a Magma bullet caster yet you came up with yet a better way of performing the same task with sheer elegance and class.

I seem to recall it Magma sizing being done a few years back with a gentleman (wimm something?) using a joy stick to move the cylinder back and forth. Unless I have missed something I've never seen a Magma/Star run non-stop with a timed relay setup. Please do post it memory permits so the rest of us can enjoy it and possibly gain some information on it.

At any rate the its been done before really doesn't carry much weight or shouldn't in my opinion. I think unless I am very mistaken the point of this forum or any forum to to provide information. God knows we have used and used the PID thing time after time. The PID control is so elementary that a 2nd grader could do it. Yet it keeps being posted so what is the difference? My opinion again when better ways come across we should view them and elaborate on the engineering and construction of such. A forum is supposed to be a place to learn information and possibly have some meaningful communication with other members.

Its been done before by wimm, jmorris, and others yet each seems to take a different twist on it...again my opinion.

Maybe I was wrong to post something that was so simple, requires very little skill to wire and put together and has proven by the video that it does indeed run and run flawlessly again my opinion. Silly me I thought other members with the same thought of up the road automating their Star/Magma might just enjoy this video. But then again its been done before.

When I finally get the Bodine gear reduction setup running I will probably post that because it is a different way of doing the same thing meaning I have yet to see a Bodine gear reduction motor with speed control implemented to do this task.

[HATCH]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2KwiXB4H8w

march 2013

[HATCH]

Wyman Winn pneumatic setup, my timing setup.
he is running it slow but it is capable of around 1800 bullets per hr if you can keep tubes loaded.

I could never get that rate as I couldn't keep up.
I would start with 10 tubes of 50.
I would stop after a hr of production. My highest rate was 1200 bullets.
This was lubing with Magma lube. Not just coated.

[djryan13]

Any chance the Lee APP press could be automated like that? Hoping it works well for sizing bullets. Unfortunately, I am not sure it would be reliable enough and feed correctly.

[6bg6ga]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQrZflUtiPY

This is the one I was thing about. His first video and if memory is correct this one was followed by a joy stick operated Star sizer video. Maybe I was mistaken since I can't find the a joystick video by winn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0Vkfr4l_Qc

This is what I was thinking of. I thought it was the bullet sizer with a joy stick but its the Master Caster.

[onelight]

Any chance the Lee APP press could be automated like that? Hoping it works well for sizing bullets. Unfortunately, I am not sure it would be reliable enough and feed correctly.

I don't think the plastic feeder parts and the spring that slides the case or bullet to the die would be very reliable for automation I like the Lee stuff but don't see it as commercial or industrial grade equipment more light to medium duty.
Not that some of these wizards could not make one work

[6bg6ga]

I don't think the plastic feeder parts and the spring that slides the case or bullet to the die would be very reliable for automation I like the Lee stuff but don't see it as commercial or industrial grade equipment more light to medium duty.
Not that some of these wizards could not make one work

Maybe a thread on automation of the Lee would help.

[onelight]

Maybe a thread on automation of the Lee would help.

Sorry for drifting , point taken .

[6bg6ga]

Sorry for drifting , point taken .

No, I just thought that a thread on the Lee might be more beneficial since there are a number of members that have recently acquired the Lee press for sizing. Absolutely no problem with the drifting I probably do more of it than anybody.

hey, all for trying to automate anything. Like I mentioned my thoughts were to have a devoted Lee press automation thread and this would help to centrally locate all the information and thus make any info lookup a simple task. Your free to post anything you wish on this thread and certainly didn't mean to come off wrong and if you took it wrong please do accept my apology.

[dverna]

I like the electric powered concept. I have an electric drive on my PW shotgun loader and it is quiet. Works well and the slip clutch keeps it from creating a problem if there is a jam. I doubt it has the power to do bullet sizing though.

Jmorris makes me drool with his stuff.

[6bg6ga]

I'm trying to find several flat faced pulleys( for the lack of a better term) something I can drill and mount an adjustable arm to and something I can incorporate a slip clutch possibly. My Bodine gear reduction motors have a top speed of 42 RPMS and with the speed control I can vary that all the way from 1.5-42RPMS. Maybe some type of torque sensing circuit that would open up upon excessive force/jam and shut down power to the motor.

[6bg6ga]

Wyman Winn pneumatic setup, my timing setup.
he is running it slow but it is capable of around 1800 bullets per hr if you can keep tubes loaded.

I could never get that rate as I couldn't keep up.
I would start with 10 tubes of 50.
I would stop after a hr of production. My highest rate was 1200 bullets.
This was lubing with Magma lube. Not just coated.

I can surely see that coated would be faster since extra care wouldn't be need to have full lube pump movement. So 1200 sizing and lubing is a good feat in my opinion.