Lets make a Swage press

[10 ga]

No stickies in swaging? This thread should be one. 10 ga

[Jim_Fleming]

I like the idea of making Swaging a separate forum altogether... Still under Cast Boolits, since it IS about fabricating our own projectiles.

[ANeat]

Why is the spring needed?? Lets see if I can clear it up.

Lets start by looking at a die, in this example it is a point die for .224 bullets. This is how the die sits in the press. The bottom punch in this example is the ejector pin and goes into the ram. The hole is for the pin that the spring pushes against.


This is the ram without the bottom punch in place



And with the punch in place. It just drops in.. There is a shoulder in the bottom of the hole for the punch to rest on

[ANeat]

In this pic you can see where the spring comes into play. A pin goes thru the hole in the punch and the spring rests against the punch.

Basicly the spring is pushing the punch down into the ram





Under the punch is a knockout bar that can be swapped around with different width bars to regulate how far the punch goes up

[ANeat]

So when the handle of the press is brought up the ejector pin will push the bullet out of the die.

And as the handle is pulled the ejector is withdrawn from the die so the bullet can be formed.





Handle up



Handle down, The top punch is removed in these pics for clarity

[AbitNutz]

Good lord that is a beautiful machine.

[BT Sniper]

Great sight. No wonder I spend all my online time here. Just saw the model and drawings MATT did. Great work guys. If this dosen't spark the DIY in sombody....well you know.

Keep it up and Swage On!

BT

[Dannix]

Indeed. It's threads like that that has convinced me to stop buying tools and instead buy tools to make tools.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Indeed. It's threads like that that has convinced me to stop buying tools and instead buy tools to make tools.

I hear ya!

[BT Sniper]

Buy tools to make tools!!!!! Well said!



BT

[Daywalker]

Indeed. It's threads like that that has convinced me to stop buying tools and instead buy tools to make tools.

Exactly! It was this site and seeing what a friend of mine can do with a lathe that is costing me almost 1k in October on my own lathe hehehe. Can't wait to see what all I can make once I take quite few months probably closer to a year lol, to learn first..

[ANeat]

Just a bump

[BwBrown]

ANeat,

What would the demand be for a "Materials Package" ?

A person with access to the various markets could purchase bulk materials at a reduced rate, put together the materials pack and provide them at a reasonable profit.

Correct quantity of flat stock, bushings, cold rolled, ram, set screws.

Another step up offering could be a "milled and drilled" package. For "kit builders" without access to machine tools.

I, for one, would be happy to spring for a set or two. I have to pay shipping no matter how I buy it.

All one has to do is look at the niche BT Sniper is filling. With just a little bit of "word of mouth" advertising/exposure, I suspect the frustrating long Corbin waiting lists might become quite a bit shorter, and those of us looking to get deeper into the craft of squishing lead could get our hands on some real equipment instead of just "someday dreams."

I have a semi-retirement fantasy of rebuilding/winterizing my machine shop, but that is a year or two away.
Bob.

[ANeat]

Bob thanks for asking, honestly I think if a guy with a small CNC mill could crank out the parts he could probably sell every one he could make.

The idea of a "kit" sounds great

Not only swagers but many reloaders doing the larger cartridges that wont fit the "standard" press would jump at the opportunity to get a quality press at a fair price.

If you need a "review" I might even spring for a "kit" myself

[mattm]

The only real tricky part is the ram. The top plate is a little bit tricky only because the cost of a tap if you don't have a lathe to thread it (or don't like to single point
threads). Every thing else is just drilling and tapping. A drill press and some sort of saw is pretty much all you need.

matt

[BwBrown]

"I think if a guy with a small CNC mill could crank out the parts he could probably sell every one he could make.
The idea of a "kit" sounds great
Not only swagers but many reloaders doing the larger cartridges that wont fit the "standard" press would jump at the opportunity to get a quality press at a fair price." [endquote]


My point exactly.

I had the opportunity to spend countless hours/days over the last 25 years working with a talented self taught machinist/entrepreneur (He built reproduction antique model airplane engines) so a well equipped machine shop has always been at my fingertips. One of his engines in even in the Smithsonian history of aircraft section. Alas, he had a stroke a few months back and now everything is literally boarded up. His goal was to live out his life pursuing a dream and a passion, and he did it well.

As I approach retirement, I have been (fantasizing?) hoping to find a similar sort of niche, perhaps in this swaging/reloading arena. Ive been shooting and reloading over 40 years. A project like this could provide a supplemental retirement income, but for me it is at least two years out.

Mill: While CNC would be nice, a little bit of a practiced hand and a good mill can be procured more economically.
Lathe: useful for finishing the ram.
Threading: The truest threads with minimal machine setup would likely be done with a good set of taps and dies.
Materials purchased in larger quantities would economize basic cost plus shipping.

My -S Press has roller bearings and bronze bushings, and it operates SOO smoothly! A few simple, similar finishing touches would set such a project head and shoulders above, or at least the equal of, anything else out there.

It could be offered in a variety of levels of completion depending on the DIY skills of the buyer.

This would be a good opportunity for a person with just a bit of investment is basic machine tools. Price it right and I would think that over a short time it could be as lucrative as a one's energy allowed. My real lament about this country of ours is, that it seems almost nobody makes anything anymore, and there is a diminishing pride in the things we do make.

For now, if somebody chooses to tool up, I'll be among the first to buy.
Bob

[45nut]

A drill press and some sort of saw is pretty much all you need.

Really? I think that is a long way from realistic for many if not most of us without real schooling in machining and is dismissive of the skills that it takes to get those presses accurate and smooth.
It equates a tool and die man with a lifetime of experience and knowledge with a back yard shed and a delta drill press and a hacksaw equipped tinkerer. I could no more make one of these even with those plans than I could make a model t ford. That is why most of us need the skilled hands and minds of the professional to provide our tooling and instead pursue our own crafts and skill sets.

I applaud the individual that develops not only the plans that make this possible but the hands that make the tools that we need. More suppliers for these tools only helps us all, and if this site can put another guy into a job, then thats one more off the soup lines and providing for himself.
Many of our vendor sponsors are doing just that, filling the voids seen and providing solutions and products to our membership that are willing and waiting to buy the tools and merchandise they offer.

[MaxJon]

Of course we start with a big pile of steel. I used 1" thick cold rolled 1018 for the major parts.




For the top plate its pretty straight forward. 1 1/2 -12 tapped hole in the center, 2 1/2 inch holes drilled on 4" centers and 2 slots milled for the linkage rods.

I drilled 1/2 holes in the sides for the linkage pivots

Nice work Aneat!!!
I gotta make at least one!!

[MaxJon]

HA, Im still working on the one with what I consider the "right" dimensions.

Now the press in the pic I had to juggle some stuff around to make what I had on hand work.

I would drill the top hole in the links and hang them on the press. Then hold the toggle in place to make sure you have clearance for full travel to determine the center to center length.

After the links are made hang the toggle and slip the ram in place, then you can determine the place for the ram pivot.


Sorry if all this seems confusing or kind of an ****-backwards of doing something.


I should add that Doug F is probably pretty close but I would feel better having the partial assembly there to measure just to be sure before I drilled anything.

A little too long wouldnt be to critical but obviously too short can cause headaces LOL

Once again awesome work Aneat!!

With all the info you have given, i think i will draw my press up using Autocad software. This way it hopefully will take all the questions/guesswork out of it. I figure you have been hassled enough! I think between your info and Corbins website i could make a really good masher/reloader!
Thanks again,
BB03

[Charlie Sometimes]

BB03-
I'd like to see the end results of your autocad drawings. I've been following this thread with great interest, in the hopes of someday building me one of these. This is a GREAT thread!
A kit sounds like a great idea, too. If I could afford it, I might go that route if presented the opportunity.