Bleeding holes

[kimoleto]

I made a die to swage slugs for my 25 condor, they work ok at around 35gr (nothing spectacular), tried also with my .30 condor at 40 - 45 gr and work a lot better, however I noticed bleed holes (0.075") do not bleed (one hole per die). In the .25 die just a tiny speck of lead bleeds (cant weight it) and nothing at all with the .30. I made the press based on the forums design and it works but dont know if theres something wrong with the dies

[BT Sniper]

Internal pin or external punch may be blocking hole.

How hard is the lead? Pure or a mixed alloy?

As long as bleed hole is not blocked the lead should flow.

Using any lube?

Bt

[BT Sniper]

Check hole is open with smaller .062" pin at the top of the press stroke if you can.

[kimoleto]

Is Pure lead (or at least very soft), lubricant is lanoline, I´ll check all the options you mentioned, thanks

[kimoleto]

Polished the die, checked the hole for obstructions, lubed some blanks (pure lead) pressed them and...no bleed action, there´s a little mark in the bullet (the bleed hole) or a tiny speck of lead in the hole but not real bleed action. Boolits (slugs) improved a little more.

[NoZombies]

How close to finished weight are your cores? If there's no extra lead to bleed, there won't be any bleed, it's easier for the lead to move into the cavity than out the bleed hole. Depending on the weight of the core or bullet the 'extra' needed varies a little bit, but generally I find that a minimum of 1% or 3 grains, whichever is greater, with an upper threshold of 7 grains (IOW I try to get all of my bleeds between 3 and 7 grains, with the 7 grain upper limit number being for larger bullets 450 grains and up generally) seems to give me the best results.

My dies aren't yours, and you''ll need to experiment to find the sweet spot, but with a little effort, you'll find it.

[kimoleto]

Yes...It makes sense...I´m slightly above (making 65 gr airgun slugs), so it might be "normal" and just need to find the aftermentioned sweet spot and adjust slightly

[NoZombies]

Yes...It makes sense...I´m slightly above (making 65 gr airgun slugs), so it might be "normal" and just need to find the aftermentioned sweet spot and adjust slightly

I would try some 'cores' at 68-70grains well lubed to get to your 65 grain weight... once you've got everything working you can back down on 'core' weight 1/2 grain at a time until you find the place you start losing consistency, and then go back up a 1/2 grain. At that point you'll have the most efficient 'core' size, and not be overworking the dies or your arm.

[kimoleto]

Ok, I´ll try that. Thanks for the advice

[kimoleto]

I was checking

a photo from another post in the forum, related to the size of the die, however it gives no clue on where the ogive (by this I meant the tip of the projectile) is in relation to the die, can somebody give me an idea? I have never seen a die in my life, allways photos so its a little difficult for me. My Die is 25 mm long plus 12 mm thread (maybe to short?), the slug is 13 mm long (the "hole" depht is 18 mm), Im usin a 3.5 mm (9/64) ejector with a pointed projection for hollow pointing the slugs (0.95" or 2mm in diameter) and about 1/4" in lenght

[clodhopper]

That die looks like it should have close fitting punches at both ends.
Both ends need sealed enough to get enough pressure to force lead out of the bleed holes.
The base punch (at lest in my vison) would be domed to produce a dished base.
The nose punch would contain the ogive and hollow point pin.

My definition of ogive is the curve from shoulder, to the nose of the bullet.

[kimoleto]

I used that die just as an example, dont know where the ogive should be placed, how deep should it be into the die?... I tried to follow corbins dies but have no idea of measurments

[garandsrus]

Are you forming a complete projectile in one pass? When swaging jacketed bullets, a squirt die is used to make a round cylinder of lead that is uniform in weight. It is then out into a bullet jacket and seated, then point formed. The slug starts out a couple grains heavier than the finished slug and smaller in diameter so it fits easily in the die. The compression shortens and expands the slug. Any extra material is squirted out of the side of the die.

There isn’t any reason you couldn’t use punches to put a shape into either end at the same time if you are only making lead bullets/pellets. The location of the bleed hole shouldn’t matter, it just can’t be blocked by either punch. You may need to raise or lower both punches so that the bleed hole is open when the press is at the top of its stroke. As was mentioned, raise the ram with no lead and put a piece of wire in the hole. Make sure it enters the die cavity.

You should feel some resistance and increased pressure when the lead is squirting. I think your slug isn’t heavy enough for whatever you are making.

Can you attach a picture of what the staged core looks like?

[kimoleto]

Hello. Yes, I´m making the slugs in one pass pure lead no jacket, 2R ogive Hollow pointed I´ve tried flat and concave bases, just about the same result. I saw this video and the procedure is similar.
at around 11:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb4ozhvptT4&t=683s
my slug is similar but I noticed he uses a bigger (longer) die than mine. Do I need more die space? top punch and ejector punch wont touch each other, I can vary the distance between them however my dies never bleed, if space is to small excess lead wire will stay out of the die and deform if to long slug will only partially form. My slugs are 95% done still working on details . My condor pushes them at an average 811fps and are spectacular in modeling clay. Sorry about my english, sometimes its difficult to name stuff I dont even know in spanish!!!!
I´m trying to attach pictures

[clodhopper]

If you want an ogive in wall of the die, it should be placed far enough in the longest conceivable core would be contained inside the die before you start forming.

Your core will be smaller diameter than the slug, the curve of the ogive will prevent the core from going to the other end of the die.

Then, the farther in you push the bullet, the more you have to push it back out.

It's a balancing act.

The bleed hole should be pretty close to the ogive.

Bleed holes are usually the smallest diameter close to the mold cavity, then drilled larger diameter a quarter inch or so to cut down on friction.

[kimoleto]

OK, so I´m on the shallow side

[garandsrus]

I think it’s as simple as one of your punches is blocking the bleed hole when the ram is raised.

You may need to raise or lower both punches so that the bleed hole is open when the press is at the top of its stroke. As was mentioned, raise the ram with no lead, but with your punches in place, and put a piece of wire in the bleed hole. Make sure it enters the die cavity. If it doesn’t, a punch is blocking the bleed hole. Adjust the punches so that the bleed hole isn’t covered by a punch.

Here’s a Corbin site showing the process: http://www.corbins.com/swaging.htm#csw His core swaging picture is what you are doing, just with shaped punches. The right hand threads go in the base of the CSP press. The left go in the top.

[kimoleto]

OK, I´ll check with the wire, I like the idea