Chamber flush system build log.
- Thread starter LVLAaron
- Start date
LVLAaron
Gold $$ Contributor
Nah, My chip pan is a war zone of gunk. I don't want the chamber fluid running through that.
Here you go Blaine. Shorter hex screws to give you more room for a combination rod that is used for anti rotation of the union and a place to mount the dial indicator when dialing in that barrel.
Think real hard about putting an anti rotation pin on your union. Takes the stress off the oil hose,
Note the short set screws used for holding the muzzle and the lock nuts. The lock nuts are called Pal Nuts and are used as lock nuts on connecting rod bolts/nuts on small block chevys of the old days. I have a selection of various lengths of set screws for different barrel diameters.
Another advantage of using short set screws is you will not snag your shirt sleeve when the lathe is running!!!!
Your pump looks like mine. Mine is a centrifugal. I put a ball valve on the discharge side of the pump for regulating flow.
Here the valve is about 1/4 open.
Not related to the flush system, but if you are leaning over the lathe while operating you may consider raising the lathe. Below is mine with 4 inch channel iron raising blocks that I made. Note the shims I used when aligning the lathe bed. The channel is welded to steel plate that spans the legs of the channel.
I guess this photo is flush related. Look close and you can see the ball valve on the pump discharge.
I like a switch for the pump instead of closing off the pump flow with a valve when withdrawing the reamer. Running the pump against a closed valve will overheat the pump motor.
Switch on the shelf above and behind the lathe.
Think real hard about putting an anti rotation pin on your union. Takes the stress off the oil hose,
Note the short set screws used for holding the muzzle and the lock nuts. The lock nuts are called Pal Nuts and are used as lock nuts on connecting rod bolts/nuts on small block chevys of the old days. I have a selection of various lengths of set screws for different barrel diameters.
Another advantage of using short set screws is you will not snag your shirt sleeve when the lathe is running!!!!
Your pump looks like mine. Mine is a centrifugal. I put a ball valve on the discharge side of the pump for regulating flow.
Here the valve is about 1/4 open.
Not related to the flush system, but if you are leaning over the lathe while operating you may consider raising the lathe. Below is mine with 4 inch channel iron raising blocks that I made. Note the shims I used when aligning the lathe bed. The channel is welded to steel plate that spans the legs of the channel.
I guess this photo is flush related. Look close and you can see the ball valve on the pump discharge.
I like a switch for the pump instead of closing off the pump flow with a valve when withdrawing the reamer. Running the pump against a closed valve will overheat the pump motor.
Switch on the shelf above and behind the lathe.
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It does kind of help settle out the small chips when it runs through that stuff.
Here you go Blaine. Shorter hex screws to give you more room for a combination rod that is used for anti rotation of the union and a place to mount the dial indicator when dialing in that barrel.
Think real hard about putting an anti rotation pin on your union. Takes the stress off the oil hose,
Note the short set screws used for holding the muzzle and the lock nuts. The lock nuts are called Pal Nuts and are used as lock nuts on connecting rod bolts/nuts on small block chevys of the old days. I have a selection of various lengths of set screws for different barrel diameters.
Another advantage of using short set screws is you will not snag your shirt sleeve when the lathe is running!!!!
Your pump looks like mine. Mine is a centrifugal. I put a ball valve on the discharge side of the pump for regulating flow.
Here the valve is about 1/4 open.
Not related to the flush system, but if you are leaning over the lathe while operating you may consider raising the lathe. Below is mine with 4 inch channel iron raising blocks that I made. Note the shims I used when aligning the lathe bed. The channel is welded to steel plate that spans the legs of the channel.
I guess this photo is flush related. Look close and you can see the ball valve on the pump discharge.
I like a switch for the pump instead of closing off the pump flow with a valve when withdrawing the reamer. Running the pump against a closed valve will overheat the pump motor.
Switch on the shelf above and behind the lathe.
Greg Tannel's BTS doesn't seem to need an anti-rotation device. It spins very freely.
My pump is an AMT immersion coolant centrifugal pump rated to 500 ssiu, 1/4 HP, 1.5 AMPs when run on 220. The coolant switch on my lathe controls power to the pump via a 24v solenoid. The valve is only for adjusting flow. While centrifugal pumps aren't as sensitive to being shut down, I leave the valve open a bit when turning in the pump, then adjust from there.
What material is your coolant deflector made of?
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Dusty Stevens
Shiner
Oetiker clamps
What material is your coolant deflector made of?
Stuff from well stocked junk boxes.
Some 30 years ago I hung out in a large industrial machining job shop. The stuff that was thrown away was insane. I walked past the scrap/trash area each night and picked up whatever caught my eye.
Anyway, the red rubber around the reamer shank is standard industrial gasket material. Red rubber 1/8" thick. The shops used it for gaskets between large pipe flanges that carried water and other non toxic liquids. A flap of truck inner tube would work fine. The white material near the chuck is 1/16" thick Teflon sheet. Anything semi flexible will work. Wander around in Wal Mart in the cooking section. Might find some really thin plastic cutting surfaces that will work, the stuff used to protect countertops when slicing something.
Yea my union spins freely but you never know when something will go wrong. I have seen some nasty things in machine shops around rotating machinery.
Stuff from well stocked junk boxes.
Some 30 years ago I hung out in a large industrial machining job shop. The stuff that was thrown away was insane. I walked past the scrap/trash area each night and picked up whatever caught my eye.
Anyway, the red rubber around the reamer shank is standard industrial gasket material. Red rubber 1/8" thick. The shops used it for gaskets between large pipe flanges that carried water and other non toxic liquids. A flap of truck inner tube would work fine. The white material near the chuck is 1/16" thick Teflon sheet. Anything semi flexible will work. Wander around in Wal Mart in the cooking section. Might find some really thin plastic cutting surfaces that will work, the stuff used to protect countertops when slicing something.
Yea my union spins freely but you never know when something will go wrong. I have seen some nasty things in machine shops around rotating machinery.
1/4 hp should be perfect for the mid to heavy oils.
My photos show a water soluble oil. It is Lubriplate Cut N Cool (Old name Fisk Cut N Cool). A standard of heavy duty machine shops. Recommended dilution is 30 to one or a little more, but I run it at 50/50. The water aids in keeping things cool. Results in nice smooth chambers. If I was doing gun work for a living I likely would run one of the oils like most of you gents here.
My photos show a water soluble oil. It is Lubriplate Cut N Cool (Old name Fisk Cut N Cool). A standard of heavy duty machine shops. Recommended dilution is 30 to one or a little more, but I run it at 50/50. The water aids in keeping things cool. Results in nice smooth chambers. If I was doing gun work for a living I likely would run one of the oils like most of you gents here.
ronsatspokane
Gold $$ Contributor
Saw this setup. It is sweet.
As I texted earlier INTJ, I'm copying you. Got the Gre-tan rotary coupler and the tank. Trying to decide if the 1/8 hp pump would work or if I need to go to the 1/4. Thinking about adding a pressure gauge as well since it would be interesting to see what the pressure peaks at while chambering. Also thinking about tying it into the coolant system which I've never used. This would allow me to use the same coolant and system for flushing and cutting. Already have the coolant system on the lathe but I have never looked at it.
After years of my flush system parts sitting in a box I am finally making time to assemble it after reading this thread. Every time I chamber a barrel I swear it would be the last one with peck and clean method. I have a Dayton gear pump, pressure relief valve, all the ball valves, 10 micron Napa diesel filter and a Deublin 1105 rotary union, Hydraulic tank and a cart built up to mount it all. I have 5 gallons of Vipers Venom laying around but am going to try the suggestion mentioned here of using Astro Swiss HD MV. I'm looking forward to saving time so my question is how much will this change my pecking cycle. I plan on a constant 60 psi. Can I push the reamer to with in .100" of finish depth in one stroke? I have a Prototrak 1630 lathe and program the threads and C'bore already. Should I try to program a rough out operation for the chamber as well?
Let your feel of how the reamer is cutting tell you. Are your reamers setup for through barrel coolant?
DaveTooley
Gold $$ Contributor
Having a roughing operations saves time as well as wear and tear on the finish reamer. Core drills or twist drills and a truing boring op work equally well.
A lot will depend on the cartridge and your prebore method.
You should be able to ream until you hit the end of your prebore in 1 shot no problem.
But take a 6.5creed vs a 22creed for comparison from that point. A 22 caliber pilot has a smaller ID and OD circumference so there is less surface area for oil to flow. And it's a double whammy because the shoulder of the reamer is longer so you're removing more material. I could only peck .040 at a time at the end of the prebore on the last one I did before the flutes would clog. I could only prebore 1.2" and still keep the pilot engaged, so that left me approximately 5 pecks.
On a 6.5 you have more oil flow to move fewer chips so often the flutes will stay clear all the way to the end.
I'm using a common high sulfer oil for pipe threading. I'd consider switching to the Astro Swiss if it was a lower viscosity for improved flow.
LVLAaron
Gold $$ Contributor
Astro swiss is pretty thin compared to Ridgid dark. And no smell.
For the smaller calibers... Make damn sure your connection to the barrel is tight and watch your pressure. You'll piss oil everywhere very quickly. Happened to me on a 22... Luckily I kept a bread pan under the muzzle end just in case.. For small stuff I plan on tapping the muzzle end to avoid that and be able to keep the pressure up.
For the smaller calibers... Make damn sure your connection to the barrel is tight and watch your pressure. You'll piss oil everywhere very quickly. Happened to me on a 22... Luckily I kept a bread pan under the muzzle end just in case.. For small stuff I plan on tapping the muzzle end to avoid that and be able to keep the pressure up.
LVLAaron
Gold $$ Contributor
How are you managing that? I've got an air nozzle tip inside a screw clamp on coupler. Looks just like the gretan version but I made it out of aluminum
The way real machinists vs self taught guys like me do things will probably drive how you chamber with your flush.
Without a flush, it took me a long time to chamber a barrel. I would go about .030", back it out, clean chips off the reamer, clean chips out the chamber, and repeat.
With the flush, I still go in and back out. I go in .100" at a time until I get the shoulder in, then around .050" a pass until I am close. Because I am paranoid about scratching a chamber I don't make one long pass.
The nice thing about the flush is when I have the reamer backed out so the shoulder area is clear of the barrel, the flush usually washes off all the chips. So this process is much faster.
Now I don't have my reamer screws cut for coolant--I am crappy at precision freehand stuff. I am also not drilling and free boring. I think most guys do both, but I am very happy with the final results I am getting doing it my way--occasionally shooting IBS screamer groups at 1000 yds.
It usually takes me 10-15 minutes to get most of the chamber cut this way. The whole chambering process usually takes me 45 min to an hour, because of all the checking I do. I stop after the shoulder starts cutting, remove the flush, run a patch on a rod 2-3 times to push out the fluid, then look with a borescope. If everything looks good I'll go to within .250" of final and look again. Once I get within .030" I check with a feeler gage against the shoulder of the action. If I don't have an action I measure with a depth gauge for the final cut.
The reason for my non-production approach is I have never had and machinist training, and I am very slow to trust cutting to measurements, am concerned about scratching a chamber, etc., and I am not willing to sacrifice precision for speed. Real machinists can be both fast and precise.
Dusty Stevens
Shiner
Dont ever let anybody rush you. If they see you do it faster, theyll expect it faster when youre having issues
That is a good point. When something goes wrong the time required increases dramatically.
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