gws
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Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Mar 17, 2019 19:43:10 GMT -5
Remember the tome I did on this product?.....made it usable, but I was never enamored by its inefficiency or its nerve grating noise. You don't have to go back and read it.....the following video is memory enough. And before you wait for the last bullet to drop, go to the next video and see what I did. In fact all these video will play at the same time.
I took the idler wheel off temporarily, to test and tweak, but I think you get the idea.......how about some more videos......that was .45. It'll also do .40s&w, 357, and 9mm....without one change in setup or parts:
If you happened to load the "new".45 allow it to finish feeding its 35 bullets, the repeat for the .40, 357, 9mm.....all while the old setup was running all four beat the first one.
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Post by hacker54 on Mar 17, 2019 20:21:32 GMT -5
Nice job there Greg. This tweak aligns all the bullets the same way to feed? In the one video I do believe I'm seeing hollow point being used and it does look like I'm seeing bullet base and some the hollow point maybe you can clarify what I'm seeing.
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gws
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Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Mar 17, 2019 22:09:18 GMT -5
Yes, it flips bullets that are point-down to point-up yet leaves the base-down bullets alone.....no matter what caliber bullets you dump in the hopper. This isn't anything new really, as "Mr. Bullet Feeders" do pretty much the same thing for a lot of money. Hornady's product, unmolested by me, only does the very noisy long drawn out, non-flipping way as shown in the first video. Look at all the bullets that keep falling back to the bottom over and over.....and the rare occasion of that in the modified one. Also notice the original has a tube running top to bottom inside the plate....the bullets are collected base-down at the top, run in the tube to the bottom where it then travels to the press. Notice the modified one doesn't have that....bullets are flipped to bottom down then dropped through a hole at about 2 O Clock....and straight to the press. How much did it cost? Well I cut the platter around the outside turndown with a scroll saw, made 2 plates out of 1/4" melamine-covered hardboard, made a router jig to notch a hole at the end of every rib on the platter.....and then bought a few 10-32 bolts and exension nuts....and drill some holes in the bottom of Hornady's bucket......that didn't cost much of anything....I already had the white plastic-covered masonite scraps I made rings from & parts except for the hardware at my wood shop.
Hornady Platter with the turn-down edge cut off.......I use that edge to make a ramp that flips bullets that are turned the wrong way.
Router jig after the platter was notched.
Notched platter just laying on the jig so you can see how it works. See, the ramp in the cutoff turn-down?....and the lower cutout just before that ramp? That cutout is where the bullet flipping happens. BTW that's just red plastic embossing tape I used to space and center the turndown....it just lays in the bucket on 1/8" standoffs.
See the same low cutout and the ramp? And the notch subplate where bullets drop There's the magic. This little notch 3/16" deep in a stationary sub plate made with the hardboard (masonite) drops the bullet noses, but if the bullets are already base down that flat area where the pencil mark is keeps them riding high. The dropped noses follows the angle on the right as the platter turns and makes the noses rise sideways!
Then the ramp takes it from there and raises the tips to the base down position. (don't give me credit for that magic...Rick who started Mister Bullet Feeder is the wizard.)
The notch wasn't refined enough in the picture above....the final notch is in the picture below.....but the outer turn-down ring is in place so I showed you the first picture to make explaining more clear. A super glue coating hardens the surface of the notch.
This picture in turn shows the 1/8" standoffs that the outer ring sits on.
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poohzilla
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Give me a place to stand and a long-enough lever, and I will invariably break the lever.
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Post by poohzilla on Mar 20, 2019 11:45:09 GMT -5
Pretty impressive Greg. Amazing what you can do with ordinary household tools and a touch of genius !
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gws
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Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Mar 20, 2019 14:20:52 GMT -5
Touch of genius? Yes but not mine. The genius is the guy who figured out that flipping bullets was the best answer. His name is Rick, and his company was Mr. Bullet Feeder. Also he figured out that you don't need a big feeding drum. All I figured out is that Hornady's big drum and platter meant that cutting the platter in two pieces could supply the parts needed to convert to a flipper....if you don't see reducing platter size as a problem....sorta thinking "inside" the box?  |
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Post by hacker54 on Mar 20, 2019 14:47:45 GMT -5
Greg your adaptations and improvements always amaze me. I enjoy what you can do and learn what I can from them.
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gws
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Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Mar 20, 2019 21:59:07 GMT -5
Thank you Hacker! For the compliment and for the heads up. You are most astute. Would have never seen a flaw in it without you observing......you said,
Now I see what you meant. You are right, in the video of the .38/357 hollowpoints the first bullet flips when it shouldn't have! Am looking into it. You see those hollow points are the smallest diameter, so the flat bottom is more apt to miss the small cliff edge that keeps most high and unflipped! Working on it. Funny that none of the other caliber bullets did that. I need to check the 9mm's closer too since they have a small base as well.
Below: I got the project powered up.....and again it happened....second bullet this time.....at least none of the other calibers did that. (BTW, if you click the "V" at the bottom right of these video it makes it big, or click the outward pointing arrows makes it full screen.....then you can really see the one flaw. <esc> key gets you back.)
Next video is .45 Gold Dots, the hardest of all to make work....but it finally does. The video doesn't empty the bucket because the tubes-filled detection switch is connected.....and its important that that works!
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bob
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I'm too old to be nice but never too old to learn!
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Post by bob on Mar 21, 2019 8:55:31 GMT -5
Greg,you always amaze me with your imagination and talent but ordinary household tools?? Very nice regardless!  |
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gws
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Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Mar 21, 2019 22:24:21 GMT -5
Greg,you always amaze me with your imagination and talent but ordinary household tools?? Very nice regardless! What?!? Everybody doesn't have a scroll saw, router, and a belt/disk combo floor sander? I never knew..... 
More seriously, I'll let you in on a secret....the plastic that Hornady used in the platter was amazing stuff.....heat weldable. What that means is, I used my trusty scroll saw to slice the top off the outside turndown.....and when I got done 360 degrees around it....I found that it had glued itself back together. I mean it looked cut in two, but it was as solid as it ever was. I thought maybe a hammer might knock it loose....no way Jose.
The answer? Got out my hand coping saw ($6 at Walmart) and did it again....by hand....slow-like, so it wouldn't weld itself! In fact, if I ever do another, it'll be with this:
 Probably some don't have that household tool either....for $6 they are worth their weight in gold. Drill a little hole....take the blade off....put it through the hole....reattach the blade....cope away.... (the blade can be turned on the tool by the little levers you see....great tool.)
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gws
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Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Mar 29, 2019 22:47:19 GMT -5
Well I fixed the problem with bullets flipping the wrong way in .357 mag......just required building up the drop-and turn-area with a little super glue....I know high tech...
Last video, I promise.....but check out a whole box of 100 and nary a problem. 100 in one minute....in spite of the last one that made the trip up....what? 3 times? 
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SnapShot
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Jeep & Mocha "Remembering Patches, always"
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Location: Finally free from the Republic of Kalifornia!
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Post by SnapShot on Mar 31, 2019 19:04:18 GMT -5
You mentioned using Super Glue to build up an area . . . it seems that EVERY gun show I have attended over the past few years there is a guy selling MXBON glue. It’s like SUPER super glue (cyanoacrylate). I have used this stuff to fix dozens of things and have not found much it won’t adhere to. It’s thiner than water so it can be difficult to control at times and, yes, it will glue your fingers together. The real trick I use with this stuff is to build up areas with baking soda (dry) and then drip small drops of the glue onto the soda. You can also lightly sprinkle baking soda over a fresh repair to strengthen it. BE VERY CAREFUL OF THE FUMES, THEY ARE NASTY. Once the glue cures you can file, drill, sand, etc. I have built up some large areas with masking tape dams holding the soda, then soaked it with the glue. The website for this stuff is www.mxbon105.com. This product may be useful in your projects. |
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gws
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Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Apr 1, 2019 18:43:26 GMT -5
Never seen that particular product, but sounds interesting. I used to be a plastic airplane modeler and was known to use soda in the same way with regular super glue to fill glue joints. Also used it to make clear parts like wing lights and even canopy joints. Dries perfectly clear. The big trick is to sand it down in steps to 2000 grit or so and then polish.....it's then see thru, like glass. The trick to sanding super glue to shape, is time....it becomes too hard in an hour....so sand,shape and polish before that.
Good stuff ..... until it gets where you don't want it....fingers come to mind. I'll have to give your mxbon a try!
One more super glue trick.....keep it in the freezer and it'll last forever.....no, it doesn't freeze.
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Post by merdoc357 on Oct 4, 2021 7:49:56 GMT -5
Ok, Ive got the old hornady bullet feeding system, and I really like your upgrade, so What do I need to do in constructing this wonderful upgrade for my bullet feeder. Perhaps a how to instructional video could be posted on how to make this upgrade, and what supplies will I need?-happy reloading
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gws
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Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Oct 4, 2021 18:19:24 GMT -5
I did that already a few years ago and posted it on TheHighRoad.org. Link below:
I have a few advantages over some handy people having a wood shop at my disposal. The first problem is to separate the vertical from the horizontal bullet plate.......I used a scroll saw. If you don't have one....maybe a jig saw will work, but you need to be experienced with one to do it smooth....and it needs to be supported. It's made with a thermal plastic, which means cut & stop many times to keep it from melting.
The ramp is made with the vertical you cut off so don't throw that away. You need some 1/4" masonite...I used some melamine covered (white plastic coating, but that isn't necessary. Then you need a router and skill to make a repeatable jig to rotate and drill the plate. I can't make that easy for a novice. You could use a drill press & jig, but you still need to pull the cuts to the edge somehow. Router is easier. Sorry I can't make it easy enough for everyone.
Or you could bag all that and buy a 3D printer and make your own plate and ramp. |
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My daughter came from Missouri, my son and grand son, my wife and I had a nice dinner of grilled "porter house" pork chops, corn on the cobb, my son, G'son and I share 10/5. G'son is 4 minutes early though @ 10/4.
Pooh I hope you find to right house . 
