Homade powder measure stand.

[Revolver]

I ended up with a second RCBS Uniflow measure, but no stand for it. I've been fooling around with aluminum lately and decided to try making one. I cut the shapes from styrofoam and hot glued them together, packed them in sand, poured aluminum (which vaporizes the foam and replaces it).

It actually seems to have come out ok (at least to my standards) and didn't take much time at all.

I'm also trying to think of other simple devices I could try to make.

http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j407/mainejunker/319d1835.jpg

[LUBEDUDE]

I would be interested in pics please.

Do you thread the stands for 7/8 x14 as well?

[Mk42gunner]

By all means, post pictures. (Says the guy that still hasn't done it).

Robert

[Revolver]

...Do you thread the stands for 7/8 x14 as well?

Threads? Dang it! Now I have to build version 2.0!


By all means, post pictures. (Says the guy that still hasn't done it).


Ok, will do... I'm at work now but tonight I'll find the pics am post em

[Revolver]

added pics

[jcwit]

Very clever.

[LUBEDUDE]

Revolver, that is sooo Awesome!

Forget the threading, you have it nailed.

[Mike W1]

I long ago filed the threads OUT of my RCBS stand and use a lock ring to hold it in place. Heck of a lot faster to undo and dump the powder out than when you have to unscrew the measure.

[littlejack]

Thats nice work sir.

[milprileb]

I agree, Nice work indeed.

I can't do it but wish I could.

Pretty darn innovative and impressive.

This is American Ingenuity at its best form !

[1hole]

Very good work, good design. I wonder, did you do it in your home shop? Metal casting is interesting but few of us have the required facility with proper sand, furnace and tools for doing it.

I started reloading in '65. I never cared for mounting a powder measure on a press or at the front of a bench, never saw a commercial stand I really liked so, about '75, I finally made my own by cutting welding some "found" 1/2" scrap steel plate and a 12" x 2" bit of pipe into something I DO like!

[Revolver]

Very good work, good design. I wonder, did you do it in your home shop? Metal casting is interesting but few of us have the required facility with proper sand, furnace and tools for doing it.

I started reloading in '65. I never cared for mounting a powder measure on a press or at the front of a bench, never saw a commercial stand I really liked so, about '75, I finally made my own by cutting welding some "found" 1/2" scrap steel plate and a 12" x 2" bit of pipe into something I DO like!

I'm curious what your design is that you like vs. the production units?

To answer your question I do this at home. I used to melt aluminum outdoors with charcoal and a shop vac as a blower. I recently picked up a small used 120v pottery kiln that is clean to operate in the garage. The sand is sandblasting silica sand from the autoparts store mixed with bentonite clay. The wooden forms (flasks) I made from some old bunkbed frames. My crucible and handling tools are made from misc found steel. I'm in the computer business, my source of aluminum is old hard drives. Really the only thing that I had to "seek and obtain" is the bentonite clay which cost $21 from foundry101.com but prior to that I just used sifted dirt from my driveway, slightly moistened. I've used soup cans as single use crucibles before too.


So, this can be done at home with little to no investment other than time. I love getting away from computers and working on stuff like this.

My Kiln video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU0ThM8ljAY

My Sand video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHk-zvJ_jr4

[1hole]

I've known of 'lost wax' and 'lost foam' sand casting for a long time but never thought of it being done with 'lost styrofoam'! What purpose does the bentonite clay perform; seems if the foam in the blasting sand cavity was immediately replaced with molten aluminum then a binding agent in the sand might not be required. ??

And it seems - to a totally iggorant foundry guy - that the bubbling molten foam plastic itself might produce a violent blow back on the liquid metal. ??


For mine, I tried several commercial measure stands, four I think, but all I remember were the first two, an RCBS and a Herter's. I didn't care for the rather small bases most have, I had trouble getting the ones I tried mounted firmly enough to be truly rigid without a fear of breaking the thinnish cast bases. And none of them held my measure quite as high as I wanted. And there was insufficent distance between the measure's spout and the column to allow me to easily charge a loading block of empties under the measure.

SO - I cut an scrap steel base plate about 3" x 6", then bored and tapped two mounting holes for 1/2" x 20 bolts; that lets me tighten it down hard on a wood bench with no risk of breaking anything! The pipe column comes straight up from the center of the base. My column is actually 12" of 1 1/2" black iron pipe I got from a plumber; he cut each end with his pipe cutter so the ends would be true. My top bar is a 12" length of 1/2" x 2" bar attached off center so the measure sits about 6" away from the column. That leaves a short arm about 2" long sticking out from the rear; the short end is also drilled 7/8" so I can keep my old Lyman Accumeasure for pistol ammo immediately at hand.

Before welding anything, I bored and tapped the base and top bar for a section of 1/2 treaded rod running through the pipe. The all-thread held everything firmly in place so I could test that the dimensions and positions did what I wanted. Finally, I welded the three pieces together and ground the welds smooth before painting.

It was very easy to make with fairly easily obtained bits of stray steel using common home shop tools. I've been using it 35+ years with total satisfaction but your's is much more impressive!

[Revolver]

1hole, that sounds like a great design, rugged too. I know what you mean about the loadng block hitting the stand, I have to spin my block around to complete loading. Any chance you could post up a picture of that unit, I would be interested to see it.

[1hole]

Sorry, no, I can't. Our house was foreclosed on, we've just moved and all my guns and loading gear is packed in a storage building, probably will stay there for a few months.

Actually, my stand is REALLY simple, it's just three parts; a flat base plate, a vertical section of pipe and a top bar with holes in the ends that I welded across the top of the pipe. I used 1/2" plate and bar because I found it (for free) in the 'trash' bin at a friend's welding shop, got the pipe from a plumber and the 1/2" all-thread from a hardware store. Did the cutting, drilling, theading and welding in my home shop.

[MtGun44]

Great post! Lost foam casting, it would seem at a brief look.

Sounds like fun.

Bill

[seagiant]

Hi,
Excellent work! I have looked into sand casting but it takes more room than I have left in my shop for my other hobbys! You should make a generic stand and sell them here. A 7/8"x14 tap is no big deal and easy to use. I heard that old junk yard aluminum pistons are a good grade of material?

[jimkim]

I hadn't thought of it until now. What about making a stand with 1 1/4-12 threads and using the Hornady LNL conversion kit. You would be able to take the powder measure or measures out with the twist of your wrist.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Being a retired plumber I had a few copper parts left lying around. I used a wall flange for the base then used 3/4" adaptors and fittings with a few scraps of 3/4" copper pipe for the elevation and cross bar. I silver soldered a piece of 1/2" rod into a 3/4 x 1/2 reducer and added a 7/8 x 14 nut to the 1/2" rod for the measure to screw into. Works pretty good, made 2 so far for friends.Robert

[Mal Paso]

That Cast Aluminum Stand is Very Cool!

I wanted one I could move or pick up and dump so I welded this. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=26297&d=1287889423

Bottom is two pieces of 1/4" X 4" Steel for weight.

[kd185]

very nice work on the aluminum stand
i prefer home made/hand made tools over store bought things
MOST OF THE TIME :)
basically im a fan of craftsmanship
nice work

[Revolver]

That Cast Aluminum Stand is Very Cool!

I wanted one I could move or pick up and dump so I welded this. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=26297&d=1287889423

Bottom is two pieces of 1/4" X 4" Steel for weight.

I like your design a lot, especially how it is self balanced.

[robertchambers]

I like to move my powder measure around when loading non target ammo in bulk...like 30.40 Krag, 30.06, or 45/70 so I built a stand for my Saeco powder measure. It weighs 21 1/2 lbs with the measure. Later I acquired a factory Saeco stand from Ebay and retrofit a brass block in order to mount this old Lachmiller "elephant"

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00578.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00580.jpg

[edler7]

Very nice work on the aluminum, both casting and finishing.

My buddy uses a leg from a Turkish bus seat for his powder stand. Why anyone would bother to bring a bus seat leg back from Turkey is beyond me, but it works pretty good.

[robertchambers]

Althouth I didn't make these homemade stands, I thought you guys might like to see some of them.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00572-1.jpg
When the powder measure weighs 13 pounds the stand has to be substantial.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00573-1.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00571.jpg
The stand alone weighs 13 1/2 pounds.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00574-1.jpg
With a combined weight of 26 1/2 pounds, this measure can be used as if it were anchored down.

[robertchambers]

Here's a custom Redding large dial micrometer. It has been modified to be free standing with an electric hammer and a counter. The electric hammer is about 10 times stronger than using the manual on the front of the measure. The whole affair weighs 21 1/2 pounds and worlks well. Again, I did not make this but I like it. The Redding large dial micrometer powder measures have always been a favorite of mine.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00575.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00576.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00577.jpg

[kd185]

Althouth I didn't make these homemade stands, I thought you guys might like to see some of them.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/DSC00572-1.jpg

what kind of measure is that ?

[kd185]

i bought one of these a while back

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=283379330#PIC

[robertchambers]

KD,
I have no idea who made that powder measure but I'm fairly certain it's a gunpowder measure as it throws between 0-100 grains (approx) with a built on 30 cal funnel. Most pharmacology powder measures rarely go over 25 grains.

Just a side note about pharmacology powder measures. Chances are the venerable Belding & Mull powder measure started out life as a pharma measure possibly in Europe under the name Koenig...The Koenig ( I think) was before Barchman adapted the concept to the gunpowder measure that Belding & Mull tried unsuccessfully to patent circa 1928

[kd185]

maybe a black powder measure?

[DODGEM250]

here's a custom redding large dial micrometer. It has been modified to be free standing with an electric hammer and a counter. The electric hammer is about 10 times stronger than using the manual on the front of the measure. The whole affair weighs 21 1/2 pounds and worlks well. Again, i did not make this but i like it. The redding large dial micrometer powder measures have always been a favorite of mine.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/dsc00575.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/dsc00576.jpg

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u105/robertchambers/dsc00577.jpg

electricity and gunpowder.... Sweet ! (Life/Health insurance paid up ?)

[buckbeans]

what about using some zinc from all those wheelweights.