Reamers for removing bevel and/or GC from base area of cavities

[Old School Big Bore]

I have several moulds that need the pesky bevel removed from the base area, and a couple of GCs that I want to convert to plain base. I don't want to mill the surface down. I'm having trouble finding a source for reamers that would work for this.
Do any of the members do reaming of cavity bases?
Ed <><

[725]

I've done a few with a drill press and the right sized drill bit. Take your time with the set up. Measure twice - cut once. Actually I measure 10 or 15 times and then cut once. So far so good. Go slow and use kerosene to cut aluminum and a good cutting oil if you cut steel. A new or properly sharpened bit is the best. Good luck.

[Gewehr-Guy]

I go to Ebay for chucking reamers when I'm doing a special project, like gas check makers or sizers. Usually you can find one for $10-20, which would be less than the postage to send it away to be done. If you can't find the proper inch size, sometimes you can find a metric equivalent.

[gwpercle]

I read a post where the member said he just used the well sharpened small blade of his pocket knife to remove the metal that formed the gas checks on a Lee Aluminum 2 cavity mould .
He said " I just took my time , went slow , was very careful and did a nice clean job" he seemed to think it wasn't hard to do ...
are your moulds aluminum? Do you have a sharp pocket knife or Exacto knife ?
Seems like removing a Lee bevel base was no more difficult .

I've never done it but I'm good at working with my hands . I used to do a lot of carving and I would try this method on one of my old Lee moulds and I think I could do it ...but I wouldn't try it on someone else's mould... not until I had some experience and done a few successfully .
Gary

[country gent]

Do a search for decimal reamers. T&S Tool and Supply carries them in Toledo Ohio and will ship. AMazon e-bay have them better is some of the tool sites Grizzly, Shars, Penn tool. Also buy some good cutting oil with the reamers.

If your handy you can black in the driving band with a sharpie or lay out blue, and work slow and easy with a 3 sided scraper, or fine bladed knife blade exactos work well here. This works best in aluminum or brass blocks. but the tree sided scraper will slowly cut iron molds as well. When using this method be very careful as a slop will usually result in stitches

A drill bit may do it but they seldom cut truly round holes.

With the reamer I would recommend a stop so you can set the depth and not cut to far.

[Old School Big Bore]

Thanks for the info, everyone. The molds in question are Lee aluminum, some two-holers and a couple six-bangers, in .32, 9mm, 44 and 45. I was thinking of clamping them in the drill press vise (locating the mold by a pilot shaft running from the mold to the chuck) and using either a proper diameter drill bit or end mill, maybe with a taper or pilot step ground in, or using a countersink to start a pilot cut, and using the quill stop to regulate depth, at the drill press' lowest speed or turning it by hand. A proper diameter grindstone bit turned by hand may be the ticket as well, and the countersink might get rid of the smallest bevel bases without going too much oversize.
If anyone does this kind of work, I'd be interested in farming it out.
Ed <><

[country gent]

Where are you located at Old School Big Bore?

[lightman]

Eric at Hollowpoint molds does this type of work.

[kenton]

https://www.mcmaster.com/reamers/shank-type~round/reamer-type~chucking-machine-/

Choose your size from the list on the left.

[uscra112]

Chucking reamer, nothing to it. I've done a few that way. Most important thing is get the press spindle lined up with the cavity axis. A machinists' centerfinder will do that well enough. Other trick is to set the quill clamp tight enough so the quill doesn't drop when the reamer breaks through. I had that happen. Once. Took out the rearmost lube groove along with the GC band. I thought I'd ruined the mould, but bullets it casts shoot just fine. Go figure.

[Rich/WIS]

Never tried drilling or reaming out the bevel on my Lee molds but instead clamped it in a milling machine and removed enough of the top of the mold to make it a flat base.