maple jag tip

[Rifleman1776]

I must have thiryt ram rods and dozens of brass tips and thingys. But, oddly for my .54 Jaeger I have (had) only one jag tip that fit my rods. Normally I buy these things from a vendor that comes to our two big state shoots every year. But last event they didn't show up.
So, I decided to make my own. I do woodworking and turning. I made this one on my lathe from stabilized maple. Came out nice. It was my second attempt, the first was from Osage Orange and I made a misteak. :redface: The end was drilled a hair undersized and force threaded onto the rod with a small drop of CA. Nice thing about this ml game is the opportunity to make things yerself for enjoyment of doing it and the avocation itself. Not perzactly the way the mountain men would have done it but they did whittle their own.
BTW, this is for a range rod so no chance I'll need to remove it.

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[Maven]

A big "thumbs up" for thinking outside the box and workmanship!

 

[Tumblernotch]

I've whittled a few jag tips onto rods before myself. I like the look of them and they do the job just as good as the metal ones, although if you need a ball screw you may be in a fix.

I've been out in my shop turning some jags, scrapers and adapters to be put into sets for shoot prizes. I enjoy doing that work. I actually might try turning some wood ones just for giggles. What you did there is a neat job! :thumbsup:

Reckon I'd better get back out there and get to work.

 

[Rifleman1776]

if you need a ball screw you may be in a fix.

Thanks for the kind comments.
Actually, I am kinda ram rod obsessed. At the range I bring a large fishing rod carrying case filled with rods. I have always helped a lot of people with problems on the range. Lotsa rods for all occasions and seem to still want more. :shocked2:

 

[Tumblernotch]

I usually take two stainless range rods, one with 8/32 and one with 10/32 threads, a couple of thread adaptors and a dozen or so jags, ball screws and scrapers of various sizes and styles. Always somebody needing to borrow one. I saw one of my buds staring at my box at the last shoot. I says Whatya need? He says, Got your crowning tool with you? Just so happened I had it in the box. You just don't know what yer goin' to need. I got jags from .32 to .75 and I don't even have a .75 gun.

 

[necchi]

Kinda purty,
But with all respect intended,
Wood?

I still shoot a bunch and I only get a few years out of Brass jags before they get worn a bit an don't do the job proper.

Guess I'm not familur with "stabilized" wood, is that treated somehow?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Kinda purty,
But with all respect intended,
Wood?

I still shoot a bunch and I only get a few years out of Brass jags before they get worn a bit an don't do the job proper.

Guess I'm not familur with "stabilized" wood, is that treated somehow?

Wood? Yes, wood. Check the museums. The ram rods are (often) whittled with tips almost identical to what we use today made from brass. Methinks the mountain men didn't sit around the campfire carving their jags from brass. :shocked2:
Wear? I have tips 40 years old. Wear is minimal.
The stabilized wood is something I do myself. It is an inpregnation of the wood with acrylic with a vacuum chamber. I lathe turn pens and other objects. The stabilizaion can save punky (spalted) wood and make it beautiful. It also simply strengthens other woods. Knife handles and gun grips also do very well when stabilized.

 

[RC]

:thumbsup: that's pretty neat! like that! great job!! love the way ya think.... :hatsoff:

 

[ohio ramrod]

I hope it works for you. I find commerically stabilized woods to be brittle and easily cracked.while the stabilization process hardens the wood it does make it more brittle since there are no "soft spots" to absorb shock. Watch "pounding" on you rod. :idunno:

 

[Rifleman1776]

I hope it works for you. I find commerically stabilized woods to be brittle and easily cracked.while the stabilization process hardens the wood it does make it more brittle since there are no "soft spots" to absorb shock. Watch "pounding" on you rod. :idunno:

OH, I find it really strengthens the wood. But, since you bring it up.....I'll do some tests. The piece I turned these from is still here. I'll do some "pounding" on it and let you know what happens.

 

[ohio ramrod]

The first time I used stabilised wood on a knife handle I used the same drill and counterbore for the cutler rivets that I had used on regular wood for years. When I set the rivets the handles cracked! I learned to leave more allowance for the rivets. :idunno: :idunno:

 

[Rifleman1776]

The first time I used stabilised wood on a knife handle I used the same drill and counterbore for the cutler rivets that I had used on regular wood for years. When I set the rivets the handles cracked! I learned to leave more allowance for the rivets. :idunno: :idunno:

If, in "years", you never had another set of slabs crack, that would be amazing. Not enough of a test to make any conclusions, IMHO. With any new material, wood or whatever, techniques often must be changed.