Remebrance Loading of Cremation Ashes

[Scorpion8]

A friend of the family wants a special project that I've agreed to help. Their deceased son loved the .223, so they want his cremation ashes loaded into some specially engraved .223 casings (they are getting the casings) and have the ashes loaded, topped with a bullet, but made into a pendant. As the project is in it's inception, I am trying to plan out a path.

The shell casings should be already de-primed as they are new from a LGS before being engraved.

Using a single-stage Hornady press to be careful with the shell casings and not scratch or mar the newly-engraved cases. I have an assortment of .223 bullets, so no issue there. My plan is to not touch the casing or bullet in trying to make into a pendant.

Am thinking I should drill out the primer socket, to allow the ashes to be loaded with a funnel, because.... I think I will epoxy a craftstore chain coupling into the primer socket to allow a neck chain to be used. I think I need to load the bullet before the pendant item is epoxied into the primer hole, because once that is in the primer socket, am unsure if it will fit into a standard shell holder to press the bullet in on top of the ashes.

It would be easier to load the ashes from the case-mouth instead of the (enlarged) primer hole, but the whole seating/shell-holder issue has me over-thinking this.

Anybody ever do a project like this?

Thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.

[super6]

Punch out the primer and use silver solder to attach a hoop, How you would you keep the brass from tarnishing is a mystery.

[TNsailorman]

I think I would use nickle cases to help with the tarnish problem there. I don't have a solution for the bullet as yet. I would think a drop of epoxy on the base of the bullet would be in order also as to hold it in the case for the long haul. Check with a jewelery store before drilling the flash hole/primer pocket and drill to fit the chain loop size you will be using. I have never done anything like this myself but it sounds doable with some thought behind it. james

[wilecoyote]

... How you would you keep the brass from tarnishing....
clear coating the brass with some transparent varnish, like fingernail v., gloss or matte rattle-can paint, or more hi-tech stuff, etc., can do the trick

[colchester]

If you had access Forester CoAx press you could modify the cases to accept the chain and then add the ashes and seat the bullet. The CoAx has a unique sliding Shel holder

[BK7saum]

Another option might be to thread the primer pocket and thread in an eye hook. The M3 and M4 eye hooks (lifting eyes) are about 10mm across and a little larger than necessary. You could epoxy or threadlock the threads.

[Scorpion8]

Great idea about threading for M3/M4 eye bolts, except the look isn't really "jewelery". I think JoAnns has craftier pieces that will fit into the primer whole. Would still need epoxy.

Also, re-using epoxy on the bullets. A good idea, ya'd hate to have a bullet unseat and have ashes everywhere.

Much thinking to do.

[BK7saum]

Ywah, I didn't mean use them specifically but surely there is a smaller eye with theeaded ahank out there.

[country gent]

I believe I would wait until after the bullets are seated to engrave them. This way cases can be sized loaded and seated then any burnished marks scratches can be buffed out. The neatest looking way for the loop is to use some primer cups and fine brass wire. Remove the anvil and pellet then clean the cup of residue. Use a .032 wide dremil cut off wheel to cut a fine groove thru each side or the cup. make the loop and the twisted end inside the cup with some epoxy and press into the pocket. The .032 wire would be fine and match the chain for a necklace, but would be on the light side for a key chain there a .060 wire might be a better choice.

[Jeff Michel]

I bet you could take them to a jewelry store and they could fit a clasp or loop with out damage, they do that sort of stuff with all kinds of different jewelry.

[JimB..]

If you seat the bullet and then drill through the case neck and bullet the whole thing will hang right-side-up on a chain. Bonus, you avoid a number of other challenges.

[Milky Duck]

if you were to add something to the case after the ashes were in place to glue it in there....the problem is much easier to handle... Ive done it with piece of wire threaded through primer hole..bend end over well and pull it back through case mouth untill the bendy bit is hard up against base from inside then form loop to thread chain through. if the end result was intended to say sit on mantle piece rather than be worn around neck...your options are endless a completed case could be glued onto a wee brass plaque etc.

[ulav8r]

A Lee Loader with a modified base could be used to seat the bullets. The modified base could be a 1/4 inch drive socket with the square hole up to set the case on as you seat the bullet.

[garandsrus]

Put a drop of hot glue at the bottom of the case, from the inside, to seal the primer hole. Then you can seat the bullet normally after putting the ashes in through the case mouth.

[M-Tecs]

Since the cases are already engraved I would have them gold plated. A good jeweler can hand the plating and clasp.

For bullets I would use a FMJ with the lead core melted out and gold plated. Bullet can be Loctited in with something like 680.

or purchase these and have them engraved

https://www.amazon.com/MONIYA-Stainless-Cremation-Necklace-Memorial/dp/B07BK7NLDX/ref=sr_1_22?adgrpid=1344703293163005&hvadid=84044027925152&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=109337&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-84044316333746%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=24656_10676145&keywords=bullet%2Burn%2Bnecklace&qid=1666757489&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI2LjE0IiwicXNhIjoiNi4xNSIsInFzcCI6IjU uNTAifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-22&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Men-Cremation-Necklace-Ashes-Sterling/dp/B09783R7MR/ref=sr_1_32?adgrpid=1344703293163005&hvadid=84044027925152&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=109337&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-84044316333746%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=24656_10676145&keywords=bullet+urn+necklace&qid=1666757610&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI2LjE0IiwicXNhIjoiNi4xNSIsInFzcCI6IjU uNTAifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-32

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bullet+urn+necklace&adgrpid=1344703293163005&hvadid=84044027925152&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=109337&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-84044316333746%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=24656_10676145&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_5tgtd5zph0_e

One more option for bullets

https://davenportmemorialglass.com/product/223-cremation-bullet/

https://www.etsy.com/listing/829748560/bullet-urn-necklace-for-him-custom?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=cremation+urn+ashes&ref=sr_gallery-4-2&pro=1&frs=1&col=1&sts=1

[Nazgul]

Drill and tap the primer pocket. Use a threaded sling fitting. I have done this for key chains and a BP powder measure.
306099
Don

[Scorpion8]

Lots of ideas, thanks all.

I was thinking of sliding this (from JoAnn's Fabrics & Crafts) into the primer hole with some epoxy, then maybe bend the excess stub inside the case with a small diameter drift. That will give me the necklace attachment point, but it won't be very "high stress or tension", a drawback). https://www.joann.com/john-bead-stainless-steel-eye-pins-30mm-100pcs/19099696.html

Would I need to drop some wax or hot melt glue into the case mouth to seal the primer hole? A consideration.

Also, when ya get right down to it, a .223 casing will hold "maybe" a teaspoon of ashes. A little goes a long way.

I like Loctite on the bullet seating over epoxy which may mar the finish of the casing before the excess gets wiped off. I'll try both on some test casings before all the real production starts.

[ulav8r]

Mentioned this thread to my wife. She said she loved me and would keep my memory in her heart, but there was no way she would wear my ashes around her neck.

My niece has threatened to push her dad down the stairs when he ends up in a wheel chair and then put his ashes in an open container in the back of his pickup and drive down the road letting the wind scatter them.

[725]

Having made key fobs from cases w/ bullets then seated, I have used cotter pins inserted in the primer hole and then opened the split with a flat blade screw driver to form a mechanical lock. A drop of epoxy thereafter firmed up the lock and sealed the fringes of the pin / hole junction. Setting the bullet w/ lock tight or epoxy after was never a problem. A cotter pin isn't jewelry quality but the technique is solid and adaptable to other materials more suitable. Just another way to skin the cat.

[Scorpion8]

A cotter pin isn't jewelry quality but the technique is solid and adaptable to other materials more suitable. Just another way to skin the cat.

Yep, and probably a lot stronger & durable than these lil' JoAnn's craft pins.

[Castaway]

About 30 years ago, my good friend Rob and I were sitting around and decided when one of us died, the other would load his cremated trigger finger in a shot shell. A few years later, after I’d retired from the Army to the state of Florida, I received a call from a mutual friend Rob had died. His widow requested the funeral director remove his finger and cremate it separately. He responded he couldn’t do that, but could send the body to a surgeon in Baltimore to remove the finger. She requested a knife and said she’d cut it off herself. A compromise was reached whereby he would set aside a small portion for our use. I flew up for the funeral and afterwards the mutual friend and I took those ashes and loaded shells. That was in February. In April, his son and friends and I converged on Clark Range, TN, found a dogwood tree in bloom and took Rob hunting one more time. Each friend in turn shooting his ashes over the tree. The empty case sits in my gun safe. If I hear noises in the bedroom, I just tell myself Rob is just rummaging around inside fondling my guns.

[Handloader109]

Having made key fobs from cases w/ bullets then seated, I have used cotter pins inserted in the primer hole and then opened the split with a flat blade screw driver to form a mechanical lock. A drop of epoxy thereafter firmed up the lock and sealed the fringes of the pin / hole junction. Setting the bullet w/ lock tight or epoxy after was never a problem. A cotter pin isn't jewelry quality but the technique is solid and adaptable to other materials more suitable. Just another way to skin the cat.Best way to do it.... and would be small enough to 'load' the powder and seat the bullet with it in place. For sure any SS press would have clearance. I would just crimp the bullet really well. Oh, engrave as last step before a light seal coat of acrylic.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[Scorpion8]

The cotter pin for the win!

https://i.imgur.com/jDMUI2X.jpg

A light touch with a drill just to enlarge the flash-hole a tad, and a ~good sized small cotter pin fits in and yet won't disappear into the primer socket. Am going to look for some brass cotter pins to match the rugs to the carpet. A drop of epoxy as the cotter pin seats should do the trick also.

And I have tried, and cannot get the cotter pin head into the shell holder to use the bullet seating die once the shells are topped with a bullet. Thoughts? A Classic Lee Loader to just tap the bullet down?

Remaining questions: (1) do they have to be marked as "inert" to satisfy TSA?

[Wag]

About 30 years ago, my good friend Rob and I were sitting around and decided when one of us died, the other would load his cremated trigger finger in a shot shell. A few years later, after I’d retired from the Army to the state of Florida, I received a call from a mutual friend Rob had died. His widow requested the funeral director remove his finger and cremate it separately. He responded he couldn’t do that, but could send the body to a surgeon in Baltimore to remove the finger. She requested a knife and said she’d cut it off herself. A compromise was reached whereby he would set aside a small portion for our use. I flew up for the funeral and afterwards the mutual friend and I took those ashes and loaded shells. That was in February. In April, his son and friends and I converged on Clark Range, TN, found a dogwood tree in bloom and took Rob hunting one more time. Each friend in turn shooting his ashes over the tree. The empty case sits in my gun safe. If I hear noises in the bedroom, I just tell myself Rob is just rummaging around inside fondling my guns.

THAT is a great story!

--Wag--

[georgerkahn]

A friend of the family wants a special project that I've agreed to help. Their deceased son loved the .223, so they want his cremation ashes loaded into some specially engraved .223 casings (they are getting the casings) and have the ashes loaded, topped with a bullet, but made into a pendant. As the project is in it's inception, I am trying to plan out a path.

The shell casings should be already de-primed as they are new from a LGS before being engraved.

Using a single-stage Hornady press to be careful with the shell casings and not scratch or mar the newly-engraved cases. I have an assortment of .223 bullets, so no issue there. My plan is to not touch the casing or bullet in trying to make into a pendant.

Am thinking I should drill out the primer socket, to allow the ashes to be loaded with a funnel, because.... I think I will epoxy a craftstore chain coupling into the primer socket to allow a neck chain to be used. I think I need to load the bullet before the pendant item is epoxied into the primer hole, because once that is in the primer socket, am unsure if it will fit into a standard shell holder to press the bullet in on top of the ashes.

It would be easier to load the ashes from the case-mouth instead of the (enlarged) primer hole, but the whole seating/shell-holder issue has me over-thinking this.

Anybody ever do a project like this?

Thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.

A GREAT source of info on the cartridge/case may be viewed at: https://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/223rem/ which surely should provide much info for you.

Re the "remains", my curiosity ("curious George?") was piqued. A Goggle inquiry provided, " While there are many variables to calculating the amount of ashes there will be after cremation, here is a simple rule of thumb: For every pound that the person weighed prior to cremation, there will be one cubic inch of cremated remains (i.e. ashes) after cremation. For example, the remains of a man weighing 175 lbs will generally equal about 175 cubic inches." Another site suggested the average cremated remains/ashes would be roughly the same size as a grocery-store 4-pound bag of sugar to the size of a five-pound bag of flour.
If you were to load all the ashes into .223 cases... wowsers! ... that'll take one heap of cases!
BEST wishes!
geo

[Scorpion8]

Okay, another thought occurred to me. Shell holders are fairly cheap, so I'll just procure another 223-base spare shell holder, use the band saw to cut a slot to the primer seating hole to allow the cotter pin extensions end stub to slip in. There should be enough support on the shell casing base to support the shell while the bullet is being seated, and la' viola. That shell holder will be disposable anyway since this is a one-off project.

As regards the amount of ashes....not really an issue, but thanks!. The family is only sending us a portion along with the 20-engraved casings. Thus we'll fill those 20, and give the rest back.

[imashooter2]

Have you considered the mesh size of the ashes? Trying to get them into a case through a funnel sized to fit into a hole drilled primer pocket size sounds like a nightmare. I would tap the cases for a jewelry stud in the pocket, tuck a bit of Dacron in the cases, drop the ashes through the neck and seat a bullet. Then a drop of epoxy on the threads, screw the stud in oriented to keep the engraving forward and let it dry. Finish up with an alcohol degrease and jewelry lacquer.

[country gent]

dont ruin your saw blade use a cutoff wheel The shell holders are very hard

[Gtek]

Couple days to ponder, I think I figured out how I would approach if task. Sterile brass for starter, drill pocket for brass rod with formed eye or a (custom brass button inserted from inside created) and if rod bent over internally and then soldered in place sealing rear. If access to a lathe a piece of brass rod and cross drill for hole and turn to diameter of pocket with a base then radius and shaping top would be a custom job and could be pressed in from internal with epoxy removing soldering. After installation of cremation epoxy/crimp projectile in place, faking something in place of shell holder on press. The loop in base allowing them to use whatever to hang or secure of their choice and allowing variables.

[LAGS]

A few years back,
My current wife had ashes from her mother and late husband.
She asked me to load up some ashes in 30-06 casings.
She then went on a trip and visited the cemeteries where her dad was buried.
She drove a steel stake into the ground to make a deep narrow hole .
She then inserted the loaded with her mother's ashes into the hole at her father's grave.
Her late husband liked the ocean.
So the casing with his ashes was placed in the ocean.
She also had jewelry pendants made with some of her late husbands ashes to give to their three daughters.

[Scorpion8]

The shell holder was easy to cut with a metal blade on the bandsaw, and then opened with a grinding wheel on the angle grinder. Piece-o'-pie. I spent more time rigging the shell holder in the drill-press vise to make sure the bandsaw blade didn't launch it somewhere than I did actually cutting the shell holder. But in any regards the shell casing with the cotter pin now slides easily into the press to fit a bullet, when the time comes.

I am thinking of cleaning/degreasing the primer pockets, inserting the cotter pin and then a drop of epoxy from a syringe-style epoxy glue, or perhaps Bondic to cure it quickly. Anybody use Bondic(R)?

[rockrat]

Use stainless steel cotter pins

[Scorpion8]

I found some brass-finished cotter pins that match the shell casing brass almost exactly. Still waiting to get my hands on the engraved shells and ashes.