Jump to content
Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

DAA primer pro collator


cvincent

Recommended Posts

On 1/25/2020 at 4:59 PM, The Donald said:

 

I understand how equipment is made, and needs to be made at a reasonable price. Using the correct plastics to mold a part that is ready to assemble is a very smart move.

 

I wish my collator worked correctly, the ramp problem would be easy to solve, my problem was I could run the collator until it shut off and only get 3-5 primers to get to the ramp. I tried both disks and still no luck.

Did you try to apply a plastic cleaner or dry lube in the disk? that seems to have solved the issue of primers not exiting the disk for every customer I had direct contact with about this issue! Have you tried this solution?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 558
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

On 1/25/2020 at 6:52 PM, ltdmstr said:

 

Saul,  I appreciate your willingness to engage with customers on this.  However, the comment above clearly misses the point.  Saying that the material used here isn't the problem I think is incorrect.  And referring to "plastic" generically, is like saying that all steel is the same.  It isn't.  The material used for your machine is not high quality plastic.  It's tacky, flimsy, and incapable of holding close tolerance.  That's probably one of the primary reasons the machine hasn't worked as intended for many of us.  There are other types of plastic that are more rigid, slicker, and can be machined rather than molded.  Maybe using a different/better material would have put you above the targeted price point.  But probably not by much.  And it certainly wouldn't have tripled or quadrupled the price.  Even if it cost as much as the Dillon RF100, that would have been fine for most of us if it were similar quality and 100% reliable.  I'm sorry this hasn't worked out, both for you, and those of us who are looking for a real solution to help with this task.  I hope you'll continue working on this and eventually have a nice product that works to everyone's satisfaction.

Hi ltdmastr,

Yes, I assure you I am well aware that there are many kinds of plastics. I have been involved in plastic production for more than 20 years, since the days I used to work with BUL.

We did not randomly choose the types of plastics used in the Primer Pro. In fact, there are three types of plastics being used in the product, and none of them were chosen for price consideration! They were all chosen in order to maximize performance and molding behaviors. These materials were chosen in consultations with our mould and plastics supplier, based on our requirements for tolerances and accuracy and warping issues.

Are there other types of plastic we could try? Yes, for sure. slickness of the plastic was never a main requirement as this issue was not identified early on, as previously explained. We may look into experimenting with  other plastics now, but I am doubtful the solution will ever be possible without using a cleaner/dry film protection layer. A tacky wet/sticky primer is always going to stick to some degree or another, it would seem, and in combination with its very light weight, this is an issue. and issue solved by some cleaner applied from time to time.

 

Machining these parts from any kind of plastic or aluminum is no option. costs aside, the design does not lend itself to machining, due to sharp inner corners and lack of tool access in some places.

Saul

Edited by doublealpha
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, Balakay said:

I know Corny and rest assured, it is going to take a whole lot more than this to offend him.  Regardless, can the majority of users objectively support the notion that the product is well engineered?  I have nothing but respect for Saul/DAA and their willingness to innovate but in this case...the Emperor has no clothes

HI Balakay

I do believe the product is well engineered. In fact, I really believe it’s an ingenious design, one for which I cannot take much personal credit. It is mostly the brain-child of one of my engineering team. However, I am most proud of its design and being able to realize it into a Product at the Price point we have.

And while there are a dozen or so people with issues on this thread – and I do take that seriously (as you can see) we have just over 1,000  units out there being used! The majority of those users are using it successfully. More than a few have emailed us to say so, or have left positive reviews on the product page. Some issues do exist, and greatly depend on the brand of primers in use. But most have found that the use of a little dry lube, or Pledge type cleaner solves any function/output issues.

 

Saul

Edited by doublealpha
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Longhill said:

Using Fiocchi small pistol primers with a height of 3.04.

No luck getting the primers to reach the feed ramp. 

I will try shimmy next. 
Anyone have any luck with Fiocchi?

Hi Longhill,

you should not need to shim those primers. we tested extensively with Fiocchi primers. try a little dry lube in the bowl.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Hooked said:

My only problem is that I can’t get the last 10 - 12 primers in the bowl to go down the feedramp.

 

 

Hooked,

I know the last few primers out the collator sometimes do not go. But that was not really viewed as an issue, as the intention was to keep running the collator with primers in it – never running it empty.

For best performance, load 300 primers and add 100 for each 100 you feed out. so you are always working in the 200-300 quantity in the bowl. That way output speeds are maximized. If you do have to empty the bowl completely, the last few may be slow to get out. often a primer will need another primer to ride up behind it to tap it through the slot (at the kink point), which is why when the bowl is empty some primers may remain in the disk going round and round. New primers loaded into the bowl will push them out.

Saul

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/25/2020 at 4:59 PM, The Donald said:

 

I understand how equipment is made, and needs to be made at a reasonable price. Using the correct plastics to mold a part that is ready to assemble is a very smart move.

 

I wish my collator worked correctly, the ramp problem would be easy to solve, my problem was I could run the collator until it shut off and only get 3-5 primers to get to the ramp. I tried both disks and still no luck.

I had to loosen the grub screws a fair amount to get a good rate of feed. 

Then, the "pledge treatment" really speeded things up. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine just arrived today. It only has 1 collater plate, and instruction booklet says its v2 . The chute has the scoring in it already. I'll post some feedback once I run some through it. 

 

EDIT - my bad, one collator plate was already installed. Looks like the extra plate is the v2 plate.

Edited by OptimiStick
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, I took it for a spin. Just plugged it in, pulled the packing tape off, and loaded it up. I have 4 of the collars, so loaded up 4 tubes worth.  I read it wanted 1/2" of primer tube protruding above the collar, so I eyeballed it, and snapped it in. I started with 200 in the bowl, and had problems with primers getting stuck at the exit point and backing up. I lengthened the amount of tube protruding from collar a few more times, with stoppages in between, and then found the sweet spot. I think with all the on/off while I was figuring that out, the count wasn't so good . Second tube filled to the top and I still had 5-6 primers in the bowl. I moved a few to first tube and put the first tube back in place and let the bowl empty to it. Turned it off, got two more tubes ready, put 200 in the bowl, and tried again. Filled both perfectly.I didn't count them, but both seem to be near the 100 mark. I think on the first go-round I had too much off/on while I was trial-and-erroring the collar/tube length.

 

I read all the comments on Winchester primers, which is my go-to, so I used CCI for this test. But honestly, Winchester give me problems in everything. My RF-100, and my Mark-7 vibratory bowl. I think Winchesters are not very consistently sized / shaped. 

 

my thoughts so far:

  1. Is it built a little light and delicate? Yeah, a little bit. But that's okay. I just need it to fill primer tubes, not jack up my car while I change a tire.
  2. Can it replace my RF-100? Not completely, because it doesn't do large primers.

 

I'll try it as my primary small-primer filler for my manual presses and see how it works with a wider variety of primers, and after several hundred fill cycles logged. My RF-100 is no set it and forget it piece. I constantly have to watch it for hang-ups at the exit gate, pull the blast shield/funnel, work them loose and clean it. My Mark-7 I have to clean that ramp all the time too, or they will stick near the bottom. None of my primer filling solutions are set-it-and-forget it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The way to set the tube is to move the magnet way down, further than it needs to be, then place tube up against the exit chute, tight, and push the magnet up until it connects. then tighten the set screw. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, slavex said:

The way to set the tube is to move the magnet way down, further than it needs to be, then place tube up against the exit chute, tight, and push the magnet up until it connects. then tighten the set screw. 

Slavex - exactly right. its important to do it just like this - as it’s the only way to ensure the magnet collar is at the correct height so that the top of the tube is pressed up against the bottom of the exit hole. this is explained in the manual as well as in online video.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/28/2020 at 4:34 AM, doublealpha said:

. this is explained in the manual as well as in online video.

 

 

 

That's what I ended up doing after tinkering with the first one, but no the manual said 1/2" as the starting point.

 

that's okay. manuals are for reference after you can't get it working out of the box. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/27/2020 at 2:15 AM, doublealpha said:

Hi Longhill,

you should not need to shim those primers. we tested extensively with Fiocchi primers. try a little dry lube in the bowl.

Update: purchased from Lowe’s, Blaster dry lube with Teflon. Sprayed onto the bowl and let dry. Then used a cloth to wipe off the excess.

Happy to say, the primers load into the primer trough fairly consistently. Also I didn’t tighten the screws to the bowl too tightly.

For the primer trough I use a Target branded furniture spray polish and it did slicken the surface greatly.

Although at times, I’m having as many as four primers that stop before they drop into the tube.

My next try is to scrape the trough, as mentioned earlier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After a few days tested of the collator, I had observed that if you throw in only one hundred primers, it will takes forever to fill the tube.  The last few primers will just keep wondering around and around.  

I put two hundred in and the first hundred stopped two times may be due to the speed of the primers moving pass the light.  I have to stop the machine and clean the channel with alcohol then rubbing it with a silicone cloth as I don't have the dry silicone spray at the moment.  The primers passing through the channel faster but at the end of the few primers again keep wondering around and around just doesn't want to fill the tube.  

I guess in order to get the machine working, I need to keep the bowl have at least three hundred primers at all time.  If you have less, the last few primers will just wondering around.  

It's sorry to say, I took out my PAL filler and loaded two tubes in 10 seconds each.  

I'm unsure what to do yet as I lived in Canada.  It'd already costed me more because of the custom tax and duty fees.  If I'm going to send it back, it will be another charge for postage. 

Will try to use the Blaster Advanced Dry Lube with Teflon and give it a few more test before making my decision.

Edited by BigEar
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, BigEar said:

I guess in order to get the machine working, I need to keep the bowl have at least three hundred primers at all time.  If you have less, the last few primers will just wondering around. 

Yes, you are correct. The Primer Pro was never designed to be totally emptied. For best performance you need to keep the bowl filled with 200-400 primers.so put in 300-400, and top up another 100 with each 100 you feed  out. that is how it was always designed to run, and will give you the best output speeds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, doublealpha said:

Yes, you are correct. The Primer Pro was never designed to be totally emptied. For best performance you need to keep the bowl filled with 200-400 primers.so put in 300-400, and top up another 100 with each 100 you feed  out. that is how it was always designed to run, and will give you the best output speeds.


I'm loading 9mm minor ammunition with standard small pistol primers.
I'm loading 9mm major ammunition with magnum small pistol primers.
I'm loading 223 minor ammunition with small rifle primers.

So I do need to get the machine also empty since I don't want to have any left-over rifle primers end up in the minor ammo. So sounds a bit bad design choice to me...

Also in many countries primers, powder and ammo need to be stored in a locked cabinet. Not really okay to leave primers in the machine that is on the open bench...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I run into a few primers not fallout of the lane I have just used a piece of zip tie to bump them over that lip and get them out. I load in batches, so I want every primer to be used, and not leave any in tubes or in the bowl. Hell I'll crawl around on the ground for 10 minutes to locate one I drop so that I know a bin has exactly 1000 loaded rounds in it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/30/2020 at 11:34 AM, mikamarj said:

So I do need to get the machine also empty since I don't want to have any left-over rifle primers end up in the minor ammo. So sounds a bit bad design choice to me...
 

It’s not hard to empty if you need it: lift the collator assembly up and off, turn it upside down over a tray and trap on the bottom of the primer disk while holding it at a 45 deg angle, the primers will slide back out of the slots, back into the open inverted bowl area and fall out into your awaiting tray. Its takes just seconds to do.

Edited by doublealpha
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...