how do you anneal Litho plate

[zuke]

Just a quick thought as how I should go about doing this.
I know it can't be red hot,
What's the general idea on how to go about it?

[Hickory]

Explain to me what lino plate is.

[Blammer]

ditto, what's lino plate?

[edsmith]

I anneal my flashing in a toaster oven,one hour at 450.not too soft,just right.

[zuke]

Sorry about that I ment litho(graphic).
Aluminum sheet used to make gas check's.
I missed out on the copper buy.

[zuke]

144 view's and no comment's?
Someone out there must soften up Litho plate, or is it just me thinking this way?

[.30/30 Guy]

Litho plate that I have seen is VERY soft. Use it as is.

[zuke]

Turn's out my Freecheck tool is made for pop can metal and not lytho metal.
Cut's out the disc but when I try to form it it shear's off at the base.
Any Idea's?

I anneal my flashing in a toaster oven,one hour at 450.not too soft,just right.

Thank you edsmith!

[.30/30 Guy]

Based on my experience with the early Freechex tools you are using too thick of material.

Need to use thinner material.

Too thick of material you cut through the disk or have a very bad experience getting the check off the forming punch.

[zuke]

I tried pop can material but they come off a couple feet from the muzzle.
I've never used check's before so I don't know if this is normsl,but I don't think that's suppose to happen.

[Old Goat Keeper]

Newbie here with a question on this. IF the GC comes off AFTER the bullet leaves the muzzle why is that a problem? I mean if it stayed on down the barrel then it has done it's job of protecting the bullet and barrel. I'm confused! [smilie=b:

Tom




I tried pop can material but they come off a couple feet from the muzzle.
I've never used check's before so I don't know if this is normsl,but I don't think that's suppose to happen.

[Stoats]

They don't come off cleanly so they upset the bullet as it happens.

I have had some come off just before the 100 meter target and they cut to 2 holes -- one from the bullet that looked like a 22 rimfire hole, and a beautifully clean hole cut by the check. Unfortunately the holes appear about 6 inches from point of aim, mostly high and right.

[zuke]

I think if I take a couple thou off the dia. of the punch that will allow me to use it with aluminum.
Any Idea's out there?

[trevj]

Can't help you with the thickness issue, but can tell y'all that a quick and dirty way to anneal Aluminum, is to swipe it with a Sharpie marker, and heat it until the line disappears. A houshold propane type torch works great for sthin material. This will leave the material dead soft. Works really well when making boxes, etc from random leftovers of aluminum sheet stock, when you run into some -t4 or -t6 hardness material that cracks when bent.

Soot from a candle, or from an acetylene torch, will work as well.

The roof flashing material I got from the home store was cheap, clean, and about 10 thou thick. May be worth looking at.

If you want to size the punch down, it can be worked down slowly, using an Eze-Lap Diamond file or fine sandpaper backed up by something flat, while spinning the punch in a drill press or other source of rotary motion. Best to have some measuring equipment on hand, and probably about as much work to make a new punch, as to modify one.

Far easier to find material that is the thickness needed.

Cheers
Trev

[zuke]

What home store was that?
Do you know what it's called or the skew number is?
Were on the same side of the border, your knowledge would be appreciated!

[trevj]

The store was the local Home Hardware store.

The sheet flashing stock was, IIRC, a buck a foot, and was a foot wide.

The Rona store here only had the flashing in 5 foot rolls, at just under 13 dollars a roll, for 14"x5 feet. Part number on mine is VT0003, and it's called "Aluminum Coil"

I'd figure Home Depot and their like to have some too. Take a Micrometer or caliper with you, and ask for the unpainted stuff.

Cheap enough I won't scrounge for litho plate or the like, for now. I wanted it for 22 cal checks. This should keep me going for a while!

Cheers
Trev

[zuke]

Thank's trevj!, I'll take a ride up there today.
And now for the big question, what does IIRC mean?
And how thick was the rona coil?

[Colt .45]

home depot has it under the name 'aluminum flashing' Around where I am a 24 inch x 50 foot roll is 80 $ and that would make you near 60k gas checks :mrgreen: . While a 6 inch x 50 foot roll is 20$ and makes ~14,500 (based on 4 checks per square inch).

I have yet to take a micrometer to home depot, but i assume this to be the right material as its what is shown in the demo videos for the freechexIII.


Also

IIRC If I Recall Correctly.

[trevj]

Thank's trevj!, I'll take a ride up there today.
And now for the big question, what does IIRC mean?
And how thick was the rona coil?
IIRC= If I remember (or recall) correctly.

The Rona stuff was .010" as well. They only had it in rolls.

The Home Hardware folks here, had it available in bulk. Essentially, pull off the footage you want or need, from the roll on the rack. It was ten thou as well.

Another, more expensive option, would be to look at the shim stock, as sold by the places that cater to the machine shop set. Available in brass, steel, or aluminum, depending on where you get it from, and you can choose your thicknesses and the size of roll you want or can afford. Not cheap like the roofing material, but it sure is nice stuff to play with.

I built a shearing type punch to cut mine with on the loading press. It cut a square foot of blanks that I am happy with. I posted pictures etc here. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=45542&page=3 Have not yet got off my duff and built the forming die to make checks from the blanks, but have played a bit with die shapes in scraps that I held in the lathe and pushed with the tail stock to form. It worked well enough to prove the concept, and teh checks seated and crimped on well enough, but I have not been very active in that direction lately.

Cheers
Trev