Cartridge Case Rings

My son brought to my attention a picture of a rather crude ring made from a cartridge case, presumably with minimal tools by someone in the military. By the looks of it, a good deal of creative imagination was involved with obvious constraints in the process. My son and I have created many things together, but he didn’t ask me if I could make such a ring as he showed me. It obviously didn’t look that easy, particularly made with crude tools.

As a short time passed, I couldn’t help but wonder just how involved such a task would be. It nagged me enough to make a few sketches and have a closer look at a few cartridge cases and the necessary tools in getting the job under way. Getting Started In the grand scheme of it all, things appeared somewhat less involved. Two laterally opposing strips of linear case side wall are shaped as bands formed to encircle the finger.

These case wall strips originate at the base of the cartridge where the taper in wall thickness thins down right on through the mouth of the case. The width of each ring band is approximately 0.20" originating at the inner case base. A rounded corner here begins at the inner base at each side of the case. The average case body and case neck metal thickness is approximately 0.018" thick which is later formed to a flat surface that forms two halves of the band.

In preparation for the four linear cuts, straight marks are made on the outer case wall surface from the case mouth opening to the inner floor of the cartridge. Make the marks so the bands will be wider than that of a normal ring to allow for buffing and finishing. In the process of making the linear cuts I used a small circular blade in a Dremel tool for one of the rings and a fine hacksaw blade in the other.

The cut is finished by holding the case head firmly and horizontally in a padded vise, being sure not to crush or disfigure the case head. A lathe tool post saw with a fine blade would do a perfect job as the case head is Far

held in the lathe chuck and really speed up production, but I didn’t want to go through the setup for a ring or two. The segments between the ring bands are cut free, leaving the two rough-cut pieces to be refinished and shaped to size. The best way to shape the sides of the two bands that will form the ring bands is to use a fine emery wheel. Be sure they remain evenly positioned and at uniform width as they are finished to size.

The two bands are then straightened and From this position the ring band will be straightened and formed in a circle to fit a finger. Below center: Following flattening and straightening of the ring bands, the case head is again placed in a shell holder. Around jawed pliers is used to bend the ring bands outward from the base of the cartridge at an angle to later fit a finger.

From this position around dowel or shaft, about the size of a ring finger, is placed across the inner base of the cartridge and the pliable bands are bent and formed in a circular fashion around it. Cartridge brass is very pliable and firm finger pressure will form these bands. flattened in preparation for the circular shaping. Shaping the circular curves in each band to fit a finger is best accomplished with the case head held in a proper size case shell holder secured in a padded vise.

I used a circular jawed pliers to bend the brass bands to finger size. Cartridge brass is sufficiently malleable to hold and bend the bands at a near right angle to the base of the shaped cartridge head and then circularly to proper size. All this went very smoothly. Final Forming Next was final forming the bands to fit the finger. With the two bands bent outward, place around piece of steel or hard plastic dowel the approximate size of the wearer’s finger between them and fold the bands surrounding the dowel.

Finger pressure should be sufficient for shaping the bands which will overlap at the tips. A light brass hammer may be needed to finally form the bands. Not knowing the exact finger size, I just allowed about a quarter-inch overlap at the adjoining band tips. Worthy of note, the band thickness at the base will run about 0.035" to about a uniform 0.020" for the remaining length, including the overlap at the tips. Cartridge brass has very little spring back as it is being bent and shaped.

It is very durable yet ductile, and capable of being fashioned into anew form. Finishing Touches With the ring neatly formed, it became a thing of beauty and very well proportioned. The cartridge headstamp really stands out. I then polished it to a fine luster. That part was easy. I had practiced on a few spent cartridges and found a medium soft wire brush did a very good job, leaving an ideal luster. As I looked at the ring I thought—why not another one for my son whose idea brought it all about.

Rings are easily fitted to the wearer by conveniently shaping the bands. I took a quick peek on the Internet for any helpful hints and there were none. All the cartridge headstamps were cut from a cartridge and bonded to existing rings. While the end result may look good, I see it as cutting corners. That involves using another ring, while a ring born of a cartridge is the real thing. On seeing the rings evolve, the thought of a diamond or other gemstone at case head center would really set it off.

And so it was, as the primer was pushed out and replaced with a pre-set gemstone on one of the rings. Finding a preset diamond or other gem already set is usually no problem. Ideally it should occupy the space of the pushed-out primer which is about 0.20" deep on a large rifle cartridge. My wife, who is also a deer hunter, just happened to have a pre-set gemstone that fit a large rifle primer hole to a tee. Such a ring commands a lot of attention. This pre-set gem is the same diameter as the primer pocket.

This is what makes the one-piece ring a clear choice over those using a cut off cartridge head bonded to a ring. Both have their own sentimental attachment. Who would want a such a ring? As my son felt, he couldn’t think of a devoted hunter who wouldn’t want such a ring made from the very cartridge used on that special hunt. It appears he was right as a number of hunters and sportsmen who saw my ring creations all expressed a keen interest in having one or more made.

The creative gunsmith may be the best choice as to who can make such rings, being well qualified and aware of the hunter’s sentimental attachment. A jeweler may be a possibility but likely more costly. Then too, you could make your own ring from a cartridge as shown in this article. Practice may be the key, so don’t be discouraged if perfection doesn’t appear in your first attempt. I can almost guarantee as you hold that finished ring in your hand, regardless of who made it, you’ll be mighty glad it’s there. AG