Barrel flush system on big gear head machines

[AWLEAPHART]

Hello,
From the end of my chambering jig to the back of the gear head on my lathe is 37". How do you guys hook the flush system up to the end of the barrel when the end is in the gear head of the lathe.
A Leaphart

 

[Skunce]

I thread most of my barrels 5/8-24 for a suppressor, so I made an adapter with an o-ring to screw onto the barrel to connect the flushing hose to. I've also threaded misc. pieces of steel tubing to thread onto barrels that are too short for my headstock. I haven't tried it but I read of someone tapping the muzzle end 1/8 NPT for a flushing fitting.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Back when i flushed i tapped the barrels 1/4 npt and had pipes of various lengths to hook my swivel coupler on

 

[AWLEAPHART]

Thanks guys

 

[Walt Krafft]

Back when i flushed i tapped the barrels 1/4 npt and had pipes of various lengths to hook my swivel coupler on

I do this only with 1/8 pipe. Support the outboard end so it doesn't whip around.

 

[Doug Beach]

Back when i flushed i tapped the barrels 1/4 npt and had pipes of various lengths to hook my swivel coupler on

Why did you quit flushing?

 

[tac284]

Worn out 300 ultra mag barrel with a air nozzle tip is what i use.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Why did you quit flushing?

Too messy. Its faster to peck and clean than to try to deal with the mess. If i had a lathe made for coolant it would have a better tray than my south bends. If i have a spill it costs a ton of time

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I do this only with 1/8 pipe. Support the outboard end so it doesn't whip around.

I use 1/4 so itll be a bigger pipe and i use it to adjust the outboard end with. A 1/8 is less sturdy and flows less than what i would need

 

[Danny1788]

I use 1/8 NPT cus I normally deal with sporter barrels. So 1/8 is all I need. My head stock is short so not an issue, also you don’t need 200psi to flush a chamber dark sulfur cutting oil at 40psi moves chips pretty dang good and doesn’t make a big mess. I use a centrifugal pump and it moves fluid and chips just fine.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I tap the barrel 1/8npt but actually use 3/8 pipe if an extension is needed. My rotary coupler is 3/8npt. I have an assortment of extension pipes. My biggest hassle has been the poor quality of pipe couplings. I have had to make my own to control runout.

 

[Walt Krafft]

This is my setup.

 

[DaveTooley]

View attachment 1138978 View attachment 1138981 This is my setup.

Just a suggestion. Mount your rotary union on a stand and use a short hydralic hose as the connector. Not done intentionally but I've run mine at 2000 rpm and everything stayed together

 

[Ksracer]

This is what I made. It's an air nozzle tip on a shaft with an o-ring. The end of the pipe is bored out so it can seal. Since the o-ring is larger in diameter than the center in the end of a blank, as pressure builds, the shaft becomes a piston and pushes the tip into the barrel harder than the pressure trying to make it leak in the opposite direction. The spring is just there to hold everything in place and get the seal started until hydraulic force takes over. It's held into the back of the lathe at whatever length I need with a simple set screw in a fitting. There's also a slot milled with a set screw to hold everything in place when I retract it. I can hook my flush up in 60 seconds, and that includes the putting the drip tray under the chamber to catch the oil and route it back to the tank. My design has never leaked a drop in hundreds of barrels.