Friday, January 30, 2009

Melt down those keys!

We'll need the brass for pistol frames. I have some medallions I created with a home made arc-furnace ages ago. At the time I thought that if I could create my own terra-cotta pots in an oval shape, I could make belt buckles. I have a few dozen such buckles in the scrap pile. For small brass castings, belt buckles or badges, I can use the flower pot furnace. I thoughtfully bored a couple holes 3/4th up to serve as the fulcrum for tilting out the molten metal. I have it set in a frame where I can tilt it right out to fill a mold. I really should make two more, if I was going to turn out a continuous stream of work.

To do that, I'd have to have a steady stream of old brass. Right now, I use broken keys, key machine filings, 22lr cases, brass berdan cases, and any keys I don't recycle. If I were to do this full time, I'd scrounge brass everywhere. We had a place known as the Fernan Rod and Gun Club. Had in the past tense. patrons didn't police the brass, and the "Rod" portion known as Fernan creek lost its fish due to pollution. Left up to me, I'd single handedly clean up the site. I'd also beg shavings from every key machine in town, and every expended case not being reloaded would be mine.

Ironically I have a steady stream of 7.62X25 cases. If I ever finish these, I'll sell off a couple, of guns, keep my favorites, and struggle on with a mere thousand Boxer Primed cases.

My ultimate goal is to build a double stack magazined, 7.62X25 pistol, capable of being carried anywhere, you'd carry a 9mm with a permit.

I'd have some pictures, but my phone is still dead. Hoping to cadge a cheap replacement on ebay!

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