shotmaker

[rb1003]

I have built a shotmaker. I started with a Francis style shotmaker. It produced popcorn. I refined the design and still got popcorn. Tried a littleton style made of steel and got poor results. The aluminum one of a littleton style seems to work. So far all I have tried for drippers is .040 They produce mostly #6 shot. I just drilled a new set at 1/32 in. I hope the new drippers will produce smaller shot. It takes a very light touch and a bit of patience to use those tiny drill bits. The only cooling medium I have tried is Sierra anti freeze although I don't see why any propylene glycol won't work just as well. I am also a little sorry that I went with a propane burner before I tried a 220 volt stove element. So far the results are resonable.

[Deacon Stone]

Hi rb1003

I believe that .040 does produce #6 shot. I believe you need a .024 drill bit to produce a # 8 shot. Anyway your right any propylene glycol anti freeze will work. Its just Sierra anti freeze is less toxic to the animals. and make sure your shot only falls about 1/4inch or less into the anti freeze. Casting for shotguns forum has all the info you need and guys are happy to help. Just scroll down.

Deacon Stone

[scrapcan]

rb1003

can you give more info on your attempts with the francis brothers shot maker? I have been asked more times than I care to count for the set of plans that were given to me. I actually have a request in my in my in box at the moment. I always say that I have not built one and have not experience with it. It would be good to have someone with some experience pass along the info.

Pictures would be interesting also.

On the nozzles, how are you making them? I have talked to a lot of folks and it seems that nozzles with a center bore having the nozzle hole drilled at 90 degree to the center line work best. This nozzle hole should then be at a 90 degree angle to the lip on the pot for littleton style. This mirrors my experience in making a couple nozzles for a two dripper littleton and using a newer style with more nozzles.

Also you can purchase nozzles ready made from magma (now carries the littleton) or the folks who make the best shotpot.

[rb1003]

I built the first shotmaker from the plans on the patent. I found too much stagnent lead in the bottom of the ladle. The plans call for a 30 degree angle on the ladle slopes and my angle finder suggested I was bang on. The second one I built to a 60 degree angle and the volume of lead below the drip level improved dramaticly. For the drippers I used 1/4 by 5/8 bolts grade 2 Backdrilled with a 1/8 bit almost through. Then the tiny bits only drill the last 1/16 inch. I drilled the drip holes straight and in the center of the bolt. It takes a very light touch on a drill press with a small chuck. I actually used a 3/8 chuck with a very true shaft into the 1/2 inch chuck of the press. In the pictures I will try to attach I have converted the stand to a littleton style. For the Francis style the cooling vat goes in the middle of the stand. The propane burner is from a campstove and is spaced about a 1/2 inch from one slop of the shotmaker. The lip at the top of the burner slope helps keep the heat on the shotmaker. Only one side had to be heated. My infrared thermometer reads to 540 degrees and it was out of range over the entire surface. I poured melted lead into the maker and the shot that came out appeared to be very round. I was still using .040 orfices so the shot was hunting size not trap size. The shot has to fall obout two inches to allow room for a flame below the drippers. I used a garden variety propne torch held in place with a two inch piece of angle the the torch head poked through. Also the patent suggest dropping into water. I had a very high percentage of popcorn. I attribute that to the cooling medium being water instead of the more popular cooling mediums. I used 16 gauge steel that I had leftover from restoring my old Valiant.

[scrapcan]

rb1003,

thanks for the pictures. is the last picture the one you are using currently? Do your nozzles come out the side or bottom fo hte littleton style? I think your nozzles would work better if they had the drip hole at 90 degrees to the center axis so that you can drop the shot on a short lip to roll down ( this is how the littleton works).

It was my understanding from reading ( I could be wrong as I have nto read the francis brothers pot info in quite a while) the francis info that the shot is to round out from flame creating surface tension. You then have a free fall to let shot start to harden and then cool in coolant. I am not sure what height one might drop the shot to get solidification to occur. One thing I thought could be interesting would be to le tit drop a little to harden and then hit a slopped piece of canvas and then down to a container of some sort. This would eliminate the biggest hazzle with making shot, the washing and drying.

I had also wondered if one could drop the shot into a tube that had cold air blwing accross it that the shot had to pass through on it's way to a collection bin. I have not tried that but I keep looking for one of those small window air conditioners that is being discarded to see if it would work.

[rb1003]

On the shotmaker I am currently using the nozzles come out of the vertical end piece and roll down a drip plate. On the first pic's the nozzles point straight down. According to the patent information for the Francis bros. you are correct in that the shot falls through a flame to build surface tension. The patent suggests a short fall of about two inches. I did not try experimenting with the distance of fall Different cooling techniques might be interesting. I would like to hear if they work. Here are some pictures of my latest shotmaker. The steel one has better temperature readings but the aluminum seems to make better shot.

[leadhead 500]

I am working on a homebrew shotmaker to make some shot for hunting and I was wondering if you drill the bolts with a 5/32" drill and then go to a .060" for the final hole what would the shot size come out at?I know that temp,angle of pan and the other variables have alot to do with this.I am going to try it at 30 degree angle and start the lead temp. out at around 500 and see what size I get.

[rb1003]

I back drill the drippers with 1/2 the size of the bolt. .040 produces #6 shot so I would guess .060 should work out to about #4 shot, maybe even a bit larger than #4.

[klcarroll]

Has anyone experimented with the LENGTH of the ramp that runs from the drippers to the 1/4" drop into the coolant??

Kent

[Cap'n Morgan]

Has anyone experimented with the LENGTH of the ramp that runs from the drippers to the 1/4" drop into the coolant??

As an experiment I tried using a 3" long ramp on my home made shot maker. The shot ended up having a pronounced disc shape, caused by the rotating force as the shot gained speed rolling down the ramp.

I briefly contemplated adding a take-off ramp, like a ski jump, giving the shot a brief moment of weightlessness to regain its composure, but thought better of it :-D