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37mm Case Restoration

I

imaokie2000

Well-Known Member
I got a 37mm Italian Hotchkiss round from a friend that was in bad need of repair. I had doubts that I could restore it. It took 3 or 4 months with me working on it only when I felt like I had enough patience. As I worked the case, it developed more cracks, going all the way to the base. The base has hairline cracks, but I had to leave them alone or I would have removed what's left of the HS. The primer just happen to be live but dimpled. It blew out, hitting me in the chest when it got hot. That just gave me a bruise and a chance to restore it also by removing the dimple. As far as the case goes, I am as far as I can go with files, sanders, Dremils and emery cloth. I need to chuck it up in a lathe now and make it perfectly round. Cases develope high/low areas when you work them with files and Dremils. There's two high areas where I didn't take the weld completey off. I need to use the lathe to get those. I'm not concerned with the low spots or light grinder marks.

I hope my next restoration project is a little easier........................

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Skill and craftmanship are not dead!!! I saw the case before and was amazed at the out come. Italian cases are not common and here is one that has been saved from the recycler. Fantsastic work.
 
Good effort imaokie 2000, "working on it only when I felt I had enough patience" was the important bit.

Thanks for showing the photos.

Dave.
 
Congratulations. I have a some time tried similar but had to give up because base metal remained brittle:tinysmile_cry_t:
 
Thanks for looking Guys. I restored the primer last night and just returned from the machine shop today. The guy wouldn't let me use his lathe because I wasn't covered under his insurance policy, so he did the work. I was a little nervous while he was spinning it, but he took great pains getting it exactly centered and was careful only to remove the two high spots and he polished it afterward with emery paper. This round is complete now and will be sitting on my shelf with the rest soon.



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My next project is a Japanese 12.7x81SR HE. It has a belled and split neck. It's extreamly thin, so it my wind up being a Sectioned round. I'll post pics later, after I figure out which way I will go with it.
 
done a bit of restoration myself but never like what you have achieved, most impressed.
 
Restoration on my Japanese 12.7x81SR case did not go well, so off to my next project, Something larger and easier to work with. I picked up this 37x94R 1894 BERNDORF case recently. It has 10 splits in the case neck. Lucky, this case hasn't seen any type of corrosion and the neck is a full 0.5mm thick. Anything thinner than that quickly becomes a nightmare when you try to braze it.

I'm trying out a new technique this time. I will sandwich the open end of each crack between two thin sheets of cartridge brass and resistance spot weld each before I start brazing. I've had the cracked segments to fall right off the case neck several times in the past.

Ok, so I ordered 3 different types of brass wire last night with different melting points and a spot welder. I'll post pics of my success or failure..........

Attached is a pic of my custom made resizing dies I'll use after I am done.
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Took 3 months, but it's finally repaired. The primer only fizzled when I heated and it did not pop out. I didn't restore it. I would have destroyed it getting it out. It was close to a total loss. My eyes are getting to bad.

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Did you make the resizing dies or someone else? I'm needing them in 37mm and 20mm. I'm considering making some but it there are any to be had out there, I'm all for easier. Thanks, Bruce.
 
bacarnal said:
Did you make the resizing dies or someone else? I'm needing them in 37mm and 20mm. I'm considering making some but it there are any to be had out there, I'm all for easier. Thanks, Bruce.
Click to expand...

Hey Bruce,

I made a 37mm die and a 40mm die. I have need for a 57mm die, but it has to take its turn on the wait list. I only get to go home twice, if I'm real lucky, three times a year...... I retire in 14 months. If you haven't found any by then, I'll turn you some.

Thanks
.....JR Ivey
 
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