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aabbcat
10-12-2009, 11:58 PM
My dad is a gun enthusiast, but I know very little about guns. I'd like to make him a lamp out of a mason jar like the following link
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/homemade-gifts/canning-jar-lamp.shtml
I'd like to fill the mason jar with something he'd like, but using live bullets seems like a bad idea because of the proximity to heat and electricity. I'm thinking I should be searching for reloading bullets? Any suggestion on where to buy a cheap reloadable bullet would be appreciated. Thanks!

runfiverun
10-13-2009, 04:31 AM
if you know someone that reloads or one of his friends does i bet they would make you a bunch of dummy rounds out of old cases.
if you go to a gunshow and find a local caster there, he may sell you a bunch of unsized and lubed bullets of different sizes for a reasonable price.
or stop into your local gun club,there might be a notice up of someone selling or casting bullets.

qajaq59
10-19-2009, 05:30 PM
aabbcat, I'm in S. Central Florida. If you are anywhere near me, I'm retired and I'll give you a hand doing that for your Dad.

NWPilgrim
10-19-2009, 06:15 PM
You could use just spent brass, just the bullets, or dummy rounds (bullets seated into brass with no live primer or powder. It would be nice to choose some cartridge or bullet he used a lot. Handgun cartridges would be smaller and pack in more easily. Or you could do a mixture of handgun, varmint and full size cartridges. Play with the weight and see what gives you the best balance of enough weight for stability but not overly heavy if it will be moved often.

One tip is that lead, brass, and copper jackets can all dull with time when exposed to air. The canning jar will likely keep out most of it, but you could coat the items with car wax, clear spray paint, or a spray sealant (craft stores have this) to ensure they remain bright and shiny. Either buy the items new or have a reloader friend help you get them all shiny.

The cheapest would be to just use cleaned up spent brass that a reloader friend could donate or sell. It would use up the most space for the buck. Even if you had to buy iot new it is not that much for say 100 cases of .45ACP. A jar might hold 200 .45ACP bullets, for example. Dummy rounds might be the best overall for taking up space, looking cool, and weight.

Just don't make what you put in there to nice or your Dad will cringe at the thought of all those good cases and bullets going to waste in a lamp! ;-)

JJB2
10-28-2009, 08:45 AM
all good suggestions here..... i would add a small AMERICAN flag or two visible from the outside...........................

LIFE IS SHORT.....

mold maker
10-28-2009, 12:36 PM
Adding a few shotgun shells will reduce the weight and take up lots of space.
If you need to add cheap weight, range lead would be interesting.