Making a check flare tool

Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Since I was making a couple today I decided to takes some photos.
I start with a piece of 5/8 O1 steel.
It is chucked up in the 4 jaw close to center and trued.
First step is cutting the nose to a diameter based on the caliber it is being made for. I like to go about .040 to .060 over caliber. This one was on the smaller side. Not a critical dimension.
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Sorry for the bad photo.
Next up is cutting the taper that actually expands the check. This is cut at an angle based on caliber. Seems 30 cal likes a little less angle than larger or smaller.
On this one I have also cut the groove that lets it fit in the press ram. Groove is .125 wide. I also have reduced the port in below the groove to .557 to fit the ram.

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Next up is knurling the part. This makes it far easier to get in and out of the ram. It also helps me justify a 190 dollar tool to my wife!
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Next I use a magnetic base and dial indicator to move the parting tool to leave a .125 base. This is after I started the cut.image.jpeg
I was cutting the part off at this point but decided this was a great time to bevel some edges. By starting the parting off then bevelng I can get a bevel of the bottom too. This makes it easier than filing a bevel like I was doing.
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Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Now I have that part cut off the stock and can remove the little nub left by the parting tool. I use a file and it goes quick. You can see the bevel I cut previously.
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And we are done.
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Ready to go to work. This is also my check to ensure it fits the ram.
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An aluminum check pre and post expanding. I used this check as I don't have any 35 cal checks! These are some KHornet gave me years back so they just had to make do.
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Stamp the caliber market on the bottom.
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This is the little base I made to hold the expander a when I stamp the bottom with a caller designation. I got tired of trying to balance them on that little nose.

What isn't shown here is testing for fit. I cut the taper and try a check. I do this by trial and error. Once I get a check to just start but not bottom out I use oil and some 400 grit emery to polish the surfaces that do the work. This lets the check come off easily. I also make sure to slightly round over the corner of the taper where it meets the top. Failing to round that edge lets the punch wedge n the corner of the check and it tends to stick.

I am hardly a machinist. Every one of these is an individual. Some dimensions are critical like the portion that fits the press ram. Most of the working portion is done by trial and error.

This one will get a good scrubbing to clean up the knurling and remove oil. Then I will blue with Oxphoblue and mail it off to Rick.
 
F

freebullet

Guest
Well done!

Repeat after me...see honey if I just had a mill it would save thousands, lol, think it'd work?
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Oh, she knows. She tries to ignore it but she knows me. Maybe this fall? I will have to clean up the garage some to make space. I will also need another large rolling toolbox because a mill means lots of little cutting tools. It also means a bunch of hold downs and such. Far more tooling than for the lathe.
 
F

freebullet

Guest
Baby, I have to use my vacation time to go through gunsmithing school... it will save 10's of thousands!

I see a nice large shop outside your garage in your future.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I have lots of vacation saved up, like 40 days or so. Starting this year I get 30 days of PTO a year so I can do that......

I'm actually pretty damn lucky. My wife is very tolerant of all this stuff. If I wanted to take a class or something she would be fine with it. She actually told me to stop talking about a lathe and to buy one.

She did buy me a small table saw for Christmas. I think she has some projects in mind for me.
 
J

jmsj

New Member
Brad said:
I will also need another large rolling toolbox because a mill means lots of little cutting tools. It also means a bunch of hold downs and such. Far more tooling than for the lathe.
Click to expand...
Yea, it is easy to buy tooling that equals or exceeds the cost of the machine. I couldn't afford to build a lot of the casting, reloading and other tools if I did not have access to the lathe, milling machine and tooling at work.
Nice job on the flaring tool.
Jeff
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Thanks Jeff.
I feel pretty good about this considering I'm basically self taught. I have found YouTube to be pretty helpful. It does help to think things thru before cutting.
 
F

freebullet

Guest
Brad's Homecraft & Decorative Services
Has a nice ring to it yeah?

Lol, you are blessed indeed. I don't get paid when I take off but, being self employed -I can go. I feel blessed too, couldn't even imagine being with a cranky intolerant high maintenance woman.

That is some real fine machine work.
Have you given any thought to making some swage dies? Something that used a push through as a basis might be an easy way to start on it.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I think a swage die would require heat treating. I have considered an oven but they get pricey pretty quick. I also don't know if I could hold the tolerances required for swage dies.
 
J

jmsj

New Member
I am in the SLOW process of trying to make a set of swage dies for turning fired .22 lr casings into .224 bullets. I used W-1 for the deriming die and did not heat treat due to laziness. I have done about 3,000 casings and have not been able to measure any difference between the first ones and the last ones. I wonder how many this die can make before the derimed cases start to enlarge?
I have the core swage die and core mold blocks started but have not had time since Christmas to get any more work done on them. So many hobbies-so little time.
Speaking of PTO, I'm actually taking a 1/2 day PTO right now. My kids keep bringing all kinds illness/flu home from school and they love to share.
 
F

freebullet

Guest
Yikes! Kids are good for that. At least their shorter:rolleyes:

Look up Mannyca on you tube. He uses lee push through & standard dies you probably own to make several calibers.

With your machining you could adapt to those existing methods before making anything from scratch. If a guy could thread the top of the push through adding an ejector rod/cap would seem like an easy first step.
Of course I'd like to be the first in line to try any for 22 or 308.
 
IllinoisCoyoteHunter

IllinoisCoyoteHunter

New Member
Brad, that looks great! Nice, simple part that performs as designed...and machined well with nice finishing touches! That is a tool that will last a lifetime, if not several lifetimes if taken care of. I just finished up a set of AR-15 assembly tools (brass and steel roll pin punches, spring/detent insertion tools, bolt catch roll pin punch, etc) I am giving to a good friend of mine that purchased 5 AR-15 kits he has to put together. Could he have gone to Midway and purchased a $30 kit with tools made in China? Sure, but when he uses these tools I hope there will be far more enjoyment. Rick will be in the same boat when he receives this tool. There is just something about a handmade tool.

Now...as far as a mill...just think of all the cool things you can make with both a lathe AND a mill! My wife just gave me the go ahead on a mill earlier this week. I will probably go with a smaller Grizzly, just because it has to be carried down steps and my shop space is limited. Still researching, though.
 
IllinoisCoyoteHunter

IllinoisCoyoteHunter

New Member
I am extremely limited on the size of the mill I can get. The largest one I want to carry down my steps is the G0759 (a G0704 with a 3 axis DRO). Sooooo, I will more than likely order that in the next few months. Not 100% sold on it but still doing some research.

When I eventually move and get a dedicated shop, I will probably go with an Acer E-mill. They are nice machines for a great price. http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-ACER-E-MILL-3VSII-VERTICAL-MILL-/200818377713
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Kevin Stenberg said:
Brad are you intending on making a couple of these?
Click to expand...
I sent one to Al at NOE a couple years ago. He sells them on his site. I decided that allowed him to make some money and let people have a product I thought was beneficial.

Here shortly a nice set will be up for sale. I made a set of roughly 8 calibers for Paul a few years back I plan to sell them for him.
 
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