Drilling bullets

I came across some pens maid from rifle cartridges and deer antler on the web. It seemed like a nice thing for some of my friends who hunt so I started out to make some.

One problem. How do you drill a hole (5/64") through a copper jacket bullet with lead in the center? I am on drill bit number 6 without successfully making a single pen point. The bit seizes and snaps no matter what speed I use.

I didn't think that this project was worth buying a Beal collet chuck so I made one by drilling and tapping a piece of walnut to screw onto my headstock. I then drilled the appropriate whole and cut an X on the end to allow for compression. A hose clamp completed my collet chuck.

I file off the tip of the bullet so that the jacket is slightly bigger than the drill bit. Then using a Jacobs chuck in the tail stock I try to drill a whole through the bullet. I have used speeds from 100 rpm to 2,000 rpm. I withdraw the bit every 1/8" and clean out the flutes, add oil and make sure that the bullet is cool. I got through the bullet once but then the bit stuck and snapped off. The bullets I am trying to use are 30-06 171 grain full jacket bullets.

What am I doing wrong???

Paul Gilbert Dallas, TX

Reply to
Paul Gilbert
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I trust the bullet is not loaded. The powder may be inert enough to drill into it then empty it out. I wouldn't. The primer is another story.

Reply to
Gerald Ross

I don't know anything about bullets but can you melt the lead out of the jacket and fill it with something you can drill easily?

Reply to
Stuart

On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 14:48:07 -0600, Paul Gilbert wrote (in message ):

Your basic drill bit is ground in such a way that there is a relief angle behind the cutting edge, which allows the bit to advance in the material which is being drilled, with only moderate pressure being applied to the bit. Lead, being very soft, does not require much pressure to be drilled. You have found that out. The drill bit doesn't know it is being used on soft stuff, but it still responds to the pressure applied to it, and really digs in. Try an experiment, and grind your drill bit square, so it will not dig in. Likely you will need to make a very shallow starter hole with a regular bit, so your square-ground bit knows where it is supposed to go.

Pull the lead bullet, and make a replacement bullet from some dark, close-grained hardwood.

Make a wooden bullet from some close-grained hardwood, and then paint it a copper color, then coat with some good quality clear coat finish or epoxy.

toggle mother mode on, briefly --> if you are messing around with lead, please be aware that it is sneaky stuff which leaves deposits on your fingers, and consider washing your hands before eating or having a smoke.

mother mode off.

tom koehler

Reply to
tom koehler

"Stuart" wrote: I don't know anything about bullets but can you melt the lead out of the

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I don't know anything about bullets either, but your suggestion gave me another idea. Find some small round rod in which you CAN drill a 5/64 hole. Drill the bullet with a hole that allows you to press fit or glue a piece of the pre-drilled rod.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

the bullet pens are not made this way. you use a .308 caliber caseing and a slimline kit. the nib fits the .308 casing. you turn a sleave to fit inside the casing with the tube in it. google is your friend. I've not made any yet but have seen it done and know many turners who do this. you only use the casing. not the lead and certainly not the primer. what you're doing could qualify for a darwin award!

skeez

Reply to
skeez

This is getting silly. The original poster said he was drilling the bullet, not the cartridge. The bullet is the actual projectile, not the remaining parts that many people seem to want to call a "bullet".

To be clear, the thing is called a cartridge and is composed of a casing, primer, powder and the bullet. The casing is the brass part, the primer is the explosive "starter" at the base of the casing that is whacked by the firing pin of the gun, which ignites the powder inside, which then propels the bullet down the barrel and on to it's eventual target (and perhaps the demise of said target).

Drilling a bullet isn't typically rocket science, but there a few tricks. First, there is the issue of drilling through the copper jacket (which can be accomplished with a regular bit and some care), however, once you are into the lead, the bit tends to want to "self feed" so it can be more challenging. Another poster already mentioned the trick of changing the angle so the bit isn't as aggressive, but I've managed to get away with just using paraffin as a lubricant and peck drilling (a bit at a time, removing the bit fully to extract the shavings, and so on). One problem with drilling lead is that the shavings tend not to be extracted, either sticking to the bit or getting between the bit and the drilled hole and causing it to bind, which with smaller bits nearly always results in either a spinning of the bullet being drilled (preferred action) or breaking the bit (sad face here). I tend to not clamp the bullet that tightly, so if the bit binds I have a half a chance to stop the drill press and back the drill out, re-lube it and carefully move forward.

And for the person that indicated only the casing is used, that may be for some, but the better pens typically have the bullet involved as well. One that makes use of only the casing just looks "half done" to me...

Thanks

--Rick

skeez wrote:

Reply to
rick frazier

Recently I watched a youtube video of a guy drilling tiny holes through a brass rod. It was a carburetor part for a model engine. The key point was that he hand-held the drilling tool. It was simply a tiny chuck that held the drill bit. This method gave him a very sensitive feel for the load on the bit and he could simple let go of it and let it spin if it stuck. BTW, he also commeted that, as long as you get the bit started in the exact center, the bit WILL go right down the center of the part.

Pete Stanaitis

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Paul Gilbert wrote:

Reply to
spaco

Lead tends to build up around a drill bit, so it's best to keep cleaning it as often as posible. Your main problem is perhaps when the drill bit breaks through the last bit of the copper jacket, drills always grab as they break through thin material, especialy if you keep up the same pressure. You have to back off and just barely touch for the final part, a lathe probably isn't the most sensitive of tools for feeling your way, gently gently is the key.

Reply to
pb

everthing you want to know about pen turning can be found here.

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skeez

Reply to
skeez

Try Ballistic Tip bullets. Plastic tip will not cause you any problems.

Reply to
REMOVE

Or, you could take the easy way out:

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mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

I don't make pens but I used to do some shooting and reloaded my own cartridges so this got my curiosity up. I found this tutorial. This guy has a very detailed discription (including pics) for making a pen from a rifle cartridge with an antler cap. The drilling process for the bullet is well defined.

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Bob

Reply to
rjdankert

Spray with spam. Or a light spindle oil. It helps it slip. Otherwise add Crisco and get to work. The long vege chains hand in there and lube.

Mart> >

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

1) Try to stone a small flat at each cutting edge on the drill tip. These flats will be parallel to the drill axis. This reduces the relief angle to 0. You could even make the relief angle a bit negative (1 or 2 degrees). The reduced relief angle will reduce the tendency for the drill bit to dig in. Use a light touch, a bit of lube, and clean cuttings frequently. 2) Get more and better advice from rec.crafts.metalworking. Those guys know how to drill anything!

scritch

Reply to
bsa441

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