A Neat:
Had an e-mail from him this AM about a de-rimming pin.
Didn't say anything about not taking new business.
Jim
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A Neat:
Had an e-mail from him this AM about a de-rimming pin.
Didn't say anything about not taking new business.
Jim
Ok back to the press.
Earlier someone had asked about how I drilled the toggle, Ive been working on press #2 and tried to get a few more pics.
Here is my setup for drilling the pivot points on the toggle. Set up vertical and and tram everything in so you know its straight.
Edge finder off a surface and you can move over to the pivot point and drill away.
I do one side then flip it and do the same thing again.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01131.jpg
The next area that I kind of fumbled thru earlier was the toggle length. I had originaly purchased 18" long pieces that really could have been longer.
After putting everything together on #2 I think I discovered my original error. After a trial assembly I ended up with 18" center to center on the pivot holes:p
Now this isnt really a critical dimension, it basicly determins where the toggle hangs in relation to the press.
On my first press the toggle was uncomfortably close to the base when full up.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01138.jpg
I made it work but it wasnt as originally planned.
Here is my trial assembly, the top of the ram is finished but the ram length is yet to be deternimed and after that the lower pivot drilled.
I have the toggle rotated 180 degrees to check for clearance.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01140.jpg
A little more clearance on the botom.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01139.jpg
After that I drilled the lower pivot holes at 18" center to center, then re-assembled to get the general area where I want the pivot pin to for the ram to be located.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01141.jpg
Thats it for now, hopefully I can get some more accomplished in the next few days
ANeat,
Can you please explain how you determine the proper length for the ram? I don't have dies yet so I hope you don't tell me I need them to make my calculations.
This weekend, I welded up my toggle. Welding inside the space where the toggle links attach was a challenge. Now, I'm waiting on parts from Enco and Speedmetals.
Thanks again for starting this thread, sharing your pictures, and taking the time to help all of us.
Doug its good to hear youre working on one as well. Yes on the welding I was hoping to be able to tig weld mine but there was no way to get between those pieces so I arc welded it.
On the ram length when you get to the point Im at in the above pic you set the guide where you want it. I just used this pic of the Might Mite as a rough guide but it will give you the basic idea.
http://www.corbins.com/images/csp-2dim.jpg
Quote:
The press has two sroke travels, depending on the setting of the ram pin. In the long stroke (reloading) mode, the space between the lower side of the head, and the top of the ram plate, is 9.5 inches with the ram down (A in photo) and 3.5 inches with the ram up (B in photo). With the press set for the short stroke or swaging mode, dimension A is 8 inches and dimension B is 5-1/8 inches (in the photo).
Just remember the Mighty might is 12 1/2 inches between the base and the top. Youre going to have some adjustment with the top punch so the final dimension isnt super critical.
On mine in the pic I have it at about 8" of space between the guide and top (in reloading mode) but that isnt set in stone.
After that I just eye-balled where the centerline of the pivot point is for the reloading mode.
You can see in the bottom pic I have a black line on the ram, that is my tennative position for the lower pivot.
Hopefully all this makes sense, its tough to explain some of this thru pics and typing.
Man, why did I not pay more attention in school and actually go to college?? I am just totally blown away with your work Aneat. I do have a question. Not know the cost of the steel and everything, and not sure if it is appropriate to ask, I am curious, not counting your labor and time which I can imagine if worked out is way up there and worth every bit of it, what would be the cost of building this press??
If you do not wish to release that information, I completely understand lol
Daywalker anytime you make something like this, especially just one or two pieces, it will be more time consuming.
That being said, if I had to make them for a living I think something around $500.00 would be a realistic target.
You would get a press that isnt too far from a Corbin Mega mite at about 1/2 the price.
Richard Corbins Walnut Hill at $399.00 still seems like a bargain after putting the work into these.
As for the material, I have the majority of the materials listed in this thread (somewhere)
Ordering from one of the internet based metal shops and paying the shipping its probably about $200.00 in materials.
If a guy had a local metal shop that could supply the material without having to pay shipping you would save quite a bit off that.
I started this thread to hopefully help out guys like myself who were wanting to get swaging.
Quite a few of us hammered out a lot of the details in another thread, this is just my version of what I thought would work.
Its been a fun and interesting project without a doubt but Ill be glad when its done and I can make some bullets ;)
Sometimes, even if it does cost a bit more to make yourself, there is nothing like the feeling of acomplishment. I remember the first time i reloaded my first round, that was a great feeling. Then shooting it for the first time and everything goes great, another great feeling. Then casting my very first bullet. And loading and shooting it. Now to be able to sit back and say ok, this is the bullet I made myself, this is the press that I built all myself. Yes everything except maybe the jacket, I made myself. That is priceless in itself :)
That makes perfect sense. Thanks ANeat. I also appreciate you including the information on the Mighty Mite. I shouldn't have a problem now. I'm excited to get this thing done.
[QUOTE=ANeat;836331]
Ordering from one of the internet based metal shops and paying the shipping its probably about $200.00 in materials.
If a guy had a local metal shop that could supply the material without having to pay shipping you would save quite a bit off that.
[QUOTE]
.............Funny thing you should mention that. I was needing some 12L14. I've normally gone to Klure & Harris in Riverside, CA for structural stuff but they also carry other stuff. They're about 30 miles round trip. I called and they didn't have any. Checking a couple other places in the Yellow Pages that I wasn't familiar with gave me the idea that all anyone carried around here was hot and cold rolled stuff. Box, tubes, flats, sheets and etc. There are a LOT of ornamental steel outfits around, due to the latino population :-)
The last place in the listings before it turned into Stock & Bond Brokers was Cal-Mesa in Yucaipa, Ca. It's kind of a small bedroom community at the east end of the valley, but I figured what the heck and gave them a call. I asked if they had any 12L14 and the guy said sure, what did I need? I asked if they had an 7/8" bar and he said "Sure do". Eureka! I did check On-Line Metals and 7/8" 12' long bars were $34 each and estimated shipping on 2 of'em would be another $34.
I asked the guy how much they were and he said $34 each. I said I only had a pickup and he said they would cut them in half for me, no charge. Getting better by the minute! When I to their place (4.2 miles from my driveway) in the lobby on the phone was James, the guy I'd talked to. We talked a minute or two and he gave me my will call reciept and said to see Carlos out in the building to my left as I went out the door. He also said it was okay if I 'milled around' a bit too :-)
I found Carlos and gave him the paper and said James said it was okay if I milled around a bit to see what they had. Carlos said he'd show me so we walked around and he pointed out where they kept all the tool steels like the S and D series steels, the various 41 and 43 series stuff, 8620, 1045, and then the leaded steels 41L40, 11L44, 12L14, and then the low carbon A36 and such. The other 2 buildings were sheet, box, pierced, expanded ornamental & angle, and then aluminum and cast iron was in the last one!!!!!!!!
I think I was in heaven8-) Unlike K&H where I'd been going before who toss all the drops and rems into large wooden boxes, this place marks them with a paint pen and they put them into short racks in front of the long racks the full length pieces are in. At K&H they simply sell rems by the pound and really don't know what anything is. At Cal-Mesa they sell the rems by the pound also (different prices for different types) and it's nice to know WHAT you're buying!
Making that last phone call sure paid off, and they sure seem like nice folks to boot.
..............Buckshot
Buckshot,
Sounds like you found your gold mine. I just need to find a place lit that :bigsmyl2:
Just wondering why you welded the toggles. Wouldn't it been easier to just use larger stock and mill them from one piece. Not Knocking your work as it looks very nice. I wish I had the equipment, mill, lathe (and a place to put them:razz:) to do that kind of work.
Bret
Bret the welded toggle is a LOT faster/easier than milling one out from a solid hunk, way faster.
Also a lot less expensive, I did a quick check, a 3 x 5 x 12 piece of 1018 is 51lbs and $105.00 The price really ratchets up fast when you get into the thicker stuff.
It may be doable if a person was really into cranking on the handles or had a CNC setup but for what little welding is required its not to bad
Buckshot it does sound like you found a great place. Its probably better for me that Im not that close to a place like that[smilie=1:
The stroke in reloading mode is longer than the stroke in swaging mode, Yes??????
Yes the reloading mode on my setup has approx a 6" stroke while the swage mode has 3" stroke
I tried to make one, but I realized I had nothing but popsickle sticks and duct tape.
You guys are awesome!
All hells no!!! You one upped me! Time to build that flux capacitor - beeatch...
Great job Adam - as ussual. :)
The only master engineering plan I had, was making aluminum *ildos on my lathe right now???
Aluminum what??:shock: :holysheep
Go with what you know I guess:drinks:
Ever heard of "Follow the money"? It worked for the girls gone wild dude???? j/k
Check your inbox...
lmao, ronterry, now you just need to make a drill attachment for them!!
Here are a few pics of all the parts and as it goes together.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01142.jpg
Bolt on the guide rods
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01143.jpg
Slide on the guide
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01144.jpg
Bolt on the top
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01145.jpg
Clamp it down
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01146.jpg
Here I attatched the ram and blocked it up so my fingers dont get mashed ;)
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01147.jpg
Attatched the links, pins just slide in and snug up the setscrews
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01150.jpg
Here the toggle is hung from the ram pivot point
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01151.jpg
Then slide in the pins for the links
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01152.jpg
Attatch the handle and youre pretty much ready for dies. Still need to make up a clip/latch for the handle. Right now the allen wrench does well to keep the handle from dropping down
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01153.jpg
Hopefully in a few days Ill have some pics of one all painted up......
Almost forgot, the plate that bolts on the front ;)
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01130.jpg
I should add that is is possible to get the thing racked out of alignment when youre tightening up the bolts for the guide rods. I usually cycle the ram and check for any binding, if any Ill crack the bolts loose, run the ram up and snug up the top bolts, down and snug up the lower bolts. With a little oil on the bushings it should be really smooth thru the travel
You are the Man!!!!
A work of art really.
Everytime I look at this post the press keeps getting better looking. Would love to have one like that, maybe some day.
Great work ANeat
I'm getting close to being finished with mine. Still have to machine the ram and finish cutting the slots in the top plate. Then a few minor set screw holes to drill and tap. Unfortunately, I can't seem to locate a 1 1/2" tap so it looks like I'm going to have to buy one. The cheapest I can find is a Chinese tap at Enco for $90!!! Ugh.
Oh yeah. I had a little bit of trouble getting the 1" guide rod shafts equal in length. Two days ago, I measured them and one was .030 too long so I chucked it in the lathe and faced off .030. Or so I thought. When I remeasured, the long one was now .030 too short so I took .030 off of the long one and remeasured. Now, it was .030 too short!!! Don't know what I was doing wrong but I'll get it figured out. Before someone posts a reply to tell me not to depend on my lathe's dials. I know and I wasn't doing that. I took several measurements as I was cutting and it indicated that .010" was being removed each time.
Thanks guys.
Glad youre getting close Doug, Im really looking forward to seeing some others make their own.
If you cant track down a tap let me know and Ill loan you mine.
Another option if your lathe is big enough would be to chase the threads. I considered that myself.
My 13" Import will swing the top plate in the 4 jaw chuck without removing the gap
I got parts drying in the sun, couldnt find the dark blue hammered finish so I went with a lighter shade ;)
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01154.jpg
Doug; another option on the top plate, If youre not planning on using anything with a 1 1/2-12 thread you can just tap it 7/8-14. I think its the RCBS 50bmg dies that are 1 1/2 -12
Thanks for the offer ANeat but I don't want to dull your tap and I may make some more for a couple of friends so I'll probably just end up buying one. Thanks though. Last week, I bought an M2 parts kit so I'll need the reloading feature.
Once I get mine done, I'll post some blurry pictures. I don't want anyone comparing my press to yours. You are much much much more talented than I am. :-)
Thanks so much for sharing all of this information with all of us.
..............Why not cut the threads on your lathe?
http://www.fototime.com/CEDC98E134CF0F2/standard.jpg
If you can't swing it in a 4 jaw bolt it to a faceplate and do it. This is a Redding turret press turret a member here wanted 3 holes bored and threaded 1 1/4-12 for some RCBS shotgun shell dies. Heck, the faceplate may cost more then $90 but by the same token you'll get your threads cut and you'll STILL have the faceplate for other stuff[smilie=w:
BTW, are you sure it's a 1 1/2" OD thread you're needing and not 1 1/4 - 12? If it IS a 1 1/4" you're needing I have a new unused 6 flute Cleveland Twist 1 1/4 - 12 plug tap I'll sell for $50 + shipping.
...............Buckshot
The RCBS dies are the biggest at 1 1/2-12 for the larger calibers. Lee's 50bmg dies are 1 1/4-12
Here it is all painted up, made up a "strong mount" for it and the Lee Classic Cast.
Now lets see some others, mine is/are done
I just once again want to say thanks to all those who helped out on this. I got a lot of quality info and advice on this project from many members here.
Im proud to be a part of this forum
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...e/DSC01166.jpg
Aneat very nice job I see you made the walnut hill type looks great awsome work.
I need to paint mine but like always I was in to much of a hurry to use it.
Thanks for the idea Buckshot but my lathe is a worn out piece of ****. The lead screw is worn out and the shear pins for it and the cross feed are sheared off. I need to do a little bit of maintenance but have too many projects going. I didn't know that the Lee dies were 1 1/4. Dang it. I've already bored the hole out for a 1 1/2 tap.
ANeat, your press looks awesome but the strong mount makes my back hurt just looking at it. :-) I made a little more progress on mine today but got lazy and quit after only a few hours.
very nice Aneat, a job will done
John
Well, I guess I'm farther from finishing than I thought. I still have to machine the ram, tap the top plate, cut a piece to bolt to the toggle links, bend the handle, cut the links to the proper length, drill and tap the set screws, and cut down my half inch bolts that fit into the ends of the links and the ram. Oh yeah, then I have to work on making it pretty. There are probably some other small things I've forgotten.
Anyway, here are some pictures of my press. Don't know how many hours I've got in it but I'm sure it would have been A LOT more if ANeat hadn't have been so generous with his knowledge. He did the "heavy lifting." Thanks again.
I included a shot of my mounting system. I found those two lengths of thick walled rectangular tube at the scrap yard. I just had to mill out a small pocket in each corner of my base plate to make them fit. Some of my plate thicknesses varied from ANeat's because this was scrap I had in my garage and I didn't want to waste time milling it thinner (and weaker) so I just milled off the thick layer of rust and/or mill scale and used it as it was. The strange appearance in some places is where I used a 2" sanding disk to clean up my end mill marks. I'll sandblast it in the cabinet before I add a layer of paint.
I won't be able to work on it for the next four days because I'll be out of town.
PS. How do I make my pictures larger? According to the "attachment manager" or whatever it is called, the max size I'm allowed is 280 pixels wide so that's what I made them but mine are obviously smaller than everyone else's pics.
Doug thats awesome. Glad to see youre making progress.
As for the bigger pics I use photobucket and just link to the image. There is photobucket and several other image hosting websites that allow you to store pics and link the image to places on the web (like here)
They limit the download size here (and all forums) because large pics can really use up
storage space on the server.
If its just a few pics and you dont want to mess with it you can e-mail them to me and Ill post them "bigger" but if you like messing with pics; having a place to store the pics is handy.
..............I use Foto Time to host & store my internet photos. It's $29/year and you get a freaking TON of space for storage, plus no advertising or other foolishness.
..............Buckshot