Makin' yer own caps

[jtmattison]

Anybody make ther own caps?
Forster sells a TAP-O-CAP that you can punch caps out of soder cans with and put kiddy cap gun caps into.
Anybody try it?

Huntin

 

[Ironwood]

I keep forgetting to check on toy caps. Are they still available? I'd sure like to try it. There's an abundant supply of soda cans around this household.

 

[jrdavis]

I've got one haven't made caps in along time...with all the noise about kids and guns :bull:; where does one buy caps?? ::?

 

[gordy]

Ironwood: I bought some about two years ago at the Alco store in Alpine,also from a dollar General.Never have purchased the Tap O Cap! I have to keep the caps hid from the Grandkids or The'll use em,up in their cap pistols.I talked to a guy who had a tool ,He said,He used two caps in ea. cup.Said that they worked nearly as well as the boughten percussion caps!The last time I priced the tool it was under $25.00. A person could pay for the tool in a few trips to the range if You do much shooting.If work picks-up I'm going to buy one this summer. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

I bought one of those back in the mid 70's when they first came out. Trouble was, at that time, the beer and pop cans in Canada were steel, thin, but steel and not aluminum. The system still worked just fine, except I didn't put kids toy caps inside. They just plugged the nipple, as my Hawken(custom) had a proper nipple and strong main spring, not coil. The hammer didn't lift off the nipple to let the pressure blow the manure out. I think I tried 3 or 4 then quit.
: I had to make them as they weren't available up in the bush where I was living.
: I bought a book called "The Underhammer Rifle and Pistol"
; In that book, I came across a formula for making my very own exceptionally dangerous priming compound. AS this compound was declared illegal in 1898 due to instability, I'll not give it here. The book didn't tell of this illegality (English law) or, of it's sensitivity. Apparently, a change of temperature would ignite it or arial static electricity. It was, however exceptionally potent, mixed into a slurry, then with a cut-off screwdriver with a 1/16' shaft, I'd get a single drop of mixture on the end, and let it run into the cap. When dry, they were great! Never had a misfire - never. The compound was corrosive, tho, and absolutely had to be cleaned THAT DAY IT WAS FIRED. It was so dry up in Smithers, that I could always clean the next day without any problem as the bore and barrel were bone dry. With the compound, it would start rust in about 5 hours & without moisture.
: If you wish this compound, you'll have to buy the book. I'm quit certain, due to the much purer chmicals today, the compound wasn't as bad as they said. Originally, it was used n the pill locks, tube locks as well as percussion caps. I would hate myself to give out the formula then have someone lose their life by mishandling- or by accident - as they said, with a change of temperature. To smack a bean sized lump on the anvil of the vise, it would throw the hammer out of your hand. Yeah - it sure ignited BP well and there wasn't but a thin layer inside the cap.
: Oh yeah- that was when I was a young gumby and impervious to damage - or thought so.
Daryl

 

[bulletman]

I was wondering too, i think I will get one, here is an article i found.http://www.beartoothbullets.com/open_sight/archive_open_sight.htm/9

 

[musketman]

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/open_sight/archive_open_sight.htm/9

 

I have a Tap-O-Cap tool that I bought 10-15 years ago. I used it to make a few hundred caps and here is my opinion after doing so and using the caps I made. They do work.....mostly. Unless you are completely convicted in your heart that you absolutely must do everything yourself do not waste your money or time. The device works and honestly makes a pretty good receptacle for priming compound. My experience was that the caps sold for toy guns weren't hot enough for consistent, reliable ignition, and this was with 3 punched out caps inserted into the formed cap. They were an absolute pain in the butt to punch out with the paper punch tool that came with the Tap-O-Cap and inserting those itsy, bitsy pieces of fulminate filled paper into the cap, one at a time, with what amounts to a blunt toothpick was way more trouble than it was worth. If it's damp outside you can forget using them unless you choose to take a miniscule amount of shellac and drop it over the inside where you've taken great pains to place the toy caps. I have since bought my caps by the thousand and have a lot more time for runnin' ball and shootin'. Nor am I chasing a dot of paper the size of a small mole because it fell from the paper punch when I punched it out of the roll of toy caps. I cannot recommend this device.....but, if you are so inclined, it does work.

Vic

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Gordy - If work picks up you are not going to have time to go to the range, so get your wife a second job so she can buy the caps for you. I on the other hand am retired and dont have time for makeing my own caps and couldn't get my wife to do it either. Rocky /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[gordy]

Rocky Johnson: Yeah! I retired to reg.S.S.almost 2yrs. ago.was on disability for a few years.had some surgery and now I'm back working near full time to try to stretch the S.S.to pay the bills.Can't convince the Wife She needs to work so I can buy more B.P.muzzleloaders and gear. :curse: /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[bulletman]

Got my handy dandy "Tap o cap" today, sure makes pretty lil caps, fast and easy, I mounted it on a 2X4 and epoxied it in, to satbalize it, you can stand over it and just push down with your hand to punch the caps, no need for a mallet.still waiting on the caps to arrive, I ordered 5,000 of the chinese super caps, supposed to be more of a bang than american caps.

 

[Deadeye]

One of our club members whose into making blackpowder and caps made each our club members tools for making caps. They work and can be used with a match head also.

 

[bulletman]

I just tried mine with some american west caps, not too good, so i dumped a small amount of pyro "P" in a container and dipped the cap in it to get a few grains before capping, That works great, just one more step but worth it if you shoot alot.
The caps are bigger than the no.11's and much easier to handle, to put the roll caps in the cap, I dabbed the little wood dowel on my tongue and then poke the caps and they stick to it, not enough to wet it, just right to make it stick.