How do I remove inert material from projectile?

[vickersw229]

Hi Everyone!

I have had in my possession now for a few years the projectile shown in the attached picture. I would like to remove the inert material it is filled with, it seems to be a red clay type material. This is so heavy it takes two people to move it! If I was able to remove the material it would be so much easier to move around.

Is there a knack to removing the material? Is the red clay type material a seal of some sort with a heavier material underneath?

Any help would be appreciated.

Many Thanks

Paul

 

[pointblank0]

Not sure if it is a seal, but I had a large mortar with red resin stuff on top but it was cracked. After pulling a bit out, I found it was filled with a sort of fine hardcore type stuff.

 

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Sir,
why not just find a permanent show place for it.
John

 

[Chris 42 RQ]

The really easy way to remove the red wax filler is to melt it but with such a large item the heat you will need to apply will be considerable as well as the time it will take to do the job-and the ensuing "gunge" will stick in all the threads and without good tools will be very difficult to remove.
Another method is to chisel it out by drilling a few deep holes into it then forcing a cold chisel or similar in between the holes and breaking up the wax, removing the small fragments with a vacuum cleaner-again it is a very slow process.
The best thing to do is as J.B.D. Jr suggests and put it in its final resting place.

 

[US-Subs]

We call it ballistic wax. Rent a steam cleaner and prepare to get messy. If you have a means for pooling your run-off you can control much of the mess, especially if you do it in stages. Once you are done, one final steaming will take care of any "gunge" as described by Chris above. In a less enviro-friendly time we used to take them to the car wash, but I wouldn't consider it any more.

 

[peteblight]

I can just see you at the car wash with a truck loaded with projos!! LOL

 

[MikeS0000]

If you lived here, right now, you could put it outside in the sun and it would run out!! :tongue:

 

[vickersw229]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all the replies!

John's right, I should find a final resting place for it! I'm just not to sure where that is at the moment!

I'll have a go this weekend with a combination of drill to remove what I can and steam the rest.

I'll put a post up with the results.

Cheers

Paul

 

[HAZORD]

True, it is always easier to not have to do anything to a piece in a collection, except we now live in a time of paranoid uneducated "experts". Lets say that you leave the material in the projo, and someone visits your home when you aren't there (friend of your children, wife's friends, etc. For some reason they see the red filler, and you are reported to the local "authorities" for having an explosive filled projectile, because everyone knows that red material has to be explosive. They come to your house and confiscate it, take it out and blow it up, and you are prosecuted for having a loaded device.

Yes it is a hassle to remove the filler, but the do-gooders can't rat you out for having an empty projectile, so the potential for a much bigger hassle is eliminated. Avoid the appearance of evil!