50 mold

[Stephen Borud]

I will be interested to see your 400 grain bullet.

Stephen

[Denali]

Beautiful mold Stephen!

[Stephen Borud]

Loaded

[Stephen Borud]

Thanks Denali

[Dave Roelle]

Hi Stephen-------------well one of us had success----the 50 looks like a winner the 45/400 not so much.

I departed from current mold design looking for a simple way to produce mold bodies with separate bullet nose options---------a simple sleeve type mold seemed the best way for ease and speed of creation.
The first pic and second pic are the assembled mold without handle







The next two show the mold dis-assembled






This last view is the sprue end ready to close and pour



Evidently i lapped some taper into the cavity and when the nose form pin is retracted to the pouring position i have too much clearance between the cavity bore and the pin---------lead flashed down the side of the pin and locked up the nose/ejector pin---RATS

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO i'll grind a reamer to the finished diameter needed----eliminate the lapping operation and create a new nose pin and try-er again

This style mold should, in theory at least, produce the "roundest" paper patch style bullet right out of the mold----- and be easy to change nose shapes holding the bullet body diameter the same.

Ejection should be able to be accomplished with just a firm push on the back end of the nose pin carrier plate ---- an assisted ejection operater could be created but i don't think it will be necessary

Back to the lathe

Dave

[Stephen Borud]

That looks cool Dave. I made a similar mold (a lot cruder) a few years ago. It was a swage mold, so it didn't have to look to good, and it didn't. I wish I new how to cut a bullet cherry, or should I say grind a bullet cherry, It would make my life a lot easier. Nice stuff Dave.

Stephen

[Dave Roelle]

Stephen--------------Grinding the profile is actually a bit of a challenge if coumpound curves are involved------"crush dressing" the grinding wheel using a hardened "crush dresser" works pretty well, the crush dresser would be lathe turned to the profile desired-----------turning the "cherry profile" on a cnc lathe is a cakewalk--if the lathe will track a mastercam generated tool path !!!!

cutting the reliefs on the cherry profile is again a pain in the neck-----------a "d" profile cutter is pretty easy and then it can be used in the cnc mill with the appropriate cutter path----again cutting the releif angles on coumpound curved shape is a pain


TTYL Dave

[Stephen Borud]

Dave, I have turned a bullet profile made of oil hardened steel. Then put it in an indexer on my mill, and cut two, three, four, six cutting edges on them. Cleaned them up, heated red hot and quenched in oil. They all cut ok, but I could never get the cutting surface smooth enough. They also seemed to warp after quenching. I need some different tools to do a better job.

Thanks

[Dave Roelle]

I understand------you really need to work cutters in their hardened state to keep things straight and cutting edges smooth and then there are no guarentees that things won't move around on ya

Grinding is the way, a simple 6 x 12 tool room grinder with appropriate part holders and wheel dressers is needed-----and then time, skill and patience--------the dressers, harig fixtures, vices and sine plates will cost you what a used grinder will in some cases.

Onward to the next iteration of molds ----------- time to get ready for the feild, i'll be checking out blinds and setting feeders this next weekend after our silhouette match----second match shootin PP bullets

Keep well and stay safe

Dave

[Stephen Borud]

Good luck Dave. I might rough out another set of mold blocks this weekend with the material you sent me.

Stephen