How to Make Bullet Pens

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Things You'll Need

  • 50 caliber casing

  • 308 casing

  • Bic pen

  • Cyanoacrylate glue (two-part epoxy)

  • Drill

  • Drill bits

  • Oil

  • Vise

  • Rags

Used bullet shells make a different kind of pen.

There are a variety of ways to use spent bullet casings. Making pens is one way to not only use the shell casings, but also to have a unique writing instrument. This pen can be made in just over a day with a few tools and some glue. It is a pen that will have the user remembering who made it.

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Instructions

Step 1

Wrap the 50 caliber shell with part of a rag and set it in the vise with the pointed end up. The rag keeps the vise from marking the outside of the shell. Drill through the end of the bullet tip with a 3 mm drill bit. Use oil while drilling to keep things cool.

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Step 2

Wipe off the excess oil and flip the shell over so that the primer end is now facing up. Drill out the primer and enlarge the hole to 7 mm. This can only be done on a spent shell, or a shell that has no primer. Be sure to use oil for keeping the metal cool while drilling.

Step 3

Mix the two-part epoxy to glue the shells together. Pace the epoxy on the primer end of the 50 caliber shell and on the outside of the narrow end of the 308 caliber shell. Insert the 308 caliber shell into the 50 caliber shell. Wipe off the excess and let the glue dry overnight.

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Step 4

Take apart a Bic ballpoint pen. The ink cartridge and the tan tip are all that is needed from the donor pen. Slide the ink cartridge and tip into the 3 mm drilled hole of the 50 caliber shell. Press the tip in firmly so that it stays in place. The pen is now ready to be written with.

Tip

Brass casings can be polished or left as is after making the pen.

Warning

Never use casings with unspent primers. Use spent shells only.

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