What sort of valve mechanism is being used to control the flow of the lead into the mold? Is an electric solenoid moving a slide gate?
@CGT80
10 ай бұрын
No, the valve is a rod with a tapered end and matching tapered hole in the bottom of the pot. It is spring loaded downward and a lever and pivot raise the rod. The pneumatic cylinder pulls down on the lever. Originally, I just made the pot and manually pulled the lever and filled a hand mold, then I added the mechanism below to hold and operate the mold, and then added the pneumatics and control unit to automate it.
@MichaelRoachWV
8 ай бұрын
I know nothing of casting, but does the complex shape require you to do them as singles / doubles? Or is this just to figure out your logistics?
@CGT80
8 ай бұрын
I'm not sure what you mean about logistics. Lead bullets are cast a one piece and each mold can have one or many cavities. My hand molds (they look like a pair of pliers) are between 1 and 6 cavities. Two cavity molds are most common and the molds for my machine are 2 cavity hand molds without the handles installed. Master Caster makes a machine similar to mine, that is run with a handle just the way a reloading press or slot machine works, so I used their design as a template and then automated it. Other, larger automated machines use multiple molds mounted on a large wheel. Two cavities makes the machine twice as fast and the only downside is making sure both get filled at the same rate........so I guess that is the point of your question. A single would have been easier and 3+ cavities would have been much harder to implement. casting by hand is boring and makes my hands and back hurt. The machine does the hard work and it has multiple settings, some in milliseconds, to adjust how long each step cools, how the arm moves, how long the lead pours, etc. There are also pressure and flow settings on the air cylinders and a few mechanical adjustments. The machine can run consistently, which means more consistency in size and weight of the bullets, while I easily babysit and adjust what is needed. It was a challenge to see if I had the skill to build it myself vs. buying smaller commercially made machine that I could modify.
@MichaelRoachWV
8 ай бұрын
@@CGT80 I was just curious about the molds, the only one I've ever seen was a 6-bullet hand mold. I never saw it in use / knew how exactly how it worked. I'm all for saving your joints! I'm 34 and can barely get out of bed without medication. I have inflammatory arthritis (psoriatic arthritis), so I do lots of workaround stuff. Hard wheels on a grinder are a BIG no-no for me, cutting wheels aren't too bad, but I much prefer a bandsaw / circular saw lol
@CGT80
8 ай бұрын
@@MichaelRoachWV I'm the same way with 29 years in doing trades and physical work and have had serious neck pain for 15 years and also have back pain. It isn't whether I will have pain during the day, it is how much I will have and if my body will let me get work done. Doctors suspect I have fibromyalgia based on the amount of tension and pain I have and there is arthritis in my neck and back plus probably some disc damage that would show up if I had an mri. I'm 43 years old but feel like 80 when I get up and am stiff as can be. I have always been a tool nut and have always tried to work smarter rather than harder, but now my body forces me to work smart as possible.
@MichaelRoachWV
8 ай бұрын
@@CGT80 Doctor's usually use Fibro as a catch-all when they're too lazy to investigate. Definitely see a couple Rheumatologists! With my condition, nothing shows up in my blood, and by the time it would've showed up in MRI / X-rays I'd be permanently damaged / deformed. It took me 6 years of being disabled to get a correct diagnosis, for a *common* condition. Neurologists knew something was up because my leg / feet reflexes are messed up, but they couldn't figure out the cause. Prior to my current meds, getting out of bed was a 45-90 minute process from spine pain. I'd have to just wiggle a little bit and have a massage table warmer to loosen it up.
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