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Showing results for tags '30-06'.
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When making bullet shell pens from the Zebra F-301 pens I sand off the nickel plating from the clicker and the nib. The other day I came across a DIY video on nickel plating brass and the old light bulb came on. It is an amazingly easy process and here are the results. Here is a picture with a brass pen for contrast. Here is the video I followed the instructions from and it worked as described. I think this is just too cool for school.
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When making the .30-06 pen with the Zebra F-301 pen I start by taking the pen apart and removing the stainless tube. Take the pen apart and remove the tube with the logo on it. There is a detent on the tube so a half twist before pulling works best. I use a small pair of end nippers to grab the tube. I slide them into the hole the open pliers make and they clamp around the tube just enough to get it off. The lower ribbed part has to have 3.5 ribs turned down to fit into the shell where the bullet was. This makes the length right and the nib protrudes the correct distance when the clicker is pushed. Mount the drill chuck and hold the ribbed section in it while the ribs are turned off. The Easy Wood Tools Ci1 square cutter works wonders for this. Next pull the clicker piece from the top of the pen. Mount a 9/64 drill bit in the drill chuck backwards and push the clicker onto it. It is a loose fit and needs pressure from the tailstock to turn it without it spinning on the bit. I have a Oneway live center and found a pencil fits into it with the center tip removed. I put enough wraps of some plastic tape on it to keep it out a small distance and turn the clicker until the chrome is sanded off to the brass underlay. I start with 220 grit and sand through 400 grit and then polish with 0000 steel wool. Be careful not to get the piece too hot as the plastic will melt. For the pen nib I took a plastic dowel I had and turned the end until it fit inside the threads and used a pointed live center to hold it in place while sanding the same way as described above. A 5/16 wood dowel can be used as well. The end of the dowel should be perfectly flat. For the .30-06 shell I remove the primer and mount it in the chuck and take the letter "O" size drill to drill through the end. To mount it for sanding I took a 5/16 bolt that was long enough to have a shoulder above the threads and cut the head off. I took a nut and ran it up to the shoulder and tightened it with a wrench so the shell wouldn't slide between the nut and bolt threads. Might want to do that before cutting the head off so it is there to hold onto. Now it is time to put the pen together and write all the love letters you been meaning to write to your significant other. I took one of the pens and made a stick pen and holder. I ran a drill bit through the bullet end of a shell to get the crimp section straight and turned the rib section as described above until it was a press fit into the shell. Put it together and found the ink cartridge was too short. I found a nail that was a tight fit into the cartridge after removing the plug and pushed it in until the right length was achieved. I DID NOT remove the primer for this one. And there you have it. No rocket science involved and a nice pen has evolved. I've already made over 80 of them. Everyone loves them. Enjoy
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