Drawing a custom mold print

[Wolfdog91]

Hiw does one go about this ? I see NOE had made a lot of mold that where drawn up by folks but is there like a program you use or what ? Kinda wanna see if I could get a two part mold made but no clue on how I'd go a out drawing up a print
Thanks

[lightload]

The owner will answer the phone. His name is Al, and he is very nice. Also I think Accurate Molds has what you need.

I grew up in Summit, Mississippi.

[Shopdog]

Before calling and asking "dumb" questions(not a dig) Wolfdog,study a BUNCH of NOE prints. Try to get a feel for what,and where the important specs are located on THEIR prints. Then possibly look at any other prints on bullets. IOW's get education on your time. Make a note card with your questions and concerns.... leaving space for quick answers.

Not busting on you one bit.... it can be a daunting task for both,caller..... and call'ee.

Further; a piece of plain ole typing paper and a combination square,maybe framing square can do a pretty dang good,analog job of making a "print". Good luck,NOE moulds are really nice!!

[high standard 40]

I have drawn up technical drawings of some molds I have designed and I did it in Photoshop using design elements from Photos of other mold designs in Accurate Molds online catalog.

[Daekar]

I have used the parametric sketch function of FreeCAD before, and now I use Fusion360 to model things. Both can be had for free and are very capable once you get the hang of it.

I second the suggestion from high standard 40, I use the plethora of designs from the Accurate catalogue as a starting place to get an idea of what the right dimensions for chamfers, crimp grooves, driving bands, etc. should be, and what dimensioning strategy will make it easier for the machinist.

I am actually in the process of trying to find a very accurate load for my Henry, and if I can't manage it with the 158gr Lee I have I'll be drawing up a 200gr NLG Design with a 0.26" to 0.28" meplat and sending it to Accurate. They have been super helpful because they will accept my designs and then alter them to hit the target weight if my calculations were off a bit.

If you have a 3D printer, draw up your bullet and print it out. That way you can see what it would actually look like, and you can test how it will interact with your chamber.

[country gent]

If you want to do it by hand scale up the drawing 4-? times bigger this makes fine details easier to do.

[TomAM]

In the 1980s when I started ordering custom molds from Veral Smith and Dave Farmer, I just used a sheet of graph paper.
Every line division equals, say, 10 thousandths.

Simply use a pencil to draw from line to line. Freehand the curves such as the ogive.

It's surprising how easily you can draw a large, accurately scaled rendition of exactly what you want.
And far easier than learning to use CAD software.

[Tom Myers]

Hiw does one go about this ? I see NOE had made a lot of mold that where drawn up by folks but is there like a program you use or what ? Kinda wanna see if I could get a two part mold made but no clue on how I'd go a out drawing up a print
Thanks

Some years ago I developed and marketed the Cast Bullet Design ~ Advanced software application.
That software application is what Al Nelson at Night Owl Moulds uses to design and display the dimensions of his numerous cast bullet designs.

The Cast Bullet Design ~ Advanced software application can be purchased and downloaded from the Precision Shooting Software Store website.
Also available is the Cast Bullet Design ~ Ultimate application that enable the user to design a bullet that is a perfect fit to a specific chamber, throat and groove/bore size.

Hope this helps.

[fredj338]

I have done it in AUTCAD but with Accurate, its easier to find a mold you like & just change certain dimensions.

[lar45]

Hi WolfDog
I use LibreCAD, it's a free download and is very similar to AutoCAD that I used in Engineering School, except it's Free and AutoCAD isn't...
https://librecad.org/
It's good to hand sketch out your bullet first, so you don't have to stop and measure or calculate while you are in the zone of clicking points...
I think NOE will do group buys if you come up with something interesting and get some folks to go in with you.
Accurate will produce about anything.
I agree with the above suggestions of comparing existing designs to get an idea of driving band widths, angles, ogives and meplats...

What bullet are you thinking about making?

[Lakehouse2012]

This is the SW I've used for years:

https://www.tmtpages.com/draw/draw.htm

Sent from my SM-A526U using Tapatalk

[gwpercle]

I use drafting board and a sheet of paper , add T-square and triangles and for more than 50 years drew everything .
I never used a computer or software and have designed and drawn everything from Patent Drawings , residences , office buildings , steel detailing , survey maps , boats and a semi-submersible derrick vessel (oil drilling ) .

You simply tape a sheet of paper to your board , use pen , pencil and Rapidograph to draw whatever you want . It can't be that hard to do ... if I can do it anyone can.
A nice drafting / drawing kit with T-square , drawing board , triangles and other drafting drawing supplies and tools can be ordered for about $50.00 from several locations ... it may be old school drafting but old school still works for me .
Gary