bullet casings?

Jackson River Glass · #1 2013-10-01, 9:18pm

I suspect the answer is no, but is it possible to wrap glass on a bullet casing? I work boro, suspecting since the casing is hollow that it wouldn't take the heat but I'm always looking for things that glass could be applied to. I'm sure many can relate...

And I know NOTHING about bullets, casings etc so for all I know there is something nasty in there that would turn into horrible fumes, or blow up, or heaven knows what! So forgive my asking if it's a really dangerous/horrible idea. Here's the listing that got me thinking about it:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1140501...op_home_active

firefreak · #2 2013-10-01, 10:03pm

I have played with brass and boro. (mostly rod) Would not be my choice, but here is what I learned:
Casings are thin wall brass. Melting point is 1650F. Need really good ventilation. Brass fume is dangerous. Turns black after a small amount of time in the flame. You must clean brass off with a brass cleaner after it comes out of the kiln.
Could be trace amounts of lead where the bullet was seated,I would clean them inside and out with a good brass cleaner before starting, and the primer would need to be knocked out before starting( the part the firing pin strikes).
Might work if you could keep piece in the tail of the flame, but boro take a lot of heat to shape......don't let the brass get over a slight glow.
Who knows, might be the next great technique!!!

losthelm · #3 2013-10-02, 8:03am

Brass is a zinc alloy and will gas off, avoid the fumes it will make you sick.
Ventilation may be enough but be careful.
Metal poisoning sucks and it takes a long time to process out of you system.

MistyCherie · #4 2013-10-02, 8:12am

Perhaps get/make a large hole mandrel that would allow glass bead to slide onto the casing? You could even wire wrap a little around the indentation down at the bottom edge to prevent the bead from sliding off.

Eileen · #5 2013-10-02, 9:35am

That's what I was thinking, get an appropriately sized mandrel and then put the bead on the casing. It depends on the caliber, so you'd have to figure that out, then you could either glue or flare the end a little to keep it on?

SuzyQ · #6 2013-10-02, 9:51am

You could heat the glass and then plunge the brass into it to avoid too much time in the flame. It is important to make sure the primer is gone because it is designed to create the spark that ignites the gunpowder. (that is in the little disc piece that tells you the caliber) Even if you are using a spent cartridge there can be some residue left.

penny5658 · #7 2013-10-02, 2:27pm

A few years ago I saw these necklaces with bullet focals. The glass had been manipulated, so glass was put in the casing to make it look like the tips were glass.I will try to see if I can find the website they were on.
P.

LarryC · #8 2013-10-02, 3:47pm

I am a competitive shooter and load my own bullets. In my opinion the biggest lead hazard is not due to residue left by the bullet it is the explosive material in the primer. After firing the whole casing is contaminated with lead inside and out. I have to take extreme precautions when handling and cleaning the spent casings. I use an abrasive cleaner. Unless you buy new or already cleaned spent casings you run the risk of ingesting dangerous amounts of lead.

Frit Diva · #9 2013-10-02, 4:05pm

Forgive the ignorance of a non-gun user, please... if you purchased new casings, would they already have the explosive primer in them?

Jo

losthelm · #10 2013-10-02, 4:41pm

Often the casings are seperate from the primer.
Just the brass can go through USPS.
Once it has the primer then you have to use a different shipping method and pay the "hazmat" fee.
There is a special tool to remove the primer that's fairly cheap.
Then you can simply toss them in the tumbler for while and fallow the instructions for cleaning. A lot of newer bullets use different alloys instead of the lead.

There are a few molds for casting the bullets that may work.
If you know someone with few shop tools a bullet mold should be fairly easy to custome make in edm graphite.

Jackson River Glass · #11 2013-10-02, 4:56pm

Hmmm, these are steel - but still have the residue issues to contend with.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1067012...op_home_active

CheriB · #12 2013-10-02, 4:59pm

Stainless casings are also available. This link shows some pendants made from them. http://www.etsy.com/listing/12426427...ver?ref=market

dpglassworks · #13 2013-10-02, 5:29pm

You may want to stop by a shooting range.... they have tons and they sweep it into trash cans.... they would probably give them to you just to get rid of them.

losthelm · #14 2013-10-02, 5:29pm

Part of the residue issue is the lead azide or potassium percholade in the primers.
There are newer lead free primers but its easier to treat it as contaminated until you have cleaned it.

mewkittie · #15 2013-10-02, 6:19pm

I've used casings and plunged molten 104 glass into it and made it like a bullet coming out. The casings did not get hot enough to melt or even out gas. I annealed them like I do everything else and they came out of the kiln just fine, then a couple of weeks later I noticed fractures in all of them. I did not mix colors so it's got to be the combination of the glass and metal in a round contained tube. That's all I got.

LarryC · #16 2013-10-02, 7:28pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpglassworks

You may want to stop by a shooting range.... they have tons and they sweep it into trash cans.... they would probably give them to you just to get rid of them.

Spent uncleaned casings are considered hazmat hazardous material and therefore cannot just be thrown into the garbage and are not usually just given away. I have ran a range and we paid a lot of money to have the casings cleaned and recycled. You can buy unused casings without primers but they are quite pricey.

1knitchick · #17 2013-10-02, 9:04pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryC

I am a competitive shooter and load my own bullets. In my opinion the biggest lead hazard is not due to residue left by the bullet it is the explosive material in the primer. After firing the whole casing is contaminated with lead inside and out. I have to take extreme precautions when handling and cleaning the spent casings. I use an abrasive cleaner. Unless you buy new or already cleaned spent casings you run the risk of ingesting dangerous amounts of lead.

Hey Larry, hubby is a reloader too. Getting more and more popular these days.