Removing the spruce bump from round balls

[John Ciccone]

I need a proper spruce cutter for my cast round balls. Can you suggest a type and a brand, maybe where I cam buy one.

[Maven]

John, I use one of these to cut sprues:  https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=xuron+flush+cutters&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8  I originally purchased it to cut HO scale rail for model railroading, but it does an excellent job with soft metals too.

[smylee grouch]

To cut the spru on my tanner molds cast balls I use an electrician stripper pliers. Number 14 ga. hole IIRC Just clamp near the ball body, squeez as you twist the ball and you will end up with a very clean cut at the spru.

[Flint62Smoothie]

Metal coffee can, add 30-balls at a time, metal DIY cover taped on with duct tape. Leave on the floor of the car to roll around and jumble at every stop. Your sprues will be gone in a week or 2 or less. I use a rock polisher to do the same.

[hanshi]

An old Thumbler Tumbler works very well for sprue bumps on cast ball.  A vibrating brass polisher I have also works.

[Joc7651]

An old Thumbler Tumbler works very well for sprue bumps on cast ball.  A vibrating brass polisher I have also works.

+1, 30 minutes and they will be perfectly round with no sprue.

[Daryl]

To cut the spru on my tanner molds cast balls I use an electrician stripper pliers. Number 14 ga. hole IIRC Just clamp near the ball body, squeez as you twist the ball and you will end up with a very clean cut at the spru.

EXACTLY the way I do it. Perfect every time and nothing left - perfectly round once you get the hang of it with the proper sized hole in the plyers. I tried side cutters and didn't like them because of the crimped cut. The wire strippers work perfectly.





With normal moulds from RCBS, Lee or Lyman, I put the sprue up as that little flat spot is not critical to good shooting. If you try to load it sprue down, it will adversely effect accuracy. 

[OldMtnMan]

Those look good.

[Pukka Bundook]

I nip the sprue off like Daryl, but then I finish them off.

I have apiece of arborite, (formica)   maybe  7" x 5"   This has raised sides, maybe 3/8 " high.   I chuck  a few balls in, maybe 8 or so, depending on calibre, and with another piece of the same arborite, (counter -top stuff)   I rumble them around pressing on firmly.   I keep changing directions and make larger and smaller circles  as I go. It's faster than writing this, and no sign of the sprue survives.  They only need rumbling a few seconds each batch.  Probably 15 seconds or so does it.

[OldMtnMan]

I like the sprue. It tells which end of the ball it up.

[Pukka Bundook]

Pete,

We used to find a good few back home, (UK) with the sprue still on.  seems they didn't always bother chewing them off.
Some places they used it to tie the paper cartridge to. 

[OldMtnMan]

WOW! I didn't mean the whole sprue. Just the bump.

I read a report about the sprue. They tested the sprue loaded in all directions and found the accuracy was the same. I'm not convinced but who knows? I should take the time to test it myself.

[Mike from OK]

I tried the wire strippers like Smylee and Daryl recommend... I just couldn't get close enough with them on a .315 ball. So I bought a cheap pair of end nipping pliers and ground the face smooth so they would cut flush...

They still aren't perfect but they do an acceptable job.

Mike

[smylee grouch]

I would think using those stripper pliers on a small ball like that .315 might be harder to do than the .605 ball and .585 that I clip. The same reason I can't hardly shoot a gun that small, just too hard to hold onto some thing that small when loading.

[Mike Brooks]

The best spruce cutter I have ever found is a chainsaw. Cuts them right off at the ground.

[OldMtnMan]

The best spruce cutter I have ever found is a chainsaw. Cuts them right off at the ground.

Too modern. An ax will do.

[45-110]

Pick up a vintage brad nail puller/nippers, then grind off the slight chamfer on the outside edge, they will cut as flush as you can get reaching well around the sprue.

[Daryl]

The best spruce cutter I have ever found is a chainsaw. Cuts them right off at the ground.

LOL- BUT- to do that, a fellow needs to bend over.  3" to 4" stump is easier, besides, they are thinner & faster cutting, up off the ground.

The smallest ball I cast with the big sprue are the .595's in the picture.  I also have .677", .710", .724" and .740" Tanner moulds.

 The .724" ball fits my largest rifle, perfectly.

With the sprues nipped off and ball smooth, there is no orientation when loading, thus their use in paper ctgs. just became easier.

When I used a Lyman-type mould that leaves a small, slightly raised sprue cutt-off in my paper ctgs. for the 14 bore, I oriented the sprue up. I assume it stayed "up".

The accuracy was identical to my tight combination patched round balls.

[hanshi]

I cast mostly from Lee molds and there's no sprue, of course.  When I load the sprue "scar" it is oriented on top, if I can find it.  Tumbled, I rarely find find any at all so just load without looking for a scar.

[wmrike]

I too use Lee molds, and there's just not enough excess material to worry about.  If you are compulsive, two swipes with a fine file removes all.

[oldtravler61]

  Check just lay them out in a line at the range. Then back up fifty or sixty yards an shoot them off.....!  Easy grasshopper or is that weasel hopper...!   Lol.  Oldtravler

[45-110]

i thought we where talking about bag molds that lack a sprue plate? not lee molds.

[Plateboater]

Small side cutters harbor freight cannot go wrong

[Mike Brooks]

i thought we where talking about bag molds that lack a sprue plate? not lee molds.

Heck, I thought we were talking about trees....I need to pay closer attention.