I made another mold.

[MBTcustom]

This was extremely time consuming but it's my first one using this method. What do you think?
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2385.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2386.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2387.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2388.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2389.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2390.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2392.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2393.jpg
http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l481/goodsteel/IMG_2415.jpg
Kind of unorthodox, but the cavities came out very consistent. I'm whipping this one out for a friend who is getting into casting for a 30-30. I also made him a GC maker, M die, Lee size die, and a partridge in a pear tree!
We'll just see how this one shoots.

[buyobuyo]

Looks really nice. Let us know how it cast/shoots.

[175lt2]

That's basically the same method I use, mainly because I don't have a milling machine. I've made some really great shootin boolits that way, Only difference is I made a holding fixture for the mold blocks rather than mounting a vise on the faceplate.

[MBTcustom]

Well, I already know that it casts like a dream! I piled up 150 pieces in no time. Like I said, very consistent in weight and diameter. Rounding off the corners and slimming the blocks like that pulled a lot of unnecessary weight off the mold too, so it was very easy to use.

[Buckshot]

...............Yup, done that but wasn't making a mould. Just altering one.

http://www.fototime.com/EC6E32186093ED1/standard.jpg

Photo was taken before the counterweight was bolted on.

Your lathe have a "L" series spindle nose? My lathe is currently down with issues in it's variable speed drive. Bearings are supposed to be here Monday ($300), but a part that had a bearing seize and spin on it is at the local machine shop. I'm hoping for Wednesday, and as long as I'm hoping, I'm hoping his estimate was a bit high :mrgreen:

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

[Lefty SRH]

VERY nice Tim!

[MBTcustom]

I dont know what my spindle is called, but its the type that has a threaded ring that pulls the accessories onto a keyed taper. I really like that system.
Oh and there was no counter-weight on the faceplate.

[dragonrider]

That spindle taper is called L00, IMHO it is the most convenient to use and very strong. I have the same on my Clausing/Cholchester.

[Ola]

Wow, this is very interesting! Always wanted to know how the molds are made.

This is a little too technical for my english, but I hope you can understand me:
Is there a hole in the mold block already? And you just stick the "cutter" in the hole and then move it to side until it starts cutting? If so, how do you make sure the cavities come out the right size?

If someone has pictures of the other methods of making molds, it would be equally interesting to see.

[MBTcustom]

There was a small start hole in the blocks that I put in there with the mill. I use the start hole to indicate center of the first cavity. I made the tool so that the tip of it acts like a one flute drill bit/boring bar (that was actually one of the trickier grinds because it had to be perfect in order to get a flat bottom on the cavity.) I used a .0005 indicator to tell me where to stop while feeding towards me. I can accurately cut the cavities within .0004 diameter tolerance using this method.

[Mk42gunner]

Lokks very good to me, Tim. There shouldn't be any venting issues.

I am constantly amazed by the talent displayed by members here.

Robert

[Ola]

Thanks goodsteel, think I got it. This is one of those things that are simple in theory, but being able to actually do it... just amazing.

[375RUGER]

Good job. Please show us some of the boolits when available and the partridge in a pear tree.

[MBTcustom]

I'll try to get some pictures up of the boolits, I should have thought of that. I am hoping I can get faster at this and sell some of these on S&S. We'll see.

[buyobuyo]

Do you make your blocks or buy them? Did you cut the vent lines? If so, how is it done?

[izzyjoe]

man that's nice! i may try my hand at that. what size hole did you start with?

[Catshooter]

If you're not careful you're gonna be making moulds hand over fist. Nice work.


Cat

[Dan Cash]

Tim,
Using this method, can you also cut round nose or semi spitzer pattern cavities? I am getting ready for a .36 and .307 or so in round nose or semi spitzer pattern. Would not mind if one or both were your work.

[runfiverun]

that's a smaller version of the rcbs 30-150-fngc.
it will work fine.
if the nose is in the .300+ range it will be quite accurate.

[MBTcustom]

Do you make your blocks or buy them? Did you cut the vent lines? If so, how is it done?
I made the entire mold from scratch and I did cut the vent lines. I used a special cutter that I ground for that specific job.

If you're not careful you're gonna be making moulds hand over fist.
One can only hope.

Using this method, can you also cut round nose or semi spitzer pattern cavities?
I think I can get pretty close, but there has to be a small flat on the tip of the boolit, the sharper or rounder it is, the harder it will be to cut.

that's a smaller version of the rcbs 30-150-fngc.
it will work fine.
if the nose is in the .300+ range it will be quite accurate.
I didn't know that it was similar. I just sculpted it by eyeball on the lathe (except for the bore rider, the driving bands and the GC shank that is, I was very specific about those three dimensions.)

[Buckshot]

I dont know what my spindle is called, but its the type that has a threaded ring that pulls the accessories onto a keyed taper. I really like that system.
Oh and there was no counter-weight on the faceplate.

............I picked up on the threaded collar and figured it had to be an "L" type. My 11" Logan has an L00, but I'd suspect your big ole brute has an L0, or a L1. Not any lathes made these days using the L nose that I'm aware of. They've all gone pretty much to the 'Stud' type D camloc on the lathes of any size, with the smaller imports mostly having threaded noses. . Maybe a couple using the short taper A types, but I haven't heard of who if any makes'em.

http://www.fototime.com/129DCEECEED65CD/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/FBC4A50229228CB/standard.jpg

I grind those form tools or "Spoons" for forming my swage dies. Since there are no lube grooves I use HSS steel. One of these days I'll have to try making a grease groove slug [smilie=1: You're using plain high carbon steel?

http://www.fototime.com/52F297DD71E4D34/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/826B799366DFB7B/standard.jpg

The tool in the previous photo was for making 58 cal swage dies, but the same type was used for this slug for the 38-55.

http://www.fototime.com/B55E2CC4F2DF8E0/standard.jpg

You might be interested in trying half drills ("D" reamers). They're HSS, already ground in half :-) The above are 23/64 (.359") and would be good for .375" and larger. Of course you cut off the excess as they're too long. They're ferociously expensive to buy retail but you can find them on E-Bay from time to time pretty reasonable. I was able to purchase 2 packages (12 drills) of these for $29 + shipping. MSC currently lists this size (Made in USA) for $32 each. There are currently 4 different sizes on E-Bay.

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

[carbine]

You are all very skilled. Kudos.

[MBTcustom]

I make my reamers out of 0-1 tool steel. I hand forged knives for years so I have a pretty good eye for flame hardening and drawing carbon steel. This is very critical because in order to get a thin little blade like that to hold an edge well, while not being brittle at the shank, it is necessary to selectively harden the tool so that its hard on the edge but springy on the back. Just like a handmade knife.
Works like a charm.

[dpaultx]

That's pretty impressive Tim. I've never made a mold but have modified a couple of Lee molds on my milling machine.

I've toyed with the idea of turning my own cutter and making a mold from scratch on the mill, but it never even occurred to me that the whole thing could be done on the lathe.

Seems like the set-up would be a lot simpler on the mill however. Gives me something else to consider, anyway. Thanks for posting this.

All good . . . Doug

[quasi]

You do very nice work, you are a good machinist obviously. You might want to take more time/care in your stamping, the stamping shown here is a little askew.

[turbo1889]

Goodsteel, if your interested I might have a mold cut I would be interested in getting done that a small modification to your method shown here I think would work great for:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/6909730194_b6cdb55712_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/6909730194/)

It's a 20ga. Wad-Slug (a slug that is sized to fit inside the shot cup of a regular lead bird shot wad). It's a hollow base nose pore design so it would be cut with the reamer from the bottom of the mold blocks with the point of the reamer sticking out the top of the blocks and then the base pin would need to be turned on a lathe to fit.

I would want it cut in a custom "wide block" version of the magma machine casting blocks (that since it is wider can take larger diameter cuts and allows both hand and machine casting) that Tom @ Accurate Molds makes for me out of brass and I could purchase a blank block ready to cut from him. If you think you can do it and you are interested in taking on the project drop me a PM as far as what I would be looking at as far as cost.

[MBTcustom]

You might want to take more time/care in your stamping, the stamping shown here is a little askew.
Very true, I was doing it by eyeball. In the future I will build a fixture to hold the stamps together and I will get a better look, but I am making this for a friend and I am doing it for free, (not that that matters at all, shoddy work is shoddy work) but I'm not going to recut and polish the side rails just to get the stampings to look better, because he already saw the mold and likes it. I will definitely do better in the future. Thank you for the constructive criticism.
I'm also going to run a tighter radius on the vent lines in the future. This one works well, but I think thats just because its such a small boolit.

turbo1889, P.M. sent.

[leadman]

Brownell's sells a fixture to hold the stamp in alignment. You may want to take a look at it then I'm sure you will be able to make something similar.

Great job on that mold!

P.O. Ackley also had trouble keeping the stamps in alignment.

[MBTcustom]

Without a fixture and just eyeballing it, its pretty tough to get the letters all lined up strait.

[quasi]

I have found using a piece of electrical tape as a bottom guide works well, as does starting from the right and working to the left (if y
ou are right handed)

I have the guide Brownells sells, you have to surface grind the shanks of your stamps to get them in perfect alignment.

[MBTcustom]

Hey, I'll do whatever I have to to make the boolits come out better. ;)

[geargnasher]

I have found using a piece of electrical tape as a bottom guide works well, as does starting from the right and working to the left (if y
ou are right handed)

I have the guide Brownells sells, you have to surface grind the shanks of your stamps to get them in perfect alignment.

I noticed this as well. But not all stamp sets are created equal, either.

Tim, I can't tell you how excited I am to see that you've already jumped off into experimenting with grease-groove moulds, looks like you might be in production soon!

Those rounded mould corners are particularly nice, I don't know why no one else seems to have thought of that, but at least you did.

Be thinking of small calibers and pointy noses, I am in desperate need of a custom mould maker who can do sub-.30 caliber, particularly a .272" paper-patch mould for my .270 with .006" deep, radiussed grooves. There is a definite market for a few moulds like this since BRP closed up shop.

Something else to consider, run the same vent pattern on the top of the blocks that you do on the inside faces. It's amazing how much that can prevent galling on top of the blocks and it lets you run the sprue plate tensio a bit more snug without creating venting issues. I don't think Bruce has a patent on the concept, but since he's retired from it I don't think he'll care too much if you "borrow" the idea.

Gear

[Harter66]

Nice work.

The pic shows the boolit mentioned in my PM w/its insperation and its donor. That a 20mm AP on the right and the lil' pointy guy in the middle.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_123384e36f2b357014.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1628)

[Dr. Noah Zark]

Very nice job.

[Dr. Noah Zark]

Very nice job.