# Casing Pens



## woodmarc (Nov 30, 2006)

I am getting ready to make some casing pens.  I have been provided with the antler and some Spent .308 shells.







I just ordered some slim lines from BB.  I have the PDF on making a cartridge pen.

Now come the questions.  
1.  What is the best way to clean the brass?
2.  best method of coating the brass? With out PC.  
3.  Any other advice on pitfalls to beware of.

As always, TIA for the help.

(sorry about the crappy pic, but that was as clean as I could make the bench)


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## gerryr (Nov 30, 2006)

I use some fairly abrasive polishing compound (blue cap) from Lowe's to polish the brass.  Depending on the condition, it can be a time consuming project.  Have another buffing wheel for this stuff.  I suppose the next best method of coating the brass, after powder coating, is spray lacquer, but it doesn't last and I have had a couple that discolored badly under the lacquer.  The bottom tube for a SL is a bit longer than a 308 casing.


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## leatherjunkie (Nov 30, 2006)

to clean the casings find someone that does reloading and ask them to clean em.
people that reload have a tumbler with brass cleaning media that will clean the brass real good.

I used to clean shell casings in a rock tumbler. 
You can buy brass cleaning meadia at a gunstore that deals with reloading equipment. 

if the shells still have the primers in them you can knock em out.
just take a very hard block of wood larger than the diameter of the shell and drill out a hole just big enough for the primers to drop through. Place the shell over the hole that you drilled and knock out the primer with a punch and a hammer.

You dont need to knock out the primers before cleaning the brass.


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## Penmonkey (Nov 30, 2006)

You can mount the casings on the lathe after you have put in the tubes and with the lathe spinning apply brasso with a old rag.  It works.[8D]


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## Russb (Nov 30, 2006)

Brasso. If I'm feeling lazy I use tripoli on my Beall system. I have a seperate wheel used for metal polishing.


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## ctEaglesc (Dec 1, 2006)

I don't care for the 308's because the casing is a tad shorter than the tube of a short slimline.That means there is less or the transmission in the lower half to support the upper section.
I drill out the casing and use a wooden core.I can put them on the lathe and using a "never dull" swatch clean them off with the lathe spinning.If they are really scratched bad I will start with steel wool and continue on with an old set of MM.
Buffing compound is ultimately the best.It is all time consuming


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## cozee (Dec 1, 2006)

.308s work great. As said, they are a bit shorter but it is less than 1/64th of an inch and leaves still more than enough for the tranny so it is really nothing to be concerned about. Simply drill the primer end out with a 7mm bit. Prep the tube for glue up, on one end mount a piece of scrap wood (I prefer a hardwood) about 3/8" and turn to fit inside the bullet end of the casing. Glue it in, square up the ends and your off and running.

To finish, if new or straight used,simply use some Brasso, Dura-glit, or Never Dull and buff out on the lathe. Finish with automotive wax. If the casings are used and/or a bit rough, you can sand out just as you do wood. I prefer to finish casings as I do CA, especially if they have a heavy patina. Trust me, anyone who has spent anytime in the Navy or Marine Corps knows how to make that brass shine!!!! And once you get your finishing technique down it won't take much time at all!!![]


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## TBone (Dec 1, 2006)

Question:  Has anyone tried CA finish over the brass?  Was wondering if that would be an option to powedercoating.


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## Sylvanite (Dec 1, 2006)

I use Frankford Arsenal brass polish either in the tumbler with crushed walnut shells (for cleaning) or ground corncob (for shine), or just on a paper towel (by hand or by lathe).  As a reloader, I avoid Brasso like the plague.  Ammonia-based polishes (like Brasso) disolve copper out of the brass alloy which makes it more brittle.  That's bad news for reloading, but doesn't really matter for pens.

Very fine sandpaper, micromesh, and steel wool all work well for removing tarnish - especially if you already have the case drilled and mounted on the lathe.  They are also good if your vise has left any marks on the case when drilling.  I have even used a scraper on the case rim to get it perfectly concentric and then sanded out the tool marks.  

Once the case is clean, any brass polish will get it nice and shiny.

Powder-coating is the most durable coating to prevent tarnish.  I haven't tried CA glue, but (aside from the possibility of chipping) I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.  Spray enamel paint or clear nail polish are other options.  Waxes help for a little while but wear off relatively soon.

Some people like the patina that a brass cartridge develops, so no finish can be a viable alternative as well.

And, nothing prevents the owner from polishing his pen from time to time either.

My advice is just jump right in and make a pen.  You'll find out very quickly what works for you.

Regards,
Eric


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## bob393 (Dec 1, 2006)

This is next on my list of things to do but
I'm going to try a 300 Weatherby Magnum casing. 
It's to long but I have some ideas with a wood core and epoxy. 

Thanks also.[]


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## ctEaglesc (Dec 1, 2006)

> _Originally posted by bob393_
> <br />This is next on my list of things to do but
> I'm going to try a 300 Weatherby Magnum casing.
> It's to long but I have some ideas with a wood core and epoxy.
> ...


Fangar uses the 300Win mag and I have in the past.I don't care for the fact that it is about 2&5/8ths inches long but has a slimline nesized neck.
Over all it is really too long for my tastes.
The winchester 3387 is a better choice in a longer pen and you can put a pPArker refill in it.
You could resize the neck of a 300 mag but why go through all the trouble when A 338 is about 2&1/2" long and already sized for the PKMONPAR.
You can make a quality pen that shows as a craftsman you have an eye for detail.


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## cozee (Dec 2, 2006)

> _Originally posted by ctEaglesc_
> <br />
> 
> 
> ...



I was under the impression that whatever the customer may want, a craftsman with an eye for detail could make about any casing work and make it look good???!! My bad!!! Guess I'd best scrub the big bore casing projects I have planned after reading your advice![:0][]LOL!!!!


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## woodmarc (Dec 2, 2006)

Thanks for all of the advise.  

The pens are for my co-worker.  He wanted to use the shells that were used during the hunt that killed the deer that the antler is from.  Kind of like the mounted deer head and from legs holding the shotgun that killed it concept.

My main concern was in providing a good coating on the shell casing.  I have yet to try my hand at the precision sizing required for this type of work. looking forward to the challenge.  I have a lot of maple scraps from making jewelry boxes. (one of my other hobbies)

Would it not be easier to turn a "dowel" to fit into the shell then drill the 7mm hole, glue, and assemble?  
I think a CA finish would work on the casing. If it's good enough from a wood pen, it should be fine on the brass.  It don't think that chipping would be any more a problem here than it would be on a wood pen.  

I'll be giving this a try this weekend and post my discoveries and this finished project.

Thanks again for the assist.


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## ctEaglesc (Dec 2, 2006)

Turning the wood after is is tubed proved the best for me.
I have run into CA staining brass


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## cozee (Dec 2, 2006)

Why not drill the primer end to fit the tube then you will only need to size the other end? This can be done by mounting wood on the tube and turn to fit into the bullet end of the casing. Then glue it up. No need to go to the trouble of turning wood to fit inside the whole casing. Brass to brass contact causes no more a problem than the dissimilar metal contact between nib and tube or finial and tube. Don't ever hear anyone complaining about corrosion in these contact areas. And these areas are subject to galvanic corrosion due to static electricity.


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## bob393 (Dec 3, 2006)

> _Originally posted by cozee_
> <br />Why not drill the primer end to fit the tube then you will only need to size the other end? This can be done by mounting wood on the tube and turn to fit into the bullet end of the casing. Then glue it up. No need to go to the trouble of turning wood to fit inside the whole casing. Brass to brass contact causes no more a problem than the dissimilar metal contact between nib and tube or finial and tube. Don't ever hear anyone complaining about corrosion in these contact areas. And these areas are subject to galvanic corrosion due to static electricity.



This is what I have done. I only needed to resize the neck to line up with the tip of the euro designer kit. So far it's not bad.


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## dfurlano (Dec 3, 2006)

I use a 2018 arrow.  This is a 300 Weatherby nickel casing:

I drill out the back to fit the outer diameter of the arrow shaft.  On the right is a photo of the shaft tapped into the neck.





Then I figure out the lengths I need so i can cut the arrow shaft to the proper length.





If I have spent primers in the casing I usually finish them in place.  These cases already had the primers removed so i put in a top.





Next I drill a blank so I can put a dowel through it then cut the angles I want.





I then fit the casing ends to the angles on the blank. When I am happy with the fit I drill and turn the blank.





Here is the parts assembly photo.





Two halves assembled.  When together the arrow shaft, casings and pen tube go over each other for a very strong union and smooth turning of the transmission. Additionally I cut the end off and recessed the clip.





Finished.


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## Rmartin (Jan 21, 2007)

dfurlano, that is the most beautiful casing pen I have ever seen.
Do you have a tute on making this pen?
Can you tell me the total length of the pen when assembled?


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## dfurlano (Jan 21, 2007)

All the hard steps are posted above. It is about 6.3" long and the best way to clean brass is to use a warm pickle bath.  That will require only very minimal polishing.


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## Dave_Seward (Jan 21, 2007)

IMHO The best stuff for polishing brass I've found is this stuff called "MAAS". It is a Brasso like compound execpt unlikee Brasso, it seems to keep the brass from tarnishing overnight. 

This past summer, I tested 3 different shell casings by putting them inside my leather gloves while working in the warehouse. 1 shell untouched, 1 with brasso, and 1 with the "MAAS". The untouched tarnished in a few hours, Brasso looked terrible after 2 days, and the last one looked great after 1 whole week. I know, very unscientific, but I figure between the harsh fricition and sweat in a leather glove at work all day, that's more abuse than a pen will probably ever see.

Also, tried CA, spray acrlic, spary enamel, and wipe-poly. I can't get a good CA finish on anything! Gotta be doing something wrong there! And all the other finishs I was able to rub off with just my fingers even after leaving to set overnight.


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## Rmartin (Jan 22, 2007)

......the best way to clean brass is to use a warm pickle bath......

Pickle bath huh?

I don't take baths, but do you think it would work as well in the shower? [][]


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## dfurlano (Jan 22, 2007)

Pickling is a method that metal smiths use to clean ferrous and nonferrous materials. Pickling will remove scale and any surface impurities, warming the pickle bath works the quickest. 

There is a lacquer finish you can buy for brass that is used on musical instruments.  The best web site for these types of products is www.votawtool.com they specialize in brass instruments. Hence a good place to find information on brass?

They don't have a warm glove test but there are a lot of nervous sweaty kids hands handling their instruments and no one is complaining their finish is rubbing off. 

Have fun with that one.


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## Rmartin (Jan 22, 2007)

Thanks for the link. Have you tried the gold tinted?

Also, I was able to get my hands on some 30 06 shells. Would this take the same type arrow you used for pictured pen?


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## dfurlano (Jan 22, 2007)

The pen in the above picture is a 300 wetherby but 30-06 casings work fine. Here is a photo:






I will post pics on how I make make the upper part. It is actually easy to do.  Also I have not used the gold tint. And I buy 30-06 casing off ebay for $10 for a 100.


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## Rmartin (Jan 22, 2007)

That would be great if you could post about the top. I wasn't sure how far the arrow went into the top barrel. Also, I'm thinking of doing my casings square on the top barrel and simply turning a tenon on the deer antler I'm using. While the deer hunters in my area are not cheap when it comes to buying hunting supplies, I'm not sure they even know how to read and write, so I need to keep my time and cost down. [:0][:0]


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## Tanner (Jan 22, 2007)

If you buy already shot .30-06 casings, do you have to crimp the ends to get it to fit a nib, or does an already shot casing fit a certain nib?  Wow, nice run on sentence.  I have seen those on eBay, but I thought I read here that the bullet end had to be crimped.  I think Don said that.  By the way, your pens are absolutely beautiful!!!


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## dfurlano (Jan 22, 2007)

I solder the bullets in place. If you use a pen tip then use an arrow or brass tube.


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## TBone (Jan 23, 2007)

durflano, what type solder do you use for the bullet tips?  Do you use a solder gun?


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## dfurlano (Jan 23, 2007)

No propane, and use acid free solder and flux.  I do that so I can powder coat the bullet and casing together.


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## jlindholm70 (Jan 25, 2007)

Get some Nickel plated cases.  You don't have to worry about the brass tarnishing that way.  Just be careful when you're polishing the case, do not polish through the nickel plating, you can end up with tiny brass spots all over the casing.  I've used the .308, 30-06, and 300 Winny Mag with slimlines, and 338 for the euro designer.  I like the 30-06 the most out of all.  The -06 has a longer neck with less shoulder and fits my hand the best. Use the arrow shaft on -06 cases since they are about 3/8" longer than your slimline tubes are.  I press the nib onto the tube before gluing so it will stop at the neck and not risk pushing the tube into the blank.


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