Adventures in hollow pointing

[Blammer]

I have a friend who claims to be an expert machinist with the best tools available to the common layman. One day I get a phone call, he says he has some free time and if I want to come over and hollow point a mould he'll be happy to let me in on a few secrets of the trade. Him being an expert machinist I jump at the chance to learn a few things from such a master.

I grab my Lyman SC 311041 that I've been having thoughts about turning into a HP mould and the keys to my truck an out the door I go to get some education.

When I arrive and beat on the basement door, I find my expert machinist oiling up a few rusty tools to get them ready for use on the project.
I show him the mould and then with a few utterances under his breath he rummages around and starts looking through a dusty rusty old box full of stuff. A few minutes later after some more mumbling what apears to look like a drill bit of sorts appears, then just as quick the drill is plucked off the wall, bit inserted and work is about ready to commence.

After concluding that my hands are not strong enough to hold the mould while the drilling is to start, he leans over and hands me a pipe wrench of sorts. Mumbles something about "hold it tight" and motions for me to use the soft topped stool to place the work piece on. I have included a photo.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Stuff/DSCN7823.jpg

After much labor, a bit of cussing an more oil on the tool we were finished putting a hole where the HP pin is to go. Here is the results. I'm quite please with it myself. I later informed the expert machinist, I'd be posting what I learned on my favorite website so other could learn too. I was informed that the exact proceedure that we followed is simple, you just have to keep one goal in mind. The expert machinist said that if everyone would follow this simple proceedure that he outlines anyone and everyone could do this, and the pearl of wisdom now bequeathed to me was "just keep the drill perfectly perpindicular to your work the whole time you're drilling the hole". It's so easy, but why everyone can't do that is just beyond him and his understanding.

Here is the results.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Stuff/DSCN7825.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Stuff/DSCN7826.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Stuff/DSCN7828.jpg

We used a similar proceedure to drill the hole for the set screw, in this next pic is when we were tapping the threads.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Stuff/DSCN7831.jpg

After drilling that second hole our hands were a bit tired so we moved up to the electric version. We used this extensively for the rest of the parts needed.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Stuff/DSCN7818.jpg

After a few hours work and a few beers, we were finished in time for lunch.
Since we had some free time I was learnt on how to make a top punch for the cast boolits. It's accompanied in this picture.
Here is the end result.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Stuff/DSCN7840.jpg

All in all I am very pleased with my newly hollow pointed mould. I learned a bunch from the expert machinist. I am very appreciative and look forward to HP'ing another mould in the near future.

(in the mean time, I'll probably be trying to acquire some of these really cool tools so I can do this myself at my house.)

[RayinNH]

And which Pakistani tribe is he from?[smilie=l:...Ray

[CWME]

You must not drink coffee if your able to do that by hand.... Home Depot sells drill press vises that will hold the mold for you...

Nice looking work! Where did you find your shoulder screws? I get mine at Grainger but they are at least $1 apiece...

[calaloo]

Blammer.

By any chance is your "expert machinist" friend named john? If so, he helped me adjust a rear sight on a target rifle with a dull file.

[Blammer]

:)

yea his alias is "john"

CWME-
we made that shoulder screw from some bar stock, used a dull file and a pocket knife if I recall correctly.

[Caveape]

Hey Blammer!
I'm still waiting to see this icon-->:kidding:

I was actually going to believe it until the pictures loaded and noticed that there's a masonary bit chucked up in that old hand drill!:shock:

However it was done though, it looks great! Wish I had one of those molds!
The top punch looks great too. Interesting idea to push it from within the hollow point instead of on top of the boolit.

[CWME]

Must be one heck of a special pocket knife... must be related to Mcgiver...He had one of those too...

[nicholst55]

Your technique is all wrong! Didn't anyone ever teach you that you're supposed to squat down on your haunches, and grasp the mold blocks between your big toes? That's the only way to hold your work steady! :kidding:

Seriously, that's some fine work there!

[looseprojectile]

And someone must have said, "Here hold my beer and watch this".

Could be done in a drill press with a center drill ground to fit the smaller diameter in the mould.


Ha!!!!

[CWME]

A real man would have held the mold in his teeth...

[dragonrider]

My lawyer will be contacting you soon about patent infringement. Being an expert machinist myself I developed that exact process over a period of 15 minuits, practicaly a lifetime. I expect a payment of $10,000,000 for a license to use this process. :kidding: :kidding:

You had me until I saw the picture of the nicely done and precise hole. Thanks for the laugh. [smilie=s:

[Blammer]

caveape-I was wondering when someone was going to notice the masonry bit.. :)

also notice how 'straight' he's holding the tap for the threaded hole? :)

yea some guy named "southbend" and another friend "bridgeport" had a bit of advice to give during the whole project, naturally we ingnored them, they had no experience or knowledge to help us.:bigsmyl2:

[GLL]

I do like that pin holder !

Jerry

[RayinNH]

Blammer that was my comment of the Pakistani tribesman. With a few pieces of bar stock and a piece of sheet metal from a wrecked car, and using a hacksaw, file and bow drill, they could hand you back an AK47...Ray

[dmdracer]

Wow, I'm impressed, however I'm not the brighest bulb sometimes.... How is the pin secured, etc.
I can't see from the photo. Did he use a lathe to turn the pin dia. Doesn't that handle get "warm" ?

Help me understand
Dave

[looseprojectile]

You have reminded me of a sign I saw in a shop forty or fifty years ago.

This machine has no brain,
Use yours
Who knew machines would evolve to where they have a brain and can be programed?

I do most of my good work one handed while holding my own beer and a cigarette in my mouth. I can't find the smiley with the white flag.

Nice work!!

Life is good

[Blammer]

I use gloves when casting, good thick welding gloves, I turn HP pin, break sprue and pull pin drop out boolit. I usually do all this by hand, no 'mallet' to crack sprue.

[Blammer]

another pic of the finished product, I forgot to add, or show, that in the pin holder on the top there is a set screw that holds the "T" handle in place.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Stuff/DSCN7842.jpg

[deltaenterprizes]

Nice work, I have met Mr. Southbend and Mr. Bridgeport also and the were not well schooled in the metalworking art at all!
I have made some new friends named with Mr. Victor 14x40 and Mr. Grizzly 9x42 they are a little help.
Mr Mike Thiel was the most help.

[outdoorfan]

Blammer that was my comment of the Pakistani tribesman. With a few pieces of bar stock and a piece of sheet metal from a wrecked car, and using a hacksaw, file and bow drill, they could hand you back an AK47...Ray

I've been there and seen what you're referring to. Amazing, I felt!!

[edsmith]

dang,is it april 1st already. :)

[ghh3rd]

As I read, I wondered where he applied the oil to those rusty tools - I definitely saw the rust, but no oil :-)

[Blammer]

it was that new fangled "light" oil, don't need much and it goes a long ways. :)

[dmdracer]

Thanks blammer for the extra pic.

The bulb is on now :)

Dave

[JIMinPHX]

it was that new fangled "light" oil, don't need much and it goes a long ways. :)

Light oil...Is that the stuff that Edison invented?:kidding:

[jdgabbard]

Very nice work... He must be part pakistani, or Afghan at least...

[Multigunner]

Saw a video of an Afghan aprentice rifling an AK barrel.
He used a ribbon of steel hand twisted to the proper ratio and one end rounded to fit through a T handle and riveted over.
The other end was split and the cutting edges filed into it and hardened.
The steel ribbon ran though a slot in one upright of a U shaped chunk of structural steel the other upright was threaded for the barrel which was secured by a locknut.
All this was bolted to a wooden beam with a seat on one end.
The apprentrice, about ten yrs old by the look of him, sat on the seat and grasping the T handle ran the ribbon through the slot in a rowing motion.
It could cut two grooves at a time, then the barrel could be turned and indexed for two more grooves if they wanted a deluxe model.

Another video showed a pistol frame cut from a chunk of imported armor plate salvaged from a WW1 battleship in Turkey. They paid high dollar for this steel for the best custom work.
The frame was first cut from the plate using a torch, then handed to a guy who looked like he'd been at work at the same bench when Moses was a pup.
The old guy hand filed a very complicated auto pistol frame from the rough cut steel using a variety of files, and apparently entirely from memory without checking any dimensions other than by eye.
Within a few hours the finished pistol was taken outside and a full clip fired in the air without a bobble.

The pistol was of an unusual design. The magazine well was in front of the triggerguard and it resembled an old Bergman design. The mag looked like a 15 shot M1 Carbine mag.
I've seen these in photos a couple of times, but never found any details on them. It looked to be a very efficient design. Probably in 7.62X25, but the clip did look like the M1 Carbine mag.