I have alot of ammo casings for .308 ( I don't leave my brass when I shoot) anyways I have a few boxes of the stuff and I think it would be neat as a substrate. Now I know metal has a negative effect on water, and rust.. Is there something I can do to keep it water safe, and clear... make it look like its not coated with anything... If anyone else has done it (knowing all of you, some one has) can you throw some tips my way?
Ammo brass for substrate?
- Thread starter vaipulu
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that would look really badass i guess you could layer the bottom of the tank with the casings and then put a layer of glass over it and seal it so essentially you have a bare bottom tank but you can the the casings underneath
beyond that im not sure im assuming the metal would rust and be bad for your fish or any powder residue may also be poisonous
Only way to keep the metal from interacting with the water would be to dip them in a clear epoxy or something. Maybe find a clear aquarium safe lacquer or something to paint them. Just remember to get the inside of the shells too, not just the outside. It'll be a tedious task, but it would probably look pretty cool when done.
An alternative might be getting some Stainless Steel casings. It's more expensive, but the stainless won't interact with the water. You'd still want to clean/polish them in a tumbler as well.
An alternative might be getting some Stainless Steel casings. It's more expensive, but the stainless won't interact with the water. You'd still want to clean/polish them in a tumbler as well.
I wouldn't mind epoxying everything, it would be another project, I have never done it before, how would I do it on a ammo case? As for stainless steel, I would love to but I don't have any of it laying around. Just the remington stuff. If I "Dipped" it , could you tell there was a layer of it on the brass?
Probably. heh. The burned powder might leave a nice black carbon coating on a lot of the plastic inside the dishwasher too. 
You can probably find a shell tumbler on Craigslist or ebay fairly cheap to clean and polish them.
You can probably find a shell tumbler on Craigslist or ebay fairly cheap to clean and polish them.
If you want to do the ammo case itself, you can paint epoxy on with a brush.
For the shells you'll want to find an epoxy with a slow cure time and something that has a relatively thin consistency as well. You don't want it hardening 5 minutes after you mix it when you've only had a chance to dip 10 or 15 shells. You'll probably want to do a couple coats to make sure you get coverage on all metal surfaces too. As long as the coating is thin, it shouldn't really be visible on the shells. they might 'shine' more than brass normally would.
Others might be able to recommend a good brand of epoxy for the project.
For the shells you'll want to find an epoxy with a slow cure time and something that has a relatively thin consistency as well. You don't want it hardening 5 minutes after you mix it when you've only had a chance to dip 10 or 15 shells. You'll probably want to do a couple coats to make sure you get coverage on all metal surfaces too. As long as the coating is thin, it shouldn't really be visible on the shells. they might 'shine' more than brass normally would.
Others might be able to recommend a good brand of epoxy for the project.