Im wanting to cut holes in aluminum and press fit in a spent 22 cal bullet casing to be flush on the top surface, or just a slip fit and glue each casing in? Any advice on which method and tolerances for a slip or press fitting would be beyond appreciated.
The casing dimensioned below is longer than what i need so i cut them to the length i need.
I think the slip fit and glue is a better option since the case is tapered. You might even consider a touch of silver solder paste then use hydro flux torch in jewelry to solder it in place. It is high temp, very small flame. The aluminum will soak up the heat fast. Will yield a stronger bond.
So up to .020” is pretty loose fitting for metals. Wood, thats a different story. Its really going to depend on what application your going for. If it were holding something over someone’s head, I would go with as tight of a fit as possible which would include reaming the hole to size. If its a static display, drilling to within .010” of an inch would probably be fine. We have gauge pins if you would like to test some drill sizing. The drill size may actually leave a slightly larger size hole than what its listed for. Additionally you may get some wander or taper to the hole.
Closer it is to being a zero gap the more casing rim to metal sheet will be available for bonding. The looser the fit, the less bonding surface. After it dries, I’d flip it, and put a small bead around the case on the inside to help prevent it wigging loose.