Can I make A Swaging Die for WW Bullets ?

[DoctorBill]

Now that I have a 9x20 Lathe and a Mini-Milling machine, I was wondering
if I could make a steel punch and die set to "Finish" my cast bullets in a press.

I made an Aluminum Mold a while back on my Lathe.
It puts out Paper Patch Bullets (smooth sides) with an end depression.

I would like to put those cast bullets into a steel die and press the back ends
down to a consistent concave surface.

Would that be possible using a Half-Ton Arbor Press ?

DoctorBill

[I'll Make Mine]

The general wisdom seems to be that wheel weights will be too hard to swage at reasonable pressures -- a half ton arbor press almost certainly isn't close to strong enough.

For the small amount of alteration you're talking about, you might get away with it, but you'd need to match the nose end of the die very closely to the as-cast boolits to avoid deforming one end while trying to improve the other.

Wouldn't it make more sense to improve the punch that produces the hollow base, so it works better?

[jkpq45]

Subscribed--I have a 9x20 as well and thinking of the very same idea.

[DoctorBill]

This is my paper patch WW Bullet Mold. I can invert it for a different
bullet shape - remove the sprue cutter and put it on the other side.

It was made on my Lathe with a "D-Bit"

http://s19.postimage.org/bei94cj6r/PP_Bullet_Mold_A.jpg

By changing the bottom curve former, I can make bullets of differing weight.
The bottom curve forming 'plug' is tapped and screwed to that bottom plate.

http://s19.postimage.org/ci2dgb3tv/PP_Bullet_Mold_B.jpg

Here is what it produces. I honed the cavity until the Bullet falls out nicely.

http://s19.postimage.org/nixilbw2r/PP_Bullet_Mold_C.jpg

I would like to be able to have the bullet end seal better - I get flash.
The flash probably results from honing the cavity - opened it up a thou or so....

I have been removing the flash one bullet at a time with my Lathe...

Conversely - maybe I could swage the back end into shape w/o having
to remove flash, or at least dress it up better when I cut off the flash.

Now that I have a mini-milling machine, I am going to work on a mold like
'normal' such as Lee Molds.

That will take a learning curve. I want to phart around making neat stuff
with my new 'toys'....and swaging sounds very interesting, indeed !

Ideally - pun intended - I want to make one of these someday...

http://s19.postimage.org/42csyt0yr/Ideal_Cylindrical_Mould_Diagram.jpg

but I'd like a better diagram - I'm not good at reading this one !
I am not sure what to make or how it worked in the 1800's.

The central threaded part has me cornfused.

DoctorBill

[I'll Make Mine]

Flash around the bullet base means the base pin is undersize (as you note, due to honing the mold oversize). Simple solution is to make another base pin that's tighter in the cavity (should be around .0005 to .001 under the cavity bore, lead won't flow into that small a space). Far less work than making a swaging die that can stand up to wheel weight alloy.

That Ideal adjustable mold looks slick -- the long rod is attached to the nose form, slides through a plug that's threaded into the mold body and locked in place with a jam nut, and bottoms against the inside of the plug. The long rod is smooth with a stop ring soldered/brazed on (capturing it in the plug). You adjust the bullet length/weight by adjusting the plug in the mold body; pull the lower rod down to cast, then push it up to eject the boolit. Sprue cutting at the base appears conventional. You can change nose shapes by swapping out the plug/nose form assemblies.

If I were to make one (and I might), I'd make it a little (.002 or .003) undersize to allow knurling the slick bullet body up to diameter (roll under a file on a hard surface); the knurled surface will hold the patch better than a true slick, and you can adjust the size by adjusting the depth of knurling. The only tricky part that I can see is cutting the internal thread in the mold body (inside single point threading exercise -- I've never attempted it -- or make your own custom tap, which overall seems simpler). Make the lock ring by leaving the mold body over length, then cut the ring loose after threading the inside.