Can you machine bullet brass? Let's find out! FarmCraft101

[@jbstyliin]

Add 3-4% lead and you now have c36000 freemaching brass. O tears with this

[@gallupcustomknives2293]

jbstyliin I was wondering what might need added to make a more free-machining variant of brass! I hadn’t thought of lead but now that you mention it definitely makes sense, as it is what makes 12L14 steel so very easy to machine...

[@HaqqAttak]

Needs more zinc added. A quick look on wiki shows that gunmetal brass has 10% more copper.

[@bigstackD]

I knew the answer b4 watching but you know me , anything to do with brass I’m all in 😁. Over 100 likes and not 1 thumbs down 👏🏻👏🏻. There’s always someone wanting to rain on someone’s parade . Keep it up my friend 😄👍🏻.

[@FarmCraft101]

Ha! Hey Bigstack. I hadn't noticed. There's always a thumbs down. Give it time... Cheers brother.

[@simpletruth9977]

How reloaders look while watching cases melt ➡😱😨😖😬😩 Lol

[@MyLonewolf25]

If it’s absolutely screwed brass Meh

[@bradgiez6192]

I reload & I'm also thinking about doing this with my shite brass. Plus in have a mini lathe I just bought. I also have a 15gal barrel I might turn into a foundry or forge not sure which yet. So many ideas so little time.

[@ronwhittaker6317]

@@MyLonewolf25 brass can be resized and refurbished with just a few dies

[@mikeford963]

@@ronwhittaker6317 not if it's split, neck crushed(initial setup), or belt separated. There are multiple reason why brass is passed it's reloadable life span.

[@ronwhittaker6317]

@@mikeford963 I didn't discount that its common sense for most bubby and what cant be safely brought back can be recycled and there's no shame in it. it's a skill everyone who would lay down their life for old glory should know. thanks to Obama their calling folk like that terrorist again they said the same thing about our forefathers.

[@impogba1]

You lost those 75g whilst the brass was molten and the zinc inside the brass was able to vaporize. That's what the fumes are. And yes it is very toxic, so don't stand close to your crucible while you're melting brass.

[@myusername3689]

If you do intent to stand close, wear a mask of some sort.

[@DeweyKentM]

You should make a brass trigger for your aluminum can ar15. Maybe some "iron" sights, or just something to accent it.

[@FarmCraft101]

Good ideas. Thanks!

[@Stacy_Smith]

Lol, I just read your description.

[@dvig3261]

hmm...good ideas!

[@Im_Schiz]

Tool and Die Maker here, damn near everything is machine able if you have the correct tools. I don't know a single material which you cannot machine that is solid or conductive.

[@acoow]

I'm thinking brass AR receiver. The one you made from aluminium cans needs little brother.

[@meathead010]

Funny, I been wanting to do a 1911 frame but not sure if the brass would hold up at all 😁

[@matthewf5707]

@@meathead010 I know this is late but you should try it. And if you've already done it let us know

[@jdrains16]

Different ammo companies use different materials for the primers cups (brass, stainless, etc.), and I have no idea what the anvils are made of (I'd guess steel). Were the casings decapped before you melted them, or would different materials come off in the slag/dross? I wonder if they'd affect your results if they alloyed with the brass?

[@mfree80286]

Extremely valid question, because the cheapest spent brass is berdan primed, which may mean it's old war surplus and there collectively could be quite a lot of lead or possibly even mercury residue present in the primer cup.

[@GigsVT]

Primers and anvils are brass too. Maybe not on imported military surplus junk, but even there I have never seen steel in a primer. The silver ones are just nickel plated brass. Thin plating.

[@kirkboswell2575]

Both primers and anvils are brass. Some are nickel plated, some aren't, but all are brass. Copper initially tried, but quickly found too malleable. Steel too hard, even soft steel, to work for primers even though soft steel will work for cases. No difference in material between Boxer vs Berdan. Boxer anvils part of the primer. Berdan anvils part of the case. Not enough residual mercury left to matter even with the old primers. What little is left is a salt that can be washed if desired.

[@michaelidarecis]

Great piece of brass. The lack of lead makes it harder to machine. It is actually called cartridge brass which can be purchased in rod form as well as plate.

[@williamphillips6779]

If you hadn't been able to polish that bar, or if you ever find some that you can't, just hand it and a can of Brasso to a Marine. What you get back WILL be a MIRROR! Semper Fi! Keep up the great content!

[@Underscore23]

My father was a machinist in South America. After a shortage in Brass. The price shot through the roof. Needing it for couplings he got in contact with the military which then sold spent brass which he extruded into long tubes to manufacture the needed parts. I gotta ask him about that.

[@delano62]

Some guys have a lot more fun than I do.

[@littlerhino2006]

Welcome to the internet man

[@GetMeThere1]

Had to click to find out what the hell you were talking about. I think you meant: Can you machine AMMO brass; or maybe CARTRIDGE brass.

[@PiperFishing]

Now make an AR upper out of spent brass.

[@slick9519]

bdpa kaknox That would be awsome!

[@anthonysellick3520]

will make a heavy weapon

[@baggerf14]

Been done

[@intjonmiller]

Next time just add a little lead just before pouring (assuming you've already cleaned it up, not dirty wheel weights or range lead), stir a little, and then learn the wonders of free machining brass.

[@FarmCraft101]

I will give this a try!

[@AJsWargaming]

When they say you can't do it....prove them wrong. Great video.

[@abcertweld]

I love seeing people do things that other's say can't be done. People tell me that crap all the time, and I tell them " yeah watch this, time to make it happen captain". LOL

[@bigstackD]

An oldie but a goodie 👍🏻😁. And yes I did watch this wen it first came out 😉

[@timhofstetter5654]

"Cartridge brass", not "bullet brass".

[@Jaszczur-sp2tx]

casing brass

[@timhofstetter5654]

@@Jaszczur-sp2tx C260 brass is known in the industry as "cartridge brass". alcobrametals.com/guides/brass

[@acoow]

Yet, no one had trouble understanding what he meant.

[@timhofstetter5654]

...because of the immediate context. Lacking that context, it's somewhat more likely to have been misunderstood. If one places little importance on correctness and clarity of speech, then becomes lackadaisical about speech in general and then one is increasingly misunderstood and one's life becomes increasingly difficult.

[@katjoe1974]

You’re just being needlessly pedantic

[@Falconguygaming]

Now can you machine a case out of it like you did with the aluminum?

[@kjamison5951]

Gets told you can’t do it… Sets out to prove you can…

[@jiujitsuforall8627]

Am I the ONLY one who was freaking out a bit when he started melting down that ultra precious 223 brass?!?!? Range brass or not, given our current component shortages, brass is kinda sacred ground, no?

[@mytec23]

In 2021 that brass like silver coins.

[@Wedelj]

I wonder if this video will make and reloaders lose their minds?

[@calebshelton9874]

Nope! I reload all my brass, until it isn't reusable, and it goes in the melt pile, along with shotgun shells.

[@monkeyship74401]

Too late. I am a reloader and I lost my mind many years ago. It's his brass, if he wants to use it for casting, fine. I used to have half a 5 gallon bucket with rejected brass from reloading. Had to separate out the spent primers as the company didn't want to take a chance of there being a live one in the mix. Thats why I have a small ingot of brass as I melted the primers down myself. (no live ones in the mix, THIS TIME!)

[@Walter-wo5sz]

I wet tumble all primers and brass to avoid surprises.

[@rickswanberg4995]

Not if it is Berden primed

[@themightyparthos]

You can do any dern thing you want with cartridge brass, but it's true value is to be resold as cartridge brass. Well... Unless it is .22 brass. Great video, craftsman pron for sure!

[@yolo-qr2fq]

Just a word of advice but you should have deprimed the brass/get the primers out because they are toxic and I think you'd want to minimize your risk.

[@yolo-qr2fq]

@MichaelKingsfordGray well considering it's still fatal to us humans if we inhale it I would still do so. I think he wants to protect himself enough that he's wearing a mask so why not minimize the risk even further and get rid of the primers.

[@yolo-qr2fq]

@MichaelKingsfordGray well it is true according to a pdf file that was put out by Vista outdoors the owners of federal,speer, and cci saying that they are fatal.

[@yolo-qr2fq]

@MichaelKingsfordGray here's a link. le.vistaoutdoor.com/downloads/sds/CCI_Speer_Rifle_Pistol_Primers_SDS_NA_02042015_FINAL.pdf

[@petee716]

Great presentation. I've been put off of range brass by others as well, but your right, as a hobbyist it should serve my purposes just fine.

[@frankdoss6313]

I would suggest a non-flammable surface under your foundry and pour area. That tall dry grass that goes up to your bldg could be bad. Also, I keep a charged water hose & full bucket of water on hand.

[@anthonysellick3520]

never use water anywhere near molten metal. same principle as burning oil but much much worse. powder extinguisher for the furnace area and bushfire beater for the grass would be my suggestion. Sand is also an option but some sort of fire suppression equipment is, as you say, absolutely essential.

[@frankdoss6313]

@@anthonysellick3520 I was suggesting for the grass fire or runaway embers

[@anthonysellick3520]

I undestood thats what you meant which is why I said NEAR molten metal not ON it. If even a drop inadvertently makes it into the crucible or even a spilled puddle (causing your grass fire) it may flash to steam with the resulting expansion 1 to 1500 if I remember correctly can be enough to fling molten metal in all directions starting more fires and possibly burning you or an observer very badly. It can happen so easily that it simply isnt worth the risk. In any event a beater is much more effective for burning grass than water. Its really just a suggestion for promoting longer life!

[@brandonbaker9106]

@@frankdoss6313 tell ya what how about you don't make suggestions on topics you're clueless about

[@frankdoss6313]

@@brandonbaker9106 Bless your heart

[@nosmarflagnard7947]

you need to flux the brass with borax to keep it from separating into its main components, zinc and copper.

[@dvig3261]

I have melted brass without borax...just saying..

[@sethh8892]

@@dvig3261 a person can shoot themselves in the head and still live, does that mean they should still do it?

[@stephensarkany3577]

BS

[@iannorris1941]

boric acid in the form of bug poison works too.

[@ten10ca]

melting does not affect a partitioning of constituent elements .. they are in solution

[@finemyu69]

I weld and Monday morning fever sucks old timers told me a long time ago maybe 20 years ago or more drink a glass of milk before welding anything zinc and it will help to not get sick I was thinking they was crazy but I tried it and it works I have Learned so much from for old times

[@QueernMental]

Alas this has been debunked as a old wive's tale with zero effectiveness. Milk DOES NOT cure/prevent zinc toxicity

[@dvig3261]

...yeah, that or use a hood over your welding area that draws the gases away from your face...even a small amount of air flow will help, as long as it isn't drawing out the shielding gases...

[@RandomNumber141]

Lmao guess you haven’t learned about the placebo effect

[@rodmills4071]

Welded heaps of shelves out of water pipe when i was about 20 .many moons ago.....learnt the hard way on that one. 🤣😂😁😀😎

[@troygrant5418]

Been poisoned off welding, big-time.sucks

[@gravygraves5112]

Just found this, man these are great videos! I noted someone asked about turning the brass into other cases and I have to say I am curious as to if you could as well. I looked up the process once and it does not seem like something one can replicate without a factory kind of space.

[@BloopTube]

on a very small scale you can do it, just not efficiently. its a different case if you are modifying cases rather than remachining wholesale

[@hinz1]

Use some flux, even broken glass, to shield that brass from oxygen, nicer casting, no oxides, no zinc fumes.....

[@Tom-yc8jv]

OR.... You could have sold the brass cases on line for about 20~25 buck per 100 pieces per bag and then BOUGHT real brass stock and had plenty of money left over....

[@ryanoberfield756]

i had similar surface "issues" when i tried casting brass in clay bonded sand. probably because it is so liquid that it penetrates into the sand. you could probably mix in some lead to make it into a free machining brass too

[@mrsock3380]

Who says it's not machinable?

[@williammielenz3752]

Can you imagine what a mistake it would be if he tossed in a live round?

[@garymucher9590]

I thought about doing the same thing. There is always spent brass that can't be reloaded again, for various reasons, that can be melted down and use for other things. Thumbs Up!

[@iannorris1941]

I have been trying to cast and machine a small cannon barrel for a while. I'm just too lazy to make enough greensand to do it. This video has some good information in it.

[@seansteele1269]

Did you knock the spent primers out of the casings before you melted everything

[@terencekreft482]

When I was a boy (1960s) we had three ashtrays which were made from old artillery shell casings, two 4 inch and one 6 inch diameter. From memory, they were cut off to be about 1½ to 2 inches tall, with a central post added on the inside to make it easier to carry them. So when I saw your title I just said yep, of course you can.

[@u-wot-n8]

The central post is actually in those old artillery casings to begin with. It's the primer. Allows for the flame to reach more of the powder faster

[@whitefordpipeshandmadebymi7238]

Very cool experiment! Really enjoyed watching! Peace from Welland Ontario Canada 🇨🇦

[@raymontutewohl8162]

Machine new bullets and casings out of it?

[@FarmCraft101]

That's a cool idea. I'll put it on the list!

[@raymontutewohl8162]

FarmCraft101 Thanks for the reply! Big fan. Maybe check with your state laws before you make the bullet through. I think mine bans them because apparently brass bullets are "armor piercing". Big fan of your farmcraft work as well, especially the solar videos. Is there a PayPal to donate to in order to support the channels?

[@FarmCraft101]

I haven't set up a paypal, but maybe I should. You can support me on Patreon for as little as $1/month. Thanks for the kind words and the support!

[@raymontutewohl8162]

FarmCraft101 I'll check out the Patreon, but I find PayPal nice to have if you wanna send a few bucks whenever you feel like it vs Patreon's subscription. Plus I imagine Patreon takes a cut.

[@FarmCraft101]

Fair point. I haven't been making much progress on Patreon anyway, so taking your advice I set up a paypal tip jar. There's a link in the top right of my channel page. Thanks for the advice. www.paypal.me/FarmCraft101

[@ButtersDaBaller]

Man this is a really resourceful idea and im glad you didn't listen to those dubious.. what a fine cast brass blank you made! looked very solid and i think it machined very nicely for being a home-cast metal!! cheers to you for another successful project! thanks

[@samlabo1688]

When I cast brass I gathered I had to heat the mold, cool slowly. I was using coal though Coal was free on the railroad tracks back then I wish I could still do work with metal

[@80spodcastchannel]

I think if you do a better casting method like a bottom fill you will lose the voids... still cool how nice that metal flowed and worked.

[@FarmCraft101]

Yeah, the voids were definitely from sand falling down in the mold because of the way I made it. If I used a solid dowel, packed the sand around it and carefully removed it, would probably do better.

[@sigspearthumb2313]

Hey it’s the dude jerky guy! How much is to much?

[@majorpayne5289]

👍Nice! I’ve got a decent hoard of spent cartridge brass myself in big containers in the shop. Was going to start reloading but decided against it. Probably just take it to the recycler again. 5 or 6 yrs ago I took over 700#, that particular year we had a very good Christmas. Keep up the great work. Great channel! Glad I found it! 👍

[@Smallathe]

On secon thought, now you need to turn a brass cartridge from one of these.... possibly load and shoot(?)... that would be a nice act of re-creation of your part... :)

[@adrianfirewalker4183]

Did you de-prime the cases before melting?

[@DrNo-uq7xx]

REMOVE THE PRIMERS!

[@kenm8376]

No time wasted yammering. Great video. I always enjoy it when someone gets right to the point. Two thumbs up.

[@sorasora2280]

You're using the furnace that gets up to 1000 degree celsius on the ground full of dry grass. Nice safety hazard.

[@luisvillalobos6517]

It also is lined with fire brick under the crucible, and layers fire blanket... I know that's probably not the right term, but I'm drawing a blank.

[@tonycstech]

I poured into 1-1/2 tube last night. It came out with a mouse hole in the middle almost down to half it's total length. Weird.

[@tonycstech]

For anyone wanting to get good results with pouring brass, you need inert gas to push oxygen away from melted brass.. Otherwise it will continue oxidizing and cause pores when you poure it into a tube what ever shape you have. It will not be solid.

[@vizualvoice]

Can you please elaborate on that? Inert gas surround while you pour it? Or while it's melting? Or something completely different???

[@StygianBlood]

It's the strangest thing......I absolutely loathe gold and see it as extremely pretentious but find brass to be a beautiful thing especially with a high polish

[@elongatedcarrot3704]

Brass gilding on engraved stone sculptures is pretty cool as a craft.

[@Warthog71]

You can def make a brass pistol grip for that AR

[@Possumliving]

I would rather see cartridge brass referred to as "bullet brass" than bullets referred to as "bullet heads" 🙄 .

[@jashroy]

I like machining and I like brass and I definitely like shooting.

[@DruidicRifleman]

Technically its Cartridge brass

[@integr8er66]

Thank you, I came here thinking the same thing.

[@DeepOwl1073]

Same here. Incorrect nomenclature drives me crazy almost as much as ruining reloading components.

[@kkuhn]

The 75g was probably zinc

[@BedsitBob]

That's actually cartridge case brass, not bullet brass.

[@coinflipper6331]

I want to do something like this in my own personal yard where did you get the foundry? I love how simple it all looks

[@FarmCraft101]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fV7RqGCGrZh6h7s

[@irenemoran6137]

Very nice work! I definitely have to give this a try.

[@tonyennis3008]

Flux it too.

[@washburn_morning_dad3883]

Did you have to remove the spent primers or just melt it all together?

[@FarmCraft101]

I melted it all together, but many of them are aluminum, so the end result is some type of aluminum bronze/brass alloy. You could remove all the primers but that is a lot of work that probably isnt necessary..

[@marcmakes1725]

FarmCraft101 aluminum brass is a real alloy.

[@anthonysellick3520]

Huge warning. You can leave the primers in but make sure they are all expended. I reload and managed to include a primed case that i had rejected into the scrap brass can for some reason (or thats the only thing that makes sence). It went in later once there was already molten brass in the crucible. It blew spraying small particles of molten brass around starting multiple fires INSIDE my workshop. Lesson learned. Anyway the spent primers become part of the slag, unless they are aluminium in which case you now get a brass alloy. Enough aluminium in that makes the result very brittle and virtually useless.Otherwise No problem.

[@modsarebiggae5779]

I am just starting to get interested in smelting so that's why I came acrossed this video. I was wondering when milling what happens to all the shavings do people just melt it into an alloy or throw it away seems wasteful...

[@samlabo1688]

I believe that the Navy guys at Brunswick in the early seventies used spent brass to make lighthouses, my dad had several Yes the Navy messing around with the equipment OMG

[@loganlawlyes1980]

Add since brazing flux to your brass, when melting it keeps a lot of your brass from burning and cleans it to. Last gun brass poor I did I used borax flux and had 0 zink fuzzies

[@zman5387]

I've often wondered when I go to the shooting range and see all those brass casings just laying on the ground or thrown away. Some get collected and reloaded, but the rest are just left. Seems like kind of a waste. Is it worth collecting the brass and selling it to a recycling company? I was stationed in Korea years ago, and there were a lot of stores downtown that sold items made from brass from all the shell casings from the war. Something to think sbout.

[@kinnikuzero]

Would you think a thin wall steel pipe would make a good mold for casting rouns stock? Or even square. You'll just need to figure out a way to prevent sticking, or just machine the thin steel off

[@haydenc2742]

OOh...know what would be cool...cut slugs out of that round...build a dead blow impact hammer, make some coin dies...and stamp your own brass coins! That would be awesome!

[@sharpeguns1]

Have you see the prices of this stuff. I use a little Lead and Borax, pour in a SS pipe , I use Franklin mold release. Press out a nice 4 foot pipe of solid brass. 7/16, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 1 inch, 2 inch And 3 Inch. I have alot of these. I'm a Gunsmith. I buy lots of damaged brass. Good Video. Now Make something.💖😇

[@rustybayonetcom]

Send me you ammo cases, and I will send you non reloadable brass of all sorts

[@ESyren]

nice! one may make sun-screen with zinc oxide. could make molds with mixture of clay, it's an art. i'm going to attempt to form a giant brass bird bath by rotating sand/clay mixture bowl form within box-like stand mounted on swivel, to carefully circulate flowing brass as to coat top surface of form as it cools. what could go wrong?

[@montanaplease]

It’s either called Ammunition or rounds and they consist of brass or casing,bullet or projectile, powder, and primer. But I’ve never heard anyone say bullet brass in my life😂

[@TheRealEtaoinShrdlu]

But how are americans supposed to know what "3 kilos" is?! 😂😂😂😂

[@kenl5217]

I agree that's awesome. Now you can make your own plumbing fittings

[@steveandrews4822]

You need your gonads removed for ruining all that re-loadable brass. The casings are worth more than any other part of the cartridge !! Shame--Shame !! ( dis-like #100)

[@mikeackerman5827]

I think you would have saved money. If had melted down actual money. Have you seen the price of formed brass these days?

[@toadamine]

Should have cleaned your machines of other metal first, then you can recollect the brass and repeat the process.... 🤷‍♂️🤓👍

[@rgk7628]

Now cast an ar lower out of brass like you did with aluminum

[@FarmCraft101]

Hmmm. A golden gun...

[@danielcrawford7315]

High yyyeeaaahhh. New age golden boy , oh Hebert fame!!!

[@danielcrawford7315]

Sand smart phone... Henry, smh

[@rgk7628]

Golden boy for big boys

[@mfree80286]

@@FarmCraft101 For the lower you can do anything you want, really. Make one out of oak if you feel like it, the only stress point is the riser that holds the buffer/recoil spring tube so if that's "altered" enough to take the stress, the rest is just keeping the FCG in the right place and providing you a handle.

[@rednecklowlife]

Any body who can make there own molds!! Melt there own brass and machine a great AR lower that works and looks great deserves a SUB!! I found you on your AR-10 cast and mach!!!! You are a very talented man!

[@MrtTrex1976]

I hear dropping candle wax in as the flux smoths the surface immensely. I’ve not tried it my self but I will be this fall in winter casting in texas at 110 degrees sux

[@brotv9458]

can you make a video showing your fingers getting melted and then your hand getting mangled up in the machine. so you can warn other people about safety........ then i will subscribe. thanks.

[@jlyle51]

What is bullet brass! Do you mean case brass ! Bullet is copper and other elements as a jacket. Around a lead core . Or a metallic core as in armor perching ammunition. A round . Is the . Bullet the ,case, the powder, the primer. . No such thing as bullet brass.

[@anonymously4U]

I'm in San Diego and this is maybe a 2 week job that solves global issues I hope you will consider this for 40% ownership

[@ProudVet-Russ]

wouldn't leaving in the primers contaminate the liquid metal? and what about the left over powder inside the casings? i had thought about melting down casings to make simple things like a brass hammer, but i know nothing about heat treating them to harden it up to avoid it deforming on every strike.

[@adampowers2665]

You look like Walter White from Breaking Bad. Which makes me wonder if brass is the only thing you’re cooking🤔🤔🤔

[@johnnymwillis7133]

Have you ever thought of machining a cartridge casing for a bullet?

[@williambell7763]

Fyi pistol cartridges with brass projectiles are considered AP and are restricted.

[@UnitSe7en]

When casting *anything:* Lead, alu, copper, brass, doesn't matter: Don't breathe the gasses.

[@TinkerTailorSoldier1]

Would it be possible to make a machines piece of brass for reloading?

[@anonymously4U]

well it appears you gave time and skill, I designed a generator attachment that uses 10 percent of power generated it replaces the blades on a wind turbine to turn 24/7 lets build it .itsvery basic

[@huntergraham4803]

I've gotten zinc poisoning from welding galvanized tubing a few time.... it sucks

[@1911GreaterThanALL]

Imagine melting down shell casings to be turned down into shotgun slugs or maybe even precision rifle bullets.

[@The_Conspiracy_Analyst]

ruined a bunch of perfectly reloadable cases, into a useless hunk of metal. Good job

[@bobspring6723]

Please make sure primers r spent. Could look like it is but cap may still have powder and explode when put in hot crucible. Thanks Bob

[@Whitebear329]

So you don't really mean bullet brass, you show and mean cartridge brass......

[@cameronmccreary4758]

V alloy

[@Uncle-G]

Add borax and control your temp. If your mold is hot and cools slowly it won’t cave either.

[@astrazenica7783]

Don't reloaders sometimes turn down, modify casings themselves in a lathe

[@stanleykendziorski7964]

You trim the overall length, and real percision shooters sometimes turn the necks of the case down to get consistent neck tension

[@iguanapete3809]

When I clicked on this I thought you were going to MAKE bullet casings on the marching lathe.

[@starhawke380]

I just started doing this at home and have been having a problem with small pits forming in the metal so I dont get a smooth finish on the outside. It seems to go all the way through the ingots. Any thoughts?