workinforwood
Member
Of course there's a million ways plus to make a casing pen. The rules for the casing challenge state that you must use the 1st 3/4inch of a 308 or 30/06 casing. That's it. You can obviously use the entire casing as just one piece, but where's the fun in that. The more pieces of casing you use, the more challenging, but I'm sure whoever is judging knows this and thus it plays into your score.
Lets say you want to cut a casing. How do you do it? A casing is never perfectly round, and it is also tapered. Soon you'll have a whole new respect for these pens! This is how I cut a casing. No doubt there's a multitude of ways, and you can cut them on angles and whatever else, but here is a simple way that I do it. The tapered end is inserted into a chuck. The back end of the bullet is inserted into the 60 degree live center. Please DON'T USE LIVE CASINGS!!! I pull the steady rest back a distance from the casing. Using a hacksaw, and the lathe on slow speed, I set the blade under the casing and let it slowly cut it's way through. In picture 2, I can now pull the tailstock out of the way. I re-position the steady rest and use a scraper to clean and flush the cut end of the casing. This will pretty much square the end, as there is no simple way to barrel trim it. Last, but just as important, I roll up some sandpaper and insert it into the casing as it spins slowly. The inside will need to be scratched up good in order for any glue to adhere inside. I include a sample photo of a casing pen, modified with a cigar kit and Fisher refill. This is just a sample of what you can do using a casing.
If someone has a way to cut a casing without a chuck, that might really help out those that do not have one.
There are many people way beyond my level of experience. Ask questions and maybe someone can help you.
Lets say you want to cut a casing. How do you do it? A casing is never perfectly round, and it is also tapered. Soon you'll have a whole new respect for these pens! This is how I cut a casing. No doubt there's a multitude of ways, and you can cut them on angles and whatever else, but here is a simple way that I do it. The tapered end is inserted into a chuck. The back end of the bullet is inserted into the 60 degree live center. Please DON'T USE LIVE CASINGS!!! I pull the steady rest back a distance from the casing. Using a hacksaw, and the lathe on slow speed, I set the blade under the casing and let it slowly cut it's way through. In picture 2, I can now pull the tailstock out of the way. I re-position the steady rest and use a scraper to clean and flush the cut end of the casing. This will pretty much square the end, as there is no simple way to barrel trim it. Last, but just as important, I roll up some sandpaper and insert it into the casing as it spins slowly. The inside will need to be scratched up good in order for any glue to adhere inside. I include a sample photo of a casing pen, modified with a cigar kit and Fisher refill. This is just a sample of what you can do using a casing.
If someone has a way to cut a casing without a chuck, that might really help out those that do not have one.
There are many people way beyond my level of experience. Ask questions and maybe someone can help you.
