Advice on a bottle opener project. Open to all.

[tripletap3]

I am looking at making a few bottle openers out of some inert .50 BMG rounds and I am looking for some suggestions from my H-M buds. Before anyone gets started I have had these reloaded by a friend with no powder or primers so they have a hole in the bottom and can’t go boom ever again. Also the one in the vice is just the example that I am copying and it is not how I plan on really holding it for machining. I am thinking of reaming a piece of square stock with a .50 chamber reamer to hold them in the vice. This is hard brass and I half way tried to slot one of the empty cases with a 3/8 four flute HSS Hertal end mill just to se what would happen. What would happen is it will grab the far side as it passes through and fling it across the shop. I said half way because I was turning a little slow (1000 rpm) and did hog it a smudge thinking “it’s just brass”. Mostly messing around one evening.
I am not posting this in the gunsmith section because it a bottle opener made from a inert round.

 

[Inflight]

I would anneal the cartridge then use a slitting saw rather than an end mill.

 

[pebbleworm]

Once the brass is annealed, how would you harden it again? Would it be possible to get a steel sleeve or partial sleeve inside the casing?

 

[Tony Wells]

You're probably on the best track with the reamer, and split the holding block. Yes, it's "hard" brass, but still soft as machine work goes. A carbide end mill should do hundreds of those without any problem. Just don't crowd it.

 

[Bill C.]

I am looking at making a few bottle openers out of some inert .50 BMG rounds and I am looking for some suggestions from my H-M buds. Before anyone gets started I have had these reloaded by a friend with no powder or primers so they have a hole in the bottom and can’t go boom ever again. Also the one in the vice is just the example that I am copying and it is not how I plan on really holding it for machining. I am thinking of reaming a piece of square stock with a .50 chamber reamer to hold them in the vice. This is hard brass and I half way tried to slot one of the empty cases with a 3/8 four flute HSS Hertal end mill just to se what would happen. What would happen is it will grab the far side as it passes through and fling it across the shop. I said half way because I was turning a little slow (1000 rpm) and did hog it a smudge thinking “it’s just brass”. Mostly messing around one evening.
I am not posting this in the gunsmith section because it a bottle opener made from a inert round.

View attachment 49441

Were you climb milling when it grab? I would like to see the finished project when you finish, My uncle was a machinist in WWII. He made lighters out of 50 Cal. for some of the officers. He kept parts for one when he came home.

 

[tripletap3]

I am cutting both sides at the same time. Tony, the idea of slitting the holding block and clamping it together came to me the other day while I was in the thinking/reading chamber.:thinking: I think this all comes down to how ridgid I can keep it in the vice.

 

[Tony Wells]

The vee block setup is only so-so. Since the case is hollow, and tapered, you can't really grip it properly, so I'm not really surprised that didn't hold if you were trying to rip through it in a single pass. You could probably nibble away at it, but a reamed split block would be the way to go. You would be best served if you created a little clearance to allow the case to slide out while still retaining the burrs from the cut. It might spring open enough if you hit the case with a file before you tried to remove it though.

 

[kevin]

I would first drill them sideways (through the diameter) and then cut slits into the hole - one at an angle and one straight across; this will give the opener a bit of a "hook" to grab the bottle cap. Or, you could rill and them hill out part of the side. See my quick sketch below.

I would also make a set of clamp jaws to fit my vise to hold the round - just drill an appropriate size hole in an aluminum block and split it lengthwise - so you can grip the round tightly without crushing it.

I am looking at making a few bottle openers out of some inert .50 BMG rounds and I am looking for some suggestions from my H-M buds. Before anyone gets started I have had these reloaded by a friend with no powder or primers so they have a hole in the bottom and can’t go boom ever again. Also the one in the vice is just the example that I am copying and it is not how I plan on really holding it for machining. I am thinking of reaming a piece of square stock with a .50 chamber reamer to hold them in the vice. This is hard brass and I half way tried to slot one of the empty cases with a 3/8 four flute HSS Hertal end mill just to se what would happen. What would happen is it will grab the far side as it passes through and fling it across the shop. I said half way because I was turning a little slow (1000 rpm) and did hog it a smudge thinking “it’s just brass”. Mostly messing around one evening.
I am not posting this in the gunsmith section because it a bottle opener made from a inert round.