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  #1  
Old 11-19-2008, 10:32 AM
reed1911 reed1911 is offline
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Default Swaging solid copper

Anyone have any experience swaging solid copper?
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Old 11-19-2008, 11:01 PM
trotterlg trotterlg is offline
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Guess you could just try a piece of dead soft copper and see what you get, I would think small cal's would not take too much pressure to form it. I have been trying for years now to get soemone to try using some pure aluminum for a core making a long for weight non lead bullet. I know there are some military bullets with aluminum cores, and pure aluminum is not much harder than most leads are. Why not? Larry
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Old 11-20-2008, 06:32 PM
iiranger iiranger is offline
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Default Well, ...

Mr. Dave Corbin, corbins.com or swage.com, is the writer/educator in this field. He has a number of books and booklets on his web site(s) for review and/or download, free. I believe it was in "Rediscover Swaging #8" that he discusses this--#9 is out now, at least the discussion I read. Solid copper is much less ductile than lead. It does not want to flow. Not that hard, but hard to flow. He mentioned taking copper rod, drilling a hole in the end to be the nose, to relieve things, and forming that end in his (for sale, of course)hydraulic presses.

I have been told by two other swaging masters that the hand presses just don't have the "muscle" to make copper flow. I thought that the tiny bullets, .17 and .20 should be makeable with hand presses from copper wire. No go they said. Small lathe better idea. So if you want to buy a lathe and a hydraulic press... maybe... I suppose you could get by with a drill press... What does the bullet you want to make look like?

Aluminum. Common mistake. Yes, it is soft, BUT it oxidizes. Ever heard of an aluminum oxide sharpening stone? Same stuff that forms from oxygen in the air on the outside of any aluminum metal... Works real good for putting an edge on blades. Guess what that oxide does to the inside of a barrel? I read this by Mr. Herter long before I read Mr. Corbin's remarks. I suppose you could coat it with moly or plastic or ??? Really want all that work? And risk? Your barrel. Luck.
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Old 11-21-2008, 01:18 AM
trotterlg trotterlg is offline
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I was kind of hoping to put the aluminum inside of the copper jacket, plus, pure aluminum is extremely corsion resistant any way. Larry
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Old 11-21-2008, 05:14 PM
iiranger iiranger is offline
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Default Aluminum corrosion resistant???

Ha, ha... NO WAY. You polish aluminum to a high shine and leave it out over night and it will be "dull" in a day or two. That "dull" is a coating of "aluminum oxide." Actually "iron" and iron based material like steel are the exceptions. It forms a porous "oxidant" or "rust" Red Rust. More oxygen can get in to the iron to rust more and it grows like mold. Lead, copper, aluminum, brass... they form a one molecule layer of oxidant/rust and this seals the surface. Thus the constant polishing of silver, brass fittings on ships, etc. And the coating of brass music instruments with lacquer...

Yes, putting the aluminum into a copper jacket, GREAT IDEA. At the same time, most metals do not "flow" like lead. Mr. Corbin or the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics and I am sure there are reference books/tables for engineers will list this characteristic. Try it with something that is set up for lead... you break expensive equipment. Luck. (If you make it work, please report.)
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  #6  
Old 11-22-2008, 08:13 PM
trotterlg trotterlg is offline
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OK, how about this: Use a piece of thick walled copper tubing for the jacket filled with the little plastic pellets used for adjusting the weight distribution in bullets, you would then end up with a more or less solid copper bullet with a small plastic core. Larry
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  #7  
Old 11-22-2008, 11:01 PM
reed1911 reed1911 is offline
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Okay, the whole idea here is to duplicate the eichelberger 12g solids. I may just be running in place as if the bullets from Twisted barrel shoot well I will likely just drop the idea for now. I have all the equipment and stock to make .14's in common cup/core so it is not a supply issue, just looking at different ideas to possibly make it less expensive for more folks to get the bug. Don't get me wrong, the price of bullets is not high, just looking at various options for more to offer folks.
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  #8  
Old 11-25-2008, 12:02 AM
RareBear RareBear is offline
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Would aluminum and copper swage easier with heat added?

http://www.frangiblebullets.com/
Provided the above website just to kick around ideas. They are a copper/tin composite bullet formed by heat and preassure (sintered).
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  #9  
Old 11-25-2008, 12:38 AM
trotterlg trotterlg is offline
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They are cheap, $11.00 per hundred, if I had one of those big bore .22's I would try some. Larry
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  #10  
Old 11-25-2008, 02:11 AM
larryinIA larryinIA is offline
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Default I have a friend...

that works in a ductile AL factory, and they heat all their aluminum up to close to 900*f before it goes through any extrusion. It get AL malleable enough to get it to flow.

I would think seriously about trying some of those boolits too. I have a .22 cal large bore. It isn't that fast though. In fact, I am going to start toying with reduced velocity loads. Maybe cast bullets...until I can afford a re-barrel

larry


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Originally Posted by RareBear View Post
Would aluminum and copper swage easier with heat added?

http://www.frangiblebullets.com/
Provided the above website just to kick around ideas. They are a copper/tin composite bullet formed by heat and preassure (sintered).
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