My First Attempt at a "D-Bit" Bullet Mold

[Longwood]

[QUOTE=DoctorBill;

How do I sharpen this D-Bit w/o losing the positive rake ?
I have a stone...


DoctorBill[/QUOTE]

You can't hone the outside now. That is why we said to polish the tool before cutting or grinding it.
Hone the flat now. That will sharpen it pretty well.
You are doing good, keep up the good work.
I think Gary is enjoying teaching you. How old is he?
PS
Be careful if you try valve grinding compoun, it will make the cavity too large in a hurry.

I am beginning to wonder if we are going to have a winter also.
We are still wearing our shorts and flip flops.
I finally see a little snow on the mountains west of me this morning but it will be long gone by this weekend when it is supposed to warm up again.

[Longwood]

Bill
Something to keep in mind.
The black powder guys make their bullets small from pure lead.
I start small so I can still use the mold for hard bullets with smokless powder if it gets to be oversized.

[DoctorBill]

Longwood - I know enough to only hone the flat - how w/o honing down the positive rake ?

"The black powder guys make their bullets small..." That's me !
Paper Patch to the bore - lead never touches the rifling.

"The Flits will take forever and a couple extra." FLITZ wails fast on Aluminum !

Southern California ! Used to live in Orange County.
Did my Master's in San Diego.
Then went to Sacramento for my PhD.

Used to be a nice place until Nancy Pelosi was elected. Now ?

Ooooo, those terrible people who shoot things !
Make them eat vegetables. Too many hormones....

DoctorBill

[Longwood]

[QUOTE=DoctorBill;1590082]Longwood - I know enough to only hone the flat - how w/o honing down the positive rake ?

You won't take off enough to worry about.
If gary ground it on his tool grinder it is probably sharp enough but a little honeing of the flat will sure not hurt. I would also hit the edge a tiny bit to make sure there are no burrs.

I lived in some of the nicest areas of Orange County for close to 20 years. Down at the beach were I could see blue sky if I looked in the right direction.
Good place to make lots of money.
Good place to meet pretty women.
Good place to spend every cent you have trying to survive.
Good place to be a long way FROM!-

PS
My next atempt at a mold is going to be a two piece from brass for a collar button bullet.

Nancy Pelosi says she has never riden a motorcycle and she does not see why others would want to or should be able to.
I feel sorry for people like her.

[DoctorBill]

Good place to make lots of money. - I should have stayed there!
Good place to meet pretty women. - Oh yes....yes, yes, yes....hmmmm.
But I met several in Spokane, too....they are everywhere ! Very expensive, tho !
Good place to be a long way FROM ! - Driving LA Freeways will make you insane.
But then Seattle Freeways are just as bad.
Pelosi must have driven them a lot.

I just checked my little bench top Drill Press and I do not have sufficient
'Throw" in the chuck to change drills and the D-Bit w/o having to move
the Aluminum Block. I do not want to have to re-center this thing - ever !

Looks like I'll have to ask Gary to bore it out on his lathe again.
Gary can decide if the D-Bit needs honing - or not.

DoctorBill

[Longwood]

Bill
Which drawing program do you use?
Is it hard to learn?
I tried one but went back to paper an pencil.

[DoctorBill]

I used PhotoShop LE which is a real bugger to try drawing with.

That's why the drawing was simple minded...

Making circles is well nigh to impossible.

Many such things on Freeware.com Try some.
http://www.bestfreewaredownload.com/...are-8-0-d.html

Got to go work now and make some money to buy tools....

DoctorBill

[scrapcan]

Bill,

Set yourself up a jig to locate your work piece. it doe snot have to be elaborate, just needs to get you back in place. You can use hardwood, angle iron, etc. push the thing back in place clamp somehow and move again if need be and repeat. also you can use your reamer to help center after you drill, just be sure to turn in the direction of cut and not backwards.

Gorilla machining requires some outside the box thinking, you have all the talent to do that so don't take no for an answer.

[KTN]

SHOW US YOUR TOOL - GUYS ! PUT PHOTOS UP HERE.

DoctorBill

This is what I did.
0.1" thick HSS papercutter blade cut to shape. Works fine on aluminium, with bigger calibers.

Reamer and mold cut with it.


Reamer from other side.


Quite easy to make with lathe and benchgrinder and doesn't need heat treating.


Kaj

[DoctorBill]

Longwood - I remembered that I had sent Gary a couple of Freeware CADD program
links a couple of months ago.
Don't think he tried any...hates to learn new software - like me.

Have a look at these:

http://www.bestfreewaredownload.com/...are-8-0-d.html

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best...oogle-Sketchup

http://www.vectorengineer.com/ look at the Free CADD Software portion.

http://freeware.intrastar.net/cadsoftware.htm

http://www.serif.com/free-graphic-de...?MC=SERPPCFDDP

I must admit that I have not tried any of them.

I have this thing with CADD.
Bought "Generic CADD" once, learned it well, got good with it after a couple of years,
then Windows changed to a higher level and the company went T.U. and I
couldn't run it nor upgrade it.

Got pissed and never got another !

Not easy to pick up CADD - I mean to learn it....takes a lot of effort.

I hope YOU can use one of those above !

BTW - there are even MORE drawing programs in Freeware.
Drawing - not CADD (which is a different beast).
http://mashable.com/2007/10/27/graphics-toolbox/ 35 different free programs.

DoctorBill

[RMulhern]

I'm sending an email to Red River Rick!!

To hell with this!!:takinWiz:

[DoctorBill]

Mulhern - "Deliver me O Sweet Jesus!!

I'm sending an email to Red River Rick!! To hell with this!!"

Do you mind informing us what in the world are you are talking about ? !

DoctorBill

[scrapcan]

Red River Rick, makes bullet moulds, mould hanldes, sprue plates, etc....

looked like a bit of humor to me.

[DoctorBill]

I can't tell what Mulhern's intent was....some reading this are in a different world.
A cryptic post....with unknown intent.

Cannot please everyone, nor do I care to.

I'm trying to share methods and information....some seem to get p****d at that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here is how I am solving the D-Bit and Drill alignment problem.

Got a $50 Harbor Freight Cross Vice. Tightened up the Gibs (had to go to
the Internet to figure out how) and am using a small drill to set up the
alignment. A cut off Ice Pick would do for that !



Now to figure out how to get past the worm gear backlash...

I think you read the wheel when going in one particular direction.

DoctorBill

[wonderwolf]

I think he meant to get RRR in on the conversation. I'm not sure how he cuts his cavities. I was planning on ordering a mold from RRR but since we finally replaced the motor on my lathe I'm going to try to make a few D bits and make my own PP molds but right now I'm working on D bits for swage dies. As far as oil hardening goes its a must as well as tempering or that 0-1 may shatter.

[nanuk]

DrB

I think it was Ross Seyfried who wrote an article about multiple inserts, using one main holder with the cutter on it.

the only issue I can see is getting the height correct so the sprue plate fits it well.

[RMulhern]

Mulhern - "Deliver me O Sweet Jesus!!

I'm sending an email to Red River Rick!! To hell with this!!"

Do you mind informing us what in the world are you are talking about ? !

DoctorBill

DoctorBill

Hey man...if you want to 'fiddle away your time' doing this.....knock your self out! But in the time and effort and $$$$$ involved FOR ME TO DO THIS.....well....I'm gonna just get RRR to make whatever I want....IF HE WILL.....and then I'll have cast up 5000 bullets (while you're still pharting around trying to build a mould) from a mould that I KNOW IS RIGHT!!

[Don McDowell]

Rick you can also call Bernie at old west and for 95$ have the base pour mould of your dreams in about 2 weeks...125$ gets it turned over and into a nosepour adjustable...

[DoctorBill]

Mr Mulhern - you miss the WHOLE POINT !

"Deliver me O Sweet Jesus!!

Do you ever cook your own food ?
Change your own oil ?
Change your own spark plugs ?
Paint a room or your house ?
Raise your own kids....

Anybody can go buy something and then brag about how fine it is...
rich people are really good at that.

"...pharting around trying to build a mould" IS the whole point of this !

"pharting around" - AKA a hobby.

Lord !

[FrankG]

This is what I did.
0.1" thick HSS papercutter blade cut to shape. Works fine on aluminium, with bigger calibers.

Reamer and mold cut with it.


Reamer from other side.


Quite easy to make with lathe and benchgrinder and doesn't need heat treating.


Kaj

How did this cutter mount in use ?