Anybody make their own Shot dripper nozzles?

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Howdy,

Was wondering about making shot dripper nozzles. Got an Idea not sure if it will work, and wanted to make my own nozzles.

Sam :D

[RP]

I have seen some make theirs out of mig welding tips others have drilled their own. The ones with the machinces are 3/8s bolts drilled down the center with about a 3/16 main hole and then a hole coming into the head to intersect the main hole. If you go that route also make you a plunging rod which you push into the main hole to help clear any blockages you will have.

[Faret]

I made mine out of 3/8" pipe plugs. Drilled 3/16 to the front and a .020 hole for 7 1/2 shot worked well. Bent a 16 penny nail for a cleaner purge tool clamped to a vise grips.

[Russel Nash]

That was probably me, who in the past really was advocating the use of the Tweeco brand wire welding tips.

I think it was in a PM conversation that I had with heathydee that I discovered that just because the wire welding tip says 0.6mm or .024 " that the hole isn't necessarily 24 thousandths. It's meant for 24 thousandths wire.

So I was kinda like a dog chasing its tail, going around in circles, trying to figure out why most of my shot is closer to a #7....

:groner:

(aahhhh....jeeesssh.....the rule of 17 again.....okay....17 minus 7 = 0.100"....so okay my shot was more like 100 thousandths in diameter, when what I really wanted was a #7.5 or smaller. )

I have at least one "customer" asking me for #8 or #9 shot (90 thousandths or 80 thousandths shot).

Does anyone here have any idea of how the Littleton Shotmaker (Magma Engineering) folks or Jim Stuart's Better Shotmaker is making their holes?

Here is a video of the Better Shotmaker in use with the double drippers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szF4zrdD2EY&feature=related

Man! Is that lead shot flying out of that machine! I like those double drippers.

:D

[RP]

i ran a double dripper in my betterbuilt shot maker you have to have a second pot of lead melted to feed the machine. And your right it flys out of it fast enough the machine cant keep up melting it. On the other hand I made alot of shot about 3 tons of it now the area iam in is out of lead so i shut it down so be careful what you wish for lol.

[Russel Nash]

I'm about 30 miles north of Sparta, IL, where the American Trapshooting Association (err...Amateur Trapshooting Association???) has their Grand national championships every year now.

In addition to all the trap fields they have, they also have plenty of skeet fields too.

They hosted the National Scholastic Skeet Championships, I guess it was, there this past summer.

So I am thinking I won't necessarily flood or saturate the market with my el cheapo homemade shot.

[Russel Nash]

Oh...yeah...for my made from scratch bird shot maker, I used a 220V oven broiler elment underneath the laddle. It puts out lots of heat. It can keep up.

One of these days I will hook an old electric oven thermostat to it....or the fancy schmancy Auberins digital temp controller.

[scrapcan]

Russel,
Do you have pictures of your home built setup? I don't remember seeing it before, if you already put them up I apologize and will go looking.

You can buy nozzles form both littleton and best if you are interested. I talked to both and both were willing to sell singles or as many as you want.

[Russel Nash]

Here is the first video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zahDLTdfPME

Here is the second video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I433Cs7U8oU&feature=channel

Yeah, I am half tempted to call up Jim Stuart and order his double drippers. The catch is that I drilled my ramp originally for 1/2" diameter bolts, then I moved up to 5/8" diameter bolts. So if I went with Jim Stuart's drippers I would have to take a wafer blade on the right angle grinder to cut that angle iron ramp off. Then re-drill another one to fit Jim Stuart's drippers which I am assuming are 3/8" bolts. And weld the new one back on to the rest of the laddle.

I could drone on more about it, but I don't want to be rude by monopolozing this thread.

[roccoskeet]

Ok guy's I don't know if I describe this well enough so I will attempt to maybe scratch out a diagram. and post it. But here goes.

I made my own unit gas fired and made double drippers.

I used regular grade bolts "3/8. I thread them into the plate of the unit till they bottom out. Hopefully they stop with a flat straight up or near to it. I mark the top side and number it with regard to what hole it will always go into. I then drilled the feed hole 3/16 or 1/4 in dia. as big as possible really,from the threaded end untill it just about comes out the head of the bolt.

On the flat that was facing up and down, I mark the 2 spots where I want the drip holes.

On the flat that is the top I drill a hole for a 4-40 threaded hole all the way through the bolt 90 degrees to the feed hole and stop just short of coming out where the lead will drip from.
And I mean just short closer the better.

Tap the hole for a 4-40 thread and later install a socket head set screw, to stop the lead from coming up and out.

Flip over to the flat that faces down and drill the appropriate size dripper hole into the larger hole that was for the 4-40 hole. I would have to look it up but ".020 sounds right.

Your done!

I have also used brass bolts with good success.

Also Brass reducer fittings for tubing "1/8 NPT to "1/4 NPT and put a blind plug in the 1/4 hole in the front. Nice this way only the dripper hole's to drill.
Npt thread also makes a tight fit for lead leakage.

With the small drill bits for the dripper I use a Dremel tool to get the speed. I takes a steady hand or the rig that turns a dremel into a small drill press.

I hope this helps a bit.

I have made a lot of shot with this rig. I know an old fella near Toronto that is kind of my mentor in this stuff he's 84 ? or more and makes about 8-9 tons a year if lead is available , and sells every once. Exreemly round stuff very impressive.

I will try to answer and questions if there are any.

Take care and good shooting !

[Faret]

What is everybody using for coolant?

[Muddy Creek Sam]

What is everybody using for coolant?

Used Transmission Fluid.

Sam :D

[roccoskeet]

water soluble cutting oil like that used on a lathe or metal band saw.

I like it as you don't ever really get it all off when rinsing and I fell the lead does not require graphite. My shot last for quite some time and no oxide.

Radiator antifreeze worked till I lit it on fire one day !

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

I use tractor hydraulic fluid as a coolant.

I have here of some folks using laundry detergent but I didn't have any luck with that. The resulting lead was a dust. I keep some for rat loads but the rest I had to remelt.

Regards,
Everett

[jimb16]

I use brake fluid. It works well and is easy to wash clean.

[scrapcan]

non toxic antifreeze. it is easy to wash and dry.

[686]

dot type 3 brake fluid. workd good and washes off easy. the better shoot mechine by jimmy stewert is the best you can buy and cheeper than the liton. and you can get him on the phone. he is a very nice person to talk to.

[Russel Nash]

I use water for three reasons:

1. I am cheap

2. it is nonflammable (LOL!)

3. it allows me to skip the step of having to wash the shot....yes, I am lazy like that.

:-P

I bought two different sets or sizes of double drippers from Jim Stuart. one set is for #7.5 and the other set is for #9's.

like I said up above, you will have to make a new dam....drill it with the appropriately sized hole for Jim's double drippers, and then weld this new dam to my laddle.

[Arisaka99]

russel, i tried to watch your vids from the matches, but google said that it was unable to find it.:-D

[Russel Nash]

here, try this, for steel match videos:

http://www.google.com/search?q=posercam+%2B+steel&tbo=p&tbs=vid%3A1&source=vgc&aq=f

and for a USPSA major match:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbs=vid%3A1&q=posercam++%2B+fall+classic&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

at a major IDPA match:

http://www.google.com/search?q=posercam+%2B+badlands&tbo=p&tbs=vid%3A1&source=vgc

at the 2008 USPSA Single Stack Nationals:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbs=vid%3A1&q=posercam+%2B+single+stack&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

[mtgrs737]

I need help on the heat source, i like the idea of the oven broiler element, but would like to see some pictures of the set up.

[Faret]

I use a turkey burner in a large (8" I think) piece of pipe. Stays very consistent temp.

[heathydee]

Here is a video of my home-made shotmaker in operation . The coolant is a soluble oil/water mix . When the correct lead level is achieved it will chirp away , turning scrap into shot at a rate of about 75 pounds an hour .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=App1keMEMVcoil/

[psychicrhino]

Good info here. I am gonna mark for later.

[too many things]

although an old post there is a very easy way to make drippers and you dont have to use 10 bits to make one .

[anotherred]

And what's that method

[Littleton Shot Maker]

I make drippers all the time
take bar stock- cut it to length- put threads on on half of the bar stock- then bore the large hole- then later on- drill small hole with drill press.....all very easy if you have the tools....a screw turning machine makes this easier.
...and I have a jig for drilling the small hole centered on the flat.
Why used harden steel bolts, that never made sense? IF I was going to make some thing different that what we carry - I'd do Stainless, but those are no cheaper to make and metal cost are vey high. Takes a ton of time to machine each, hard on tool heads, etc...