Tank made by 223 Cartridge Cases

Shen Shu
2016, Student Work
3 Comments

For my upcycle project I plan to use the popular 223 ammo shell cases to make a tank. These brass shell cases were collected after my buddies and I shot targets in the mountains. Since they have already been fired, they are safe to be handled and to be made into artworks. I will be soldering the shell cases together and the final piece should look like one of the army tanks.

Shen Shu
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3 Comments. Leave new

  • Andre Szlendak
    January 31, 2016 10:12 pm

    I’m glad there’s some use to these shells, it always made me said when I was in the mountains and they were left littered all over. I don’t know much about ammunition but part of me is concerned about led content. I love how unapologetic you are about what seems to be an interest with these things, very mcgyver-like.

  • Daniel Rankin
    January 31, 2016 7:00 pm

    This sounds like a fun project- I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I’ve never tried to solder directly to brass, so I wonder if that will present a challenge. If it works, I’d be interested in any tricks you discover, as I have a lot of spent brass in bags that I’ll probably never reload, and making things out of them sounds fun.

  • Brendan Warren
    January 31, 2016 6:44 pm

    I really like this idea. As someone who grew up in the mountain, target shooting behind my house was always a fun past time. I’ve always wondered if there was something that could be done with the shell casings. You can repack them, but it is very time consuming and you have to be very careful. What kind of size are you thinking of making the tank? Will the tank be static, as in a sculpture, or dynamic?

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