Will this work as an ejector?

[Huvius]

I have been thinking of making an auto-ejector that will fit on my Rockchucker.
I don't have a mill or lathe so I have been looking for off the shelf components which will fit the 1" ram on my press.
I came up with the idea of using triple clamps from a mountain bike fork but finding a matching pair at the scrap yard is unlikely.
so, I checked Ebay and found a set of forks with two triple clamps just like a motorcycle setup AND the center hole is already 1"!!
I think I will be able to simply cut the fork leg tubes to the correct length and put a 1" dia. blank in the center hole of the top triple clamp which will contact the ejector pin on the upstroke.
I don't have them yet, but when I do, I will mount it up on my press and see how it looks.
One question I have is, how strong does an ejector need to be? I figure if these should be plenty strong for the swaging I will be doing.

[Huvius]

I think that number at the top of my screenshot pictures is the ebay item number. $55 shipped and I think they had a few sets available.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg312/Huvius/72954ECC-F2F5-4291-944D-9E39A58B5AD0-5319-0000051AEC3E6C72_zps06d68f47.jpg

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg312/Huvius/75F40105-CA8B-442B-B4DE-488A7E2A5CB0-5319-0000051AF7D6683C_zpsf3bce58a.jpg

[xman777]

I think at 55.00 you should just have BTSniper make you the real deal. My .02

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I agree with Xman. The auto eject has to have the ability to be adjustabe (the top plate needs to be able to move up and down). I am not sure if that is possible with forks.

[Huvius]

It is adjustable both on the legs and the center post will be adjustable as well.
Once the side legs are set, you could have easy adjustability through the top center post alone.
Another question is, when a boolit gets stuck in the die, how much power do you need to get it unstuck and will this be strong enough?

[xman777]

It sounds like you're sold on the forks. I won't add any more other than I don't possibly see how you'll be satisfied with that setup in the long run.
Stuck boolits on the other hand can be remedied by other means. My favorite though is BTSnipers setup. I guess I won't be of much assistance.
Bottom line up front... I've tried a lot of stuff, but purpose built tools do the job right every time.

[Huvius]

xman, I do appreciate your input and am old enough to know that I should just pop the $$ for a purpose made item but the tinkerer in me just loves to do things with salvageable stuff.
If one was able to find matching triple clamps at a recycler (and many of the crappy mountain bikes you see at the recycler have common ones) then this could be made for less than $15 I would think.
I think I just got all hot for the ones pictured just because they already have the right hole size and I know they will match up. Anyway, I will know if they will work in a few days when they arrive.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Wouldnt the center post have to go bye bye?? You are going to have to drill and tap a setscrew to secure the bottom to the ram. Then you have to figure out how to be able to attach punches to the top center hole (or make it solid if you plan on using corbin type "hammer punch out" dies), which also appears to be 1". Maybe thread it and make an adapter?

[BT Sniper]

It might work????? Tell you the truth.... anything is possible, I've said it many times. I'm certain I could make this bicycle thing work as an auto eject but I'm not sure if it would be more or less effort then what I use already?

The amount of force necessary to eject a bullet depends on many factors. This would be my primary concern with the bike thing, make sure it is SECURLY attached so it will not slip when attempting to eject the bullet. If it doesn't slip while "pushing" a bullet out it shouldn't slip if asked to "pull" a stuck bullet out.

Might be a fun project for something different, the space between the supports might be a bit close?

You would certainly think that if it is strong enough to hold "my" weight on a bike it should be able to be made strong enough to support light swaging duties but then again........ just a matter of trial and error till you get it figured out. I tell you it doesn't matter what kind of set up you use, the first time that bullet pops out of the die without you having to swing a hammer is an awesome feeling!

Give it a try and keep us posted!

Good shooting and swage on!

BT

[xman777]

It might work????? Tell you the truth.... anything is possible, I've said it many times. I'm certain I could make this bicycle thing work as an auto eject but I'm not sure if it would be more or less effort then what I use already?

The amount of force necessary to eject a bullet depends on many factors. This would be my primary concern with the bike thing, make sure it is SECURLY attached so it will not slip when attempting to eject the bullet. If it doesn't slip while "pushing" a bullet out it shouldn't slip if asked to "pull" a stuck bullet out.

Might be a fun project for something different, the space between the supports might be a bit close?

You would certainly think that if it is strong enough to hold "my" weight on a bike it should be able to be made strong enough to support light swaging duties but then again........ just a matter of trial and error till you get it figured out. I tell you it doesn't matter what kind of set up you use, the first time that bullet pops out of the die without you having to swing a hammer is an awesome feeling!

Give it a try and keep us posted!

Good shooting and swage on!

BT

Well, From the cat's mouth... It couldnt have been said any better. Sometimes its the fun of the project.

[Huvius]

Wouldnt the center post have to go bye bye?? You are going to have to drill and tap a setscrew to secure the bottom to the ram. Then you have to figure out how to be able to attach punches to the top center hole (or make it solid if you plan on using corbin type "hammer punch out" dies), which also appears to be 1". Maybe thread it and make an adapter?
The center post should just pull out once the lock screw is loosened. The center hole on the top T-clamp will hold a solid 1" cylinder of aluminum or steel maybe about 4" long.

Here is a picture showing the backside of the clamps and how the fasten to the legs and center post.
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg312/Huvius/tripleclampejector1.jpg (http://s251.photobucket.com/user/Huvius/media/tripleclampejector1.jpg.html)

[Huvius]

I'm feeling pretty good about this setup.
I think I will replace the legs with thick walled aluminum tubing or solid (so I can preserve the original legs if I choose to use the forks on a bike) and then use solid in the top center.
Now, I need to get my hands on some of BT's dies...

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg312/Huvius/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/FDC777E1-2794-48D7-8C3B-3EA18DE3C1DF.jpg (http://s251.photobucket.com/user/Huvius/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/FDC777E1-2794-48D7-8C3B-3EA18DE3C1DF.jpg.html)

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg312/Huvius/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/C861CE64-9760-4D28-A792-0D0AF6AC9CFC.jpg (http://s251.photobucket.com/user/Huvius/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/C861CE64-9760-4D28-A792-0D0AF6AC9CFC.jpg.html)

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg312/Huvius/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/E22C3FA7-17A8-4718-B6C8-4522AAEC6F00.jpg (http://s251.photobucket.com/user/Huvius/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/E22C3FA7-17A8-4718-B6C8-4522AAEC6F00.jpg.html)

[MOcaster]

That looks pretty good, to my untrained eye, at least. I hope it works for you.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

It looks good! What do you plan on doing at the top center hole? Maybe make make a 1" steel plug with a hole in it for ejection punches? It should tighten right in place?

[Huvius]

It looks good! What do you plan on doing at the top center hole? Maybe make make a 1" steel plug with a hole in it for ejection punches? It should tighten right in place?

That would certainly work.
Now that I have it set up, I think I will see about mounting a Jacobs chuck in the top hole, that way, any sized punch can be easily tightened into the chuck. FYI, a Jacobs chuck is the same as a standard drill chuck. The hole is 1" so that is the limiting factor as far as what you can mount in the top hole.

[R.Ph. 380]

That would certainly work.
Now that I have it set up, I think I will see about mounting a Jacobs chuck in the top hole, that way, any sized punch can be easily tightened into the chuck. FYI, a Jacobs chuck is the same as a standard drill chuck. The hole is 1" so that is the limiting factor as far as what you can mount in the top hole.

Wow, what a great idea. Thinking out of the box and logical use of available materials...................

Please keep us apprized of the results. I like the looks of that...... Didn't really make much sense to me until I could see your pictures. NICE!!!

Bill

[plus1hdcp]

Love the ingenuity! That is one of the aspects which makes this site great. I hope it works well for you and please keep us updated.