Just obtained Shotmaster shotmaker

[smkummer]

This is the green color shotmaker that only has 2 spouts. He could not find the directions but the previous owner stated diesel fuel was the specified coolant. I am going to try Sierra Antifreeze when I get some tomorrow. My first attempt just made globs. The shot was turning into a stream on the lip of the shotmaker. I did use the supplied chalk prior to melting but it still streamed into the can. I am still happy I found one of these for a great price. Anyone else have one of these and is using it with luck? thanks ahead of time Mike

[scrapcan]

got pictures?

[ovendoctor]

use soapstone on the lip,works great:drinks:

[smkummer]

I tried the chalk that came with the unit. Maybe its not original. Here, this is the first time I uploaded a attachment here; sure is easy if it works. You can see my first blob of product. I have been told to fill one can with coolant, let it over flow into the tray and then swap cans to keep the process going. I'll report back on my results later. Is soapstone sold by a brand name? Available in hardware stores? thanks Mike

[smkummer]

I have enough chalk and am getting pellets! The stream problem is solved! They are flatten though. I am using straight prestone and will go with sierra which I believe is already diluted. I may have to resort to deisel fuel if this doesn't work. But I would rather wash the pellets with water. I suppose water will clean deisel fuel also. I have the temp. on max until they are melted, then should I go with a middle setting? thanks Mike

[oneokie]

Soapstone is the stuff welders use to mark cutting lines on metal, comes in flat sticks and round sticks. aka welders chalk.

What is the distance from the lip to the coolant when you are making shot? Should be in the 1/4" range.

[smkummer]

I only had 1/2 can of coolant. So it appears it was dropping too far. It is a miserable snow storm here in So. Indiana right now but I should be able to get some Sierra coolant this evening. I'll report back.

[scrapcan]

smkummer,

Thanks for the photos. I think you ahve hit it right on with the drop distance. What does the heating element look like in shot maker? The base looks like it is pretty small.

[EMC45]

My opinion, if it matters, I would soapstone it and use a deeper catch tray/pan. I believe it is too shallow and that is why you are getting flat shot.

[scrapcan]

If it were me I would use one of the green cans with the handle to catch the shot in the coolant. Then use the shallow pan to drain and rinse in. I had just assumed that is what was being done. you only have to catch two drippers. You want about a 1/4 inch to 3/8 gap in my experience.

[smkummer]

I just sifted out the shot from the green cans. My plan this evening is to have the green can full of coolant. That will place the coolant about 1/2 in. from the lip of the unit. The coolant will overflow into the flat pan with a spout on it. This will then collect in a plastic jug. When the first can gets maybe 1/2 to 2/3 full I will swap with the other can and keep going. I have not look at the heating element but it heats up fast. I am guessing the melting pot holds about 6 lbs. of lead. Almost enough for a 100 clays at the 16 yards line using a 1 oz. load. I get more pics. later. Guys, I have been looking for one of these for over a year. I found this one from a older fellow that simply does not go on-line. My advice would be to go to your local trap range and post a WTB add looking for one of these. Lots of older people that do not use computers.

[scrapcan]

Pretty cool unit. I would be interested in some additional photos of what the base, heatign element, temp control, etc.. may look like.

If you happen to find another one don't pass it up.

[jackley]

Polish your bridge with 600 grit or finer paper. Put a good coating of soapstone on the bridge. The angle of the ladle is about 15degrees. The drop from bridge to coolant is 3/8". Warm coolant till it is quite warm to the touch but not over 165 degrees. DO NOT DILUTE THE ANTIFREEZE. Use at least wheel weight or harder lead. To soft will make pancakes. I have found you only need about 3" of fall in the coolant to make good shot but it looks like your cooling cans are small and will fill quickly so I would use all of them. I drop into 4 gals of coolant. I try to drop with as low a temp that I can get the lead to flow through drippers. Seems to make better shot.
Good Luck
Jerry

[rvpilot76]

I know the guy who is making the Littleton shot maker. He uses, if I remember correctly, fabric softener as his coolant. He also took a 30 cal ammo can and put in an overflow tube near the top; very similar to the one used on a radiator for a vehicle. Keeps things moving along efficiently and with little labor. He just washes off the coolant from the shot with water. The fabric softener has just the right amount of surface tension for making good shot. I don't recall how far down his coolant tank/shot catcher is, though. He is down in Arizona now, and I believe is doing some work, as well as making the Littleton shot maker, for Magma engineering. Gene at Magma probably knows how to get ahold of him.

Kevin

[RP]

nice find a buddy of mine has just got a shotmaker it came with a list of coolants you could use like Sun landry soap brake fluild anit freeze farmer oil (use for spraying) there are a few more . But we have been trying to get it going on a fairly large scale and tried the soap could not find Sun brand but did not think it would matter well it did not work shot popcorn after unit got going good about 5 mins of running. Shut it down and swapped to some hyl oil i had in the shop that works real good ran about 100 lbs all looked good. But clean up is a mess and the oil seems to mirgrate to everthing. Tried to clean with soap and water just happed to have a few gallons handy. Well that did not work to good. Working of getting some farmer oil which is water based . One thing I can not seem to figure out is why is it when you take your shot and pour it over some screenwire for it to drain the water or oil seems to stay with the shot kind of weird the way it wont drain. The shot is dropped about 3/8 to a 1/2 inch into the coolent then it must travel about 3 to 5 inchs before it cools so it looks to me like a old army can my fix your proplem a overflow in the can with a catch basin will keep the level where you need it.

[rvpilot76]

I think the distance from the nozzles to the coolant might need to be increased to let the lead form a circular shape before hitting the coolant. This might also let it cool some into that round shape before it gets the final cooling from the coolant.

[chrisx1]

The farmer oil that is mentioned above is what I know as "crop oil". It is a spreading and sticking agent that is used in spraying crops. You can usually find in small quantities at home/garden centers, but if you go to a co-op or farm supply, or a place that does custom spray application, you can get in mass quantities. It is water soluable for easy clean up.

Chris

[smkummer]

The level to the coolant is important. If you look closely you can see the little buggers dropping from the lip. The melting tray holds about 6 lbs. total and one can make 5 lbs. before the lead level falls below the spots. The shot varied in diameter from about .085 to .110. So I guess this batch averages to be 7 to 71/2 shot. It took very little time to make this after the lead melted. If one has a littleton, it would be easy to go semi-commercial. Yes, my cat follows me to whatever I am doing, so using the sierra coolant is a plus but I don't leave him unattended with the coolant. 2 years ago at Sparta, Ill for the SCTP when I bought shot for $19.50 a bag, I vowed that is that last time I will pay that price for shot and it is. If any of you have access to lead for a good price, even a littleton will pay for itself. Heck go in with some friends and buy one together.

[scrapcan]

smkummer,

Have you tried to set an ingot or two on the back lip and let it start warming as you drop shot? as the level drop syou can gradually push the ingots into the molten lead.

Can you take a picture from the side of the unit so we can see how they mounted the heating element?

[jdhenry]

nice find a buddy of mine has just got a shotmaker it came with a list of coolants you could use like Sun landry soap brake fluild anit freeze farmer oil (use for spraying) there are a few more . But we have been trying to get it going on a fairly large scale and tried the soap could not find Sun brand


You can buy SUN landry soap at Walgreens. At least that is where my wife buys ours.

[smkummer]

The first is of the bottom of the pot . One can see the outline of the heating coils. They appear to be mounted on porcelin mounts. The next shows the On/Off timer switch. This is something Lee should be making for $89 retail don't you think? I did try adding a 1 lb. ingot to the already melted lead it worked but because I didn't turn the timer to full hot it stopped dripping for a moment. That does make the process faster but I want to flux my mixture and I don't know if I can be consistant as far as fluxing.

[Red River Rick]

That shotmaker you have there is made by Shannon, of New Zealand. Pretty simple design yet very effective. I used to have one, made "tons" of shot, mostly # 71/2 and #8.

I found the best alloy for making shot out of this machine is WW, pure Pb doesn't work very well.

The best cooling medium is "Hydraulic Oil", anything with a lower viscosity will create dimples on your shot when it falls into the catch cans. The other trick is to keep the ramp well chalked (use blackboard chalk and not soapstone).

Preheat your ingots by stacking a few of them at the back of the tray. The level or amount of lead in the tray is critical as well.

I have the original instructions, somewhere, when I find them, I'll scan and post them here for reference.

RRR

[scrapcan]

smkummer and REd River Rick,

thanks for the pictures and the additional info. I am always intersted in different designs of shot makers.

[smkummer]

I did notice a few dimples but not more than about %15. OK, I suppose the lead level is critical to get consistant size shot. Maybe that is why when running it dry I have shot that varies in size. If I constantly run a ingot on the rear of the tray, I will have to go with the 30 cal. ammo can to catch the shot. I sure like using a water soluable coolant. Hydraulic oil doesn't sound to friendly for clean-up. I would appreciate the posting of the original manual. Mine appears to have come with nozzles to make 5, 7 1/2 and 8 shot. Do you know if they came with any other sizes? I have a Feltman carnival pnumatic machine gun that takes #2 and I would like to get that nozzle. thanks again. The time is right for this company to start making these again.

[Red River Rick]

smkummer:

That's 15% more fliers in addition to the already bad ones. You can can do better than than.

The lead level and temp are the two major factors that you have control of once you've choosen the nozzle. The smaller the shot - the higher the temp and higher lead level / larger shot needs a lower temp setting and lower lead level. The trick with large shot #2 & #4 is to allow the molten lead to bead more before it drops.

As far as using larger containers for catching the shot, no problem, but ammo cans would be a bit of overkill. I used larger cans than those supplied, about the size that pie filling would come in. It's just a matter of changing the cans more often and NOT letting the cooling medium get overly hot, otherwise poor shot will result as well.

Another critical aspect is keeping the cans as full as possible, overflowing is more like it, and having the lip no more than a 1/4" above the coolant level.

You can choose whatever cooling medium you want, eventually, you'll find out which one works best. That "Running Dry" sernario may cause you more headache's that you might want to bargain for, burning out the element will cause you a lot of grief, and where do you get a replacement? DON'T DO IT.

I'll work on those scans for you.

RRR

[smkummer]

Yes, if you look at the previous pics. you will see that I do run the cans over. Also when I say run dry, actually it just goes below the nozzle level and probably about 1 lb. of lead is still left in the pot. Did you ever just put wheel weights in the shotmaker? Or did you melt them into ingot first?

[Red River Rick]

Unless you want a big mess and real S*^ty looking shot, you best melt your ww's seperately.
The crud and whatever else is mixed into the lead will plug the nozzles, then you'll have lot's of fun.

Melting, cleaning and fluxing the lead prior to any casting operation is critical and I strongly recommend you do this before making your shot as well. Having your lead supply readily available in Lyman or RCBS style ingots will prove invaluable.

RRR

[Red River Rick]

I found those scanned images of the brochure. Perhaps if I send them to "45 Nut" he'll be able to post them as a "Sticky" for future reference.

RRR

[heathydee]

I strongly agree with everything Red River Rick has said. I used three of these things years ago before I made my own gas fired one, modelled on the Shotmaster's dimensions . Pre melting and fluxing your lead will help. If you are prepared to then make small ingots of around 6 to 8 onces you will be able to add them to the shotmaster as it is dropping shot , without freezing the melt pool, and thus stopping production.
Good quality shot requires constant temperature and level of molten lead and a uniform drop to the coolant which cannot become overheated.

[45nut]

I found those scanned images of the brochure. Perhaps if I send them to "45 Nut" he'll be able to post them as a "Sticky" for future reference.

RRR

:drinks: no problem.

[chrisx1]

Great about dropping shot in general...thanks for all the tips!

[45nut]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/ShotMaker001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/ShotMaker002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/ShotMaker003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/ShotMaker004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/ShotMaker005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/ShotMaker006.jpg

[45nut]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/shotmaster1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/shotmaster2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/shotmaster3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/45nut/shotmaster4.jpg

[Red River Rick]

Ken:

Thanks for posting the pics.


I went rumaging around the reloading room and found some of the shot I made with my ShotMaker, years ago.

You can clearly see some dimpling on some of the shot, some deformation, but generally, pretty good. One heck of a lot cheaper than buying factory shot, and it works just as good.

If you really want to cull out the bad ones, run them down a plate of glass set about a 10 degree angle. All the good ones will roll down and the bad ones get kinda hung up. The appropriate mesh screen will really make a difference.

First pic is of some #7 shot the other pic is #2.

RRR

[smkummer]

Isn't the internet great? Both the factory instructions and someone's first hand account of operation. Was that artical in a handloader magazine? And if so what issue? Plus a seasoned pro such as Red River Rick to personally answer questions! I know now that placing 1/2 lb. ingots on the rear of the unit will give me a constant flow of shot. Now I too can become a "seasoned" shotmaker almost overnight. Knowledge is power. Any investors watching should be tracking down this company, investing to get it restarted and looking to produce this unit at say a $199 retail price? Maybe Lee is already researching the idea.

[rmedus]

Now he tells us......

[hivoltfl]

I WANT ONE!!!!!! anybody know where I can get one?

Rick

[phyre]

I just got a shotmaker and didn't get any instructions with it. I only have the unit and the extra nozzles. After trying to make shot by guessing what to do I turned to the internet.

The discussion here and especially the images of the original manual brightened my day.

Thanks to everyone.

[macivor]

i have a shotmaster shot maker for sale. Its just like the one pictured in this thread. It was my dad's as he was a trapshooter and i don't know what to ask for it. I may keep it for sentimental reasons if it's not worth selling.

thx
macivor

ps i heard aviation hydraulic oil is a good coolant...what exact type to use, i do not know.

[Paul Eagen]

With the price of shot now $40 a bag here in Michigan I am going to make my own shot maker. I'm thinking that the tips of a mig welder already have the right size hole in them for the drippers. And I was told that you can use the heating elements from a stove or oven and bend them into any shape you want to fit whatever type of pots that I can find. any thoughtsA

[rb1003]

I made a Francis bros. style shotmaker. Got a small amount of shot, some swan shot and lots of popcorn. Today I built a Littleton style shotmaker. I will buy the coolant tomorrow. I would be interested in hearing the results of your shotmaker.

[vica]

Is the shotmaker still for sale? If so have you a price in mind? What would it cost to send it to the U.K. ?
Thanks
vica

[RP]

Well going back and looking at post its been awhile since i got into the shot making. Since then we have made 3 tons of shot now iam out of lead and looks like the price of shot is down so its not worth the trouble of finding more lead. But this is what I ended up learning. Lead hardest makes a diff on how good the shot looks also the size. I use transmission fluid used for coolant its free, I wash with gas then use the gas to smelt more lead in my mil burner,dry in sun on table covered with bedsheet takes about 5 mins on a sunny day,grahite in a cement mixer 100 lbs at a time two spoons is enough, sort with various items from coffee can holes drill in it turned buy a drill to letter baskets the wire ones and screens. Then bottled in 2 liters for shipping heating necks to make them shorter to fit in flat rate boxes. Running double drippers I have to use another pot to keep it feed I could run a few hundred lbs at a time. So you can run out alot of shot and sell it or store it for your self but its not something you want to do every few weeks the best way i see to do it is run alot and store it pack everthing up making making sure you oil the nozzles up good so they will be ready for the next run.

[BubbaBlaster]

I've got to make me one of those!! Great job with the posts guys!

[sixpointfive]

My shotmaster is runing slow, it is making shot but running slow.

[Black Wolf]

Some ideas possibly here: http://gungab.net/archives/7

[leadman]

If you have a Littleton that is running slow there are several things it could be. The lead is too cool, should be at least 500'. The drippers are dirty or have slag in the large openings. A small spoon tapped on the opening of the drippers may remove the slag. the lead level should be 1/8" over the drippers at least, too high and it will run into flat disks.
You could have zinc in your alloy. Replace it if so.

I ran a second #20 pot to feed my Littleton to speed up production. This way the lead can be fluxed and skimmed before adding it to the Littleton.

[Sitsinhedges]

If you have a Littleton that is running slow there are several things it could be. The lead is too cool, should be at least 500'. The drippers are dirty or have slag in the large openings. A small spoon tapped on the opening of the drippers may remove the slag. the lead level should be 1/8" over the drippers at least, too high and it will run into flat disks.
You could have zinc in your alloy. Replace it if so.

I ran a second #20 pot to feed my Littleton to speed up production. This way the lead can be fluxed and skimmed before adding it to the Littleton.

Lead that is high above the drippers just makes smaller shot as it is forced out more quickly by the extra weight. Flat discs tend to come from having the coolant too far away from the ramp in my experience. I try and keep the lead mix under 350c unless making very small shot when it seems to need to be a little hotter. Lead that is too hot will make popcorn as it hits the colder coolant and freezes on the outside whilst still being molten on the inside.

Each to their own opinions of course.

[dieguy59]

Just snagged myself a Shotmaster! This post is amazing! Everything I need to get at it.

[mtgrs737]

Dieguy, I use Sun liquid laundry soap as coolant, it seems to produce very good shot. Keep the surface of the coolant as close to the bottom of the ramp as possible for the best shot. If the coolant is less than 85 degrees when I start I heat it up to at least that and I turn the shotmaker off when the coolant reaches 140 degrees. If it is too hot the shot will deform more. Dollar General has the soap on sale most of the time. If you have any questions give me PM.

[budkingston]

Dieguy, I use Sun liquid laundry soap as coolant, it seems to produce very good shot. Dollar General has the soap on sale most of the time. If you have any questions give me PM.

Is this used in its "pure" form or do you dilute with water? And if so, what ratio? I have a Stewart shotmaker and I have built an elaborate cooing basin with hopper and catch basin with return pump. I'm essentially ready to go and Im'm looking for best coolant. I like the idea of Sun laundry detergent because I won't be stuck with 8 gallons of unusable material!Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you