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.