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Thread: 3D Printed 22 Caliber Pellet Mold

  1. #41
    Boolit Master
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    First Test Cast With 3D Printed Single Cavity 9MM Bullet Mold

    This is my short video clip of the very first casting session with my newly 3D printed single cavity 9MM bullet molds.

    The second half of this video shows some closeup views of how each individual bullet mold is holding up thus far.

    The 2nd casting session isn't shown because I was in such a hurry to get this done that I forgot to turn the camera on.

    My fumbling around with the stuff laying on the table in front of me should show you all how in such a hurry I can get with these 3D print projects.

    FYI--You may want to take a Dramamine tablet before viewing the second half of this video. My camera work can be nauseatingly shaky.

    I'm hoping that I can presented enough information with this and all following videos to show that if done in the proper sequence, and with the proper safety protocols, these 3D printed bullet molds actually work.

    There are still some minor modifications I need to make to my models and my table top organization but I'm confident now that this WILL be a good viable method for 3D printing and casting my own bullets in the future.

    Important to note:
    The addition of the Porcelain Powder to the factory formulation of the Siraya Tech Ultra White resin did NOT negatively effect the printability of this resin AND, it has indeed appeared to have increased the heat resistance just as I'd hoped it would.

    Also equally important to note:
    When mixing additional Porcelain Powder to the Siraya Tech Ultra White resin you must make a concerted effort to keep the additional Porcelain Powder mixed into your resin as evenly as possible. This can be done manually by pausing the print periodically and using a spoon or other stirring tool and/or by adjusting the lift height of the build plate between layers so as to create an up and down agitating effect as the build plate moves up and down. I used the latter method to stir the resin as it printed.

    As always, any insights, suggestions or questions are welcome.

    I'm sure the obstacles I've encountered so far, whether ignorantly self induced or induced by other factors that I had not considered or experienced, could have been accounted for before the prints were even made if I were a trained engineer.

    I am not a trained engineer. I'm just a chronically cheap, chronic Do-It-Yourselfer.

    I subscribe to the idea of self-sufficiency. If I can make my own bullets rather than spending money to buy them then, this is what I'll try to do.

    We're living in a very squeamish and easily offended society now days. Please accept my apologies up front for the one or two cuss words that came out of my mouth during the recording of his video.

    To me this kind of language is just a sort of stress management technique that I've perfected over the years.

    https://youtu.be/YDMr01FDsu0
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 10-08-2021 at 12:05 AM.

  2. #42
    Boolit Master
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    3D Printed 9MM Single Cavity Bullet Mold Test Cast 3

    This short video shows the third test casts using my 3D printed 9MM single cavity bullet molds including one control mold sample that was printed using the factory formulation of Siraya Tech Ultra White Composite print resin.

    I've now begun to get a sort of casting rhythm down a bit so the casting is going just a little bit smoother.

    A casting anomaly has started to show up in the form of one half of my molds seeming to show more effects from the heat of the molten lead than the other half.

    You'll see in the video what I'm speaking of. If you have any informed guesses as to why this is happening perhaps you can share those ideas with me and I can figure out a fix.

    Something else I'm noticing that I did not mention in this video: I call it the "Frosty Surface Finish" effect on my cast bullets.

    I've gotten these kinds of "Frosty Surface Finishes" before when casting with metal bullet molds and molten lead that was overly hot but, since I'm casting with 3D printed molds at cooler temperatures I'm at a loss as to how to explain it.

    I powder coat all of my cast pistol bullets so a "Frosty Surface Finish" isn't that big of a deal for me but, I find it peculiar that I'd get this kind of finish on my cast bullets given the parameters I casting with.

    Maybe one of you readers/viewers with more metallurgical experience can help me figure this out.

    I'll be mentioning more about these "Frosty Surface Finishes" on my cast bullets in the next video; although, in the next video I'll have a hard time trying to describe those "Frosty Surface Finishes."

    Bullet casters will more likely know what I'm referring to but for those reading or viewing my videos from the 3D print community, the "Frosty Surface Finishes" on my cast bullets may not make any sense.

    For now, I'm starting to get good fill out and smooth surface finishes on my cast bullets, in spite of the fact that I'm getting "Frosty Surface Finishes" on my cast bullets.

    I'll be back with the Fourth test cast out of my 3D printed molds as I finish up the editing for each test.

    Up next, test casts number 4. Thanks for sticking around.

    https://youtu.be/Sd6pZH8PZhg

  3. #43
    Boolit Grand Master
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    My first mold was an H&G 10 cavity #50 and it spoiled me.

    My second mold was a single cavity Lyman 311334 to make accurate cast bullets for a .308. It was painfully slow, but a speed demon compared to what you are doing. It is 50 years old and still works too.

    Plastics have no features that are beneficial to making bullet molds. Heat transfer is low, temperature resistance is low, abuse resistance is low. Thus, both production rate and longevity will be low...and that cannot be overcome. Even if you mange to get 50 casts/cavity, a new mold will need to be printed and cost about $2. To cast 2000 bullets will require 40 molds and cost $80 plus the time to print. And I doubt each of those 40 molds will be identical.

    Lee double cavity molds are $25 with handles and will produce 150-200 bullets/hr. If someone wants/needs cheap...that is not only cheap but will last for 1000's of cast bullets. For $65 you can get a 6 cavity mold with handles.

    I do not see where you are going with this. It will not be cheap, even if a person owns a 3D printer. For someone without a printer, they can purchase 20 Lee double cavity molds for the cost of a printer/supplies and have a better product that lasts a lifetime.

    I followed the thread as I was once interesting in casting .22 pellets. But your attempts were not successful. Making a projectile is not "success"...it needs to shoot accurately too. .22 pellets had the highest chance of a plastic mold surviving as they have so little heat to dissipate.

    My background is engineering and I worked in R&D early in my career. Part of R&D is knowing when you going down the wrong path.

    Take 10 minutes and think about this. Ask yourself these questions:

    Why am I doing this?
    How do I define success?
    What are the "mile markers" that tell me I am on the right path to get me where I want to be?
    What resources do I have to get me there?
    What resources do I need to acquire that I do not have?

    Let me explain "mile markers". This way of making molds will require multiple molds for the same bullet due to the limitations of plastic. So the first mile marker is...will my 3D printer be capable of sufficiently accurate repeatability? One way to test that is to print 50 bullets (not molds) and measure each bullet for length, diameter and concentricity. I would expect metal mold cavities to be accurate to within +/- .001". That will likely not be possible using 3D....but will the plastic bullets you print be within +/- .002"? If not, your printer/material is not capable. And if that is the case, is there a printer/material that will be? If a bullet cannot be printed accurately, a mold cannot be done either.
    Don Verna


  4. #44
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    Don't listen to the nay-sayers. The research itself will bear fruit in some way.
    When I started reloading 22lr they said "that is stupid, you can buy 22lr for 5 cents per round." But the research I have done has produced results that have gone far beyond just reloading 22lr".
    Keep up the good work.

  5. #45
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Traffer View Post
    Don't listen to the nay-sayers. The research itself will bear fruit in some way.
    When I started reloading 22lr they said "that is stupid, you can buy 22lr for 5 cents per round." But the research I have done has produced results that have gone far beyond just reloading 22lr".
    Keep up the good work.
    I do not get dissuaded by input like the above. From an engineering and manufacturing point of view it is a very valid argument. From a self-sufficiency perspective my 3D print-nerd projects make all the sense in the world to me.

    I don't think I've ever posted a project online that involved even a small amount of complexity that didn't receive well meaning comments telling all the reasons they thought it wouldn't work or that it was just not worth the effort somehow. When you post your projects online, these types of comments come with the territory.

    This is why over time, so many new ideas have been brought about more by the Mother of Invention rather than by the input of a trained engineer. Still, there really is no arguing that there are easier more efficient ways to go about this; like simply buying a pre-made bullet or pellet mold. There's nothing wrong with that. I've bought my share of pre-made bullet molds. I've even machined my own molds and swaging dies.

    What's missing in the "No Can Do" mind set are the Wonders Of Life and what can be accomplished if you just set your mind to it.

    "Success" means different things to different people. I consider my project a Success because I was able to increase the heat resistance of the resin I'm working with, where before we 3D print nerds didn't know that was possible. I consider it a Success having figured out through trial and error the dimensional tweaks I'll have to make to get the cast bullets to come out in the dimensions I'm looking for. I consider it a Success that I was able to get the cast bullet to fall out of my molds without the heat gluing them to the cavity walls and, a Success getting good complete fill out of the mold cavities.

    It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't even afford a 3D printer. Now I own two; Success! Not to long ago I didn't know how to properly use a 3D printer, now I can; Success!

    The odd thing to me is that most trained engineers went into their profession dreaming of one day being able to come up with the next latest and greatest gadget or technology. Their years of learning seems to have killed or stifled many of those hopes and dreams, mainly because by learning the "Laws of Physics" or the various other "Scientific Laws," the lessons that stuck with them were the ones that drummed into them all the reasons why things won't or can't work. That's a sad irony.

    Have you ever noticed that most of humanity's technological or practical advances made over time were made by those who were thinking outside the proverbial box of the "Laws of Physics" or other "Scientific Laws?"

    I think I prefer to remain an ignorant man working on my ignorant-man projects. It keeps the Wonders Of Life flowing in my life and it welcomes more people to participate in what ever Success or failure may be learned by these projects.

    Technological advancements that, by their very nature require expertise, excludes far to many people from bringing them to fruition.

    HollowPoint
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 10-09-2021 at 12:05 AM.

  6. #46
    Boolit Master
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    3D Printed Single Cavity 9MM Bullet Mold Test 4

    With each successive casting test I've found that if I make a few more adjustments to my casting technique I can mitigate some of the problems I've encountered so far.

    For example: I found that one half of each mold was showing more signs of thermal-shock than the other. By placing my mold on a flat surface while pouring the molten lead, I stand a better chance of getting the lead to flow into the mold cavities more evenly and thus evenly distributing the heat.

    It seems that while holding the mold in one hand and pouring the lead with the other I had the tendency to lean the mold to one side or the other ever so slightly during the pour.

    In theory, this may help eliminate the problem of one half of each mold catching the brunt of the thermal-shock.

    After checking the flatness of the inside mold-faces, I found that they were not truly flat. This means that by compensating for this in my CAD dimensions and then manually flattening those faces after the prints have been cured, I can get a tighter seal between the two mold halves.

    Again, in theory this may mitigate or eliminate the slight discoloration and erosion induced by the thermal-shock along the very edges of the mold cavities.

    These are just two of the things I'll be addressing before I print my next couple of prototype 9MM single cavity bullet molds.

    There are a few other things I need to address but for the time being I believe I'm making some good headway.

    I'll be back with final-test-cast numbers 5 and 6 and I'll follow that up with some closeups of the bullets and the condition of the molds after just six casts with the still functional 3D printed single cavity 9MM bullet molds printed with the Altered-Formula Siraya Tech Ultra White Composite Resin.

    Stay tuned.

    https://youtu.be/O2EPGiZxD-A

  7. #47
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    3D Printed Single Cavity 9MM Bullet Mold Test Casts 5 and 6

    Test Casts number 5 and 6 have now been edited.

    It takes me about one and a half to two hours to edit them and then about a half hour to forty-five minutes to save them.

    After that it takes an additional half hour to forty-five minutes to upload them and then another half hour to post them on the online group sites that are following this project.

    I'm not complaining. I just want to kind of give you an idea of why my crappy Videography is what it is.

    All the while I have thoughts and ideas whirling through my mind as to how I can best fix what needs fixing; be it by tweaking my CAD models, changing the order in which I cast or by going to a 9MM bullet design more conducive to this 3D print application.

    In this particular video clip you'll keep hearing me say, "Yea, this is a good bullet" or "Yea, this is a good surface finish."

    The actual surface finishes are very good. The thing that may be making them looked like mottled uneven surfaces is the Frosty Surface Finishes that these bullets are coming out of the molds with.

    Another thing to note is: Although the surface finishes are smooth and the mold cavity fill-out is very good, there is still the issue of the flashing along the seam lines of the bullets.

    I'm finding that they are still out of round to a certain degree.

    You'll see in the followup videos when I put my digital calipers to them just how much or how little they are out of round.

    The good thing about this Out-Of-Roundness is that the 9MM cast lead bullets cast with my 3D printed Single Cavity Bullet Molds all appear to be Out-Of-Round in a relatively consistent basis.

    This means that it should make it slightly easier to calculate the correct compensating measurements I need to make to my CAD models before I print out another batch of prototype 9MM bullet molds.

    Thanks for sticking around this long. I'll be back after I've finished editing the last two videos.

    As always, if you have any beneficial insights or suggestions that might help this process along I'd be glad to hear it.

    Fair Warning: I may not be posting the followup video/s until next week some time. I got a chance to go fishing this weekend so I'm putting this project on the back burner till I get back next week.

    I shall return.

    https://youtu.be/rGRAtRf1oYE

  8. #48
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Good pictures would have conveyed the information you have posted. Spending over 3 hours per video is a lot of time for little gain. For example, you mention putting up a video of measuring bullets. What will that do? Post the measurements....we will believe you. Add a couple of pictures. Done deal. Save those three hours to do more fishing.

    Enjoy your fishing trip!!
    Don Verna


  9. #49
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by dverna View Post
    Good pictures would have conveyed the information you have posted. Spending over 3 hours per video is a lot of time for little gain. For example, you mention putting up a video of measuring bullets. What will that do? Post the measurements....we will believe you. Add a couple of pictures. Done deal. Save those three hours to do more fishing.

    Enjoy your fishing trip!!
    The handful of good folks that happen to be following this project here on the Cast Boolits forum aren't the only ones following this project.

    There are a couple of the 3D print groups over on the Facebook site as well as a bullet casting group there too, and on the Instagram site there are a few folks that are also interested in the outcome of this project.

    The majority of those good folks know very little about bullet casting so I pass my information to them first in the manner that I have in an attempt to hopefully have it make a little more sense to them. Most of them already know about 3D printing; a whole lot more than I do but, within the context of this project and in the altering of the heat resistance of certain resins, this is new to most 3D print nerds.

    I'm saving time by posting my updates to them first with video content so that they can see what I'm talking about and not just picture in their minds what I'm talking about, and then I just post the same updates here in the same way. Time saved.

    I'm off to my fishing adventure.

    HollowPoint

  10. #50
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    I can't believe we here at castboolets have trolls that are trying to aggrandize themselves by showing us how educated and knowledgeable they are at HollowPoint's expense. I have a Physics degree, a PhD in mathematics, taught engineers at the University level (NOT the sharpest knives in the drawer), and have years of commercial experience in the world of computers, so forget about trying to impress me with your wonderful responses as I suggest that you blowhards take your negativity and unimaginative comments and put them to use elsewhere on a social platform where your type are common.

    To HollowPoint; I cannot believe your ingenuity and tenacity in doing one of the more interesting experiments I have seen in a very long time. Education is not the same thing as intelligence and you clearly have plenty of the latter. Pay no attention to the men behind the curtain and please DO carry on this project. It is just plain fun.

    oldcanadice

  11. #51
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    Next To Last 3D Printed Single Cavity 9MM Bullet Mold Overview

    In this Next-To-Last video I'll once again go over what I've determined to be the causes of the dimensional discrepancies I've experienced during this casting session.

    I'll also once again touch on what I intend to do to get my models to print out to the dimensions they need to be in order to compensate for the Out-Of-Round dimensions I've gotten thus far.

    When viewed with the expectation of getting perfectly cast bullets out of these Test-Prototype 3D printed 9MM bullet molds right out of the gate, it's easy to see how one might consider these efforts to be a complete waste of time.

    To Me, it's not a waste of time. I'm trying to do something that, to the best of my knowledge has not been done before; and that is, casting some good usable 9MM bullets using some 3D printed bullet molds out of what some may consider to be plastic bullet molds.

    How many of you 3D print fans knew that you could increase the heat resistance of the Siraya Tech Ultra White resin by mixing in some additional Porcelain Powder?

    I didn't know that either until I tried it to see if it could be done.

    How many of you knew how much additional Porcelain Powder it would take in order to increase the heat resistance enough for the resin to be able to withstand the thermal-shock of molten lead?

    How many of you experienced bullet casters knew that you could 3D print some Airgun Pellet molds or 9MM bullet molds and use them more than just two or three times to cast pellets or bullets with before they became useless?

    I didn't know that either until I tried it myself to see if it could be done.

    If I hadn't tried it I wouldn't know how much shrinkage to expect in my prints using the specific 3D print resin that I've been working with.

    I wouldn't know if I could get a complete fill out of my bullet mold cavities without having the cast bullets melt into the mold cavities and just create a big molten lead and plastic gooey mess.

    Most of the folks that have been following this project who took the time to post any questions or comments have been extremely supportive.

    You'll never know how grateful I am for that support.

    As is usually the case with projects like this, there have been and will always be those well meaning self-appointed-experts and naysayers who will chime in with all the reasons they think such a project will fail or, is a complete waste of time.

    This 3D printed bullet mold experiment is ongoing. These are just the first steps toward inevitably getting these 3D printed bullet molds to cast perfect or near perfect, usable cast lead bullets.

    Stay tuned. There's still a bit more to come.

    https://youtu.be/TCB71PKL7SY

  12. #52
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    Last 3D Printed 9MM Bullet Mold Video For Now

    This is the final 3D Printed 9MM bullet mold video update for now.

    I'll be focusing now on making the needed dimensional adjustments to my CAD models before printing out the next batch of test prototypes.

    I then plan on resurrecting this 3D printed bullet mold project to update you all on it's progress.

    Thanks again to all of you who stuck around for as long as you have and thanks to those who took the time to post comments or suggestions as well as for the words of encouragement.

    I believe I've been able to gather enough information from this series of test casts to move this project along to it's final conclusion.

    As always, if you can offer up some useful suggestions or insights I'll be happy to hear them.

    I'll be back with those updates as I get far enough along.

    https://youtu.be/bIFeGhcU0rA

  13. #53
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldcanadice View Post
    I can't believe we here at castboolets have trolls that are trying to aggrandize themselves by showing us how educated and knowledgeable they are at HollowPoint's expense. I have a Physics degree, a PhD in mathematics, taught engineers at the University level (NOT the sharpest knives in the drawer), and have years of commercial experience in the world of computers, so forget about trying to impress me with your wonderful responses as I suggest that you blowhards take your negativity and unimaginative comments and put them to use elsewhere on a social platform where your type are common.

    To HollowPoint; I cannot believe your ingenuity and tenacity in doing one of the more interesting experiments I have seen in a very long time. Education is not the same thing as intelligence and you clearly have plenty of the latter. Pay no attention to the men behind the curtain and please DO carry on this project. It is just plain fun.

    oldcanadice
    I checked your profile. This is the only post in it. You have not contributed to the forum for a long time.

    Your educational credentials are not germane to this topic, bullet casting or reloading. If you can help HP make progress...do it. But moral support may be all you can give him. He is way out on the leading edge of 3D printing...that is for sure. He has certainly accomplished a lot more than anyone else.

    HP, I have met folks like you and understand your passion. At one point I worked for an Angel investor. My job was to evaluate new technologies to determine the risk and rewards of investing in a concept/product. Therefore, I come at things purely from a business perspective. Is the product marketable, is it a "game changer", is it patentable, can it make money. None of that applies to something that is a hobby, so I apologize for not being "rah-rah" supportive. I was honest in my evaluation of reality...even if I am proven wrong.

    I will keep following and shut up.

    Good luck!!!!
    Don Verna


  14. #54
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    Good News And Bad News Kinda

    I started printing my next batch of 3D printed bullet molds this morning. Everything seemed to be going well until about a half an hour in.

    We had power outage. Power outages are very rare in my neighborhood. The last time it happened it was caused by some drunk guy crashing his truck into a power poll in our area.

    What does this mean for my project? It's just another annoying setback. It means that if I'm using two ounces of resin for each mold print and a full bottle of resin holds about 16 ounces, I may not have enough resin left in my bottle to print out four more molds prototypes.

    It's going to be close. If I have to I can simply reuse the previously printed Sprue-Cutter lids to save on resin.

    Unfortunately I had also made some slight tweaks to my lid dimensions as well in order to get them to fit just a tiny bit snugger so as to have the underside bottom of the lid hug the top surface of my molds a bit tighter.

    I found with my previous casting sessions that if there was even a tiny gap between the top face of the mold and the underside face of the lid it gave the molten lead a chance to form flashing within that tiny gap.

    This time around I'll be printing an almost exact copy of my previous 9MM mold. The only difference will be in the printed dimensions of the mold cavities. I've also added .01" to the inside faces of each mold half. This will mean that I can go in and manually sand those faces down by the same .01" amount to get those faces as perfectly flat as possible.

    I'm trying to get the mating surfaces of both halves of my molds as tight as possible to mitigate or eliminate the erosion that seemed to take place on those inside mold cavity edges when even the tiniest gap was present.

    The other 9MM mold I'll be printing will be basically the same mold except that it will be hollow pointed.

    Why make it a hollow point?? This will be like an experiment within an experiment. I plan to file the tip of the hollow point stem so as to create some very small channels that will (in theory) deflect the molten lead away from the seam lines of the mold cavities. This, in combination with the tighter mating of the two mold halves will hopefully mitigate or eliminate the erosion that seemed to occur by pouring the molten lead into the cavities.

    I think I alluded to possibly of using a Bullet-Model more conducive to 3D printed bullet mold applications in one of my previous posts. This, "More Conducive" bullet design is one of those cast bullets designed to be powder coated before reloading.

    On my third print of this next batch of 3D printed bullet molds I thought I'd try using one of those Powder-Coated bullet designs for the 45 ACP range of bullets. It has no grease grooves, and except for the nose of this 45 caliber bullet it has only straight cylindrical sides.

    At this point, I'm not really sure if the larger volume of molten lead that this 45 caliber bullet will effect the dimensions of the models being printed or the bullets being cast in the molds.

    I don't know if the dimensional shrinkage is of a linear type or not. What I mean is; back when I printed and cast with my Airgun pellet molds, the amount of lead being poured and the pellets being cast were tiny when compared to the 9MM bullets. The dimensional shrinkage I got with the pellet molds and the pellets was extremely miniscule.

    With the nine millimeter bullet, although still very small, I was getting more measurable dimensional shrinkage in two different directions. With a 45 caliber bullet, I don't know if I'll get larger dimensional variance or if it will be generally the same as with the 9MM bullet.

    When I modeled this upcoming 45 caliber bullet mold I used the same dimensional tweaks I used on this latest iteration of my 9MM bullet molds.

    If you recall, my molds were originally modeled to be .358 " in diameter. When I discovered that the actual finished print dimensions had shrunk down slightly differently in two directions, I then changed that diameter dimension to .360" to compensate for the shrinkage.

    My dimensional changes at that time turned out to be incorrect or insufficient. The dimensions were different in the X-Axis and the Y-Axis. I had just increased the overall diameter thinking I could then size it down to the proper dimension. Didn't work.

    It had shrunk by an average of .006" from side to side at the seam line; and it had shrunk an average of .014" from front to back in the non-seam line direction. I added these numbers to the diameter of my 45 caliber bullet mold cavities just to see if this type of 3D print shrinkage will be the same for a larger bullet as it is for the smaller 9MM bullet.

    I'll be back with updates as I get farther along.

    HollowPoint
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 10-14-2021 at 09:28 PM.

  15. #55
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    Third Batch Of 3D Printed Bullet Molds Are Done And Ready For Testing

    I just finished up my third batch of prototype 3D printed single cavity bullet molds.

    I'm hoping that the Third Time Will Be The Charm.

    Judging from the finished measurements I got I think I finally got my numbers right.

    The next Casting session should tell me if those corrected dimensional numbers will be reflected in the dimensions of the bullets I'll be casting.

    I thought perhaps if I wrote all of my measurements down on a piece of paper it might all come across more clearly but in viewing this short video clip during editing, the only thing "Clear" is that the numbers I'm presenting here are still a jumbled mess of confusion.

    I'm happy to report that in spite of the fact that Mathematics and I are not on Friendly Terms, I was still able to get my print dimensions where I wanted them.

    I thought I'd be able to print four more prototype bullet molds this time around but due to the power outage we experienced here at about a quarter of the way in to my first print, I was afraid that I wouldn't have quite enough resin to print that fourth bullet mold.

    I decided to print something else instead. That "Something Else" was a smaller 3D print of an item I've wanted to print for a while now but, I just never seemed to get around to it. It required a bit less resin to print.

    The hollow pointing stems that I'll be using in both the 45 caliber and the 9MM hollow pointed bullet molds will be made from some quarter-inch aluminum rod I have in my junk pile.

    I'll be turning them on my metal lathe rather than 3D printing them; for the same reason; I wasn't sure if I'd have enough resin left over to print anything more.

    As it turns out, I ended up with just a little less than two ounces of resin left in the bottle. Again I repeat, "I Suck At Math."

    I'll be back with more updates as I get farther along.

    https://youtu.be/va8BB8VVpiM

  16. #56
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    You need to use the low temp alloy I have many hundreds of pounds of! It melts at 145F! Can be cast in any plastic mold or Solo cup. Used to hold jet engine turbine blades in place for machining at a local jet engine factory. No Cd in it.

    Fun stuff. Cast a spoon of it, give it to a friend to stir his "VERY strong" coffee, and it melts in the hot coffee!!!!!!

    Now THAT...............is a strong cup of black coffee!


    banger

  17. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by bangerjim View Post
    You need to use the low temp alloy I have many hundreds of pounds of! It melts at 145F! Can be cast in any plastic mold or Solo cup. Used to hold jet engine turbine blades in place for machining at a local jet engine factory. No Cd in it.

    Fun stuff. Cast a spoon of it, give it to a friend to stir his "VERY strong" coffee, and it melts in the hot coffee!!!!!!

    Now THAT...............is a strong cup of black coffee!


    banger
    I think I'll stick with lead since that's the metal most bullet casters use. If it turns out that there are some adventurists who would ever decide to undertake a similar 3D printed bullet mold project, what are the chances that they'd want to shoot bullets made from a metal that could melt in an overly hot gun barrel?

    Thanks for taking the time to post a suggestion.

    HollowPoint

  18. #58
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    3D Printed Single Cavity Bullet Mold Casting Session #4

    Casting session number four is now done. Now I'm closer than ever to being able to print out some user friendly 3D printed molds that will last for more than just a handful of casts before they're no longer usable. I really thought that this time would be the charm but I learned a couple more hands-on lessons that I now know how to correct.

    The 45 Caliber hollow pointed bullet mold surprised the heck out of me. I thought that because I'd be pouring a larger volume of molten lead into it, it would be the first to start showing signs of an early death. Not so; that 3D printed 45 caliber single cavity mold seemed to hold up better than all the 9MM molds I've printed thus far.
    Although, I did manage to screw up that mold before casting anything with it. I tried to manually ream out the hole for the hollow pointing stem and I managed to ream it out off center.

    Since this was just a prototype mold it didn't matter to much but still, if I hadn't screwed up the alignment of the hollow point with the body of the bullet I would have been extremely happy with it. It really does look as though a cast bullet designed specifically for Powder Coating is more conducive to this 3D printed bullet mold application.

    The 9MM molds I printed this time out also appeared to perform better than the previous two mold I'd printed but I found that a couple more tweaks are still in order. The erosion I was getting along the cavity edges have been successfully corrected but now I found that a similar type of erosion was taking place along the edges at the mouth of the mold cavities. This too can be corrected easy enough. I just wish I would have had the foresight to have expected this before hand.

    I have alot of video editing to do so hopefully I can post some video updates within a couple of days.

    A couple of my short video clips are made with a hand-held camera approach so, fair warning; get your Dramamine pills ready. It may be a dizzying view.

    HollowPoint

  19. #59
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    3D Printed 9MM And 45 Caliber Bullet Molds

    I may have just tried to cram to much information into this short ten or twelve minute video update.

    It starts with a quick intro or overview of this latest batch of 3D printed bullet molds.

    Although they printed out well using the revised dimensional improvements, I did managed to screw up the 45 caliber mold by manually reaming out the hollow pointing cavity. I ended up reaming it off-center.

    No matter. It's just a prototype mold meant to test the viability of casting lead bullets of a slightly larger volume than the 9MM bullets or the Airgun Pellets I'd previously done.

    This time around, rather than using the alignment divots I had previously modeled onto the inside faces of my mold halves, I opted to use thru-holes, into which I inserted some 1/8" aluminum rods.

    Replacing the alignment divots and replacing them with thru-holes allowed me to sand the inside faces of my mold halves as flat as possible in order to get a tighter mating surface between the two halves, which helped to eliminate the excessive lead flashing I was getting with my previously printed bullet molds.

    The excessive flashing along the edges of the mold cavities has now been successfully eliminated; however, in upcoming videos you will see that the introduction of the alignment rods also brought with it the added time it now takes to remove the bullets from the molds.

    This added time allowed for the molds to cool between castings; which in turn, kept me from being able to get the more well defined surface finishes that I was getting with my previous batch of 3D printed bullet molds.

    The bulky safety gloves I was wearing also added to the difficulty in getting into a more consistent flow of casting. It made it a bit harder to remove the cast bullet as quickly as possible so I could move on to the next cast.

    In this short video, I am NOT Deliberately Neglecting to show each bullet as they come out of their respective molds. It's just that I was trying to cast, remove the bullet and then move onto the next cast as quickly as possible in order to get the molds to reach a higher temperature like in my previous videos.

    There was alot of fumbling around in the process. I had a difficult time getting into a casting rhythm this time around; due in large part to the added steps of removing the alignment pins and the hollow pointing pins as part of the casting process.

    If I had also taken the time to raise each cast bullet to the camera lens to show you what it looked like, it would have just allowed the molds to cool even further.

    I hope you all will bare with me. I'll show you the bullets in the upcoming videos. Right now I'm working out ways of preheating the molds for my next batch of 3D printed molds. I think I've figured out a way but I'll have to wait till next time to show you what I'm getting at.

    The 3D printed molds CAN NOT be placed directly onto a hot-plate because it causes scaling and then cracking on the surfaces of the molds that makes contact with the hot-plate. I don't want to damage the molds before I've even had a chance to cast with them.

    Trying to explain with the written word what I've come up with to resolve this issue would make it seem far more complicated than it really is.

    I'll be back with more video updates as soon as I can crank out the next video.

    Thanks for sticking around this long.

    https://youtu.be/ZSPVF8CxeT8

  20. #60
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    My fresh bottle of resin showed up today. You're not going to believe this but, it was donated by one of the members over on the Siraya Tech resin group on the Facebook site. It's one of the guys who's been following this project.

    The guy's name is Bill Pennington. He has a fair sized YouTube following. He makes alot of fishing related 3D printed stuff. It's rare to find such gracious people now days. Especially those you don't even know or have never met. His YouTube channel is; https://www.youtube.com/c/GulfStreamOutdoors If you're into fishing and making your own fishing lures check out his content if you get the chance.

    The bottle of resin I just used up had been donated by the guys over at Siraya Tech resins. It would appear that the Good Lord really does answer prayers. The Siraya Tech Ultra White resin I've been using for this project isn't cheap. Including tax and shipping it would have cost me about 81-bucks for one bottle. There are other resins that are said to have High-Heat-Resistance but those can cost up to 280-bucks not including tax and shipping.

    Anyway; what all of this means is that after I get the rest of my videos edited, I can finish up what I hope will be the final dimensional tweaks to my CAD models. From there I can print out what I hope will be the finished project.

    Most of the obstacles and setbacks I've encountered with this 3D printed bullet mold project could have been avoided if I had applied a little foresight with each batch of molds I've printed. Unfortunately this is generally how my projects go. I tell folks that I'm "Self-Taught," and this is basically true. I learn my lessons via the hands-on approach.

    Being "Self-Taught" is just a round about way of admitting that I have to learn things the hard way. When you're "Self-Taught" you're basically in a situation where the teacher is just as ignorant as the student.

    I'm hoping that by late next week some time I'll be able to print out that last batch of bullet molds. I'll try to remember to post some pictures of the tweaks I've made to my CAD models in an attempt to solve the problem of having the ultra razor thin edges at the mouths of my mold cavities from cracking or eroding.

    I'll be back when I get farther along.

    HollowPoint

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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