Re-purposed items on the reloading bench?

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TexasDon

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Got this idea from mstreddy in one of his posts. THANKS...
" How many of us look at items around the house and think of how to re-purpose them at the reloading bench?"
Click to expand...

This got me to wondering how much stuff I have on my bench that use to be part of something else.
Anyone care to share?

I'll have to look at mine better, but one comes into mind right off.
Pictures are worth a bunch.

This was a knob off an old radio I threw away, I installed it on my RCBS Uniflow adj. stem so I can turn it easier.
And just think, I almost threw it away..!!! It fit just right and has a brass insert that is splined perfectly with a locking set screw. :D

TxDon
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Mostly just old Chinese food soup containers that I use for sorting brass... everything else is pretty much purpose made.

Except the stool I use to hold my bucket of brass on its way into the loader... I built that in 9th grade woodshop. Still going strong all these years later!
 
I've found that Dollar Tree sells reloading supplies disguised as kitchen accessories. My media separator, brass storage, sorting trays, and powder catch pan all came from there.
 
Not just home. I can't go into Home Depot without looking around to see what might be useful.
 
270-cup jugs ... woo-hoo!

+1 on the coffee cans!

Folger's plastic jugs work nicely for brass in many stages - right up to stacking 5 layers of primed 9's in their box trays.
 

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Ditto

Employer provides coffee for its employees. Busy it in the 2# & 3# plastic tubs. Lots of these available for repurposing when there are couple hundred coffee drinkers.
 
TexasDon said:
This was a knob off an old radio I threw away, I installed it on my RCBS Uniflow adj. stem so I can turn it easier.
Click to expand...
TxDon, great idea.

I've used various discarded food containers over the years for various case holding tasks like many others. We have never generated a continuos supply of one type or another so they have never made a large presence in my reloading room.

I have a small cookie sheet with edges that my cast off from her cooking escapades that I currently use to keep cases corralled when drying after the application of spray on case lube. Also, it keeps excess lubricant dripping off the cases from getting on my bench and it captures brass shavings from trimming.

My first case/tumbling media separator was an old small Tupperware colander. I drilled out every third hole or so to 1/4" so that the media would flow through better. I was using a Thumler two drum rock polisher for tumbling at the time and the size match between each drum and the colander was perfect. When I moved up to a larger, vibrating tumbler, I had to get a larger separator.
 
edleit
Folger's plastic jugs work nicely for brass in many stages - right up to stacking 5 layers of primed 9's in their box trays.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...I always save the bullet trays and have a bunch of these coffee containers, I will have to try this idea. At least they will be organized in the can instead of loose, can get more in loose, but can get a stack of them out easier.

I also like the large Coffee-Mate plastic jugs also, they have a screw on lid.
I've got a few of them but I think they are a tad smaller...Not much though.

Ok...I'll add that one to my list of things to try.
Thanks
TxD
 
3500 watt oven element rebent into heating element for homemade casting machine.

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Old cloth shot bags make great powder measure covers.....
Even the ones mounted on a press.

Also, you can't see it very well, but on the base of my T7 press between the mounting bolts is an old hard drive magnet that holds misc. steel items ready to use. I sometimes put small tools or extra die parts there to have when needed. I keep the push through stem that mounts into the ram for my Lee push through sizers there or a shell holder. The magnets are VERY strong..!!!

TxD

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TenDriver said:
I've found that Dollar Tree sells reloading supplies disguised as kitchen accessories. My media separator, brass storage, sorting trays, and powder catch pan all came from there.
Click to expand...
+1!!

Im a Dollar Tree/Store/General fool I tell ya!!
 
jmorris said:
3500 watt oven element rebent into heating element for homemade casting machine.

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Click to expand...
I was expecting a Jmorris one. He's probably made a robot out of tin cans that does all his loading for him while he controls it remotely from the couch-
 
Probably the coolest thing I have repurposed is a bread cabinet from a Subway sandwich shop. Just add plywood and it makes a great ammo and component storage.

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The countertop on my bench is a 10 ' formica top from an appliance display that was being thrown out.

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Some other things I use from the household are:

-Plastic kitchen funnel that I use to put powder from 8 lb. jugs in to my measure.
-Plastic take out Chinese food containers for various duties like holding parts while I am working on something
-I'll steal some of the wife's Q-tips for variuos cleaning, polishing, and lube tasks
-Old kitchen cabinets that I use to store stuff
-An old vacuum that I got from a co-worker that I fixed and now it does shop duty.

Even though it is not repurposing, I will get coupons for cheap toothbrushes and use them for cleaing gun parts and I will also buy cheap paper plates for targets.
 
Ive seen those little bread cookers-Holy cow that is awesome and exactly what I need.

I'll steal some of the wife's Q-tips for variuos cleaning, polishing, and lube tasks
Click to expand...

Ive found that the cheap Qtips (not name brand) do well for me especially when cleaning a gun part, they dont have/shed near as much cotton as the big poofy name brands...


I have coffee cans for turret head storage..and a butcher block I stole from the kitchen. Will try to post a pic, it's serving me quite well.
 
Well here's my butcher block..(like nobodys ever seen a butcher block).

My press is on a reloading stand so the block sees a lot of work.


A little messy at the moment but see that little trough that runs around the edges of the top of the block? That little indention has saved many a runaway bullet or primer from hitting the floor. I will incorporate something similar in my future bench (that WILL BE featured in the "Show us your reloading bench " thread one day).




Note my fantastic 8 lb jug of 4756 that just happened to be in the pic:)
 

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AFK, I just showed my wife your bread rack and told her we need one in the master bedroom with my loading stuff. She was not impressed:(

(although she did comment on your countertop!)
 
Potatohead

Nice guitar amp, I have a small practice bass amp in my shop hoping to make a killer sub woofer?????
My Son plays anything with strings on it and I get his "Toss Outs"..!!!
Now, what can I do with some old solid guitar bodies???? They are candidates for my wood heater?

TxD

Ps...JMorris is the MAN when it comes to inventions..!!! ( like the professor on Gilligans Island)
He's World Famous and on YouTube too..:D
 
The bread rack would look perfect in the bedroom! Don't ya hate when the wife shoots down a perfectly good idea?
 
The knob idea is simple, brilliant and depending on the knob, still tacky enough to fit my area perfectly. Got to have one!

Goodwill aluminum mini muffin trays make great 2oz pewter coins for added tin into a cast if you pour about 3/8 of an inch in the bottom. Store them in those pill bottle type containers used by coin collectors. Use the silver dollar size.

Pill bottles to hold all the little parts I'm always losing, pocket reamers, lee trimmer parts, and the little pot metal parts with the o-rings for the plastic inertia bullet puller.

grain and paint buckets, coffee cans, ziplock bags.

Goodwill metal frying scoop/spoon looking thing for digging the brass out of some media.

Dollar store colander for rinsing off muddy brass before the tumbler or range scrap before a melt.
 
Please reduce the size of your pictures. 1024 x 768 is too big.
"...found that Dollar Tree sells reloading supplies disguised as..." Absolutely. So do shoe stores. Can't imagine how many cases I have living in a shoe box.
 
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