Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 [2] 3  Send TopicPrint
Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Mold reworking? (Read 12469 times)
marlinguy
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


Ballards may be weaker,
but they sure are neater!

Posts: 18233
Location: Oregon
Joined: Feb 2nd, 2009
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #15 - Oct 9th, 2015 at 9:27pm
Print Post  
Well I may play with it Joe, but it turns out the bore I'm working with is much larger than the molds I have. Today I cast up slugs from numerous old Ideal mold blocks, and when I finished I checked diameters on all. They all fell down the bore with no resistance. They will need a significant amount of lapping to get from the .311" bullet to the .318" bore. 
I've decided to just table the idea for now, and instead get a mold built that will drop a .319" bullet. I have some cast bullets here that are .320", but from what I can tell, they wont breech seat very easy, as they're harder lead alloy, and not stepped like I'd prefer. Would really like to have light engraving on the forward bands, and the .319" base band. Maybe a .316" first band, and then .317" or .318" 2nd and 3rd bands.
Since this gun has a very slow 1:20 twist rate, I hope it will stabilize a 150 grain bullet. I'm pretty sure the heavier 170 and 180 I have are too long for the 1:20" twist rate.
  

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
uscra112
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 4079
Location: Switzerland of Ohio
Joined: May 7th, 2007
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #16 - Oct 9th, 2015 at 9:28pm
Print Post  
westerner wrote on Oct 9th, 2015 at 8:34pm:
I've lapped a ton of molds. Best way is to use a hardwood dowel smaller that the cavity. Whittle the end of the dowel down similar to the shape of the cavity. Mount the mold in the lathe. Smear lapping compound on the dowel. Start lathe, 
insert dowel in cavity by hand. Dowel will conform the the cavity shape. Lap all you want, adding lapping compound when it needs it. Not enough taper? To much taper? With a hand held dowel you can lap anywhere you want in the cavity. The late Bill Crane showed me that trick. Remember, you are holding the lap against one side of the cavity as it rotates in the lathe. I should charge money for that tip.  A dollar two ninety eight?

         Joe. 



Shocked
  

<div class=
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
westerner
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


deleted posts and threads
record holder.

Posts: 12487
Location: Why, out West of course
Joined: May 29th, 2006
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #17 - Oct 9th, 2015 at 10:27pm
Print Post  
Shocked

Shockingly simple! Yes, I agree.  Wink

        Joe.
  

A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
westerner
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


deleted posts and threads
record holder.

Posts: 12487
Location: Why, out West of course
Joined: May 29th, 2006
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #18 - Oct 9th, 2015 at 10:40pm
Print Post  
Have also opened up base bands on several molds in the lathe. Always ended up making or having someone make a correct mold.   


             Joe
  

A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
frnkeore
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 7729
Location: Central Point, OR 97502
Joined: Jun 16th, 2010
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #19 - Oct 10th, 2015 at 3:49am
Print Post  
Vall,
This bullet may work well for your application. They're not to hard to find on Ebay

The dimensions are taken from my mold, using 20/1. It's made for the Win 32 SL. I got it to use in a Douglas .321, 20 twist barrel.

In 30/1 it should should be slightly smaller and BS fairly easy.

Frank
« Last Edit: Oct 11th, 2015 at 1:01am by frnkeore »  

ASSRA Member #696, ISSA Member #339
Back to top
YIMAIM  
IP Logged
 
marlinguy
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


Ballards may be weaker,
but they sure are neater!

Posts: 18233
Location: Oregon
Joined: Feb 2nd, 2009
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #20 - Oct 10th, 2015 at 10:37am
Print Post  
Thanks Frank! I'll keep an eye out for one!
  

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
catfish
Participating Member
*
Offline



Posts: 16
Joined: Nov 16th, 2013
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #21 - Oct 10th, 2015 at 8:42pm
Print Post  
My reamer only cost $8 and I can use it over on another mold, if need be, thank you.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
westerner
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


deleted posts and threads
record holder.

Posts: 12487
Location: Why, out West of course
Joined: May 29th, 2006
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #22 - Oct 10th, 2015 at 9:00pm
Print Post  
catfish wrote on Oct 10th, 2015 at 8:42pm:
My reamer only cost $8 and I can use it over on another mold, if need be, thank you.


You can lead  a horse to water.....................

       Joe. 
  

A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
ireload2
Full Member
***
Offline



Posts: 169
Joined: Jul 9th, 2009
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #23 - Oct 10th, 2015 at 9:55pm
Print Post  
No matter what you do you need hard wood shims like tongue depressors or popsicle sticks. The wood shims allow the mold blocks some misalignment and allow them to be tilted if necessary when you tap on the blocks with a urethane hammer.  This permits the mold cavity to dialed in with a dial test indicator. The outside surface of the mold block is not really functional but the cavity has to be dialed in dead on with at least a .0005 indicator. If there is misalignment in the blocks that affects the cavity the indicator will tell you and you can do more adjusting. 
With Lyman molds many of the cavities are not round from the factory. They tend to be egg shaped. When you find that you have to dial in the opposite faces of the mold to give the same number then bore the base band round. 
You may find yourself salvaging a mold that was nearly junk when new. Then you have to exercise some patience to center the mold even if the blocks were offset when originally machined by Lyman.

frnkeore wrote on Sep 27th, 2015 at 3:50pm:
The prolem with putting LYman/Ideal blocks in a 4 jaw, is that the block halfs are rarely even with each other on the sides. The pressure from the jaw pushes the blocks out of alignment with the pins and results with the mold .003 - .004 out of round.

I would suggest pushing the pins, thight into the opposing block and machining the sides parallel before chucking in a 4 jaw.

Frank

  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
frnkeore
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 7729
Location: Central Point, OR 97502
Joined: Jun 16th, 2010
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #24 - Oct 10th, 2015 at 10:18pm
Print Post  
When you start with a out of round cavity, it is the only one that will be round when your done, unless you can re-cut all of the cavity and then, it will be larger, all the way through. It a very difficult task. Steve brooks, will not even recut his own cavitys, if the mold comes out to small.

It's a lot of work to re-cut a cavity. You have to be extremely careful and have good equipment.

Out of round molds (out of round because the cavitys don't align with the pins) can be made round again.  I did a thread about a year ago of how to do it.

Frank
  

ASSRA Member #696, ISSA Member #339
Back to top
YIMAIM  
IP Logged
 
westerner
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


deleted posts and threads
record holder.

Posts: 12487
Location: Why, out West of course
Joined: May 29th, 2006
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #25 - Oct 10th, 2015 at 11:44pm
Print Post  
Some of the best molds I have are recut molds.  I even have one you modified, Frank.  Many mold makers recut old molds. 

If mold blocks don't line up, can be machined or surface ground before mounting in a four jaw chuck. I use quarter inch thick brass shims to hold the blacks together in the chuck. The other two jaws touch the mold lightly. Ron Long used a two jaw chuck when boring bullet molds.

Reboring an existing mold just a few thousandths of an inch is near impossible. 

          Joe. 

  

A blind squirrel runs into a tree every once in a while.
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
marlinguy
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


Ballards may be weaker,
but they sure are neater!

Posts: 18233
Location: Oregon
Joined: Feb 2nd, 2009
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #26 - Oct 11th, 2015 at 12:36am
Print Post  
Since I'm not trained as a machinist, I'm not familiar with much of how it's done. I have a cheap Chinese lathe and mill, but my lathe is a 3 jaw, and wont do many things that need precise work.
Joe, when you say a few thousandths, do you mean OA diameter, or? I assume a few thousandths means one and a half thousandths off each side of the mold? Not sure of the procedure to open up the bands on a mold, or is the cutter shaped to the mold design, and opens up all the bands and lube grooves to the larger size desired?
A lot of this stuff is Greek to me! I often tend to do things by hand because I'm unsure if I'd mess them up in my cheap lathe.
  

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Chuckster
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline



Posts: 2322
Location: Colorado
Joined: May 15th, 2008
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #27 - Oct 11th, 2015 at 9:49pm
Print Post  
Think I have been here before, but these "Z" shims hold molds nicely and only have to clamp in a 4-jaw just enough to hold in place. Front lip rests on chuck jaws
Chuck
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
marlinguy
Frequent Elocutionist
*****
Offline


Ballards may be weaker,
but they sure are neater!

Posts: 18233
Location: Oregon
Joined: Feb 2nd, 2009
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #28 - Oct 12th, 2015 at 4:53pm
Print Post  
Unfortunately my Chinese lathe is a 3 jaw, and no 4 jaw available for it Chuck. I'd have no trouble with a cheap 4 jaw, even if I had to shim the jaws, or whatever. It's just not possible (that I know of) to center up a mold in a 3 jaw chuck.
  

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
kkid66
Full Member
***
Offline



Posts: 186
Location: central tx
Joined: Jun 4th, 2014
Re: Mold reworking?
Reply #29 - Oct 12th, 2015 at 8:29pm
Print Post  
Did you check out Hollow Point Mould Service, one of thier specials is reworking drive bands? Looks like the biggest charge is chucking up the mould.
  
Back to top
 
IP Logged
 
Page Index Toggle Pages: 1 [2] 3 
Send TopicPrint