Home-made Ergo handle

[dikman]

Based on my earlier waffling about making an Ergo-style handle, here it is.

First I used some stiff wire to bend up a suitable shape, based on the various photos on the Ergo handle website. This gave me an idea of the final shape. I used 1/2" steel rod which I heated in the forge to help bend it. It was a bit hit-or-miss trying to get the angles correct and took a bit of fiddling to get it right (I made a second one at the same time, but I'm not happy with one of the bends and will have to re-do it). I don't have a suitable bender for this size rod, otherwise I would have bent it cold which would have given me better control in getting the angles right.

I cleaned off the firescale with an angle grinder and Parkerized it, finishing off by rubbing on a wax mix while it was hot.

I went through a few ideas about the handle and finally settled on a piece of hard nylon rod I had, 1" diameter, and bored a 1/2" hole through it then slid on a piece of Hypalon grip that I had left over from my fishing rod building days. I'd already drilled and tapped the end of the steel for a 1/4" Whitworth thread and put a couple of suitable washers on the end, held on with a metal thread screw to stop the handle coming off. The other end of the handle butts up against a washer that I had earlier welded onto the steel handle. The handle rotates easily and has a nice comfortable feel to it. Now it just remains to be seen how well it will work, but when the handle is pulled down it stops 8" above where the normal handle stops.

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Sorry about the photos, the sun was coming through the window making it a bit glarey!

[LUBEDUDE]

Job well done sir!

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Improvise and over come , Semper FI . Good job and good luck:redneck:

[ph4570]

Looks well done.

[dikman]

There is a problem with this design when used with a Lee press. Due to the mounting method - the handle rod goes through a hole in a block which is tightened up against the "pivot" arm - it is impossible to get it tight enough to stop the handle from swiveling. This is because the force applied to the handle has been moved out and away from the "pivot" arm. When I first fitted it I had my reservations, turns out I was right. Trying to de-prime/resize a case caused the handle to swivel in the mounting.

The only solution I could come up with is to make a new steel block, drilled for the handle rod, and weld the rod to it. (I want to keep the original fittings intact). I've made the block, now just have to weld the rod.

Later today - welded the handle and it looks like this should work ok. One nice thing about the off-set handle and the fact that the handle doesn't drop down as far is that I don't have to sit as far to the side of the press, I can now sit almost in front of it.

[zuke]

As long as it work's!!

[dikman]

Yep, loaded a few 44-40's, looking good :drinks:.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Very nice! I forge (Blacksmith) for a hobby and it is nice to be able to put a whole peice of rod in and get it hot to bend all at one time! Beats a oxy torch anyway!

[CGT80]

Great Idea!

I thought about making my own custom handle for my 1050 press. I need the handle to be 2" or so higher when at the bottom of the stroke. If I reload without shoes on, it is almost comfortable. Wearing boots, I have to lean to the right a bit at the bottom of the stroke or use a wider stance, which isn't as good for seeing in the shell before I drop a bullet in place.

I could buy a handle pre made, but then it wouldn't be custom to my specs and I like making things myself, even if it isn't quite as efficient as just buying one.

[dikman]

Did another 40 rounds, and it works well. It feels far more comfortable being able to push the handle forward past the press and when it comes down it stops a lot higher than before. There is a bit of "spring" in the handle when seating a primer, due to the force required, but it doesn't cause any problems. My 1000 Progressive, being one of the older ones, has the cast alloy handle and mounting, so I can't use this handle with it - yet. When I place my next order with Titan I'll get two replacement newer version "bars" for mounting the handle (they're only $3 each!) and then I"ll just swap this handle between presses.

[dikman]

I decided to have a go at fitting an "ergo" handle to my Pro 1000. I was going to wait until I could replace the cast handle mounting with steel, but that could be a while, so.....
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My first idea was to machine a steel piece to match the toothed cast bit, but it soon became obvious that was going to be a lot of work. Instead, I found a bolt that, with a bit of filing on the hex head, would fit into the hex-shaped casting. I then made the handle and welded it to the head of the bolt. There was a slight bit of play in the recessed hex casting, so I dug out my supply of clock springs and cut some that would make nice shims around the bolt head. Once I tightened up the nut from he opposite side it was nice and solid. The roller handle was as before, a piece of nylon turned down but I bought a foam bike handgrip from a rubber store and cut it down to fit.

I'll still order the replacement bits sometime, but it could be a while before I place an order, in the meantime it has a much more user-friendly handle on it.