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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@kenm8376]

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

[@AJsWargaming]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@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

[@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

[@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! 👍

[@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.

[@GigsTaggart]

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.

[@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!

[@delano62]

Some guys have a lot more fun than I do.

[@littlerhino2006]

Welcome to the internet man

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@Falconguygaming]

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

[@jessefoulk]

I had bought a 6x6 sheet of brass on ebay a few months ago not realizing the difference in brass alloy 260, 360, etc. I bought it for a project my brother asked if I could make a wood medallion for his dulcimer in brass instead and a custom design using my cnc router(a stepcraft). Delayed by months but I finally got working on it. I was breaking bits no matter my trial n error with my feeds/speeds. I figured maybe the brass was a hard alloy or something. Well I had just backtracked to my purchase history and found out my plate was 260 brass. A bit much for my machine to pocket machine out. A few details left out here but I had learned quite a bit in the differences. A 360 alloy brass, I believe, would be better for my case. I enjoyed the video. We always collected the ejected shells at the gun range when I grew up. We would use them for reloading. Free. A real treat to find the "tin" shells. Real nice looking.

[@clarktransport1312]

The one you buffed looks like gold. Very nice.

[@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

[@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...

[@shaynecarter-murray3127]

That would make some beautiful handle scales

[@bigstackD]

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

[@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

[@seansteele1269]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@whitefordpipeshandmadebymi7238]

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

[@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

[@irenemoran6137]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@adrianfirewalker4183]

Did you de-prime the cases before melting?

[@joewoodchuck3824]

Looks pretty machinable to me. I don't understand why anyone would say otherwise until they tried it. Great job!

[@Sharpester]

Very interesting video for me. I work at an Ammo Supply Point (ASP) at Camp Shelby, MS, and my job as a contractor is certifying, demiling, and selling brass casings. Every ammo shot in practice, from 22LR the ROTC use, to 155MM artillery rounds, grenades, AT4 launchers, 105MM tank rounds, 5.56, 7.62, 50., 9mm, it all comes back to me to weigh, count, sell or recycle. I demil the small arms brass by running it through an APE (Ammunition Peculiar Equipment), which consists of a 1,000F furnace that dumps into a deformer. I've processed over 1.4 million pounds of brass there in the last 7 years. Three minutes @ 1,000 degrees is just enough to pop off any live rounds that go through, barely scorching the brass. That's why I have a deformer that crushes it through cogs so it can't be reloaded. I often thought about melting some down into ingots then polishing them to look like gold bricks for my livingroom 😄

[@CitizenSmith50]

It may have sensible to de-cap the cartridges beforehand to cut down on impurities ?

[@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

[@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... :)

[@jetbikes1]

Great job , now did the furnace burn a round hole in your grass ?

[@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

[@caladur2092]

That buffed up quite nicely!

[@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!

[@billsiegel1783]

I’m really impressed that work that well

[@110americalovingpatriot2]

Wow that turned out looking great.

[@carlobelmont5629]

Nice work, from Australia, l love the machining bit too 😀

[@kenl5217]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@andrewstambaugh8030]

C260/2600 "cartridge" brass is a great all around material: decently high strength, very formable. Going for properties either direction tends to drop off the others quickly. It's great for jewelry and projects. I buy (lead free) plates of it and machine in on my little hobby cnc router (yeah, it's gummy) but it's nice for the ability to form it after machining. (sign places etc will use a very brittle brass that machines well but breaks if you try to form it) Get some medium or hard silver solder and a propane torch and you can "weld" it nicely (welders call it brazing, but it's actually closer to welding than traditional brazing) Easy/extra low temp solder is very weak and turns powdery grey, so I don't use it.

[@kjamison5951]

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

[@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.

[@InClaymont]

God, this was so satisfying to watch.

[@TheClampetts]

I'd like to see a video of how you made that cool furnace

[@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?

[@aaroncarmack231]

You got a lot of talent, very entertaining video

[@dontimberman5493]

There is something about machining brass. Just so nice.

[@Warthog71]

You can def make a brass pistol grip for that AR

[@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???

[@MrtTrex1976]

That’s a great size lathe what lathe are you using ?

[@marcmakes1725]

Higher zinc content makes it more machinable. Melting will burn out some of the zinc. Making 33% zinc brass is kind of hard to do but apparently Indian did it earlier than anyone thought, forget where I read that. Anyway the brass you produced would be fairly easy to smith, cold smithing. You need to anneal between rounds of smithing. Soldering/brazing brass is difficult you can actually use pure silver for solder because it makes a lower temp alloy as it melts.

[@salvadord1893]

Great video and great channel, thanks for the effort to post it. What is the name of the song at the end? Thanks.

[@dang5203]

Absolutely love your channel, your mind, your creativity, and the content you put out! Thank you! A couple thoughts that came to mind watching this one: 1. Do you have bulk LP to your house/homestead? I started making syrup last year, using a turkey fryer and 15# LP, and midway through the season, thought "what am I paying for the 500 gallon tank refills on the property???" LOL - about 5x less! So for about $80 in materials and and hour or so of labor, I ran a line off the house LP. Secondly, what type of alloy do you think you'd end up with if you smelted all the metal shavings you make off your lathe? To me, sounds like a interesting video, and at least good stock for one of your beautiful signs. God bless you and yours!

[@FarmCraft101]

Thanks, and thanks for the tips!

[@claytonmccormick7506]

do remind people that the primers have a steel anvil so they should removed before melting. question did your dross weight include the steel anvils?

[@willybee3056]

This is proof that Therory and practice may not always match up. I am constantly told that a person can not drink distilled water. I have been drinking distilled water exclusively for over 40 years. With no problems. .. Thanks for sharing your videos.

[@beefchicken]

Willy Bee why do you drink distilled water?

[@willybee3056]

@@beefchicken Well,, this is what happened. Back in the late 70s, I was driving over the road truck. I had 6 to 8 canker sores in my mouth all the time. I blamed it on , not enough sleep, and truck stop food. The bottom of my 2 yr old glass lined water heater fell out. It had a 5 yr guarantee. The plumber said that no one would stand behind a guarantee in that town. I asked why. And he said that the water was too bad. That got me thinking that if the water was bad enough to eat a glass lined water heater, what are we drinking it for. So I started drinking distilled water exclusively, and within 2 weeks all my canker sores were gone. And I have not had any since. Except to to test my findings, if I drink 1 glass of tap water a day, within 2 weeks I will have canker sores. Thanks for the reply.

[@migalito1955]

How does one clean the crucible out? Do you use one for each metal?

[@Bob3519]

Beautiful looking metal!

[@Stepapajon2]

the finish on that was just "WOW"

[@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

[@pascualvasquezjr.6285]

Awesome experiment. Maybe soaking the brass in white vinegar overnight will minimize the impurities when smelting? Just a thought.

[@TinkerTailorSoldier1]

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

[@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?

[@akehapkap6143]

I miss the shooting lane. I live in Norway so it's strict here with weapons. I don't mind that, to many with weapons that shouldn't have. I never owned a gun but tried some. Well, its OK here, that most people don't have immediate access to deadly weapons tho. It's fun to shoot. I was better at '22s, and rifles same size, a magum threw me away lol. I glad today I know how to use some weapons. I even tried a shotgun once. That was awesome. I like this, it proves that shells are pretty much brass. Just subscribed a few days ago :)

[@carlschnackel3051]

If you added a little bit of salt to the molten brass, it will separate more brass from the dross, which will get you more brass from the job. Less brass will be sticking to the dross.

[@McCuneWindandSolar]

I wonder if you added some copper to it if it would make it, to were its better for machining

[@wvcruffler123]

Pretty cool man! Fun project.

[@CMAenergy]

If you could have put some G forces on your casting, By spinning it as you poured it, Would it have come out a lot cleaner with little porosity,

[@mfree80286]

Machinability for brass from cases that are provided in a form that are formed, drawn... and most often, machined*, was in question? *and often it's rapid production... so fast you can't see it happening. Also, suitable for finish work with hand tools (reamers and the like)...

[@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?

[@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

[@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.

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

So why is that kind of brass supposed to be any harder to keep contiguous as it melts, so as to have a nice machinable piece, than whatever other brass is like, or than several other metals?

[@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.

[@DannyCreech]

Watching you melt this got me to wondering something. Is all the time and money spent using propane and any other consumables worth it? Obviously doing this with gold would be. But what about aluminum? I watched my father doing this with aluminum cans that he was taking to get recycled. He told me he got more money for solid ingots than the crushed cans. But I know how expensive propane is. So I was wondering if all the propane he used to melt down the cans cost him more than the difference of recycling crushed cans over solid ingots? 🤔

[@FarmCraft101]

I think it would probably not be worth it just to take it for recycling. Unless you could use a waste oil burner, and even then probably not worth the time. But being able to make aluminum and brass parts and turning stock for the lathe I think it definitely is worth it. Plus it's just fun. Cheers!

[@titusculver]

The 75 could be and probably is the zinc that turned to vapors while you melted the casing.

[@hinz1]

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

[@bearly1727]

I think he 'over annealed his brass, lol. I really enjoyed this video. We are only limited by our imagination. Don't be afraid to try but be CAREFUL.

[@archangel20031]

Only pour brass into brand new or old rusty muffin tins as the coating on the new, and the rust on the old will prevent the brass from brazing to the muffin tin. If it happens just hit up the local thrift store for another muffin tin.

[@NormReitzel]

A suggestion, add a little ( < 1%) of 15% phosphorus copper shot and both pouring and later on machining will be easier. The shot is readily available cheaply onl;ine from (among others) BCA and Rotometals.

[@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.

[@chrisr3120]

Clearly the most appropriate use for this brass would be to make a miniature working brass cannon. Bonus points if you can make it be breach loaded to fire a real .22 short.

[@iguanapete3809]

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