Blackthumb Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Still see some references to some having trouble making an economic powder die....Quick fix.....go to electrical supply and purchase a 3" long sweep 90 degree schedule 80 PVC elbow.Cut off the larger end (bell) ...mine about 3"...and then cut off an equal length of the other end and use PVC cement and glue one into the other!I turned my ram out of solid oak and have used it for a long time with great results. Make your ram long enough to eject the cake. I saved a small piece of the bell end to set the die on after pressing...that allows for easy ejection of the cake.All for anout $15.00I stopped pressing BP...found my damp mix rubbed thru 1/8 mesh burns fast as commercial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonny Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Still see some references to some having trouble making an economic powder die....Quick fix.....go to electrical supply and purchase a 3" long sweep 90 degree schedule 80 PVC elbow.Cut off the larger end (bell) ...mine about 3"...and then cut off an equal length of the other end and use PVC cement and glue one into the other!I turned my ram out of solid oak and have used it for a long time with great results. Make your ram long enough to eject the cake. I saved a small piece of the bell end to set the die on after pressing...that allows for easy ejection of the cake.All for anout $15.00I stopped pressing BP...found my damp mix rubbed thru 1/8 mesh burns fast as commercial. A short pc of PVC or even ABS pipe works just fine. Re-enforce with hose clamps. Probably a few dollars more but still very cheap and easy. I still press all my BP (afraid of change I guess). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackthumb Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 A short pc of PVC or even ABS pipe works just fine. Re-enforce with hose clamps. Probably a few dollars more but still very cheap and easy. I still press all my BP (afraid of change I guess). I agree......used sched.80 PVC and never split. Any secrets you have found for pressing good pucks? Add dextrin or red gum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonny Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I agree......used sched.80 PVC and never split. Any secrets you have found for pressing good pucks? Add dextrin or red gum? All my pucks are pressed with 5% water only, no binder is needed. I use a 12 ton jack for 3" pucks,approx 3/8- 1/2" thick. I press about 4 at a time, with Al spacer plates. The best way IMO is to let the die dwell (sit) under pressure for a little while (5-15min) and then repress. There might be some water leaking out, but my BP does everything I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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