Building a Brass Sortation System

[Rule3]

Originally posted by smith crazy:
I can tell you by experience that those aren't the worst ones. 9mm inside of 40S&W are far worse. 80% of the buckets I get are 9mm and 40S&W.
Nettlesome is a kind way of saying it!

Excellent point. This is by far the worst and most time consuming part of the sorting. It seems the more you shake, rattle and roll the worse it is

. Then when they are really stuck with a grain of sand or something out come two pairs of pliers. I don't know anyway around it.

 

[Skip Sackett]

I don't know anyway around it.

Those ones get tossed into the "recycle barrel" with the 22 cases!

Here is what we need to do boys, make a machine or die that makes 223 bullets from those 22 cases.

Do that Sarge and I'll buy one!

OCD1, I've even had a 9mm get stuck in 2 40S&W cases, kind of like an internal pipe coupling! If at first you can't pull them apart, throw, throw in the "r" bin!

 

[rundownfid]

Here is what we need to do boys, make a machine or die that makes 223 bullets from those 22 cases.

Been done, I believe it was Corbin who came out with a swager that put a short piece of lead wire into a 22 case and squeezed out a bullet. Hove, they had a firing pin dimple on the base.

 

[Bullseye Smith]

I alway took the bucket and set down to watch TV and hand sort them, that way you can get rid of the bad ones.

 

[Sgt Preston]

Sgt Preston back again. Well tomorrow Joe & I will crank up the brass sortation system. We plan to work 3-4 hours seperating it into 3 main sizes. I'll post the results in the next day or so. Preston

 

[Jeff423]

I saw a video on the "net" of a home made power sorting system using what appeared to be 1.5" iron pipes. They were mounted on the same plane but not parallel. Either one or both rotated and I think they were on an incline. As the shells moved down the gap between the pipes it became wider and they dropped into troughs under the pipes. He also built a feeder for it.

Jeff

 

[Sgt Preston]

Sgt Preston here. We had a good day & I learned a lot first hand about sorting brass. Working together Joe & I were able to sort full 90 pound buckets of brass into 4 "sub groups". Group 1 = 44,45 & up. Group 2 = 40,357,38sp, etc. Group 3 = 380 & 9MM. Group 4 = 32, 25, 22. I have been working on some more attachments to seperate 380, from 9mm and 2 more to seperate 32 from 25 from 22. Basically we were able to sub-sort our first 2 buckets in about 2 hours. The motorized sorter is still a work in process. But it does work pretty well. It is a noisey process & we wear hearing protection. Cool beans! Sgt Preston USMC LLA

 

[Skip Sackett]

Cool beans!

If there wouldn't be any patent issues, how about some pictures dude?

(I haven't heard the use of "Cool Beans" for quite awhile! Must be a generational thing!

)

 

[sar4937]

Something that might work for pulling stuck together cases apart. I bought an old single stage press and use it as a decapper, and I pull bullets with a Hornaday cam-action bullet puller. You would not need that many collet inserts, and I bought a Lee shell holder assortment. As long as there is something to grab, it will pull it out.

 

[Rule3]

Originally posted by smith crazy:

Cool beans!

If there wouldn't be any patent issues, how about some pictures dude?

(I haven't heard the use of "Cool Beans" for quite awhile! Must be a generational thing!

)

Without pictures, I think they are just sitting around drinking beer and picking out cases one at a time. After a 6 pack or so they don't care anymore and just BS the rest of the day.

 

[Sgt Preston]

Sgt Preston here. Well- you guys have shamed me into doing something I needed to do long ago, I bought myself a Digital Camera. I had to find one that I (Geezer) could understand. I have trouble understanding rabbit & turtle pictures. So at long last I found one that makes sense to me & "seems" like it will be easy to use. The camera store where I bought my camera is a good sized regional chain that offers free local classes with a camera purchase. So at this point I have purchased the camera, charged the battery & have read briefly thru the owners manual. This morning I have been looking over their photography couse listing to see where: "Introduction to Digital" is being offered tomorrow. Future courses on my horizion are: "Organize, Print & Share"; "Digital Photography 1"; Digital Photography 2"; "Quality Lighting"; "Lighting Inside & Out" & "The Filter Factor". In addition to "The geezer factor - ease of Use" I also studied Camera Specs & tried to get the best value that I could. Friends who take lots of pictures recommended: #1- a heavy duty rechargeable battery, #2- minimum of 8 mega pixels, # 3X zoom & one that uses SD = inexpensive memory cards. So I bought a Fuji J150w. It has 10 Mega pixels, 5X zoom, uses an NP 45 battery & takes SD cards. I paid $160.00 for it. At this point I have a pocket sized camera & will be signing up for classes, hopefully taking my first tomorrow. So it will take a while for me to get "up to speed", but do expect to see some photos form me in the future. Thanks for the "nudge" Skip & OCD1. Sgt Preston USMC LLA

 

[sar4937]

I find the camera the easiest part, seldom having to make any adjustments. The editing software and uploading to photobucket trips me up. Next you'll be building a light box.

 

[dennis40x]

Originally posted by Sgt Preston:
I have a pocket sized camera & will be signing up for classes, hopefully taking my first tomorrow. So it will take a while for me to get "up to speed", but do expect to see some photos form me in the future. Thanks for the "nudge" Skip & OCD1. Sgt Preston USMC LLA

Basically a point and shoot. We’re not asking for an artistic quality.

 

[Sgt Preston]

Dennis what I hope to be able to do is to point & shoot & show detail in the way that you did when you showed your piece about supported & un-supported barrels & bullet displays. I had a good background in photography years ago & was a master of depth of field and apeture & shutter speed settings. I worked mostly with Plus X film (asa 200). My primary camera format was 2.25 square. I also had an extensive darkroom & enlarger etc. And then came Digital photography with the rabbits & turtles & I lost all interest. So now I am getting back in the game. I just need to catch up on the last 35 years & will be well. I'm going to take classes like I have no knowledge or background & keep an open mind & try to learn. And then I'll have to learn to wrestle with PhotoBucket. So it'll take a while. But I have bought a camera, signed up for classes & have committed to displaying some photos on the Smith & Wesson Forum. Not a bad day's work, heh? Semper Fi! Preston

 

[dennis40x]

I just need to catch up on the last 35 years & will be well. I'm going to take classes like I have no knowledge or background & keep an open mind & try to learn. And then I'll have to learn to wrestle with PhotoBucket. So it'll take a while. But I have bought a camera, signed up for classes & have committed to displaying some photos on the Smith & Wesson Forum. Not a bad day's work, heh? Semper Fi! Preston

Sgt Preston, PhotoBucket isn’t a big deal. If I’ve figured it out 99% of the general population can.

The Canon camera I have is a SD790IS 10.0 Meg Pixels 3X Optical Zoom. Digital and optical zoom combined is up 12x. My older Olympus I was at the 60/40% rule that is to say I was only utilizing 40% of the camera’s capability/features. The Canon is a work in progress I’m at the 90/10% learning curve.

The SD memory cards are nice. Canon only provided a minimal memory SD card. I’ve purchased a 2GB and 4GB-SDCH card. Depending on the card reader in your computer you may have to acquire a Thumb Drive to read the SDHC cards. Good luck in your new venture

I started out on an Asahi Pentax in Vietnam with no instruction book. One could purchase Kodak 35mm film with the development prepaid and a mailer. Lots of pictures that I don’t look at anymore. <span class="ev_code_RED">Semper Fi!</span>

 

[Skip Sackett]

Sarge, If you take pictures half as good as Dennis you are going to be phenomenal. Some of his landscape stuff is awesome to say the least.

As far as giving you "a nudge"; I think that is what friends are for. Hopefully we surround ourselves with those that will "nudge" us in the right direction!

See, you can teach an OLD DOG new tricks!

There are other sites too. Some are just called free picture hosting sites. Flickr (sp) and others work well too.

If you need help, drop me an email. Mine is in my profile!

 

[Skip Sackett]

What time is school out Sarge? I bet you feel real good about yourself now that you is edjumacated!

How do you get the pictures off of your camera?

After you figure out how to do that:
Go to photobucket.com and set up an account.
After you get logged into your account there is a button to "Choose Files" and a browse button. Go to where you put your pictures, single click on all of those that you want to upload while holding the "Ctrl" key. All of them will be selected. Then click the "Open" button and all of those that you selected will be uploaded. After you have them uploaded you can click on them and they will open in another page with a larger view. There is a box that has "Image link code" as it's heading. Click in the IMG code window. All of the text will be selected, right click and choose copy.
Come back to the post you are going to do and right click in it and choose "paste".
It will look like this when you paste it without the quotation marks and the square brackets back in there.
" IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r115/Sackettwannabe/NewGlock221.jpg[/IMG "
When you click the post now button it will know to get the picture and put it in your post.

You won't have any problem doing it seeing you are so smart! I had a time!

 

[Sgt Preston]

Skip you are waaaay ahead of me. I've still got a lot of "other stuff" going on in my life besides photography. I worked with Joe last night on some additional sorting test runs. I did go to photography class today & took some pictures of household stuff. I am getting up to speed on the camera & have taked some detailed close ups. Since lunchtime however, I have been building new & additional caliber sorters "trays" for Joe. Today (and tomorrow's) project is to seperate 32's from 25's from 22's. I can't believe that people reload 25's or 32's but Joe says they do & he gets a premium price for relatively rare size brass. It's 7:30 & I just finished work on the sorting trays for today. I still need to do some more work tomorrow. Tomorrow morrning I will go to the gym when they open at 8. At 10:30 our family (the Monkeys & Grand Monkeys) will get together for our monthly brunch. In the afternoon I'll head for the gun range to throw some lead downrange. On Tuesday night I have my next camera class. This class is called "Organize Print & Share". The point of all this is to note that I am keeping pretty busy & it's going to take a while before I ready to show my photos. Since I have been laid off (Dec 4th), I have taken over cooking, laundry, vacuuming & cleaning, etc. I also have been going to the gym 6-7 days a week & the gun range 4-5 days. In between all this, I still need to apply for work each week to qualify for unemployment insurance. And with all my shooting, reloading is an ongoing & necessary venture. Photography will be a step by step process for me. When I'm learned enough to feel comfortable presenting my work, I certainely will. Similarly Skip when I bought my first handgun, I learned it inside & out & practiced dry firing many many times before I bought ammo or took it to the range. I guess it's just my way, slow but steady progress. Have a good weekend and THANKS for the PHOTOBUCKET info. Preston

 

[Skip Sackett]

Not trying to push. Want to be a help.
You will do very well with all of this as you are smarter than the average bear!

Have a nice weekend.

 

[Sgt Preston]

Skip, I'm just older than the average bear.