New member/new to me Universal

[MikeA]

The hole is for a tapered crimp die.
MikeA
Las Vegas, NV

[cc656d]

Taper crimp die generally, but you have to put a solid bushing in the base.

[fc60]

Greetings,

You are fortunate that the head is already cut for the 11/16-24 dies.

Yes, either a Taper Crimp or Roll Crimp die is added to the last station for a final crimp.

The rimmed cases, 32 S&W Long and 38 Special, can be crimped at the seating station and after indexing, the finished round falls through the base into a collection box. This was very popular with the Police Departments loading large volumes.

Most of us use the Star for accuracy, rather than volume. So, a better approach to loading is to crimp at a separate station.

Remove the hollow bushing and replace it with a piece of soft steel 0.750" diameter, 1.062" long, and with a 0.220" hole in the middle when you get the additional die.

Actually, making your first die would be a good exercise! The Taper Crimp die is 2.00" long with a 0.360" honed hole through the middle. The angle per side for the taper is 4 degrees. Polish the inside with 240 grit > 400 grit > 500 grit paper with Kerosene lubricant. Assuming you used A-2, vacuum heat treat the die, glass bead the exterior and polish the inside with 500 grit and Kerosene. Remember to dial the die in true prior to the final polish.

Use the SAMMI drawings for the die cavity dimensions.

Cheers,

Dave

[daviscustom]

I am currently not set up for heat treating but I have a small electric kiln I have been wanting to set up with PID temp. control for that purpose.  I was intending to do something along the lines of an argon purge setup...thought that would be easier then a vacuum oven.  A vacuum would save on argon costs if there are good designs available that are DIY friendly...I will have to look into that.

I do have some tool steel foil for heat treating I guess that is supposed to give similar results to vacuum/non-oxygen atmosphere....wonder if you could purge the packet with argon as you seal it up?

The taper crimp die sounds like a straight-forward design to make.  I will have to do the majority of the turning/knurling at work and then bring it home to do the threading.  The threading portion of the carriage feed on the lathe I use at work does not function, and my little 10" Atlas that I have at home is not really ridged enough to do a very good job of knurling tool steel....so I will have to do everything but the threading, and then take it home and dial it in on the lathe at home for threading.  I would probably like to try a 45 taper crimp though instead of a 38.....it would be a larger hole to polish too!

[fc60]

Greetings,

Purging a muffle furnace with gas sounds good; but, does not work.

The stainless heat treat foil is your better choice. Place a small piece of brown lunch bag inside the bag to burn off any excess Oxygen.

Cheers,

Dave

[daviscustom]

Even if you kept slight positive gas pressure on the heat chamber?....My intent was to leave a trickle of argon flowing during the heat cycle...but maybe that isn't enough....maybe it would use way too much gas.

The foil is easy enough.

[Scott L]

Even if you kept slight positive gas pressure on the heat chamber?....My intent was to leave a trickle of argon flowing during the heat cycle...but maybe that isn't enough....maybe it would use way too much gas.

The foil is easy enough.

We purge a muffle furnace at work and it takes a Dewar Argon tank $$$$$. Stick with stainless bags.