Fresh fabricated handy .453" lube cutter (specs etc.)

[totalloser]

Pillaged idea from cork, shell and nail cutter from u-tube.

countersink, drill 29/64, clamp drill/countersink in tool holder to finish last couple thou. The CS won't have enough travel, but this doesn't matter due to the taper of the bullet and the space taken by machined bolt head.

CS/drill .250" and turn head and face of 1/4" bolt. Jam two nuts and weld on a washer for ergonomics. Finish edges, etc.

Machine to leave bullet base sticking out to wipe lube.

Use:
Slip over bullet, pull out, wipe base, push out.

Pretty easy to tinker with dimensions for other calibers.

 

[totalloser]

Please excuse the phone quality pics, and pad drawing discrepancies. I just scratched out the picture and made it on the lathe, and thought that the inaccurate drawing would still be a useful visual aid to demonstrate the principle.

Once I determine this works, I will be making a .357 and .402 cutter, but won't be testing for a bit here because my plumber buddy has a bunch of pure lead for me, and I already cast up all my WW material. So I will be smelting all my .45 back down to alloy with the pure lead.

But I will give a review eventually and probably suggestions for improvements on the design in case anyone else wants to try it out.

 

[Beagle333]

That's a pretty nifty lube cutter! I like it! Especially about leaving the base exposed.

Some guy on another forum just told me about using a small kitchen funnel, cut back to the right diameter, and he just stamps em out and they fill up the funnel. I gotta try that too.

 

[totalloser]

Yeah, I made something similar, but it didn't address the base wipe issue, and got lube all over my hands. I use beeswax/canola lube and it is almost as bad as marine axle grease to get off my hands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o9wcJHgMCA

This is where I "borrowed" the concept.

 

[totalloser]

Ok, I recast all my .45 to take advantage of cheap plumbing lead and tried out the cutter. Works as I expected, pretty clean. At least until you push the boolit out. At that point you have to handle the sticky projectile.

So it looks like all that is needed to cut that step out is to set the ejector rod shorter, and fab a push button for the end that is big enough for the die to push on. The nuts currently hit the carbide in the die (bad) for what I have in mind.

Current process:
Cut boolit, wipe base, push out into left hand to drop on case mouth, operate press.

Improved process:
Cut boolit, wipe base, set assembly on case, operate handle to set boolit into case, retract handle and remove cutter, seat boolit.

The improved process eliminates ALL direct handling of the lube, and allows a smoother process for operating the press. As the handle is pulled, and the shell plate rises, the seating die pushes on the ejector rod of the cutter placing the projectile in the case mouth which is a press fit into the brass. Then the cutter can be pulled right out. No touching mess.

I'll post up a pic after I modify the cutter.

Haha! Works great. I cut the threads lower and changed to a flange nut to engage the outside of the seating die. Fumbling uploading pics though.

Ah, there we go. The second pic shows cutter in press- you operate the ram to barely set the boolit in the case then remove the cutter and operate press to seat boolit as normal. In my press this amount of travel does nothing else- BEWARE in case it does in your press- like operating a powder charge twice or the like.