rosewood
Senior Member
Some things I have learned.
A medium tip ball point pen is perfect for knocking corn cob media out of a small primer pocket. It seems to center itself.
I push the back of the Prep Center against my single stage press on my bench to keep it from moving. You could just as easily bolt it down or put a block of some sort behind it. Keeps you from having to hold it in place while trimming.
I found that by pushing the brass in the trim stage with the palm of your hand, it takes about 5 seconds off the trim process over holding it in with your fingers. You need a glove that you can handle brass with and has a padded palm to protect your hand. This reduces fatigue on your hand and cuts from approx 20 seconds (trim, debur, chamfer, clean primer pocket) per piece of 223 brass to 15 seconds. This means you finish 25% faster (for mathematically challenged folks).
Tumbling brass after sizing to remove lube and before trimming keeps your hands cleaner while trimming and makes the brass easier to hold on with less fatigue on your hand.
You can use other brand bits in the tool ports. They are a standard size. You can also use the Redding case trimmer cutter that is carbide in the FA. It last longer and cuts better than the provided steel cutter.
Breaking up trimming sessions for large quantities of brass greatly reduces fatigue and the dread of trimming.
I trimmed a small plastic bowl to fit under the front of the FA to catch the gold dust. I tip the FA forward every now and then and tap in the bowl to remove excess shavings to keep it clean to cut better. An old toothbrush works well for cleaning shavings off the machine and tool bits also.
Rosewood
A medium tip ball point pen is perfect for knocking corn cob media out of a small primer pocket. It seems to center itself.
I push the back of the Prep Center against my single stage press on my bench to keep it from moving. You could just as easily bolt it down or put a block of some sort behind it. Keeps you from having to hold it in place while trimming.
I found that by pushing the brass in the trim stage with the palm of your hand, it takes about 5 seconds off the trim process over holding it in with your fingers. You need a glove that you can handle brass with and has a padded palm to protect your hand. This reduces fatigue on your hand and cuts from approx 20 seconds (trim, debur, chamfer, clean primer pocket) per piece of 223 brass to 15 seconds. This means you finish 25% faster (for mathematically challenged folks).
Tumbling brass after sizing to remove lube and before trimming keeps your hands cleaner while trimming and makes the brass easier to hold on with less fatigue on your hand.
You can use other brand bits in the tool ports. They are a standard size. You can also use the Redding case trimmer cutter that is carbide in the FA. It last longer and cuts better than the provided steel cutter.
Breaking up trimming sessions for large quantities of brass greatly reduces fatigue and the dread of trimming.
I trimmed a small plastic bowl to fit under the front of the FA to catch the gold dust. I tip the FA forward every now and then and tap in the bowl to remove excess shavings to keep it clean to cut better. An old toothbrush works well for cleaning shavings off the machine and tool bits also.
Rosewood