Using sheet metal screws & a tumbler to dimple round balls?

[Gary Van Kauwenbergh, 101]

I'd like to try dimpled round balls. Someone told me they use a tumbler with sheet metal screws instead of media to rough up the balls. If anyone out there has any experience with that technique, I'd appreciate some advice on how many sheet metal screws to use and how long to leave them run.

[Lou Lou Lou]

I had heard folks using BBs in atumbler.I have tried knurling between two farriers files

[Ron/The Old Reb]

Gary
I don't know if I would put sheet metal screws in my tumbler. They may tear up the rubber lining.

[Rebel Dave]

Gary
As noted, I think I wouldn't put sheet metal screws in my tumbler either. I knurl them on a piece of "Dry Wall" sanding screen., 120 grit, it puts a nice even rough finish on the balls, and its wide enough so they don't roll off. I found files weren't wide and the balls kept rolling off. The sanding screen is made by "Norton", and is available at Menards, or Home depot.

Rebel Dave

[macvcallsign]

Gary,

I just use two large flat Bastard files.Works great and does not take any time at all. Have been using this method for years without a problem. I would think tumbling them may cause some loss of lead? Just roll the ball around between the files, count 10 strokes and you have a nice uniformly rasped ball.

Dennis Schuler
4th Kentucky Cavalry, CSA
1561V

[Rob FreemanWBR]

I dimpled the projectiles that I shot from my Cadet model SB -

Originally I used the file method to rough up the balls, but it didn't help much with accuracy/consistency, at least not as much as dimpling achieved.

Taking one of my son's smooth faced lego sheets (he's long out of the Lego phase so it didn't matter to him) I set out to create a "dimpler". As you read this, keep in mind, “necessity is the mother of invention”!
Using my "requisitioned" lego sheet I made a border (approx 6" x 10") using the shallow, smoothed top lego blocks (likewise requisitioned) to act as a border/frame. Inside this border, I then painstakingly lined up/filled the 6x10 area with BB's (this did take some time, with a few do-overs). Once the frame was filled in with BB's, I applied a coat of Gorilla Glue. The glue would seep below the BB's and afix them in place, bonding to the plastic sheet, after the glue set.

With this BB'd sheet (aka my "dimpler"), I sandwiched projectiles between the sheet and a roller (a heavy wooden block). A few circular motions and sure enough I had golf ball-like, dimpled projectiles ready for a coating of Alox!

The dimpler worked great, despite all the looks & occasional comments my loving wife shared with me as she watched a 45-year old man "play" with Legos, BB's and glue - all in the pursuit of the lofty goal of applying symmetrical dimples on small lead balls...

In the long run, my Cadet didn't perform as well as I was hoping, even with dimpling the rounds. So I sold her to someone who's shooting her with smooth balls, and achieving absolutely astounding results! (Kudos to him - I’m happy to see that the Cadet can perform well – at least for someone). Slightly chagrinned, I went out and purchased an H&P (before the current “sighted smooth bore” craze swept the association) and I enjoy this smoothbore much more than my finicky Cadet SB.