I just built a 3D printer.

[dikman]

And what, you're probably thinking, has that got to do with reloading gear? Well, I've found quite a few bits and pieces to print out for my Lee presses, including a case collator (I needed a second one). There's also stuff for Dillon. Some very nice people are designing these and making the files available via thingiverse.com.

When you live in Australia, where these common parts aren't easily available, this is very handy.

[OS OK]

I'd like to see one of those gadgets print lead boolits!
I can imagine it printing them 100 at a time...heck, get that gizmo to PC them while your at it! . . . :bigsmyl2:

Might be a joke now but in the future...who knows!

[hpdrifter]

yep. I have a friend that has one. I use OpenScad to create a few parts for my Lee powder scales to make some change and work on a project I have going.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Thingiverse wouldn't at one time, at least, allow many firearm-related files to stay on there; May have ended up just being design files for 3d printed guns. For a lot of accessories, it's a good resource, there are other file repositories that are similar. I'm an OpenSCAD user too, need to regenerate my files as some were lost (backup failed, and this machine's Windows had a stroke or something, oh well I can remake them - probably better than the first time.)

[Bulldogger]

I bought a 3D printer kit for a late-Christmas present this year and am enjoying learning to use and improve it and making things for around the home and garage. I also print out small things to give as presents or party favors. The ability to print a small plastic toy as a present for a young child, knowing anything I give will never last long, is a nice option to buying gifts for the many birthday parties my grade-schooler gets invited to.

I work on the printer and on learning simple CAD software when I can make time or need a part for something. Haven't made any reloading bits, but I have printed (and designed) small parts for home and auto, as well as a few small runs of a few hundred keychains that I sold at work and to another office with logos and such on them.

It's pretty cool what they can do, though they are limited to thermoplastics in the less expensive setups one gets for under $1000+.

Printing a lead boolit would be a challenge, as the current hot end technology peters out around 300C or so. It would be hard to get hot enough to print lead alloy well, not including devising a way to feed the alloy into the hot end. I suppose it's possible, but I wouldn't want to be working in that area or get my pinkies anywhere near it. Also the print bed would have to have some serious heating capabilities to keep the printing boolits stable, I would think.

Laser sintering is a viable alternative, and is use to today print overly-complex aerospace parts out of titanium alloy powder. Laser sinternig can print parts that cannot be machined due to interior complexity. Lead powder might be sintered as exotic metal alloys are today, but I wouldn't want that dust floating around on air currents in the home. In an industrial setting, it could be managed, but in the end I suspect the cost and technical needs will not surpass the convenience and ease of hand casting.

One could print plastic boolits for indoor range practice. No reason why ABS or nylon couldn't be used, and they might be easier to make, load and use than wax boolits for instance. They might be very susceptible to air currents outdoors, so very limited range, but they might make decent tiny varmint rounds for close range work much as cat sneeze loads are used today.

Dangit, now I have to experiment with indoor range practice with ABS boolits!

Just when I was starting to get ahead on my projects list...

Bulldogger

[flashhole]

A buddy of mine has his PhD in 3-D printing materials. I asked him if he could make a statement about strength of 3-D printed materials compared to their atomic counterparts. He said as a general rule 3-D printed materials are about 60% the strength of the real deal but they are getting better all the time.

[EddieZoom]

I also print out small things to give as presents or party favors. The ability to print a small plastic toy as a present for a young child, knowing anything I give will never last long, is a nice option to buying gifts for the many birthday parties my grade-schooler gets invited to. Bulldogger

Very cool use of this tech.

[Tazza]

Interesting, i was looking at a few 3d printed things for a lee 1000 that titian reloading had.

I hope you take pictures and share them of what you make :)

[dikman]

I'll see if I can get a couple of photos organised, I've made a couple of the clamps for the case/bullet tubes and the collator. The collator needed a bit of work as the two parts didn't quite fit, and it's not as big as the Lee version but it works fine for my needs.
It took me two weeks to get the kit so it's printing reliably, and like everything has needed modding a bit. The instructions were somewhat lacking, to say the least, and I now know something about using Arduino (which I knew nothing about before!), plus I've had to learn about slicing software and how the settings affect printing. There were times when I wondered just what I'd gotten myself in to!!

[Bulldogger]

I'll see if I can get a couple of photos organised, I've made a couple of the clamps for the case/bullet tubes and the collator. The collator needed a bit of work as the two parts didn't quite fit, and it's not as big as the Lee version but it works fine for my needs.
It took me two weeks to get the kit so it's printing reliably, and like everything has needed modding a bit. The instructions were somewhat lacking, to say the least, and I now know something about using Arduino (which I knew nothing about before!), plus I've had to learn about slicing software and how the settings affect printing. There were times when I wondered just what I'd gotten myself in to!!

Keep at it! There is a learning curve as you dial in your printer's physical quirks, the software settings and your choice of material. In my experience, every filament material supplier has a little different recipe, so different spools differ in terms of their sweet spot.

I strongly recommend keeping a log of some sort. I started written notes, but it seemed a little too analog, and it occurred to me I could take a screen capture of my slicer settings and paste it into a word file. I name the file after the filament in question, and can then pull up the temperature and other print settings visually, as well as my notes about how well it printed, came off the bed, etc.
You don't need a log when you have one spool of material, as the settings won't change, but as soon as you add a second, the opportunity to make mistakes increases. It's only a few pennies worth of material typically, but it adds up and there is also the factor of time spent waiting for the print to finish.

Once you get good repeatable results, you can start gaining the confidence to print larger objects, in quantity, and even start walking away from the printer and do other things while it does its job. Depending on the item printing and my choice of filament, I have gone on errands and left my machine running for up to 3-4 hours. More interesting files can take overnight to print. At that point, careful choice of filament and well-wound spools are important, as well as good setup and so on.

Another thing you might consider is adding a UPS, sized to your needed wattage. Mine doesn't have enough battery power to keep my printer going long, but it does provide SURGE protection, which is a good idea for the Arduino controller.

Once you get dialed in you can do a lot of fun stuff. The strength of the printed objects is not the same as injection molded, I don't care what the big Pro-3D websites claim, but it is close and if you print with high infill and careful orientation of the part to maximize strength in the direction needed, you can get good use out of the parts.

My next run of experimenting will be to move into Nylon, which can print stronger items, to be subjected to real world use. I won't be ready to try for a while, until I can pay the $40-50 for some trial spools, probably Taulman or an equivalent. For PLA and ABS I've bought the cheapest Amazon had. For Nylon and exotics, I will probably pony up for a reputable brand so I can expect better performance and repeatability.

Bulldogger

[dikman]

Thanks for the comments, Bulldogger. The bowl of the collator took five hours and it didn't miss a beat, so I'm pretty sure I've got it running reliably, now I have to start tweaking the settings a bit. I'm used to steep learning curves whenever I get interested in something new, but this was something else!! It's a Tevo Tarantula, and I found references to joining a dedicated facebook group which supposedly is full of knowledgeable people - it may very well be, but I HATE facebook groups as a source of information, the format is unstructured and illogical, and trying to find information is frustrating! I much prefer conventional forums. Most of my issues I had to sort out myself. I've updated (and modified) the firmware - I'm running Jim Brown's modified Marlin firmware - which is easy now that I have a basic understanding of working with Arduino. I intend to try ABS later, but for now I'm happy with PLA.
Tazza, a couple of photos for you. The bowl works, but the outer few layers, at the edge, are only a single thickness so are pretty flimsy. I don't know why the guy who designed it did that :confused:, so I coated it with some two-part stuff I used on my fishing rod bindings (supposed to be flexible and tough) to stiffen it up. Looks a bit rough but that doesn't matter. The white tube holder isn't quite as good as the Titan design, in my opinion, but it works fine. Have a look at thingiverse.com (type in Lee) to see what other stuff is available. I think I'll make the primer collector base for my Pro1000 next.
208225208227

[fralic76]

I have designed a few things for the Lee presses.
Here is the link for the first 2 pictures
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1972400

And the 1 for the last picture
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2336753
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171122/4113e34e94daccf9746b8788e64fafc7.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171122/bf3e6644777aee4af8e574faeed91f2c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171122/8b2248b96302457d6390edca09d10333.jpg

Sent from my mobile using Tapatalk

[dikman]

Thanks mate, I saw them on thingiverse. Guess I'm going to have to learn how to design things myself at some stage.

[Tazza]

Looking good. The OEM collator has straight sides, but as long as it works. I made one years ago from an old plastic bowl and mounted it to the tubes. It was so long ago, the OEM collator wasn't very expensive, even in Australia.

I'd love to be able to design stuff like that too. These are times i'm glad i have a cousin that is good with modeling software :)

I was actually looking at the primer thingo from Titian, it may go on the list next time i order. I want to make a powder baffle. I got the PDF for the cut outs from this forum i believe, i just need to get hold of some light gauge aluminium and make one.

[dikman]

I tried the collator with a few shells thrown in and it seems to work ok. I'm just a bit perplexed as to why he designed it like this as it should have been possible to make it flatter like the original. I just printed out the baseplate that fits under the Pro1000/turret press to redirect the spent primers - one day I might find something that will actually fit (and work) as it's supposed to without a lot of stuffing around!!!

There is a powder baffle on thingiverse for 3D printing (although I made mine from stiff cardboard but took it out as I wasn't convinced it was much use).

[Tazza]

Seems like you have the same luck as i do with stuffing around to get it right ��

I like the idea of the baffle but unsure If it does anything too

[1066]

I built a 3d printer about 3 months ago - just loving it. I was (still am) a complete newbie, I'd never actually seen a 3d printer until the box of bits came from China and had no clue about CAD design, however, slowly getting to grips with it.

Here's a trigger for a FWB 124 air-rifle I copied from the broken original., using carbon fibre filament:
208332

Primer catcher
208334

Lithophane photo
208335

[dikman]

Coincidentally a mate has a busted plastic trigger on his air rifle and asked if I could make a new one. Carbon fibre filament? Sounds expensive!! Any chance I could get the .stl file, just to have a look at it? And what do you use for design work?

I'm even more of a newbie than you :smile:

[1066]

Coincidentally a mate has a busted plastic trigger on his air rifle and asked if I could make a new one. Carbon fibre filament? Sounds expensive!! Any chance I could get the .stl file, just to have a look at it? And what do you use for design work?

I'm even more of a newbie than you :smile:

No problem - I'll sort it out tomorrow, getting on for midnight here.

[Tazza]

Might i pester you guys as to where you got said printer parts from? I may have to look at this

[1066]

No problem - I'll sort it out tomorrow, getting on for midnight here.

PM sent Dikman:

[dikman]

Thanks 1066, appreciate it.
Tazza, I bought a Tevo Tarantula via ebay, from an Oz seller. They had a special offer of 10% off, so there wasn't any point buying it from China, but now they're offering 20% off!!! (about $279, I think). What started me off was a recent Aldi catalogue that had a small printer for $299. I did a bit of searching and found that they were a reputable model, but as they wouldn't be available for a while I started searching on ebay to see what was around. The Tevo looked good as it has an extruded aluminium frame, whereas many of the kits used plastic (perspex) frames. There's nothing wrong with this, as such, as many use it quite successfully, but the ally seemed the better way to go. As it turned out my local Aldi store still has theirs in stock, and if you just want a small printer that is all set to go they're probably a pretty good deal.

Be warned that if you don't have some mechanical nous (and preferably some basic understanding of electronics, to help with the connections) building your own could be an exercise in frustration!! The kit comes well packed, but the "instruction manual", while it looks nice, leaves a lot to be desired. There's also NO information about how to calibrate it, set it up or what the various functions are on the LCD - when I pointed this out I was told that you're expected to do what I did, find it all out on the 'net! There are, fortunately, some very good youtube videos about assembling the Tarantula. While the kit builds into a perfectly usable printer, it really needs a bit of work (all little things) to make it better. You can buy various printers already assembled and ready-to-go, of course, and at a significant price markup, but the beauty of building your own is that you really get to understand the principles and operation of these things.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[1066]

My printer is a Tevo Tarantula too, Ill second what Dikman said, if you're prepared to build it yourself and prepared to do a bit of tinkering you can produce decent prints for not much money.

I happy with a spanner in my hand but a complete dunce with CAD/Computers, however, I'm slowly making progress and enjoying the journey.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

3D printing for the amateur is in its infancy - compared with what it will be in the future. Some of the things we see made could easily be made at least as well by 20th century or even stone age techniques. But the people doing it are like those who struggled with Wright fliers, house brick-sized mobile phones and video phones the size of PCs.

I've had gun parts investment cast from my own wax models, including a stainless steel buttplate. The waxes used can be anything from hand-mouldable like modelling clay to hard and machinable, with shavings that won't melt into your clothes. The investment casting process also works well with plastics. I think any kind that will melt and burn away without leaving any more residue, mostly carbon, than wax. These models can be made by 3D printing, for which casting wax filaments do exist, and the end product will be about as durable as durable as metal can be.

You should consult your investment caster first, as there is a shrinkage factor from model to metal. My memory, now very imperfect, is that it was about 4% in the 17-4 stainless steel I used. It may not be entirely straightforward. For example does a large hole in something get bigger or smaller? I would think it is unlikely to be 4%.

[1066]

Of course you're right BiS. Early days and several different formats competing, just like the Beta/VHS or 8 track/cassette times. At the moment the layer process is cost effective for home use but the price of other formats is dropping quickly. Sintered nylon (SLS) machines are becoming affordable as the original patents run out and metal printing is coming on fast.

It's the future and has endless possibilities - Captain Kirk's replicator is well on the way.

[Tazza]

Thanks for the info. I may need to look into this a bit more, see if Santa feels generous. If not, i may have to buy myself a present from me to me :)

I know what end of a soldering iron gets hot, so hopefully that side will be under control. The CAD side, not so much, haven't done any of that stuff, hopefully it isn't too hard to pick up.

[dikman]

i may have to buy myself a present from me to me :)
I do that a lot!

[Tazza]

hehe it's the only way to get what you really want :)

[1066]

Just designed and printed this loading tray for .45 - 70 this afternoon.

http://i.imgur.com/dNlWQxEl.jpg (https://imgur.com/dNlWQxE)

[dikman]

Nice. I've made bits like that out of wood in the past, 'cos that's what I had handy, and while they work ok yours looks more professional.

I'm currently printing another primer catcher for my turret press - I started one yesterday but after a few layers its started lifting at two corners!!. Scrapped that one, thought about it and am trying again, this time I pre-heated the bed first (I don't normally use a heated bed with PLA). I've also re-aligned the bed carriage and now the nozzle is a fraction too close and occasionally scrapes on the print, bit more adjusting required after it's finished.

[Big Tom]

Here are a few of my designs: https://www.thingiverse.com/TheGerman/designs

Got a few Powerspec Ultra 3D (Flashforge Creator Pro clone) ones and overall am happy with them - easy fixes for whatever may go wrong and they have been running for almost 3 years 24x7 here. Sketchup Pro and Simplify3d with Netfabb and Meshlab are the software packages I use.

The only part I don't like about 3D printing/sharing designs is that people take the designs or copy them and try to make money with them, no matter what kind of license the design has been released under. But it is a great hobby and lots of fun seeing your own designs materialize in front of you...

[flashhole]

Is the material strong enough to do a push plunger that snaps into the press ram like a shell holder? The plunger needs to be strong enough to seat a primer in a shot shell. I'm modifying conventional shell holders (Lee #5) to work with 410 ga shot shells. The hole in the shell holder has to be enlarged to accept larger diameter shot shell primers. A Dremel with a 5/16 diameter grind stone works well to enlarge the hole. A custom sized push plunger comes up through the enlarged hole in the shell holder like a conventional primer stem comes up through a conventional shell holder.

[flashhole]

Just designed and printed this loading tray for .45 - 70 this afternoon.

http://i.imgur.com/dNlWQxEl.jpg (https://imgur.com/dNlWQxE)

Nicely done, I especially like the 45-70 label.

[Tazza]

That is very cool

OOH i like the primer tray funnel, i always loose primers when trying to drop them in my tray. I was going to try and find a funnel to hopefully do the job, but this would work so much better

[dikman]

Big Tom, I've already downloaded a couple of your designs for possible future use (didn't realise they were yours). As for people selling these things, unfortunately there will always be some like that! Me, I'm just grateful that people like you post this stuff as it means I can make useful stuff without having to worry about learning 3D design straight away. I've just printed out an inertial bullet puller ('cos I don't have one) that just needs a bit of fine tuning with files and sandpaper.

Flashhole, it might work but I reckon you'd need stronger filament than the commonly used PLA. Like many things, you won't know until you try it.

[Tazza]

You will need to post pictures and report back as to how the bullet puller goes, never thought you could print one, they take a pretty big beating.

[dikman]

The boolit puller.
208714

The good news is it works, the bad news is it took a lot of time using drill bits, assorted files, a drum sander and a small ball cutter in a Dremel tool to reach that point! As it prints the inserts (for different calibres) are too big to fit into the holder. I think printing the holder maybe 10% bigger might fix that. Next problem is the inserts, I printed the .357 and .44 (for my .44-40) and no way would the cartridges fit in. Printing them bigger might help, although it would be trial-and-error to get the right size - but then the holder would have to be made bigger still!! On the bright side the inserts don't take long to print. Plus I'm impressed with just how tough PLA is once printed. I have no idea just how long this will stand up to use, but as it's something I don't use a lot it should be fine for my needs.

[Tazza]

That is very cool, shame it took so much work to clean it up to get it to work though. Does the material shrink much when cooled? I'd never think it would do so by 10% to get the parts to fit, wonder if it was just a hiccup from the person that drew it, but i'd think they would print it and know then correct the mistake......

[elmacgyver0]

Would it be possible to print a sabot around a lead core?
Know nothing about this but just tossing a perhaps stupid idea out there.

[1066]

Would it be possible to print a sabot around a lead core?
Know nothing about this but just tossing a perhaps stupid idea out there.

Yes. Although the core would need to be flat topped like a full wadcutter. You would print a parallel cup, when the print got to exactly the right height you would pause the print, drop in your core so it was flush with the surface then resume the print. You could continue the print in any shape you want. That perfect shotgun slug you have always dreamt about could be reality in about twenty minutes.

[dikman]

Tazza, yes, I'm a bit perplexed as I would assume that anyone posting a design would only do so after they've proved it works. There's minimal shrinkage so that's not the issue.

I don't know what you'd use for the sabot as the heat/friction generated in a barrel is going to melt a lot of plastics?

[Mr_Sheesh]

I'm not sure, dikman, paper patching works (which still confuses me a smidge!) so you could maybe paper patch a few? And possibly a Nylon filament would do OK in the barrel? (I'd think fire one, check bore, would be wise.)

[Honcho]

What a fascinating bunch of posts! Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? I'm 80 years old and want to look into this field!

[dikman]

I can guarantee it will give your brain cells a workout!:lol:

[Ianagos]

i wanted to get a 3d printer of sorts but i haven't got one because i dont see the real practical use. I have a 2 axis CNC mill so i understand the programming but is the printed stuff actually usable? it seems too flimsy or rough from pictures i see?

[fralic76]

i wanted to get a 3d printer of sorts but i haven't got one because i dont see the real practical use. I have a 2 axis CNC mill so i understand the programming but is the printed stuff actually usable? it seems too flimsy or rough from pictures i see?Everything that I print is usable. The prints that are rough are because of the settings used. I use the inlaws 3D printer.

Sent from my mobile using Tapatalk

[Mr_Sheesh]

You can't quite duplicate the PCP-ish airguns that Lewis and Clark used exploring; But you can make quite a lot of things that are pretty darn sturdy. Printer settings can change sturdiness a lot (for example for a completely prototyping part I'll get it printed full of air or as I call it "frothy", don't need more filament than that, just something to verify fit or show what the unit will look like. If making a magazine loader you'd make it darn sturdy so that it doesn't break the first time you use it, of course. A custom ammo holder is easy to do (think of adding more rounds to your AR7) or a pocket organizer to keep your keys from ripping your pocket up or ...

[1066]

i wanted to get a 3d printer of sorts but i haven't got one because i dont see the real practical use. I have a 2 axis CNC mill so i understand the programming but is the printed stuff actually usable? it seems too flimsy or rough from pictures i see?

True, you wouldn't want to print a set of spanners with your home printer just yet, but there are plenty of applications where great strength isn't needed but being able to customise some things to your exact needs is handy. Just look at some of the weapons racking systems available - They seem to cost an arm and a leg for what is often little more that a pegboard backing and various shaped brackets. The brackets don't usually need great strength but you could design a system to custom fit your cabinet and your guns exactly.

Here's something I've just knocked up over the Christmas period.
210950
210951

[dikman]

Now that is very classy!
Ianagos, I've found that PLA filament (the most commonly used) is surprisingly tough, but it all depends on how you design the object.

[jakharath]

1066,

Any idea on the cost of materials for your loading block?

Thanks!


Just designed and printed this loading tray for .45 - 70 this afternoon.

http://i.imgur.com/dNlWQxEl.jpg (https://imgur.com/dNlWQxE)

[Big Tom]

Cost depends on the plastic you use, the quality (3D printer prints in layers, the smaller the layer, the more material, the more expensive) and the "infill" level (hollow part or xx% plastic on the inside).

Filament goes from $15 to $60 for two lbs - I estimate that piece to be about 0.25 lbs.

[1066]

1066,

Any idea on the cost of materials for your loading block?

Thanks!

The actual cost of normal PLA filament is quite reasonable - It varies in price and quality quite a bit and the special types, like those with a component of carbon fibre or metallic powder etc. are not so cheap.

The .45-70 loading block was made with straight PLA and cost less than $20 for a 2 1/4 lb spool. You can control the density of the object you are printing so something like the loading block, where no real strength is needed is printed at around 20-30% solid.

I recon I could get around 8-10 of the blocks out of a spool of filament so maybe $3 each.

However, 3d printing is slow, one of those blocks takes 3-4 hours to print. It's not a problem if it's running in the background while you get on with something else but to actually make any money you would need several printers all chugging away day and night.

[Mr_Sheesh]

They have filaments now where (with the proper software add-ons) you can "print" a wood grain patterned object, the temp they deposit the material at determines its color (hotter = darker, more scorched.)

For production, 3d printing is still quite slow, but for onesies it SHINES; If you want 100 of something, make a master or a mold / have a mold made from that master, and find a place that can cast (Maybe Urethane?) parts for you. (Many small railroad clubs, I'm told, have found someone able to do that for them - I've been told of a place in West Seattle.)

[Bulldogger]

For production, 3d printing is still quite slow, but for onesies it SHINES

I agree that it is best when you are making a custom part or something you expect to be sacrificed, rather than waste time ordering something or waste money on something you expect to lose. I print small toys and stuff for kids parties, rather than buy things, knowing small kids will break and lose things.

Printing does take a while, it surely isn't fast. I've started doing everything in ABS plastic, because it's a hair stronger than PLA, and cheaper. I have the luxury of having a heated print bed, and it wasn't hard to make a wood and cardboard housing to put over the printer to prevent drafts and help retain heat for better consistency. The parts are definitely not as strong as injection molded, but often that isn't a problem.
I wish I could afford a laser sintering rig, but that is a several thousand dollar toy that I can't justify the money or space for. Sintering is used for aerospace parts, typically titanium alloys. I man could print REAL stuff out of that.
For now I'll stick with ABS.
I used to use the printer several days a week, now I haven't fired it up in almost a month. The difference is I haven't NEEDED anything, and the entertainment factor and learning curve are done. When I need something, I will print it, and the printer is nearly paid for by the keychains I designed, printed and sold at work, so it's there when I need it.
I dream of little ways to make it faster, and I could push hard to rebuild it, or build a new one from RepRap parts. If I do it will be an Ultimaker clone, but with larger print area and a direct drive filament feed rather than remote Bowden style. That remote filament feed approach is why the Ultimaker can print lightning fast, but print quality suffers. My future printer will use the Ulti's X-Y style, but have a small onboard filament feed on the print head. If I can make the dremel-inspired feed system work.
Bulldogger