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Shotmaker dimensions


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A is 40mm, taller walls will just act like an heat sink.

 

B is your element size (or 150mm) with the back half radiused to that and the front end square to accept drippers

 

C is 28mm with the underside ground to a knife edge to provide clearance from the coolant. The top corner of the ramp wants to be welded to the bottom corner of the pot to allow the dripper holes inside the pot to be lower and so the lead level too.

 

D is 18degrees

 

E is 15mm to centre of hole

 

F is width of element or 150mm as per B

 

G is 12 degrees to throw the lead forward inside the pot to provide head to force it thru the drippers

 

H is 90degrees tilting the dripper wall will just tip the drippers up inside the pot and lower the head pressure requiring more wasted lead in the pot

 

K is <6mm to the meniscus, as close as you like without touching.

 

6 drippers is the optimum number spaced so a ring spanner can be used to remove but as far away from the corners as possible.

 

The pots I have made have a 6mm bolt protruding thru the centre of the bottom which fits into a socket in the base. This means that it is safely held and wont slip but can be lifted off when needed. Aluminium is very brittle when hot so I have only used steel for my pots.

 

The catch pot wants to be at least 200mm deep with cheap fabric conditioner making the safest coolant

Edited by sitsinhedges
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are you going into production sits. there looking spot on :good:

 

No, I've given it up actually but want to pass the baton to those who are still wanting to have ago.

 

I don't even own a shotmaker anymore :blush: but have enough lead for a few thousand cartridges squirrelled away B)

 

Those pots were made for me by a professional TIG welder, way beyond my capabilities.

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and if so how much you charging, looks cracking job that !

 

The cheapest way to do it is to get some 3mm mild or stainless steel and fabricate the parts using a jigsaw with Bi-metal blades then take those parts to a local one man band to get them stuck together. Mild steel would cost maybe a tenner for a bloke to do that. To have stainless tigged you can triple that.

 

The chap who made my pots will make them from start to finish but after someone enquired he sent me an email the other day saying it's not worth his bother for less than about £100 a piece for one-offs. You don't get a lot for £100 from someone with his skills paying for a unit and running his own business but he does do a good job.

 

This doesn't include the drippers which would be about a fiver a piece. It soon adds up.

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No, I've given it up actually but want to pass the baton to those who are still wanting to have ago.

 

I don't even own a shotmaker anymore :blush: but have enough lead for a few thousand cartridges squirrelled away B)

 

Those pots were made for me by a professional TIG welder, way beyond my capabilities.

I have ******** up enough stainless to make about 3 pots upto now :whistling: but i will get there in the end. By the way its good to have it on hear so you can just look and get all the sizes that you need :good:

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this is one of the best hand made drippers i have seen very inpressed having no luck making my drippers got some m10 x 30 stainless bolts but just cant seem to be able to drill them need to pay a man or buy some any help steering me in the right direction would be appreciated thanks

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Anyone have experince with "blind plug", "radiator plug" for dripper? Ready to go. Almost.

 

http://www.weiku.com...ug-KLD812-.html

 

http://www.weiku.com...blind-plug.html

 

It's far too big and you still have to do the difficult hole.

 

To get started just use normal bolts and anneal them by heating to red before drilling. The stainless bolts should hold their tolerances better and the hole wont corrode but worry about that once you've made a few kilos. Normal annealed bolts will be far easier to drill than stainless.

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this is one of the best hand made drippers i have seen very inpressed having no luck making my drippers got some m10 x 30 stainless bolts but just cant seem to be able to drill them need to pay a man or buy some any help steering me in the right direction would be appreciated thanks

 

Stainless steel is very abrasive to drill bits and requires Hss-Co cobalt drills along with a decent coolant. Make them out of normal steel bolts if you struggle with stainless, but also get bolts that are just the right size. M8x12 are ideal, there's no point struggling trying to drill bigger or fatter bolts or you'll just increase the chance of failing. Try to use good quality drills nonetheless.

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It's far too big and you still have to do the difficult hole.

 

Yes. Unfortunatly.

 

 

To get started just use normal bolts and anneal them by heating to red before drilling. The stainless bolts should hold their tolerances better and the hole wont corrode but worry about that once you've made a few kilos. Normal annealed bolts will be far easier to drill than stainless.

 

This one is a good tip. New for me. Will we drill while hot? :hmm: Thank you.

Edited by longgun
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Yes. Unfortunatly.

 

 

 

 

This one is a good tip. New for me. Will we drill while hot? :hmm: Thank you.

 

No, metal shrinks as it cools so if you have to anneal it because it is too hard it wants to be cold before you work on it.

 

To make drippers you really need a drill press and vice at least to have some repeatable precision. I use a lathe to centre the hole down the length then finish on a drill press and a mill to make the tiny dripper hole thru the flat.

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what would be the ideal size hole for making 7.5 shot

No, metal shrinks as it cools so if you have to anneal it because it is too hard it wants to be cold before you work on it.

 

To make drippers you really need a drill press and vice at least to have some repeatable precision. I use a lathe to centre the hole down the length then finish on a drill press and a mill to make the tiny dripper hole thru the flat.

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what would be the ideal size hole for making 7.5 shot

 

I found that a 0.60mm hole would make 7.5 shot, a 0.65 would make no7, a 0.8mm hole would make no6 shot and a 1mm hole would make no5. No5 has to be made with more care with not too much head or the lead too hot or it will stream out of the drippers. The hole down the length of the dripper wants to be bigger but not so much it leaves the bolt weak and the threads prone to stretching, about 3-3.5mm seems a good compromise.

 

Within reason the smaller shot is easy to make well because there is less lead in the pellet to cool without distortion or shrinkage. Make the bigger shot once you have a bit of success with the smaller.

 

You can also buy small copper washers M8x12x1mm from ebay which help to seal the drippers against the shotmaker wall in much the same way as they do for an engine sump plug. Not essential but a nice touch for a belt and braces job.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I used the old type cooker boiling rings along with the relevant simmerstat switch to control the temperature or they get the lead too hot and will also burn out quite quickly.

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...cat=0&_from=R40

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...cat=0&_from=R40

 

The cast iron type boiling plates are no good because they don't get hot enough.

 

I also use a Maplin thermometer with probe to keep track of the lead temperature. I found it dripped best between 325-350c but the cooler the better as long as the machine is working well then it's less thermal shock as it hits the coolant. Far too hot and it will crackle loudly and burst like popcorn producing lead wool.

 

http://www.maplin.co...rmometer-221046

 

This was all sat on a soft firebrick base which had been cut to a 12' angle with a handsaw to throw the lead forwards and create 'head' to force the molten lead out of the drippers.

 

http://www.corbykiln...ricks-each.aspx

Edited by sitsinhedges
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Sound, thanks for that info, I know someone that can sort out electrical things for me like that, this is going to be a prefect summer project! I have mountains of lead so i needto get them used up!

 

Do you have to sieve the shot afterwards to get all the different shot sizes out,or does it run pretty consistent?

 

If you use a consistent method of work, temperature, amount of lead in the pot etc you will get consistent shot but don't expect it to be perfect first time there is a certain art to it.

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