Paper Patch Setting Tool

[patchbox]

Hi losttrail,

Yes, the CAD drawings and model files were done in SolidWorks 2017 version. I use that program for almost everything I build - We use it at work for machine design - easy to use and you can visualize how it’s going to look as well as fit together. I then save the drawings as pdf files and upload them to a program called “Dropbox”. There is a Dropbox phone app so when I’m in the shop I just pull up the pdf drawing on my phone to verify dimensions. No more paper drawings, no more printer running out of expensive ink. Very handy - I’ll never print out a paper drawing again at home - at work we still submit paper copies of the drawing to the machine shop.

Best,

Eric

[losttrail]

Hey Eric.

I spent 29 years doing CAD/CAM after the Army. Started out designing drafting templates using a proprietary software program running on PDP-11 and programming 7 spindle routers.

Moved on to designing and CNC programming plastic injection molds using CADKey and MasterCAM. Moved to SolidWorks in 1994 for design. Ran my own contracting company from 1997-2014 designing and CNC programming plastic injection and vacuum form molds. Also had a 8 year gig using SW to design industrial and municipal water treatment plants world wide.

It would be a long list of all the CAD & CAM software I used through the years, but SW and MasterCAM are my favorites.

Still have SW 2017, currently using it to design our Kitchen cabinets which I’m building.

Wife and I started our current venture in 2014 and I had burned out on doing CAD/CAM on a daily basis. We use Dropbox, Box, Googledrive and a few others for document storage and sharing.

Happy New Year.

Jerry

[patchbox]

Hi Jerry,

That’s a very impressive list of cad design experience! I don’t have the MasterCam programming experience- currently I only have a small manual mill and lathe so I don’t have much application for it. I live in a small condo and the garage only has 120 vac @15 amps so all my machines have to be sized to run off that power requirement. I have recently seen some small cnc mills from Tormach that will run off the power that I have available. Would love to have one in my garage. I have modeled up one of my sharps rifles and created drawings for it. Would someday like to scale it to an 80% sharps and build one but that is just a dream for now. Here is the link to the pdf’s if you’re interested:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kyypeorgjmzr ... P80pa?dl=0

The hammer was probably the most challenging component to model up in SolidWorks - lots of non-linear smooth flowing curvature - took me about a week of messing around before I got a decent model that would would probably be able to be machined on a cnc mill.

Good luck on your kitchen cabinets!

Eric

[patchbox]

Here's my next little project - priming/decapping tool - based off the Pope style tool with some modifications:

[losttrail]

Nice!
I just bought a Harvey Deprimer a couple weeks ago and love it. Keep me posted as I may want to get one of yours.

On the hammer design and non-linear shape design, I often find that instead of trying to extrude complex shapes, it is easier to create an extruded block and then cut shapes away. Creating multiple planes at offsets, angles can help for sketch geometry or just extruding/cutting to a plane. So many ways to approach things it gets mind-boggling.

[Woody]

This is the one I use. I don't know who made it. I was a prize donated at a match and I've had it for years. I modified it to use replaceable RCBS de-capping pins. Guess why? As you can see it can easily be changed for various calibers. Once while at a match, a shooter came to me asking it I had a priming tool with me. He used it to prime some cases. I've never used it for that purpose, but it has easily de-capped an untold number of cases.

KIMG0046.JPG

Woody

[Woody]

This is the one I use. I don't know who made it. I was a prize donated at a match and I've had it for years. I modified it to use replaceable RCBS de-capping pins. Guess why? As you can see it can easily be changed for various calibers. Once while at a match, a shooter came to me asking it I had a priming tool with me. He used it to prime some cases. I've never used it for that purpose, but it has easily de-capped an untold number of cases.

KIMG0046.JPG

Woody

[patchbox]

Hi Jerry,

Ok - will keep you posted on the priming/decapping tool. Bought a new lathe - larger swing. Waiting for it to come in. They were out of stock on the model I ordered. I have a fixture I machined a few years back to hold the material off center when machining what is labeled as the barrel in the drawing I posted. Just never went any further with it. The fixture is similar to a clamp-on shaft collar except that the hole is eccentric or off center. I could chuck it in a four jaw but this fixture will be quicker. Yes, in regards to SolidWorks modeling there a so many ways to skin the cat. I ending up using a lot of surface modeling techniques to arrive at the final geometry but your technique sounds useful as well.

Woody,

That tool looks pretty slick - nice to have the option of covering different calibers. I purchased two of the “Pope” style tools from Buffalo Arms a few years back and use them often. I just was looking on their website and see that those tools are no longer being made. Glad I bought mine before they were discontinued.

Wishing both of you a Happy New Year,

Eric

[OLReliable]

Woody,
That decapper was made by Colin Mullins, Gray TN. Sorry to say that Colin is no longer with us.

[Woody]

Thanks for the info. It had no info with it when I won it as a prize at one of our matches in Friendship. It is an excellent tool.

Woody

[SFogler]

I am always amazed at how people can make something from nothing like you guys did with these patch tools. And make the CAD drawing etc. Seriously - I see things that people make on these forums and it really impresses me - paper patch tools, primer tools, barrels, rifle actions; I saw where someone had purchased a lathe that was sitting on a low boy trailer - it must have been 30 feet long! It's why I like 1874 Sharps - I can get them back together again by myself. This picture is about the limit of my mechanical expertise. I made a thread waxer for my wife. She is a seamstress and she needed to wax some thread for her project. I gave her the beeswax chunk and got out the clamp. She just draws the thread across the beeswax and wallah! The clamp holds the whole thing steady. Good thing she didn't want it case hardened!

[BFD]

You would really get on her good side if you polished that C-Clamp and had in engraved and then send it to Shiloh for case colors. Yes indeed. She would definitely like that.