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Help on 6pdr shell casing repair

dano1917

dano1917

RIP
I have this beautiful 6pr shell casing 1917 British WW1. It has a strong headstamp and is generally in pretty good condition. Trouble is that the top of casing has been "wallowed" I would guess from moving projectile (flared out at top). I am totally against cutting down the casing and was wondering if someone might have an idea on how it can be straightened. I was thinking heat it, then beat in something of similar diameter but don't want to dis-color the brass. Any/all suggestions appreciated. I really like this one and would like to do it right....Dano
 

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Someone made a right mess of that one. It looks like it would be very difficult to get it to look right again. The brass has been quite badly stretched. Also, the shape of the shoulder has been ruined, which would be very difficult to repair.
 
casing repair,

Hi Dano,I would think that the case could be tidied up using hard wood and leather tools,any metal would mark the patina,when all the dents are out the case neck would need swaging back to correct size,I have done this myself with damaged .50 cases in a machine that I used to swage fittings onto hydraulic hoses,I padded the jaws with the tongue of an old boot and proceeded carefully,and it worked,you would of course need a machine with large jaws for earthmover size hydraulic pipes and some gentle pressure,it is not foolproof but it worked for me on a few small calibre cases,not forgetting that .50 cal,cases were not rare but your case is so it would need to be done carefully,it was in the 80s when I did this using a hand pumped machine,Hope this gives you a few ideas,
Regards,Don,
 
Thanks Don, Though a tad over my head, I do know someone who has straightened about any type of metal the imagination can conjure. Thing is with stretched metal I know it must be "shrank" to get anywhere close to original configuration. Well he looked at it and says it would be easiest to cut the case down. Knowing this will ruin the whole concept of having a good shell casing i'll have to take a pass on that option. Don't know just may leave as is. I bought it from a clever source that photographed it from angles where the damage did not show. I really like the 6pr cases as I know they may have been used in the Mark series tank guns. More thinking to do I guess. RATS....Dano
 
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Dano,

You just need to find the resizing die and reloading press for 6 Pdr cases.
 
That is the same case. Dano could try contacting the seller and see if he will ship it to the USA. It says buy it now for 13.50.
 
dano1917 said:
Thanks Don, Though a tad over my head, I do know someone who has straightened about any type of metal the imagination can conjure. Thing is with stretched metal I know it must be "shrank" to get anywhere close to original configuration. Well he looked at it and says it would be easiest to cut the case down. Knowing this will ruin the whole concept of having a good shell casing
Click to expand...

So would the same logic apply if you had an antique piece of furniture with some damage on it that needed restoring? "Sure, just saw it in half, that'll fix it".
 
Metal spinners/engineering shop.

Dano you could do with a trip to a "metal spinners" of which I would expect there to be plenty of in the USA.
You will have to have the case softened no matter what course of action you undertake or the results will be loads of hairline cracks or worse.

Look for "metal spinners" to start with if not go to a local fabrication/engineering shop who will give good advise.
 
Thanks Chris, much appreciated, not a rare case, but I am attached to it due to the circumstances surrounding actually getting the piece. Chris I should have thought of that one myself but I am half brain dead at times I think. Mucho Apprecianado dude! Dano
 
6pr stretched

It doesn't look too bad to me mainly oversize in the neck area, You might find someone in a body shop who could tidy it up or if it was me I'd make a die or two to force down over the neck (2 as it might need to be done in stages) annealing regularly to keep the metal soft and prevent cracking. Any discoulouring due to heat would clean up with fine abrasive ie T cut. you might well get scratches vertically from the die. sizing with a die is the only way if you want a shell to be a good fit. Me, I'd give it a try but then I have got a choice of cases none of which hold great value to me. 2pr
 
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