OldTools Archive
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257917 | Philip Yarra <philip.yarra@i...> | 2016‑02‑07 | Brass ferrules from old shell casings |
Hi all, I regularly find myself needing to make small ferrules (for example, for scratch awls, small marking knives, that kind of thing). I like brass ferrules, but getting hold of brass tube of a suitable size can be tricky, unless you like paying exorbitant prices. So when I recently acquired a handful of old 9mm shells - decades ago fired and abandoned in the dirt - I figured they'd make an ideal source of brass. Cleaned and cut to size they work very nicely - the slight taper inside the cartridge works well to give a tight fit when they're pressed on. A few weeks later I mentioned it to a friend - one who actually owns a gun, and shoots regularly. He was alarmed, and warned me that the primer cap can "often" only partially detonate, and might explode if heated, jolted, poked, or worked with tools that generate sparks. He stressed the likelihood of serious injury. I've never ever heard of such a thing. I can't find anything about it on the internet. And judging by the sheer number of people who re-use empty cartridges for craft projects, they haven't either. None of the guides to hand-loading ammo I could find mention this as a possible hazard. I guess there are a few people on this list who might know. Can anyone shed light on this? Is this warning bogus, or am I heading for a future where I'm nicknamed "Stumpy"? Currently I'm using a junior hacksaw to work these pieces, so I doubt I'm generating sparks, or even much heat. The old 9mm shells had been buried for decades; there's nothing left that could go bang. The much more recently fired .30-06 shells I acquired a few weeks ago, though, are giving me pause for thought. Cheers, Philip. |
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257918 | "Adam R. Maxwell" <amaxwell@m...> | 2016‑02‑07 | Re: Brass ferrules from old shell casings |
> On Feb 6, 2016, at 18:25, Philip Yarra |
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257919 | Phil Schempf <philschempf@g...> | 2016‑02‑07 | Re: Brass ferrules from old shell casings |
Philip- I likewise have never heard of such a thing. I have de-primed thousands of fired rounds of ammunition and have never given it a second thought. It sounds like you're not a reloader so let me drone on and excuse me if I'm beating a dead horse. A cartridge is de-primied with a die in a press. The primer is removed with a decapping pin pressed against the inside of the primer from the mouth of the case. The pin is necessarily small to pass through the flash hole of the case, 2-3 mm in diameter I'd guess. When you have several hundred rounds to do, the process becomes quite mechanical with no effort to be gentle with spent primers dropping out of the case into a heap. Some fellows use progressive presses so all the various steps of the reloading process are done on a round before it is removed or ejected from the press. There are spent primers being driven out, live primers being seated and powder being fed into the case from a reservoir of a quarter kilo or so. I cannot say with certainty that a primer, live or dead, has never detonated during this process, but in the litigious society of the US, if this was a concern we would have heard about it and I haven't. Reloading manuals and supplies would be covered with warnings if available at all. If it would make you rest easier you good give each spent round a dollop of light oil, WD-40 or something similar to "kill" the primer and let them stand a while before surgery. It would be interesting to take a pile of spent primers and chuck them in a fire to see if you could get a pop out of them. I'd be surprised if you could. Phil |
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257921 | Elf Wrangler <elfwrangler@g...> | 2016‑02‑07 | Re: Brass ferrules from old shell casings |
My gut instinct, after having reloaded and pulled countless shells since I was 12, is that you may be hearing bona fide horror stories from or about people who have reloaded their own ammo without either knowing what on earth they were doing, or were knowingly doing so unsafely in order to push some envelope or other. Some of these eejits create small bombs and seriously injure themselves. But if you’re dealing with conventionally fired, factory issued ammo then I have yet to witness or reliably hear of a genuine hazard in reusing the casings in any craft oriented manner — so long as you personally ascertain that they have indeed been fired, not pulled. JL |
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257922 | Bruce Zenge <brucensherry@g...> | 2016‑02‑07 | Re: Brass ferrules from old shell casings |
Philip, Adding my voice to the chorus. No need to worry if the primers have a dent in them. I have even deprimed live primers without any detonation, albeit, very gently. I will also say that I have tried to kill primers with oil, leaving it for a week or so and the primer would still fire. Basically, the advice you have gotten is sound. Primers will not detonate more than once. It's just not in their nature. No concern about being called stumpy. And for what it's worth, the bigger danger in my opinion with an unfired primer is the risk of eye damage if you happen to be on the wrong side of it, or of it setting off flammables nearby. Might burn your finger, but won't take anything major off. Always a good idea to wear eye protection when doing anything manual. My 2 pennies worth and it still is worth what you paid for it....... Bruce Z Des Moines, IA 40+ years of reloading and counting.... |
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257923 | Chuck Ramsey <chuck-ramsey@l...> | 2016‑02‑07 | Re: Brass ferrules from old shell casings |
Galoots- I too use casings (brass and stainless steel) from fired ammunition for ferrules or whatever. I don't give safety a second thought if the primer has a dimple in it. I was cautioned to avoid a .50 caliber casing that had an undimpled (and therefore presumed live) primer by the collective wisdom of the porch. I agree that expended "brass" is an excellent source for ferrules and comes in a wide assortment of sizes. 9mm seems to be the most common available to me in AZ but .38, .40, .45 are also easily found. .22, .32 and .44 are also available. Rifle calibers are less common but also worth collecting. It's nice to be able to fit the best caliber for the tool in need of a new handle and ferrule. I have saw off the rim of .50 caliber brass for the blade end ferrule (not the end cap) on a draw knife. There was enough meat to the brass to file a gentle curved dome to the replacement handles and files opened up the primer hole to match the rectangular cross-section of the draw knife tang. I usually use a plumbers copper tube/pipe cutter to cut the needed length of ferrule and then slightly taper the inside of the cut to help get the tight fit I like. But brass is hard on my tube cutter wheels and I need to replace the wheels. Just my $.02. Good Luck, chuck ________________________________________ From: OldTools |
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257924 | Gary Katsanis <gtgrouch@r...> | 2016‑02‑07 | Re: Brass ferrules from old shell casings |
Many shooters reload their cartridge cases, but others merely collect it for sale. There is a class of cartridge cases with a primer type that is unusual in the USA, called a Berdan primer. These are typically considered non-reloadable on this side of the Pond. Often, you can obtain large quantities of Berdan-primed cartridge cases for next to nothing. I can post WTB or ISO messages on reloading forums if enough people want cases. Please PM me offline if you're interested. Gary Katsanis Albion New York, USA (with about the most restrictive gun laws in the USA) |
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257926 | Champ Herren <champherren3@g...> | 2016‑02‑08 | Re: Brass ferrules from old shell casings |
Likewise I am going to call bullcrap. Never heard this. Anyhow an interesting point is raised about reusing spent brass. I could see how anything from .38 special to .50 caliber machine gunner ammo could be used. It ain't hard to find, although the compression nut from a brass fitting; ala Millrat I feel is still better. CH |
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257927 | scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> | 2016‑02‑08 | Re: Brass ferrules from old shell casings |
Bullet brass is mostly too small for tool handles I have lots of 38 brass, have had for decades (its my caliber) but I don't think I was ever able to make a decent tool handle from them. If you have access to the big 50 cal machine gun cartridges, maybe? But shotgun brass? For thin wall ferrules, shotgun brass is pretty much ideal. 20, 16, 12 and 10 all have corresponding handles they fit. I think these are 16 ga ferrules (Just gently heat the shell until the adhesive lets go.) http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/images/hometools/dknife1.jpg Large industrial fuses have perfect brass cap ends, but I never figured out how to get them free easily. Mostly though, compression nuts and flair nuts just rock. I have been using those for 30 years. yours Scott -- ******************************* Scott Grandstaff Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039 scottg@s... http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/ http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2016.0.7357 / Virus Database: 4522/11575 - Release Date: 02/07/16 |
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