Figured I'd make a lube extruder

[Buckshot]

..........Went knocking around the rems at my friendly steel vendor and came away with a 47" piece of 1" ID .120" wall DOM tube for $8. I'd made one before using one of the front struts from an '87 Chevy Celebrity, and modifying it (read some welding, couple pipe fittings) and it worked okay but it was dumb looking. I'd been working without a plan, just an idea.

This time I drew up a plan with real dimensions (!) and even wrote down the machining steps, woo, woo!!

http://www.fototime.com/B9CC4C72A21024F/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/C27C9E4AC306967/standard.jpg

After facing the tube it was time to cut the threads for the top cap. Since it was inside threading and I hate to thread UP to a feature in inverted the tool so I could thread with the spindle in reverse and thread outward.

http://www.fototime.com/0947FDC70BFF098/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/DB089455DD6013B/standard.jpg

Next up was to make the cap. I used aluminum for no particular reason.

http://www.fototime.com/CB188D5AE782B03/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/33D71CD32F588DA/standard.jpg

After it was knurled and parted off, I screwed it into the tube and faced off the ugly 'parting off' face. For some reason sometimes aluminum and I don't get along well. Other times things're just jake.

http://www.fototime.com/6B362CCAE1AE944/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/35E2F2FBD2F7EA3/standard.jpg

Next up was to create the base. It was step drilled to 31/64 (.484") and then reamed .501". I didn't take any photos of the balance of the work as it was done "catch as catch can" over a couple days. I was playing catchup on some other work and chasing after the camera was a PITA. I used 1/2" 1018 HR for the pushrod. The piston is aluminum and was parted off and faced to .312" thick. It was then centerdrilled 1/4". I turned one end of the pistonrod to 1/4" for .225", D&T'd for a 8-32 buttonhead screw. The piston was grooved to accept a R14 Viton rubber 'O' ring to seal, and then pressed onto the end of the pushrod. A washer and lock washer was captured under the 8-32 buttonhead screw to hold the piston on the pushrod.

I had it figured to simply use a press fit into the tube for the base, and then a pin for positive retention. I couldn't see any reason for threads here as why would I need to take it apart? The base went into the chest freezer.

On to part II for the fun part :-)

[Buckshot]

..............The next day I took the base out of the freezer, smeared some oil inside the base of the tube and put them in the prepped hydraulic press and put'em together. Drilled 2 opposing holes and used a couple 3/8" drive rivits to keep'em that way. Everyhting was going according to plan until I went to put in the pushrod and piston.

The pushrod was a bit too short (but made to plan :-) to reach it's bore in the base. However I figured the piston would line it up once driven in a bit. It might have worked too except the internal threads at the top were simply eating up the Viton 'O' ring ..............CRUD! I drilled out the drive rivits and drove the base off, chucked it and turned the spigot down a couple thousandths. Put the pushrod through the base, and then turned a short taper on the ID of the tube to allow the 'O' ring to compress as it entered.

When I put it back together I drilled 2 more opposing holes at 90º to the previous 2. Tapped them all 8-32, milled a flat across each on the tube and countersunk each hole for a flat topped hex screw. Once all that was done I chucked it up and cut the 7/8-14 threads on the base.

http://www.fototime.com/5B36BE133BBFD6A/standard.jpg

And this is what it looks like. The small piece is the part that goes in the shellholder slot. It's threaded 1/4-20. Raise the ram and when you screw in the lube extruder inot the press simply match it and the pushrod up and thread them together as the same time.

http://www.fototime.com/C10BFE98B1D07D0/standard.jpg

At first (per plan :-)) I was going to use a piece of 9/16" stock for the shellholder piece as uisng 1/2" stock only gives a .035" shoulder, but the 'working' part is pushing UP. I had to drill a hole through the tube at the base as lowering the ram compresses the air under it really well [smilie=b: (NOT in the plans). Didn't really have to but it's no big deal.

http://www.fototime.com/C3B9BAE8054AEA7/standard.jpg

Installed in the press and ready to ....................EXTRUDE!

http://www.fototime.com/8CBCB84DDFEB98C/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/538ED048EC700F0/standard.jpg

Right now it extrudes a ribbon .650" wide and .125" thick. This allows me to use it for the .577 Snider, and who knows, I may just get a .600 Nitro double. Right! I'll extrude it out onto strips of waxed paper then just press the casemouth down over it. Excess lube left when using the 38-55, 40-65, etc can be smply rolled up and saved, then remove the cap and put it back into the cylinder.

In the end it turned out well and works like a champ.

................Buckshot

[Doc Highwall]

Nice work and pictures as usual Buckshot![smilie=w:

[45nut]

another chapter of Buckshot's Neat Gizmo's and Gadgets!

[Ernest]

buck shot when I grow up I am going to be just like you?:-)

[Buckshot]

buck shot when I grow up I am going to be just like you?:-)

............You mean fat, graying, and handsome? :-)

.............Buckshot

[CiDirkona]

Ok, I must have missed something. What are the flat strips of lube for?

[Doc Highwall]

CiDirkona, the lube strips are for when you are shooting black powder. After you compress the powder with a wad on top you can place a wax paper wad over that then a grease wad over that followed by another wad and wax paper wad then the bullet. The purpose is to keep the powder fouling soft and the wads with the wax paper is so the powder will not become contaminated or let the wad stick to the base of the bullet.
It is known as a grease cookie.

[theperfessor]

Nice work as always! Good job.

[Mk42gunner]

Once again, nice work and pictures, Buckshot.

I really need to get my lathe going, your projects always give me ideas.

Robert

[Buckshot]

Once again, nice work and pictures, Buckshot.

I really need to get my lathe going, your projects always give me ideas.

Robert

.............Robert, if that's the case I'm proud to be aggravating! Giving someone ideas is always better then giving them gas:razz:

..............Buckshot

[mtnman31]

Buckshot, how did you cut the slot the lube comes out of? Did you use a small end mill?

[garandsrus]

Buckshot,

Thanks for the writeup and pictures...

Why did you not choose to thread the base onto the cylinder, the same way you did the cap? It seems like it would have been quicker and easier than the rivets, set screws, etc. not to mention easier to disassemble.

Thanks,
John

[quack1]

I made one quite a few years ago when working with the Lee 340gr bullet in my 45-70. I was getting leading at the muzzle with every load I tried and figured those 2 very shallow lube grooves were just running dry before the bullet exited. Plus the bullet was dropping from the mold at exactly .458. Figured since there was no way to make the mold bigger, I'd just need more lube. Saw those ads for Ipco wax wads in magazines, but figured I could make an extruder to make my own.
I started with a piece of scrap pipe, used a boring bar to clean up the inside, turned threads on the endpiece and welded it on and cleaned up the weld and outside. I found a piece of rod for the plunger, turned an end for it to take 2 rubber o rings to make the seal and welded it to the plunger rod. Made the cap, used a small end mill for the slot and just used setscrews that tighten into countersunk holes in the extruder body, rather than threading both pieces. I heat the lube with a hair dryer before extruding.
The lube wads helped a little, but finding this site (some years later) and the Beagling process, completely fixed up my leading problem. Haven't used the extruder since then.
I dug out the extruder and took a couple pictures.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/1quack1/luberibbonextruder.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll300/1quack1/luberibbonextruder2.jpg

[theperfessor]

Now you just need to turn the press upside-down and you could extrude it onto a conveyor belt.

[Buckshot]

mtnman31 "Buckshot, how did you cut the slot the lube comes out of? Did you use a small end mill?"

...............Yes, I used a 1/8" 2 flute endmill. The aluminum cap is 7/8" thick, but I'd run a 4 flute 3/4" centercutting endmill in from the bottom to a depth of 3/4" so only had a 1/8" thickness to mill through. Did it in 2 passes anyway as it's hard to 'feel' a 1/8" endmill cut while cranking the table :-)

garandsrus, I did think about disassembly but the only thing I figured would ever happen was to have the piston somehow or t'other come off the piston rod (if even that). In that event I thought I'd just push the rod up and out, make the fix and stick it back together. Besides, cutting a 1" OD spigot to a shoulder on the base piece and pressing them together is so much simpler then threading the tube and threading the base :-) Doubt I'll ever have to take it apart (again) but backing out the 4 short flathead machine screws and twisting the tube off isn't a big deal since I turned off the interferance fit.

theperfessor "Now you just need to turn the press upside-down and you could extrude it onto a conveyor belt."

.................I saw something like that somewhere. Kinda like a toilet paper deal :-) Believe it or not previously I'd been using the wife's rolling pin to make lube strips. I'd lay down a sheet of waxed paper, then about 10" apart I laid down two 3/16" rods and put a clump of lube between them and laid another sheet of waxed paper over the lube. Don't want that stuff on mama'a rolling pin or she'd use it on me!

Then work the lube down finally allowing the rolling pin to roll back and forth atop the rods which would create a 3/16" thick lube splotch (for lack of a better description). Peel off the top waxed paper and with my shop scissors I'd cut through both lube and the waxed paper it was stuck to. Some of the strips could be as long as a foot which I felt was a bit unmanageable. For me anyway about 8" long is pleanty long enough. It's easy to catch the top of the lube strip against a 8" strip of waxed paper, extrude out 6"-7" and go to the next strip of waxed paper, and repeat.

.................Buckshot

[CiDirkona]

How much do you think it cost you to machine that? Looks like the same thing you'd need to make a pneumatic Star luber lube piston...

[Ernest]

............You mean fat, graying, and handsome? :-)

.............Buckshot


I'm already fat and gray. Never was handsome but sure hope some day to learn to use a lathe.:-)

[Buckshot]

How much do you think it cost you to machine that? Looks like the same thing you'd need to make a pneumatic Star luber lube piston...

............Cost? The DOM tube was a rem so it was comparatively inexpensive. It cost $8 + tax, but figure $10 with gas to go get it. So the piece of tube I used was about $1.40. The aluminum (cap), 1/2" 1018 steel (rod), and the 1.250" 12L14 steel for the base came from the scrap box, so? Maybe another couple bucks so we're up to maybe $4. Viton "O" ring, 6-32 buttonhead screw. lock washer and flat washer to attach the piston to the rod, and the four 8-32 flathead screws maybe another buck just to make it an even $5 :-). Somewhere around there.

Time?

Face off both ends of the tube, inside chamfer both ends, cut groove @ 1/2" from one end for thread tool start position. Place 1.250" aluminum in chuck, turn down to 1.125" for 1/2", cut .125" groove at 1.250" face as thread start clearance. Switch to back gear. Thread 1" -20 tpi. Knurl. Replace with tube body. Inside thread for 1"-20 tpi, for 1/2" length, one end. Switch out of back gear. Part off aluminum cap. Turn down the base piece. Step drill then ream the hole in the base piece for the pushrod. Turn down the piston, cut 'O' ring groove, drill 1/4" hole for pushrod spigot, and part it off. Thread aluminum cap on tube body and face off cap end. Install base into tube. Return to back gear, and thread base 7/8-14. Swap out the chuck, and switch back to 5C collet setup, get out of backgear. Put in 1/2" stock, turn spigot on pushrod, drill and tap 6-32 tpi for piston attaching screw, part it off. Extend 1/2" stock from collet, turn down end for 3/8"length to .246" and thread 1/4-20, then leave .120" for shellholder pocket and part off. Remove stock and replace with 1/2" pushrod, flat end out. Drill .196" for 1/2" and tap 1/4-20 to receive press ram part previously completed.

Go to milling machine.

Place tube body in vise and setup work stop. Load 4 flute 1/2" endmill with 1/8" radius flutes. Mill flat for attaching screw. Rotate in vise and use square on table against the flat just milled to locate 2nd position, repeat 2 more times for 4 positions. Move table to clear work, crank down knee replace collet with drill chuck and install edgefinder (I know, I know, but we're NOT building rocket engines here :-)) . Touch off 'Y' axis, dial in half probe OD and zero DRO, crank over 0.620" to tube center. Moxe 'X' axis to locate screwhole location, zero 'X' axis. Drill and countersink for 8-32 tpi flathead sockethead machine screws. Repeat 3 more times.

Remove from vise and tap holes, install screws. Install 1-1/8" 5C in 5C collet block and place threaded portion of aluminum cap in collet. Clamp in mill vise. Install 1/2" R8 collet and edgefinder. Find center (close enough for this). Replace 1/2" collet with 1/8" collet and 1/8" 2 flute endmill. Lower quill and zero 'Z' axis. Set VFD on warp factor 8, plunge to .065" and mill .325" each side of center. Plunge the rest of the way through and repeat. Shut off mill and give it a pat for making it go so fast:violin: Go to the workbench and lightly de-burr.

All done! That oughta be worth a buck or 2 [smilie=w: Of course if you were doing a bunch you'd do the parts running them through in batches. You'd also have your tools setup in their blocks from the first one so you'd be dropping them on and pulling them off the toolpost without spending the setup time.

...............Buckshot