Skid Posted October 6, 2012 Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 OK, so I finally managed to make a start in the lead shot making business. After months of faffing around getting various bits and pieces together, welding some plate into a pot shape and drilling a load of stainless steel bolts, 4mm bore and 1mm dripper dia (bu@@er me was that a pain……how many drills did I get through? ) I had a first stab at the process last week. I'd made up an angle iron frame to hold the cooker at the correct angle and height above the coolant tank, which was a nice stainless steel tank already made up for another job but in the scrap bin at work! Soon found it’s way into my shed, thankyou very much Here’s the little single hot plate cooker I used initially……..well for the first 10 minutes anyway. The two little plates I riveted on to the front to stop the pan from sliding off when tipped at an angle. As you can see, my welding can best be described as functional. In other words, it looks like an explosion in a pigeon sh1tt factory but it doesn’t leak lead……so it’s functional and does the job. Amazing how quickly the pan has rusted too so I need to clean up the ramp before the next go! After 10 minutes it didn’t seem to be getting hot enough. There was a good reason for that…………..it had tripped the house electrics! Worked fine at low temp but as soon as it got up to a high temp it tripped the circuit breaker After hours of testing I couldn’t actually find anything wrong but it was definitely so for about the same price as either a new element or simmerstat I bought another cheap cooker from Amazon. Only trouble was it was not as powerful and narrower than the original one so I had to hack the angle iron frame about to make it fit properly To cut a long story short, it sort of worked but didn’t get hot enough for long enough as it was only 1500 watts and quite a small hob so I helped it along with a gas blowtorch. Melted a load of linotype and lead together, cast it into ingots using cupcake trays and then got to work with the dripper pan……………..as best as I could. Because it wouldn’t get hot enough I could only get one or two drippers to flow and then the ramp wasn’t keeping heat so the flow kept cooling and sticking too. I had it going for about 20 minutes or so and got about 4 or 5 kilos of mixed shot. It’s about 5 ½ – 6 shot in size but isn’t very round and quite a few with tails, plus as you can see, all sorts of other big lumps which formed on the ramp. I’ve started to make a shot sorter which is basically an old frying pan with shed loads of holes drilled in it (like a colander) to allow the right sized shot through it. Not finished yet but it should work ok when I get some decent shot to use with it. Cutting my losses today I bought a new 2000 watt element for the old cooker after talking to some guys in a local old fashioned electrical shop who confirmed what I was thinking, that it was more likely to be a knackered element than the simmerstat. They were right After hacking about the angle iron frame……again……..tomaking it fit the old cooker……….again……..DOH!!!......... I trialled the cooker and it is more than capable of keeping lead melted. It got up to 450 degrees C on full power so I’m hoping to have another go with the dripper pan tomorrow. Just need to get that happy balance of hot but not too hot I'll keep you posted B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted October 6, 2012 Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 The reason you're shotmaker element tripped is because it has an element with porcelain insulation. The porcelain absorbs moisture when it isn't being used and so when you switch it on it gets hot, the moisture turns to steam and trips out the RCD's we have in our houses now. The cure is to get the elements hot by putting them into the oven for an hour or so to properly dry them out before use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitloop Posted October 6, 2012 Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 (edited) 1mm dripper hole sounds a little on the large side you want about a .5 /.6 mm drill but looking good . also are you useing it out side if so its most likely thats the reson you get the sticking on the ramp as a slight breeze will cool it and freeze the lead Edited October 6, 2012 by fruitloop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hafod Posted October 6, 2012 Report Share Posted October 6, 2012 skid would it not be possible to replace the hotplate on the new one you bought off amazon with the old fashioned boiling ring . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted October 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 The reason you're shotmaker element tripped is because it has an element with porcelain insulation. The porcelain absorbs moisture when it isn't being used and so when you switch it on it gets hot, the moisture turns to steam and trips out the RCD's we have in our houses now. The cure is to get the elements hot by putting them into the oven for an hour or so to properly dry them out before use It's a bit late as I've got the new element wired in and the old one is probably in landfill by now I know what you mean about the new RCD's though.....damn things even trip just when a single bulb blows in our old place. Having said that, last time I set it up with a separate 240 volt adapter with built in RCD (sort of thing used in garden for electric hedgetrimmer etc) and even that one tripped. I think it was just old and worn out......bit like the owner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted October 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 1mm dripper hole sounds a little on the large side you want about a .5 /.6 mm drill but looking good . also are you useing it out side if so its most likely thats the reson you get the sticking on the ramp as a slight breeze will cool it and freeze the lead I tried drilling another set of bolts with a 0.8 mm drill and they just kept snapping. Managed to get through 10 drills for 1 hole! The 1mm hole is producing between 5.5 and 6 shot so suits me for my subsonic carts and general shooting. Just need to refine the process a bit more. Didn't get the chance to try again at the weekend so hopefully try again this weekend if it's not pi$$ing down. I know it's not ideal doing it outside but I've got a gas blowlamp to heat the ramp if needed but the new 2 kW element was getting really hot so hopefully the heat transfer will be OK. My next modification is a wind shield otherwise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted October 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 skid would it not be possible to replace the hotplate on the new one you bought off amazon with the old fashioned boiling ring . Anything is possible with a big enough hammer and persuasion Probably too much faffing about in this case with the different design and sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 If you're trying to drill stainless bolts it's best done with high speed steel drills that have a high cobalt content, HSS-Co, they are very hard but not brittle like carbide is and wont blunt against the abrasive stainless steel like normal HSS does. Toolstation do some as small as 1mm cheaply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon pete Posted October 10, 2012 Report Share Posted October 10, 2012 have you drilled the holes in the end of the heads ,the bolts my RFD uses has a hole drilled up the length of the shank and the drip hole is on the under side of the hex were the spanner would fit ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Flippin heck! Is it really worth all that headache and faffing?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 (edited) Flippin heck! Is it really worth all that headache and faffing?!! We're talking about making ammunition here, not applying make up. In fact why even get a gun at all when you can break a clay by smashing it on the floor or just go to the butchers for some meat to save wasting all that time Edited October 12, 2012 by sitsinhedges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 For all the ball-ache and expense of building that thing you could have bought a few boxes of shells and actually gone and shot something! So ner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 For all the ball-ache and expense of building that thing you could have bought a few boxes of shells and actually gone and shot something! So ner! You're a girl, you wouldn't understand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgy dave Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 typical woman bet she spends hours doing her makeup and dont look any better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Lmao yeah that's me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiffy Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 sounds like fighting talk to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floating Chamber Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 Once you have the right alloy, the right amount of heat and the angle, it'll spew out good shot forever and a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted October 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 If you're trying to drill stainless bolts it's best done with high speed steel drills that have a high cobalt content, HSS-Co, they are very hard but not brittle like carbide is and wont blunt against the abrasive stainless steel like normal HSS does. Toolstation do some as small as 1mm cheaply. The 1mm HSS drills were no problem and drilled perfectly so I don't need those until I decide to go for some smaller clay shooting loads. I think the smaller drills I bought were made of Philadelphia soft cheese have you drilled the holes in the end of the heads ,the bolts my RFD uses has a hole drilled up the length of the shank and the drip hole is on the under side of the hex were the spanner would fit ? My bolts are made the same way as you mentioned, 4mm hole up the middle and the dripper hole drilled through the flat from the side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted October 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 Flippin heck! Is it really worth all that headache and faffing?!! With the price of lead yes indeedy!! It should make my cartridge costs almost 50% less..........and besides, I'm a typical stubborn bloke and like the challenge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted October 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 For all the ball-ache and expense of building that thing you could have bought a few boxes of shells and actually gone and shot something! So ner! Pah.......... I don't have time to actually go out and shoot things.....I just faff about making stuff in the shed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floating Chamber Posted October 15, 2012 Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 Some of the simple shotmakers that do the job can be knocked up in an hour. No machining needed. Just weld up a simple small rectangular box, drill six tiny holes in the base, and near to one end. Weld on a simple ramp and get out your gas blowlamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pestcontrol1 Posted October 15, 2012 Report Share Posted October 15, 2012 Some of the simple shotmakers that do the job can be knocked up in an hour. No machining needed. Just weld up a simple small rectangular box, drill six tiny holes in the base, and near to one end. Weld on a simple ramp and get out your gas blowlamp. :good: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted October 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2012 Some of the simple shotmakers that do the job can be knocked up in an hour. No machining needed. Just weld up a simple small rectangular box, drill six tiny holes in the base, and near to one end. Weld on a simple ramp and get out your gas blowlamp. Yeah but where's the fun in making something simple which works easily and without hassle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
db58 Posted October 17, 2012 Report Share Posted October 17, 2012 well done skid keep up the good work mate you will get there in the end let me now when you got one for sale matey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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