Inlay & personalisation · 2026
A spent case turned into a brass cross
Reclaimed, flattened, cut and shaped, a simple spent cartridge case becomes a cross inlaid flush into the walnut grip panel of a Remington 1858 black-powder revolver
It all starts with an empty brass cartridge case. Flattened, cut and shaped, it becomes a Latin cross, inlaid flush into the walnut grip panel of a Remington 1858 black-powder revolver reproduction. A patient piece of fitting: scribed by hand, the recess cut with a wood chisel then refined with riffler files, the cross fitted, glued and sanded flush.
A brass Latin cross, inlaid flush into the walnut grip panel of a black-powder revolver. The raw material did not come from a supplier: it is a spent cartridge case, reclaimed and transformed. The work lives in a small detail, but that detail demands precision: metal and wood must meet without any gap, the cross must sit perfectly flush, and the line must stay crisp.
01The piece
The host is a reproduction of the Remington 1858 revolver, black-powder. The cross itself comes from reuse: an empty brass cartridge case, cut open, flattened and then shaped by hand. A humble material, put back to work as an ornament.
02The work
The outline of the cross is first scribed onto the wood. The recess is then cut with a wood chisel, to exactly the thickness of the brass, and refined with two riffler files for a clean, even bottom. The grip panel is polished before fitting, to get a tidy result around the inlay. The cross is finally fitted, inlaid and glued into its recess, then sanded flush: the bright brass on dark walnut stands out all the more for the crisp contact line.
- Host
- Remington 1858 reproduction, black-powder
- Cross material
- Spent brass cartridge case, reclaimed and flattened
- Location
- Walnut grip panel
- Tools
- Scriber, wood chisel, riffler files
- Finish
- Polished before fitting, sanded flush
Gallery