DIY Reloading Dies from 7/8 14 Bolts

[Traffer]

Well as some of you know, I have been attempting to make dies from bolts. Here is where I am at with that:

[dbosman]

I have read, but have no personal knowledge or skill to know, that if you have the skill to make the dies you should make the die stock rather than use bolts as they have sloppier threading than dies should have. I envy the skill to do the metal work.

[Traffer]

I have read, but have no personal knowledge or skill to know, that if you have the skill to make the dies you should make the die stock rather than use bolts as they have sloppier threading than dies should have. I envy the skill to do the metal work.

I believe they probably do have sloppier threads but I don't think that hurts anything. As far as skill... I have only been machining for about 3 years now. It takes a desire and the guts to make lots of mistakes. That leads to skill. Most people do not develop skills because they have too much "respect" for the things they are trying to make. "Smash it and make a new and better one" might be a better approach for many people. Rather than "oh no, I don't want to mess anything up". As I used to tell people (being a Christian) "It's all going to get burned up in the fire anyway" hahahahaha

[EDG]

If you use the B7 heat treated or grade 8 all thread bolts they will be tough to machine but will wear better after you finish the die.
I made a few neck dies out of plain carbon steel all thread and they would not produce a decent finish on a resized case neck.

[Traffer]

If you use the B7 heat treated or grade 8 all thread bolts they will be tough to machine but will wear better after you finish the die.
I made a few neck dies out of plain carbon steel all thread and they would not produce a decent finish on a resized case neck.

Interesting...were they polished well?

[Traffer]

I looked up the bolts that I use. They are Bowmalloy. Rockwell hardness C39 to C42. Compared to Grade 8 which is C33-C39. They have 200,000 PSI tensile strength compared to grade 8 which is 130,000 PSI. They also have tighter specs on the thread. They are hardened through rather than mostly on the outside like Grade 8.

[tomme boy]

The bolts we made when I worked at MacLean Fogg were as good or better than any die maker. A lot depends on if they are rolled or cut. I would never trust anything that came from china for the steel.

[john.k]

I personally think its foolish to try making dies from hard steel .....soften the stuff,machine ,then harden .......and harden it right out ,as hard as you can get it ...With 40-50 points carbon ,50-55 RC should be possible ......My suggestion would be to make a spray setup the hot die can be dumped into ,and a water spray directed up the inside .....which is where the die needs to be hard......my preference would be to use a soft ,low carbon steel ,and case harden it .....a full case can easily be RC60-65......which will take a good polish ......harder the steel ,better the polished surface...which is what you want.

[1066]

Here's one I made from scrap. I'm no machinist, just a self taught scratcher.

[Traffer]

I personally think its foolish to try making dies from hard steel .....soften the stuff,machine ,then harden .......and harden it right out ,as hard as you can get it ...With 40-50 points carbon ,50-55 RC should be possible ......My suggestion would be to make a spray setup the hot die can be dumped into ,and a water spray directed up the inside .....which is where the die needs to be hard......my preference would be to use a soft ,low carbon steel ,and case harden it .....a full case can easily be RC60-65......which will take a good polish ......harder the steel ,better the polished surface...which is what you want.

I would love to be able to harden and soften steel. NO MONEY>>>NO TOOLS. My machine shop consists of a HF mini lathe on a cart in my living room in our 480 sq ft apartment. If I could I would do it right. I do well with what I have.

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello Traffer,

I've made a few push through sizing dies from 7/8-14 threaded rod.
I'd drill out, ream with the closest reamer we had, then run them to size on a honing machine.
Of course when I was still working, we had full machine shop at work to do these kind of after hours projects.
It's about the only downfall I've found to retirement.

AntiqueSledMan.

[dverna]

I am impressed.

I have a small lathe and thought about doing something like that but never took the journey.

[Traffer]

Here's one I made from scrap. I'm no machinist, just a self taught scratcher.

You are FAR FAR ahead of me on the journey of learning this craft. Compared to me you are like Robin Renzetti. Here is an example of his videos:

[onelight]

I believe they probably do have sloppier threads but I don't think that hurts anything. As far as skill... I have only been machining for about 3 years now. It takes a desire and the guts to make lots of mistakes. That leads to skill. Most people do not develop skills because they have too much "respect" for the things they are trying to make. "Smash it and make a new and better one" might be a better approach for many people. Rather than "oh no, I don't want to mess anything up". As I used to tell people (being a Christian) "It's all going to get burned up in the fire anyway" hahahahaha

Good advice sometimes we just keep hammering until we get it right !

[jmorris]

The center on a grade 8 bolt isn’t as hard as the outside, I have drilled and tapped (Left hand) many grade 8 bolts (right hand threads) making differential screws.

I have also annealed hardened dies in order to machine them. They can also be reheat treated, hard enough that a file will slide right across them vs making a cut.

[Traffer]

The center on a grade 8 bolt isn’t as hard as the outside, I have drilled and tapped (Left hand) many grade 8 bolts (right hand threads) making differential screws.

I have also annealed hardened dies in order to machine them. They can also be reheat treated, hard enough that a file will slide right across them vs making a cut.

You may notice on post #6 I pointed out that the Bowmalloy bolts that i use are hardened through and not just on the outside like grade 8 bolts.
I made a couple of differential screws...Very interesting and potentially useful little thingys. I also have made screws inside of screws with same direction threads but different pitch...also potentially useful. AND one of my favorites the differential screw that has left hand thread on one side and right hand on the other. They used to be used in screw jacks. One of the things on my bucket list is to make a self centering vise with one.

[john.k]

Sled man is right ....the thing I miss most in retirement ...is my company order book.........I did stock up in all sorts of useful stuff,wasnt hard because the new owners wanted the place cleaned up .....but neglected to get some order and findability in the goodies.

[jmorris]

AND one of my favorites the differential screw that has left hand thread on one side and right hand on the other.

That’s the kind I have made the most of, as suspension adjusters without taking anything apart.

[EDG]

The purpose for using a standard off the shelf raw material is for speed, convenience and economy.
If I wanted to shop for some specific best of all worlds alloy I would pick a nice piece of tool steel and single point thread it before I completed the heat treating and final polishing.

I looked up the bolts that I use. They are Bowmalloy. Rockwell hardness C39 to C42. Compared to Grade 8 which is C33-C39. They have 200,000 PSI tensile strength compared to grade 8 which is 130,000 PSI. They also have tighter specs on the thread. They are hardened through rather than mostly on the outside like Grade 8.

[john.k]

If you want sloppy ,put a Lee press together without the O rings that centre the dies ,and make everything seem shipshape ......sloppy isnt the word ......and Lee threads are seldom at 50%,less ,I suspect.......However ,if I made a press and dieset with perfect /fitted threads at 95% engagement ,there would be complaints that the threads jammed at the slightest trace of dirt ,and were tedious to screw together,even when clean and oiled.