artillery shell art?

Pretty sure this is artillery shell art that needs some TLC.

First question: is it safe? How can one tell if the shells (including the loose ones) are not live?

Secondly, it looks like an ashtray, and what is the airplane thing? Do they go together? Can anyone help put Humpty Dumpty back together again? Thanks!

 

Yes , this is Trench Art.
The two loose bullets are misfires if there's a depression where they were struck by the firing pin on the bottom of the base. In the case of the small one ( a 22 cal.) it may be on the outer rim ( rim fire).
If that's the case then they should be safe......BUT....they should also still contain gunpowder ......& I would remove the rounds from the casing & empty the powder....just in case !
The bullets already used for the plane and ashtray may not be live rounds but may also still be full of powder.
I wouldn't want to weld or hammer them.................

 

Oh goodness. I wouldn't even know how to remove the rounds (or what a round is). Do you think the plane was part of the ashtray, or are they two separate items? *IF* they were live, could they explode by being dropped?

 

The round is the bullet.
The shell is the brass case used to hold the powder.
None will explode from being dropped ....but a sharp blow to the base would not be recommended !!

The plane may have been soldered to the top of the bullet in the ashtray.

Using pliers grab the round and twist it out of the shell.
( although , I can understand if you'd rather not...)

 

*cough* yeah. I'd sort of rather not....!

I'll see if the plane fits atop the ashtray. I also can't find the right piece for the tip of the plane - the spare shell doesn't quite fit.

 

OK, so, if I sell this as a fixer-upper project (anyone who knows about these and can solder it will have a nice piece on their hands in under an hour), any suggestions on asking price?

 

An auction for this should start nmt $9.99, IMO. A complete one not requiring any work might be a $40. Item. This pattern of trench art is not uncommon.

 

Beautiful items, but yeah, be very careful if you think the rounds still have powder in them.

I remember a nasty news story a few years ago about a family who had their house blown up. Grandpa was a WWII vet and he kept a pair of artillery shells on either side of the fireplace as decorations. Souvenirs from his army days.

Unfortunately one night, the heat from the fire or something, set shells off and blew the roof off the house and destroyed the living-room.

I wish I could find it and post it here. An excellent cautionary tale.

 

If the pieces have been soldered there is no energetic material inside. Unless in the most unlikely case that someone put it there after soldering. A small arms cartridge with an indented primer is one that has been fired, except for a very small percentage of "duds."

 

Where/what is the primer? Thanks.

 

Before the casing is loaded with gunpowder , a small amount of primer is placed in the bottom of the casing.
When the base or bottom rim of the brass is struck hard by a firing pin the primer will ignite causing the gunpowder to ignite and fire the round.

When the shell is struck ( or fired..) and nothing happens it's called a ...
Misfire: A failure of the cartridge to fire after the primer has been struck by the firing pin. OK, you squeeze the trigger and the gun goes click instead of bang, that is basically a misfire.
The bullet is now called a dud ....and should not fire if struck again......but I wouldn't look down a gun barrel to check that out !!!

A dud though....still has primer ( possibly defective ) and gunpowder inside it , and should be treated carefully.......although it is not considered a live round.

The bullets shown here have not been fired.

 

These have been fired , but the one on the left is a misfire with the bullet still there...



Here the firing pin struck off center ( center fire bullet ) and the round did not leave the cartridge ....a misfire !

 

Thanks! I'll take a close look and see...