Ammunition & Hand Loading > Cartridge and Shotshell reloading
Copper Plating
ghknives:
I made a device for anodizing titanium that may be helpfull. By using a variac (available at electronic supply or surplus houses) and a rectifier I am able to convert 110 volts ac to a variable DC current of less than a volt to 110 volts. If interested I'll try to get some plans & pics posted this week end
unfy:
--- Quote from: Dan W on December 16, 2011, 09:56:28 AM ---Do you have a way to section that bullet and measure the layer of copper? It might be interesting to see if the thickness varies at all
--- End quote ---
Sounds like you want rifle plinking ammo :)
I can't think of a way to do it cleanly. Most any kind of saw is gonna tear at stuff making it difficult to judge. Similarly, a break / knife is gonna bend / gouge stuff. I'll take it to work and ask people there (we do metal work along with embedded devices).
A case concentricity gauge or something similar (the tools to use to check how much run out case necks have etc) might be a good way of doing it. I don't have any such tools. Also, since you possibly still want to size the bullet after doing this operation, you will definitely want custom molds made that are a few thousandths of an inch smaller to handle the plating (this should make it even more uniform as the copper doesn't get squished into the lead).
The simple test would be to simply plate some rifle rounds and see how they perform. Takes a lot of guess work out of it :).
Once I have this fully up and running, I'll gladly plate some bullets for some people so they can see how they perform and such. Other than time, it's almost free for me to do. Note: i currently use the bullet lube groove to wrap a wire around to hold the bullets. If a particular design doesn't have that I'm not entirely sure on a good way to 'hang plate' them like I do.
--- Quote from: ghknives on December 16, 2011, 10:31:24 AM ---I made a device for anodizing titanium that may be helpfull. By using a variac (available at electronic supply or surplus houses) and a rectifier I am able to convert 110 volts ac to a variable DC current of less than a volt to 110 volts. If interested I'll try to get some plans & pics posted this week end
--- End quote ---
A variable DC power supply with 1v-13v and 100ma - 2000ma would be ideal. A coworker was wanting me to make one or something similar. I don't even know if my DMM here at home has a good battery in it (I tried to get away from doing that kind of thing at home years ago).
As it is, I have plenty of batteries, and plenty of old wall warts to chop up if I need to >:D .
I'd gladly take a look at what ya got. Taking all ideas and all input on the project (well, almost all lol).
Similarly, until I get something nailed down...
http://www.amazon.com/MASTECH-HY1803D-VARIABLE-SUPPLY-display/dp/B005112A2E
that looks to be an awesome way of experimenting with different settings without breaking the bank! >:D. After I actually get some casting tools and can work with large batches.... i'll be first just attempting what power sources i have available around me. Now that I know more about what I'm looking for, it shouldn't be too hard to know if it'll work within the first 20min.
unfy:
The way-over-plated (.430) bullet next to the 3 coat bullet.
People at work suggest a dremel to get a cross section. We don't seem to have the cutting wheel disc holder here... but I've got dremel + accessories at home... so if we don't find stuff here, I can attempt it at home.
Fun note: I actually had to take a pair of pliers and peel the wire off of this bullet, it was "electroplated welded / glued" to the bullet and the wire just broke trying to get it off :).
Oh, and no, taking .401 lead and plating them to .451 is not a good idea. At 25grains of copper added to this round, the copper is already around 17-18% of the bullet weight. If ya pass 25% of weight on the jacket, you're breaking the federal 'cop killer anti-armor handgun bullet' law.
unfy:
ordered from midway:
lee pro pot 4, 110v 20lb
175gr 401 2 cavity mold with handles
401 sizing die (for going on top of press)
small bottle of rcbs case lube #2 (to help push copper through sizing die)
Should be here tuesday / wednesay of next week (20th-ish).
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have all the safety gear and stuff.... will just need to dig up some wheel weights and paraffin wax now :P
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was pondering to myself if i could figure out if aluminum plating was possible or something. this way i could take the molds sent to me and shrink them to make way for plating :D hehehehehe
that's probably entirely doomed to failure though... temperature stress and all that.
unfy:
I started to attempt to dremel it in half. got that far and the dremel cutting disc broke. took the moment to try to inspect it... but..... alas, the lead was flowing too much (heat or just cause it's soft) and was covering up the plated section.
i *might* have been able to wirebrush it i suppose.... but... instead... i struck it with a hammer moderately three times and it finally gave way:
The first blow... did nothing. It simply didn't care. Second blow started it to buckle a bit, third one got to where we are.
So... i grabbed some needle nose pliars and pulled it apart...
The lesson here ? Copper's tough, and it did NOT flake apart or anything. If anything, it looks somewhat like some of the case-turned-into-jacket results (granted, this didn't go through nearly as much energy as those did hehehe).
a crude visual inspection looks fairly even distribution.
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