Make your own sprue plate or buy one?

[JBMauser]

I am guessing one or more of you have made your own sprue plate. I am thinking the most expensive or hardest thing to find is the cutter to make the bevel for the sprue hole? I don't know where to look for a good chunk of steel but I am sure I can hunt it up. Any advice or should I just order a sprue plate for a 2C mold from Lyman? JB

[Scrounger]

I am guessing one or more of you have made your own sprue plate. I am thinking the most expensive or hardest thing to find is the cutter to make the bevel for the sprue hole? I don't know where to look for a good chunk of steel but I am sure I can hunt it up. Any advice or should I just order a sprue plate for a 2C mold from Lyman? JB

I believe one of the posters here is making and selling improved sprue plates here. Certainly better than Lyman and a lot easier than learning to do it yourself. Here is a link to that thread:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=13799#post13799

[ozonebob]

It's possible to make your own sprue plate. I've done it before. It's not hard, but it is time-consuming. For raw material, a source like Enco or MSC Industrial Supply can provide you with flat steel the proper width and thickness, along with the shoulder bolts for the sprue plate pivot screw. Use the old sprue plate for dimensions and positions of the holes. Drill the holes and enlarge them to size, and use a properly-sized drill bit to cut the bevel in the top pour holes. You can use a sheet of 280-320 grit emery paper on a sheet of glass to surface the side of the plate that rests against the blocks.

Sure, it's easier (and faster) to buy them, but if you want to experiment with different thicknesses or materials, you may want to make your own.

ozonebob

[redneckdan]

Just use a number 4 or a number 5 center drill, will drill the through hole and bevel all in one shot.

[OldBob]

One of the advatages of making your own is you can increase the length of the "handle" portion,and its location, thereby making it easier to shear off the sprue.

[McLintock]

If you really want to get fancy, say for a BPCR mould, where you want as much consistency as you can get in your bullets, you could make one similar to this. It was made for a Brooks mould by Butch Ulscher of BPCR fame. It gives a constant sprue plug so long as you fill it up to the top each time.
http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL206/1303399/2477311/109866241.jpg
McLintock

[Buckshot]

............The easiest way is to call Lyman and order one. The fastest way is to make it yourself, assuming you have what you need or can get it locally. It also may not be the least expensive either as you'll have to buy more material then you need atthe moment. However you can now buy moulds with no sprueplates because you CAN make your own. And you have the material, don't you :-)?

If you have a Lowes, Home Depot, ACE Hardware, or a good ole mom and pop hardware store they'll have all you need. Get a piece of hot rolled steel, which will be (supposedly 1018 or low carbon, but really mystery metal of unknown pedigree) 1/4" thick and wide enough to cover the blocks. It'll probably be 2-3 ft long.

Unless you have a machinery supply place close I doubt you'll find a centerdrill, but in the hardware store they should have 5 flute countersinks of maybe 82*. The centerdrill would be nice though as they don't chatter, but we'll survive. If you're missing the sprueplate pivot bolt, while you're at the hardware store get a few 10-32 socketscrews with a bit of unthreaded shank under the head. This if for the sprueplate to swing on. If they don't have any like that then get threaded to the head ones. Actually domeheads would be best, but I doubt they'd have them.

You'll also need a #11 drill bit which is the clearance bit for the 10-32 screw. Also pick up a packet of suitable brass washers. If they have some wave washers/spring washers get some. If not get a packet of suitable lock washers and we'll sandwich them between brass washers.

So:

1) 1/4" steel
2) Centerdrill or countersink
3) Domehead/sockethead screws with a shoulder ( or not) threaded 10-32
4) Brass washers
5) Wave washers, or spring washers or (last resort) lock washers

All that should run $10-12 or so and you'll have enough junk to do 5-6 sprueplates (not counting any 4 cavs you run across).

Go make your sprueplate. Take pictures and show us (unless you order one from Lyman, and then we can go look at our own if we want to see a Lyman sprueplate :-)

.................Buckshot

[doc25]

Sure, it's easier (and faster) to buy them, but if you want to experiment with different thicknesses or materials, you may want to make your own.

ozonebob

I heard that about boolits too.:mrgreen:

[JBMauser]

This is all good info and besides making sense it seems do-able, I posted the same question on the Yahoo CB-List as well and a few there make theirs out of aluminum. I guess it would work but even Lee does not use it for their sprue plate. 1/4 inch thick seems a bit hefty but I guess it does not mater does it? Thanks again. JB

[Buckshot]

This is all good info and besides making sense it seems do-able, I posted the same question on the Yahoo CB-List as well and a few there make theirs out of aluminum. I guess it would work but even Lee does not use it for their sprue plate. 1/4 inch thick seems a bit hefty but I guess it does not mater does it? Thanks again. JB

.................Yes 1/4" thick is a bit much, but in most places I've seen that carry steel stock, it jumps from 1/8 to 1/4". Ideally I'd like 3/16". If you want to go first coach, go to MSC or McMaster-Carr online. There you can order precision flat ground stock in several flavors, shouldered bolts, wave washers, and any of the other stuff you might need, like a 90* centerdrill etc. Then you can produce pro spruplates.

...............Buckshot

[HORNET]

JB,
Being the truely warped individual that I am, I have several molds that have had the sprue plate replaced with ones made from 1/8" aluminum. These seem to work just fine and were substantially easier to make than steel ones since I could send a pattern for these out to the CNC punch press at work and they'd run me a couple dozen blanks at a time. No problems with galling, warping or anything else.
The lower mass and specific heat also seem to help them cast easier at lower temperatures.[smilie=w:

[13Echo]

I've made sprue plates out of aluminum. I've used hardware store stock and some left over 6061 from the airplane I built and they all worked fine. I prefer 3/16" so I can have a bigger and wider countersink but the 1/8" works just fine. I use the old plate as a template if I have it or make a template out of stiff cardboard so I can mark the holes and fit to the stop. Cut it to shape with a bandsaw at slow speed if you have one, or use a hacksaw or coping saw. Drill the pivot hole, use a drill press if possible since the hole should be perfectly vertical. Mount the plate and check fit then mark and drill the sprue hole. Countersink with a larger bit but don't go all the way since a knife edge sprue cutter won't hold up with aluminum. It works just fine as a shear type cutter. Deburr the hole and cast some bullets. I'm thinking about trying a 1/4" version to get a deeper counter sink to hold more sprue metal. I'll have to mill or file the metal thinner at the pivot a bit to fit the stock bolt, but that shouldn't be much of a challenge even with hand tools.

By the way, Lee does use aluminum sprue plates on their 6 banger moulds. They are hard anodized for extra wear resistance, but they are aluminum.

Jerry Liles

[44man]

I make mine from stainless steel. I start with 1/4" and mill the surfaces flat which gives me a little more then 3/16". The problem is that the stuff will eat countersinks. I have to chuck it in a four jaw chuck, drill it and cut the taper with a lathe cutting tool I ground.
I use the stainless because a friend found a bunch in a dumpster that is just the right size for plates. I never throw out a good find!

[redneckdan]

............Unless you have a machinery supply place close I doubt you'll find a centerdrill, but in the hardware store they should have 5 flute countersinks of maybe 82*. The centerdrill would be nice though as they don't chatter, but we'll survive.
.................Buckshot


Soory, assumed everyone had a pile of machine tooling crap layin around.:roll: