Titan ReloadingReloading EverythingRepackboxMidSouth Shooters Supply
Inline FabricationWidenersLee PrecisionRotoMetals2
Load Data
Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 73

Thread: What homemade tool are you using (pictures)

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    1,775
    Quote Originally Posted by ulav8r View Post
    Electronics are a mystery to me too, but my dad had me help hooking up some house wiring when I was about 10 or 11. Did it hot.
    I have only ever done live work before once or twice, scared the poop out of me doing it, but in this situation, i didn't want to cut the power, not sure why now....

  2. #22
    Boolit Buddy McFred's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    I'm sure they'll listen to "Reason"
    Posts
    341
    Quote Originally Posted by Tazza View Post
    Not dumb at all, you're smart enough to not mess with something that can kill you if you did something wrong.
    This annealer stuff's pretty benign, since it's usually 24-36 volts DC input; not much risk IMO. And yes, the work coil is water cooled as well as the high-current electronic components, e.g. the FETs/capacitors. The work coil would get white hot if it wasn't cooled, and something would probably let the magic smoke out. I run 24-30v at roughly 13 amps at about 70% duty-cycle for up to an hour depending on how much brass I want to anneal in a sitting.

  3. #23
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    1,775
    Quote Originally Posted by McFred View Post
    This annealer stuff's pretty benign, since it's usually 24-36 volts DC input; not much risk IMO. And yes, the work coil is water cooled as well as the high-current electronic components, e.g. the FETs/capacitors. The work coil would get white hot if it wasn't cooled, and something would probably let the magic smoke out. I run 24-30v at roughly 13 amps at about 70% duty-cycle for up to an hour depending on how much brass I want to anneal in a sitting.
    I tried mine with 48v battery setup, as i didn't have a power supply that was big enough, it worked, but not as well as i hoped.

  4. #24
    Boolit Buddy McFred's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    I'm sure they'll listen to "Reason"
    Posts
    341
    Quote Originally Posted by Tazza View Post
    I tried mine with 48v battery setup, as i didn't have a power supply that was big enough, it worked, but not as well as i hoped.
    Wind a tighter coil, you can use less voltage, but current will go up. The current load is dependent on what you put in the coil. A .223 case will not pull as much current as a 45-70 or WSM case. Those cheap chinese ZVS boards do not fare well if you exceed the current capacity of the popular power supplies with over-current protection. It's better to have lower voltage and higher current, if you have a choice, since you can "focus" the effect by changing the coil dimensions.

    Sorry for taking the thread off-topic.

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    1,775
    Quote Originally Posted by McFred View Post
    Wind a tighter coil, you can use less voltage, but current will go up. The current load is dependent on what you put in the coil. A .223 case will not pull as much current as a 45-70 or WSM case. Those cheap chinese ZVS boards do not fare well if you exceed the current capacity of the popular power supplies with over-current protection. It's better to have lower voltage and higher current, if you have a choice, since you can "focus" the effect by changing the coil dimensions.

    Sorry for taking the thread off-topic.
    Thanks for the advise, i'll give that a go, the coil is quite large, or at least larger than needed to fir a case inside.

    I believe it is indeed a chinese ZVS unit, i was given it by a mad mate.

  6. #26
    Moderator Emeritus


    georgerkahn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    South of the (Canada) border
    Posts
    3,051
    Wishing wax bullets to be uniformly seated in the three (.38/.357, .44 S&W Special, and .45 Colt) calibres I shoot I turned some aluminum using my Unimat Lathe; fitted scrap balls as handles; and, they work marvelously at performing their intended function! Pictured are the two smaller ones -- the .45 Colt seater is in range bag in my truck.Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Wax bullet seaters.jpg 
Views:	28 
Size:	56.6 KB 
ID:	284208
    Last edited by georgerkahn; 06-08-2021 at 07:40 PM.

  7. #27
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    North Central
    Posts
    2,514
    I was thinking of making a small ironwood club for striking the sprue plate. Have to wait for tick season to end before I start looking for a tree.

  8. #28
    Boolit Master slim1836's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Burleson, TX
    Posts
    2,120
    Quote Originally Posted by Tazza View Post
    I have only ever done live work before once or twice, scared the poop out of me doing it, but in this situation, i didn't want to cut the power, not sure why now....
    I did the same never realizing that the 9 volt battery was dead to begin with.

    Slim
    Last edited by slim1836; 06-09-2021 at 11:54 PM.
    JUST GOTTA LOVE THIS JOINT.

  9. #29
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Switzerland of Ohio
    Posts
    6,313
    I have done live work fairly often. I wear a pair of divers' wet-suit gloves. They fit tightly enough that you don't lose too much dexterity, and being neoprene they're a good insulator.

    Back to your regularly scheduled thread subject.
    Cognitive Dissident

  10. #30
    Boolit Master Shopdog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Va. mnts
    Posts
    562
    One of the more "esoteric" tools I've made(closet tool&die guy with a goodly budget)....

    I call it the "Little Goober",or LG for short. I make reamers to make custom top punches along with,"budding" internal grinding capacity. It was out of this top punch work that the LG come about. I can take a pic but it's so simple,Fred Flintstone can figure it out. The pic doesn't show the operation anyway?

    Take a piece of 3/4" 01 steel about 1" long. The hole in the center is a "profiler" for bore ride bullet noses. I use it on certain rigs where the nose is slightly out of round. It gets used after the loading is complete... a last op,if you will. You can use it by hand or powered up. The latter can either be,power the LG or hold the LG and spin the loaded round(Lee case trimmers use a system for holding the case rim and spinning in a drill motor). This second way has seen some slight,uhhhh how you say? changes in the powder distribution inside the loaded round. I read about this in someone's posting. A very slight little mention of it. I'm not endorsing it.... yet,haha. It may help with some of my long grained powders(cough4831,cough,cough).

    Anyway,the LG is a spinner tool used on bore ride noses as a "uniformer". Mainly for guys looking for top velocity/pressure and hard jams on OAL.

    Will post a pic if you can't imagine,it's just a piece of steel with a nose profile hole running through it.

  11. #31
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Switzerland of Ohio
    Posts
    6,313
    I think you'd better because after three readings it still doesn't make sense to me. (A retired ME with 40 years of mfg. experience. Fred Flintstone I'm not.)
    Cognitive Dissident

  12. #32
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    The Pacific NorthWet
    Posts
    3,877
    Poke bore rider into hole, rotate case to make bore rider more cylindrical, is my guess at what he means here?

  13. #33
    Boolit Master Shopdog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Va. mnts
    Posts
    562
    You got it Mr Sheesh. Pretty dang simple.

    Turn it slow,or speed it up.... try it both ways.

  14. #34
    Boolit Master Shopdog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Va. mnts
    Posts
    562
    OK,for the visually challenged.

    And like I posted above,this only shows the simplicity of the design. It's the "process" that you need to see and feel. Not selling a dang thing.... if you're happy with your processes,goodly good. If you like to experiment,uniforming noses "can" ( means may) show up on paper(accuracy on target). This "should" be,obviously the power driven style.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Screenshot_20210610-180103_Gallery.jpg  

  15. #35
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    SW OH
    Posts
    34
    I have a homemade powder trickler that my dad made in the 60's. Stainless tubing with lead in base, still works like a charm.

  16. #36
    Boolit Master Baltimoreed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    NC
    Posts
    1,569
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	027C6F07-E55C-4203-A487-3F619B4E0ACC.jpg 
Views:	60 
Size:	34.4 KB 
ID:	285019
    I built this years ago to trim bad 12 ga hulls down to make 2 inch shells. Just a piece of .22 bbl and an exacto knife blade with a drawer knob on the end. Tapped the .22 hole for a 1/4 inch bolt and screwed on my drawer knob. Inset it in the case and turn.

  17. #37
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Capital Region NY
    Posts
    680
    Cool thread.

  18. #38
    Vendor Sponsor

    Chill Wills's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Was-Colorado, Wyoming now
    Posts
    3,149
    I make what is basically "M" dies to replace the factory expander in any custom size wanted for friends or whoever.
    It is a hobby that makes me a little shooting money.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails DSCF3212.jpg  
    Chill Wills

  19. #39
    Boolit Buddy Hdskip's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Central Virginia
    Posts
    195
    This has been on my loading bench for 30+ years. It is from back in the day that I couldn't afford to pay attention. Powder trickler and it worked well for many years. It consists of an old prescription bottle ,a piece of brass tubing and some plastic tubing for retainers. Had I not gotten an RCBS trickler in a trade I'd likely sill be using it

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	trickler.jpg 
Views:	36 
Size:	33.2 KB 
ID:	285198
    Last edited by Hdskip; 06-26-2021 at 08:12 AM.

  20. #40
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Switzerland of Ohio
    Posts
    6,313
    Quote Originally Posted by Chill Wills View Post
    I make what is basically "M" dies to replace the factory expander in any custom size wanted for friends or whoever.
    It is a hobby that makes me a little shooting money.
    Shhhhh. We won't tell 'em that we start with McMaster #98957A407 9/16-18 allthread. Makes it look too easy.
    Cognitive Dissident

Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check