Other uses for brass? Arts and crafts?

I recently bought my daughter some earrings made out of 9mm brass. They have jewels where the primer would normally go.

With the primer hole filled, drinking cups for elves?

.38 special and .30 carbine brass make good blunt tips for wooden arrows.

I have a guy who shows up at some of the local gun shows who makes models (Tanks, airplanes, etc.) out of fired brass. Solders the cases together to make them.

I've found that 9mm brass makes the perfect cap to go over the cut open tip of a caulk tube. If I have to cut it wider for a thicker bead of caulk, I'll bump up to .45acp brass.

Wow, that looks great!

I've been trying to think of a way to repurpose the plastic holders that ammo comes in, into something useful...or at least aesthetically pleasing. The ones made from super-high quality, stiff plastic...gotta be something kinda neat. Any suggestions?

I used a 44 mag case with the rim filed off as an end to a half inch wooden dowel that I use as a range rod for my front stuffer. On the same gun I use a 38 case epoxied onto a fiberglass fish arrow for my under barrel ramrod. In high school shop class we had a foundry and used to collect cases for casting brass.
I like the rear sight idea.....I may have to borrow that.

I frequently made specialized powder measures out of various casings and pieces of clotheshanger wire soldered to them for handles.

I also made a powder trickler out of a .30-30 case and a hunk of electrical conduit. Used a cast lead block (spent bullets recovered from my backstop) on the bottom for weight.

I once experimented with making .357 bullets out of .30 M1 Carbine cases. It worked, but not well. (Had a lathe at the time to profile the head of the cases for an ogive and trimming to length.) I also made .243 bullets out of ironed-out .22 mag cases. My son makes 5.56 NATO bullets out of .22LR cases.

Brass is easy to melt and when I still had my shop I was going to make sundry trinkets and decorations out of my surplus casings using the lost wax process and either a pressure or a centrifugal casting machine. Never got around to it, though.

Terry

There's a guy who makes predator calls from a variety of cases. http://www.juniorsbulletpens.com/ makes pens from .308 Win cases and highlighters from .50 BMG cases. Real nice guy. Met him at the Task Force Dagger Foundation dive in Key West a couple years ago. Nice pens too.

I have a very nice little trench art cream pitcher for my morning coffee made out of a ~30mm shell.

I have a set of 9mm nickle brass valve stem covers on one of my cars.

Brass will cast at pretty low temp so you can actually melt it down and cast it into a disc. From there you can get a ton press, a drill press and mini lathe and enjoy the cursing and frustration of making press molds for turning out brass casings for low pressure rounds. You'll also need a kiln. You'll also screw up the first hundred or so attempts for a caliber. Then you'll get it right, then you'll have to figure out how to make the rims on the brass which will tick you off even worse as you then screw up the pieces of brass you finally got to draw to the right length and thickness. Then you'll get the rims just right. Then you'll load your .357 magnum Blackhawk with as small magnum pistol primer, enough Unique to supposedly get 1,000 fps out the 6.5" barrel and a cast 158 grain SWC. Then it will work, you'll smile and the cartridge will last three maybe four reloads before dying (typically a split case) and then you get to learn about adding powdered metals to the open casting pots to make stronger brass and start the process almost all over again with no shortage of swearing and aggravation.

Oh .22lr brass and some small amount of powered aluminum makes for great pistol primer cups.

I've made ballpoint pens from most any (rifle) brass for which I have dies (and some for which I don't). Also have cut brass back to ~~ 1/2" and sharpened it with a neck reamer to make a larger leather punch. Hammer it flat, drill and shape to make various washers or spacers. But then, I grew up on a stump farm.......

I save used primers, brass trimmings, and garbage empty cases....I'm going to melt them down into a graphite mold that is cut with a logo of my company, make a paperweight

For a while there was some guy on Armslist using pistol cases and aluminum arrow shafts to make "one dump" loaders for .22 cal tube fed rifles. One end was epoxied on and the other a friction fit.

I watched an episode of How It's Made where they were making Swiss cowbells by hand. When it came time to braze it together, I was surprised to see the craftsman toss a spent rifle case onto the bell and melt that with the torch, to braze the bell seams. Looked like it worked very well.

I have been making whistles with 223/5.56 and 22lr brass. Got the idea off of instructables http://www.instructables.com/id/223-Survival-Whistle/

In response to post nine, cut out the bottoms and sharpen the top "grates".

French fry cutter.

Edited: California Prop 65 warning.

I have been making whistles with 223/5.56 and 22lr brass.

Click to expand...

Where did you find the lead free solder? Putting a whistle made with lead in your mouth....not a good idea.

Arizona

Any modern solder should be lead free. I have modified that process a bit. Instead of soldering the 22 into the 5.56 neck I scuff up the neck interior and use JB Weld to hold it in place. Works well for me. After the JB cures I grind the majority of the 22 case down and then work it in the case trimmer to clean it up.

How is the sound from the whistles?

I'm a football coach, does it compare to a regular type I currently use?

I used a 7/16" dowel with 45 Colt brass as end caps to make a clock pendulum.