"Chattered" chamber

RoyB said:
Why not clean up the chamber with a light boring bar cut, the same as if the chamber was off center? Then ream as a new chamber.

That's what I would do.
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2X

Haven't tired had to use the wax paper technique yet. Mickey, how many times do you wrap the reamer - any rules of thumb?

Its always terrible working on someone else's problems...but then thats probably why you get paid the big bucks Dennis right?
 
Dennis Sorensen said:
I have received a job to repair... a new Lilja barrel had been fitted and chambered by someone unknown to me. (.223 Rem. on a Savage)

The customer said the fired brass looks terrible and is a mess... and wants it fixed.

I first tried my reamer and I could feel the chatter right away... it was terrible... as my reamer was cutting the chatter went away and it seemed to cut fine. I only set this back about 1/4 inch and headspaced it... the chamber looks real good... I test fired it and the brass looks real good... BUT... when you rotate the brass in your fingers you can feel it is multi-sided. The bad chamber has not been removed entirely or it still influenced my reamer...

My question is ... has anyone experienced this when fixing a chattered chamber? Do you think if I set back another 1/4 inch I will be able to make a round chamber or should I cut the chamber off and start fresh? (That's what I am leaning towards)
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Dennis did you take a peek at it with a bore scope first?
 
I don't doub't that the wax paper thing works, but it would seem that the
cutting edges would slice right thru. Maybe it just takes a moment to
change the reamers responce to the valleys and peaks. I would cut off
all I could and do it your way.
 
Bob Kingsbury said:
I don't doub't that the wax paper thing works, but it would seem that the
cutting edges would slice right thru. Maybe it just takes a moment to
change the reamers responce to the valleys and peaks. I would cut off
all I could and do it your way.
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BELIEVE ME!

It works, I have tried the small boring bar in the past and that worked also but it takes too long to set it correctly. With the waxed paper, just wrap around the reamer a few times, cutting oil on the whole shegang and you are good to go. If you are near headspace, you may have to cut a little deeper and then set it back.

Dennis, all I have to say is, try it, you'll like it.
 
Joe Ponto said:
2X

Haven't tired had to use the wax paper technique yet. Mickey, how many times do you wrap the reamer - any rules of thumb?

Its always terrible working on someone else's problems...but then thats probably why you get paid the big bucks Dennis right?
Click to expand...
I usually take a couple of wraps around the reamer and cut a few thou then clean everything up and repeat. I have had to do it 4-5 times but it has always worked.
 
wrap

what portion of the reamer are you wrapping with the wax paper ? Is it from the shoulder back , the throat back ? I have used a patch with a hole cut in the center that just slips over the neck of the reamer and covers the shoulder and then start cutting .It works as well .I have also filled the chamber and flutes of the reamer with heavy grease ,cut alittle back out ,clean and repeat and this method works as well .
Chris
 
chris k said:
what portion of the reamer are you wrapping with the wax paper ? Is it from the shoulder back , the throat back ? I have used a patch with a hole cut in the center that just slips over the neck of the reamer and covers the shoulder and then start cutting .It works as well .I have also filled the chamber and flutes of the reamer with heavy grease ,cut alittle back out ,clean and repeat and this method works as well .
Chris
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Chris, I wrap the body of the reamer and let the paper extend out over the shoulder. I always get the body/shoulder juncture covered and don't cut much before I change the paper since it gets shredded pretty quickly.
 
Neat Information . .

The Wax Paper works - I can't explain it either, but it does. It seems to allow the cutter to hit the high spots first, then cut, some sort of balancing in there that is difficult to explain.

The sad part is that someone did that to a chamber and then let it go out that way, "Or" maybe didn't see it . . naw, you would have to "feel" it in the chamber bouncing around . . . "for sure" . . :eek:

I had a barrel set up and did all the work on right down to the chamber, when I started to do the chamber the cutter started chattering right away, before I got past the shoulder . . . stopped - checked the reamer - the barrel, set up - all was good to go . . tried to re-cut it and it did it again . . Called the barrel co. rep and he said to check all that I had already done . . he recalled the barrel and didn't find anything wrong with it. They stood by their work and sent me a new one . . that one worked great with the same reamer, no problems . . but I was not willing to stick it all the way in and then have a messed up barrel and have to explain it to the customer. . . NO WAY !!

I don't know what the Barrel Co. did, but the new one was good to go, no problems . . .
 
I normally use paper towel because its always within reach. A guy on another site said he used masking tape. The tape apparently stays put and doesn't bunch up when the reamer is inserted. I plan to try masking tape the next time this happens.
 
Clay fix for chattered chambers

No experience here with the wax paper, but similar method using modeling clay to fill the flutes. I'm not positive on why, but the "feel" through the reamer is that it creates a pressure opposite of the cutting edge and assists in limiting the flex of the flutes under cutting pressures. I have been under the impression that the flutes are not exactly 180degrees on reamers, please clarify if anyone knows the exact orientation of flutes on a 6flute reamer.

Personal suggestion, kick the lath speed up high, using a split dowel rod and moderately rough sand paper use pressure and kerosene to lube, to create a nice wide crosshatching effect. drop speed back down, using a drill bit 1 letter size lower than the shoulder of the case drill forward .200-.275" this will relieve the stress on the shoulder cutting edge and allow the body of the reamer to follow the neck. Now pack the flutes full with modeling clay, cutting oil in the chamber and proceed (with slightly more than normal feed pressure from the tailstock) to cut .030-.050" and back out. CLEAN all chips and clay out of the flutes, clean chamber, pack flutes with clay and repeat. *You must use an acute sense of feel during this procedure any change or increased "walking" or "pulsing" of the reamer handle during cutting means to go back to sanding the chamber and starting over.* This has fixed several chambers with an unnoticed chatter without losing too much length, and stops chatter from continuing if noticed while chambering barrels.

Hopefully this helps,

Travis
 
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