Initial review of the H.B. MACHINE fluted hammer

[Grimm]

I'm looking foreward to these being available, I could use 4 or 5 of them.


Good luck with the EDM, I know how frustrating these little hiccups can me. A couple weeks ago I almost had to write off a prototype I'v been working on for the last year. I'v got several thousand dollars worth of design and machining time into it, and I ended up mis-feeding when one of the guys in the shop came over and started talking to me while I was setting up for the cut. I had to change the design somewhat to correct the mistake.


Later
Doug

[greenmtn]

Any progress yet?

[Have Blue]

Nothing yet, keep getting sidetracked with other stuff.  Worst case I'll rig up something on the CNC Taig to do the milling.  Hmmm...  **flash of inspiration**

[Have Blue]

[super_stanchy]

i remember you saying it somewhere (or somebody sayin it)

what size endmill did you use?

[Have Blue]

3/8 endmill.  I should have used a collet on the Taig rather than an endmill holder, and I think the brass stud that I used for a holder was flexing as well, so the cuts wound up tracking slightly off center.  Won't affect functionality in the least, but it still bugs me a little.

[greenmtn]

Some Data from Yesterday. I'll keep most of my oppinions about what it means to myself for now, everyone just wants the data so they can make up their own minds anyway 

"Controls"- Barrel 11" CCI .686 bore, Gargoyle, Madman green valve spring, CCI P.T., Leland 12ies,
Temp:61*F
Paint: DXS field grade, ~.678-~.683 depending on how it landed in the chamber and which ball it was.
(t after a number indicates that I adjusted the TPC after that shot, 00 indicates no reading on the chrony)
Data:
ASP TPC, Silver CCI main spring
297t,287t,322t,264,277,292,296t,282,286,253,278,26 9,283,268,295,268,288,264,258,261,250,248,241,257, 295,281,257,287,276,266,257,275,267,267,238,270,21 9,222, 00
Notes: noise made at last cocking motion to indicate the end of the 12ie, after last adjustment of the TPC the TPC was out ALL THE WAY

ASP TPC Blue main Spring (TPC in about .75-1 turn)
234t,267,249,275,286,290,286,264,258,289,278,254,2 81,283,257,278,254,278,257,274,256,298,257,277,274 ,242,259,00,286,248,271,259,258,243,248,261,256,00 ,00,00,00
Notes: Last 4 shots hissed indicating end of 12ie

Everything the same as the previous test, ASP lightened Hammer in place of CCI stock hammer

00t,200t,244t,238t,246,273,277,258,268,263,266,245 ,256,273,289,266,273,278,260,263,289,261,265,00,27 7,00,00,258,288,289,284,00,00,287,289,249,274,257, 262,217,219,00,00,00

Notes: these ones are important. As you can see there is not much of a change in the shot count when you use this hammer, I feel that some things need to be addresses to understand this. This hammer is the Prototype, I need to take it out of the gun and polish up the edges, I didn't realize how rough it was until I went to put it in the gun, I expect much better results once this is smoothed out (it's not just not shinny it's visibly rough in some spots) I would also like to mention that I have not seen anyone that has ever suggested using a lightened hammer that did not suggest a power tube with a larger ID. The larger ID is in my oppinion nessisary for the best results. The lightened hammer shortens the "dwell" enought that you are best served to increase the flow.

If bounce is your big problem this hammer will serve you very well to prevent it and add a little efficiency.

I'll get the surfaces of the bolt smoothed out and run the test again possibly this weekend.

[Have Blue]

The roughness isn't that heavy - I beadblasted the hammers after machining and deburring, and I don't think that will impart excessive friction.  But I could very well be wrong!

I opted to beadblast the hammers to provide a nice overall finish, as filing the edges to deburr leaves filing marks.

[greenmtn]

It's could be my imagination I'll give you that.  It doesn't feel bad it just looks like it's rough in comparison to the CCI hammer.  The plating on the CCI one may be to cause for some of that I don't know.

I'll get a bigger ID hammer in there as soon as I can and I'll put some polish to the hammer just to see if it does anything good.

[Have Blue]

Hammers came back from plating, but they started rusting right away.  Shop said to send them on back so they can strip and re-plate.

[super_stanchy]

Hammers came back from plating, but they started rusting right away.  Shop said to send them on back so they can strip and re-plate.

thats weird... why?

[Have Blue]

thats weird... why?

I wish I knew!  I did find mention either in the Caswell forums or in the Caswell plating manual that PTFE impregnated electroless nickel by itself is not corrosion resistant and that a base layer of plain EN is needed first.  Perhaps they didn't put down a base EN layer?  Of course, the Caswell info is for hobbyist level stuff, and may not apply to regular industrial processes.  Only other thing I can think of is that the slight lead content in the 12L14 steel interfered with the plating, but I did make sure to tell them that it was a free-machining leaded steel...

Regardless, stuff like this makes me wonder if I should try doing my own plating...  (the correct answer is of course, hell no, I have too many projects as it is)

[Have Blue]

Hammers have been stripped and re-plated, and the teflon nickel looks much better this time.

If anyone wants to test them out, here they are:  http://www.airsoldier.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AOS&Product_Code=ASP-HAMMERTIME