Neck Turning vs. Electricity

[chuckw2]

Gentlemen,
I have always turned all of me necks with a hand tool only. I have several neck turning tools but my very favorite is the K&M set-up.


Do you get the same results if you use an electric screwdriver or electric drill to turn the case on the cutter?

I turned about 10 cases last night with an electric screwdriver, it did not take any time at all.

Do you end up with a case that has more run out when you use an electric screwdriver?

Also if you have to take a lot of brass off, is it better to do it in two passes. If you do use two passes to remove the proper amount of brass instead of one are you work hardening to neck unnecessarily?

With my K& M expander mandrel, if I run the case up about half way, I get a very tight fit on the cutting mandrel. If I run it all the way up on the expander mandrel, I get fit that is not nearly as tight.

Am I better off with the fit that is very tight on the cutting mandrel or somewhat lose?

Thanks in advance for thoughts...


Chuck

 

[ReedG]

Hi Chuck:

I just started using a K&M neck turner as I am making 30BR cases out of 6BR brass. I don't think it can get much better than the K&M.

My arthritis makes turning them by hand out of the question and doing several hundred by hand would be a full-time job for a while anyway.

With on-the-job training, here are a couple of my insights.

You need an excellent lube if you use a powered device as the tight clearances needed to get good necks will produce tremendous heat, to the point you can't hang onto the turner. I tried all the oils and waxes I had on hand and found that, for me, Lee case lube that is white and comes in a tube,looks like Ben-Gay!) worked the best.

The choice of an "electric device" also needs to be considered. Most of the small handheld screwdrivers don't have enough torque,amperage) to turn the brass. The larger ones will go way too fast at full speed. I settled on my Black & Decker battery-powered drill which maxes out at 750 rpm and even that is way too fast and will produce overheating in just a couple of cases.

I cut to .010" thickness all in one pass. I generously lube the inside of the case necks after they have been run full length onto the K&M expander mandrel, chuck them into the case holder in my drill,the K&M case holder is hexagon in shape and I used my adjustable wrench to tighten it while holding the chuck in one hand and the wrench in the other). I try to keep rpm to about 200-250 and feed the case into the cutter very slowly, holding the K&M tool in my hand so it can follow the case neck freely. If you do not tighten the case holder pretty tight, it will turn when the cutter gets to the donut.

The neck lube turns to liquid from the heat and will sometimes cause a suction around the mandrel that makes it hard to pull the case back off. I run each case down in the cutter three times, slowly, until it makes a pass with no sign of cutting. At this point the case necks look almost "chrome plated" they are cut so perfectly.

This process with the K&M cutter will produce case necks that are so close to perfect that my mics cannot detect any variations.

Also, a fully charged 14.4V battery will only do about 25 cases before dying.

Hope this helps out. Let us know how you do.

 

[Cheechako]

Chuck

Everything that Reed said.

I use my lathe at about 550 rpm. I have a chuck with aluminum jaws. The heat is the biggest problem. As Reed said the mandrel will freeze inside the neck and snatch the turner right out of your hand. So here's what I do. I have a pan of cold water and a folded towel sitting in front of me and I simply dip the turner in the pan after each case and then set it on the towel to drain. It sound messy but it's actually not that bad. You have to clean everything up anyway and a little water doesn't make it any harder.,Don't use the bride's bathroom towel BTW. Go to Martha Stewart's store and get a couple when they're on sale.)

ray

 

[anyrange]

I have not gone the power route yet. I just turn the case with a BIG crank. The long handle on the crank makes case neck turning easy and without the heat build up issues.

Doing it my hand I was able to find or feel some very small neck splits which might not be noticed using power.

 

[AlNyhus]

To expand a bit on Ray's 'cold water' method...I use a similar approach but substitute a plastic bowl of common rubbing alchohol.

I'm constantly on a misson to find the perfect neck lube. The best I've come up with so far is a 50/50 blend of STP and Mobil 1 5W30 motor oil. Actually, the best method I've used is in a lathe with a coolant pump, but my small lathe in the 'batcave' doesn't have a coolant system. With a good coolant flow, you can run the neck/mandrel clearance tighter than Paris Hilton's jeans.....

 

[kitsap]

To add some more information. I have gone to electric also. With a standard K&M cutter and case holder, for power I use a Makita cordless one speed drill. It runs at 450 RPM and will turn about 50 cases on one charge. The lube and depth of cut has a lot to do with the how long a charge lasts.

For mandrel lube I use Mobile 1 and STP in a 2 to 1 ratio. Two of oil to one of STP. One standard container of each will make enough lube to turn a lot of cases. For both the expanding mandrel and the cutter/turning mandrel apply with a cotton tip swab or tooth pick. One word of caution about this lube is that it is extremely difficult to remove. A fire form or two and a tumbler will do the job.

For lube on the outside of the case I use tapping fluid that is suitable for bronze or brass. Sears carries a four ounce bottle that works well.

 

[Cheechako]

kitsap

Four things:

1) What is tapping oil? Is that for lubrication when tapping a hole?

2)On the second photo, what are those little cases sitting on the left side ledge next to the brush?

3) Did you clean up your workbench just for those photos?

4) Are you from WA? Kitsap Co.?

Ray

 

[kitsap]

Cheechako,

Four answers:

1) What is tapping oil? Is that for lubrication when tapping a hole? - Yes for cutting threads either inside or outside. Basically cutting fluid. It lowers the force required to cut and reduces friction. Leaves a nice clean surface. Make certain the formulation is suitable for brass or bronze. If not, you can get a nasty corrosive situation.

2) On the second photo, what are those little cases sitting on the left side ledge next to the brush? - .17 Hornady Mach 2 rimfire.

3) Did you clean up your workbench just for those photos? - Neck turning is messy! I had just cleaned up the night before after finishing the twenty in the wood block. Took the K&M apart and cleaned up the mandrel with copper solvent. This morning I saw this post on 6mmBR.com

4) Are you from WA? Kitsap Co.? - Yes, near Poulsbo.

 

[chuckw2]

AryRange/Larry,


Where in the heck did you find that long handle crank?

I would like to buy one if yoy have a spare...

All great ideas, guy keep them coming...

Chuck

 

[Cochran]

If your using a K&M case holder you need something like this. Makes it easy to lock down the cases without having to use wrenches. An F-class shooter named Andrew McCourt sells them.

 

[kitsap]

Cochran,

Any contact information for this Andrew McCourt?

 

[Forum Boss]

Jeff,

That's a cool tool. The one thing I find annoying about the K&M case-holder for neck-turning is that you need an allen to get it tight enough that it doesn't slip, and then it's hard to remove.

 

[anyrange]

Chuck,
The big crank, fly wheel with handle, is off a vintage grape crusher. It is fun to use, like running a manual lathe. I was able to feel and find some very minor splits in some necks which I do not think would have been found using power.
Larry

 

[rstreich]

The Sinclair caseholder and driver,caseholder and driver) hold tight and are easy to use. Just drop the case in and spin it tight. Every now and then you get a case that wobbles, so just loosen it up and reseat the case.

robert

 

[JeffT]

I use the Sinclair case holder that Robert mentioned above with a variable speed drill. I turn the cases at app. 150 rpm and then use high speed and very fine Scotch brite,gray) pad to make them pretty