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Thread: Making that Bullet Collator

  1. #4561
    Boolit Buddy Phlier's Avatar
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    Thank you, GWS!!
    "Things sure are a lot more like the way they are now than they used to be." --Yogi Berra

  2. #4562
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phlier View Post
    Thank you, GWS!!
    "Thanks" I'm afraid is premature. The print file says test.....and most tests, unless you are flat lucky, require more tests before even considering prime time. This is no exception. I went ahead and printed out the 9mm file.....just finished an hour ago....set it up on the small collator and guess what? No joy. I think the holes are too wide and maybe too long. Would have worked I think if the walls of the base were tighter to the plate, so I've got to make the holes a little narrower and maybe a little shorter. So don't waste any PLA quite yet. It's pretty.....does that count? Back to the drawing board. Hope to print another try tomorrow.....think I'm going to have some time to tweak the shape tonight on Autocad.

    BTW the closest thing I have to 9mm boolits is some Berry's plated...not boolits but..... I should ask around and see if any of my friends have some to test with.

  3. #4563
    Boolit Bub
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    hey bud have been using the case #10 for 9mm but have a friend wants me to load some 45apc anychance you have a model for the bigger case?

    thanks in advance

  4. #4564
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by SoggyCashew View Post
    I do have one for the Light and Switch.... I started out with the light and went to a switch. Attached is the .stl #10 tubes

    FYI that on the shoot is a bullet counter that actually counts each "Finished" cartridge as it goes through the counter and not the motion of the handle. I made a short video of it working...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z7sgvrZ78o
    hey bud have been using the case #10 for 9mm but have a friend wants me to load some 45apc anychance you have a model for the bigger case?

    thanks in advance

  5. #4565
    Boolit Buddy Phlier's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GWS View Post
    "Thanks" I'm afraid is premature. The print file says test.....and most tests, unless you are flat lucky, require more tests before even considering prime time. This is no exception. I went ahead and printed out the 9mm file.....just finished an hour ago....set it up on the small collator and guess what? No joy. I think the holes are too wide and maybe too long. Would have worked I think if the walls of the base were tighter to the plate, so I've got to make the holes a little narrower and maybe a little shorter. So don't waste any PLA quite yet. It's pretty.....does that count? Back to the drawing board. Hope to print another try tomorrow.....think I'm going to have some time to tweak the shape tonight on Autocad.

    BTW the closest thing I have to 9mm boolits is some Berry's plated...not boolits but..... I should ask around and see if any of my friends have some to test with.
    I'd be more than happy to send ya as many 9mm's as you'd like! Just holler!
    "Things sure are a lot more like the way they are now than they used to be." --Yogi Berra

  6. #4566
    Boolit Bub
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    just tried to download the latest manual from Tyler's post is there something up just takes me to no access page?

  7. #4567
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    Quote Originally Posted by greekman View Post
    just tried to download the latest manual from Tyler's post is there something up just takes me to no access page?
    Files are down right now because people can't seem to control their comments in open forums.

  8. #4568
    Boolit Master GWS's Avatar
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    9MM Collated Base Down and No Bullet Flipping Ramp Necessary

    Phlier, 3rd try with the 9 mm design was the charm. Holes were too long. Berry's plated works.....most likely the cast boolits will too. The only negative is the last bullet seems to have a hard time going in by itself (bullet's heavy base too often wants to go first....but that's minor....

    I added a clear styrene piece at the front to keep the kicker from knocking them over. One could add a ridge to the slider too, but the clear piece worked great.
    I use wing nuts to tighten the baffle too, but for this video I'd just bore you with screwing on 3 more wing nuts.....

    Yes the ramp is more efficient....but except for that last bullet not by much. The baffle keeps base down from ever happening when wing nuts are used to secure it against the plate verticals.

    Last edited by GWS; 06-18-2021 at 07:03 PM.

  9. #4569
    Boolit Buddy Phlier's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TylerR View Post
    Files are down right now because people can't seem to control their comments in open forums.
    Oh no.... did I do/say something wrong???

    Quote Originally Posted by GWS View Post
    Phlier, 3rd try with the 9 mm design was the charm. Holes were too long. Berry's plated works.....most likely the cast boolits will too. The only negative is the last bullet seems to have a hard time going in by itself (bullet's heavy base too often wants to go first....but that's minor....

    I added a clear styrene piece at the front to keep the kicker from knocking them over. One could add a ridge to the slider too, but the clear piece worked great.
    I use wing nuts to tighten the baffle too, but for this video I'd just bore you with screwing on 3 more wing nuts.....

    Yes the ramp is more efficient....but except for that last bullet not by much. The baffle keeps base down from ever happening when wing nuts are used to secure it against the plate verticals.

    Thank you, again!

    I just got a Voxelab Aquila printer yesterday, which I'm working on getting setup today, so I should be able to get printing without having to depend on my son's printer soon!

    I really appreciate your help with this, GWS!
    Last edited by Phlier; 06-11-2021 at 03:09 PM. Reason: typo
    "Things sure are a lot more like the way they are now than they used to be." --Yogi Berra

  10. #4570
    Boolit Master TylerR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phlier View Post
    Oh no.... did I do/say something wrong???
    No not on here.

  11. #4571
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    Tyler,

    Long time no talk. Been away for a bit, work has been crazy. Just wanted to thank you for all the work you have done on this project. I now building my second collator. I did notice that the drop tubes and adapters have a small problem. Seems to be a gap on the 6mm and 7mm tubes and on the 14mm adapter.Click image for larger version. 

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  12. #4572
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phlier View Post
    I just got a Voxelab Aquila printer yesterday, which I'm working on getting setup today, so I should be able to get printing without having to depend on my son's printer soon!

    I really appreciate your help with this, GWS!
    Wait! While it worked I just realized I reversed the holes from what I did on the .45's! Nuts! I was wondering why they were all unstable rotating! In a minute I will reverse the holes and I'm positive it will improve it a lot! Sorry.....egg drying on my face.... Posted the new files below!!! will correct the other previous posts.

    May not even need the clear plastic now.....

    Better ME printing it four times than you.....
    Last edited by GWS; 06-18-2021 at 07:04 PM.

  13. #4573
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    Quote Originally Posted by j_dude77 View Post
    Tyler,

    Long time no talk. Been away for a bit, work has been crazy. Just wanted to thank you for all the work you have done on this project. I now building my second collator. I did notice that the drop tubes and adapters have a small problem. Seems to be a gap on the 6mm and 7mm tubes and on the 14mm adapter.Click image for larger version. 

Name:	14mm DT Capture.jpg 
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ID:	284364Click image for larger version. 

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    Hey jdude. I went back and looked at the 3 parts. The minimum distance on the two drop tubes is above .4mm, so your slicer should not show a gap there unless you are using a larger nozzle. You were right about the #14 adapter though. The recessed "4" was less then .4mm. I fixed that and reposted.

  14. #4574
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    Quote Originally Posted by TylerR View Post
    Hey jdude. I went back and looked at the 3 parts. The minimum distance on the two drop tubes is above .4mm, so your slicer should not show a gap there unless you are using a larger nozzle. You were right about the #14 adapter though. The recessed "4" was less then .4mm. I fixed that and reposted.
    Never ends does it?

  15. #4575
    Boolit Buddy Phlier's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GWS View Post
    Wait! While it worked I just realized I reversed the holes from what I did on the .45's! Nuts! I was wondering why they were all unstable rotating! In a minute I will reverse the holes and I'm positive it will improve it a lot! Sorry.....egg drying on my face.... Posted the new files below!!! will correct the other previous posts.

    May not even need the clear plastic now.....

    Better ME printing it four times than you.....
    Excellent, GWS!

    I'm still upgrading my Voxelab Aquila (Ender 3 clone), so I haven't had a chance to print the plate yet.

    So the second AmmoMike BF that I bought arrived two days ago. It has the hex drive. So I have one BF with the old drive setup, and one BF with the hex drive.

    Your plates are for the AM version BF, and not the TylerR, right?

    I'm adding a BLTouch probe and a few other odds and ends to the printer today.
    "Things sure are a lot more like the way they are now than they used to be." --Yogi Berra

  16. #4576
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    Yes the plates are for the Ammo Mike base. I have two of Tyler's collators, one of Mike's. Tyler's Mondo giants are a little too big for my space. His others do great for me. If I ever start casting, I may redo this ramp-less nose down design for the bigger base.

    I'm going to test the latest this evening.....REDOWNLOAD FILES TONIGHT...to save you from having to print again..... I had to repost them again because I'm printing the plate without the upright deflectors!.....forgot to combine the drawings when I reversed hole direction. Fixed as of 4pm today (6/12).

    I'm okay with the waste..... I have a lot of that green roll left. It's not the same formula as their usual and requires 230 degrees vs 215 for the other formula. They ran out last January and made this green up to fill orders while the usual formula was backordered. It looks great, but everything had to be set up different from all my other PLA. So I don't mind using this up. It's a $20 PIA! Spelling intentional.
    Last edited by GWS; 06-12-2021 at 06:04 PM.

  17. #4577
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    Quote Originally Posted by GWS View Post
    Yes the plates are for the Ammo Mike base. I have two of Tyler's collators, one of Mike's. Tyler's Mondo giants are a little too big for my space. His others do great for me. If I ever start casting, I may redo this ramp-less nose down design for the bigger base.

    I'm going to test the latest this evening.....REDOWNLOAD FILES TONIGHT...to save you from having to print again..... I had to repost them again because I'm printing the plate without the upright deflectors!.....forgot to combine the drawings when I reversed hole direction. Fixed as of 4pm today (6/12).

    I'm okay with the waste..... I have a lot of that green roll left. It's not the same formula as their usual and requires 230 degrees vs 215 for the other formula. They ran out last January and made this green up to fill orders while the usual formula was backordered. It looks great, but everything had to be set up different from all my other PLA. So I don't mind using this up. It's a $20 PIA! Spelling intentional.
    Got 'em, thanks!

    I peered into the rabbit hole that is tuning your new 3D printer, and before I knew it, found myself 100ft down.

    Managing to crank out the parts for my first TylerR et al. BF, though! Printed the post mount last night. It came out decent, but showed me that I still have some more print settings to tweak; I'm getting stringing and other signs of poor retraction.

    I'm waiting to print out your files, GWS, until I get my print settings dialed in to give me the best possible outcome. And as it turns out, the other non-critical parts of the project are an excellent way to make progress on getting the needed parts together, while also working on tuning the print settings.

    Luckily, I have my 3D printing guru son to help me out.

    BTW, I don't know if you guys are interested or not, but Amazon has a special right now on a PLA+ that my boy recommended to me. It prints like a dream, and is as close to an exact match for Dillon blue as I think you can get. The special is two, one kilo rolls for 34 bucks. Here's a non-affiliate link to it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Been printing it at 210C nozzle, 60C bed and it's just really good stuff. Had no idea a cheap printer like my Ender 3 clone could produce such great results.

    As a side note.... the first AM BF that I bought nearly two years ago came with a 3/4" ID iron pipe post mount for the bottom of the post that I have been unable to find an stl for anywhere. It's a fantastic mount, in that it can be both clamped or bolted to your reloading bench. It has a round, wide base (plenty of room for clamps for temporary mounting), with a flat side so you can mount it flush to the front of your bench without it sticking over it. I'll post a pic of it later.

    I've been nagging my son to recreate it in CAD for me, so I can at least contribute *something* to this project... even if it is my son's work!
    "Things sure are a lot more like the way they are now than they used to be." --Yogi Berra

  18. #4578
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    I apologize.....you'll have to copy the files one more time.....when I added the verticals back in I didn't notice it snapped to the wrong place and they aren't centered between holes....sigh....fixed it. If it's any consolation I added a new slider for Ammo Mike's base for use with these nose-down plates....insurance. Not tested yet (tonight again....hope my printer doesn't wear out! ) But if there's any problem with the slider I will fix it....or you can just use the flat one A.M. supplied.

    Last edited by GWS; 06-14-2021 at 09:22 AM.

  19. #4579
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    Quote Originally Posted by GWS View Post
    I apologize.....you'll have to copy the files one more time.....when I added the verticals back in I didn't notice it snapped to the wrong place and they aren't centered between holes....sigh....fixed it. If it's any consolation I added a new slider for Ammo Mike's base for use with these nose-down plates....insurance. Not tested yet (tonight again....hope my printer doesn't wear out! ) But if there's any problem with the slider I will fix it....or you can just use the flat one A.M. supplied.

    Excellent, GWS, I'm hoping to get them on the printer tonight!
    "Things sure are a lot more like the way they are now than they used to be." --Yogi Berra

  20. #4580
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    The 9mm shape is giving me more trouble than the .45 did. I'm still getting a few base down....the skinnier diameter and slick surface of the Berry's bullets makes it easier to tuck in base down in spite of the minimum height of the "cover" over the plate. I need more time unless you want to print this project more than once.......and the slider vertical is not compatible with the spring loaded bullet knocker....I'm attempting to do without that noisy thing with a new part screwed to the side of the base, since by the time around that merry-go-round, a correctly oriented bullet/boolit has dropped below any protruding part that might knock it back to the bottom. Designing the "protruder" today. Sigh, and may have to change the three verticals (again) in the plate to make that work.

    This has become much more complicated than the other one was......but may go back and copy the feature to the .45 version if it works, because it will not have that loud constant grating knocking sound I dislike.

    So only print tonight if you and/or your son want to do your own experimenting........too bad you don't do .45.......it sure was easier. (lead boolits might not have the same problem either.)

    Update. The direction it's going is more positive....seeing the end of the tunnel. Give me another day. Prelim. quiet version test went well.
    Last edited by GWS; 06-14-2021 at 07:27 PM.

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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