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.
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.
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.
Last edited by georgerkahn; 06-08-2021 at 07:40 PM.
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.
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
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.
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
Poke bore rider into hole, rotate case to make bore rider more cylindrical, is my guess at what he means here?
You got it Mr Sheesh. Pretty dang simple.
Turn it slow,or speed it up.... try it both ways.
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.
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.
Cool thread.
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.
Chill Wills
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
Last edited by Hdskip; 06-26-2021 at 08:12 AM.
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 |