New England fowler finished

[Artificer]

Hi Gus,
I took a quick look- the best documentation I have at the moment is a tapered iron ramrod tip on a 1774 Oerter rifle featured in Moravian Gunmaking II by my friend Bob Lienemann, pg 123. It does not specifically state it was brazed. I suppose a skilled smith could forge weld something this thin but I’d burn 9 out of 10 using sheet about 0.025”.

Rich,

Thank you, that is fascinating. I've seen a couple of repro's of such a tip made, but I honestly did not know whether they were copying an original item or if it was a "fantasy item" (paraphrasing Gary Brumfield) of something they had the technology to make, but was not a true historic item.

Was this kind of tip a Moravian original idea from PA or NC, or did it come from older guns in Germany or Switzerland? I'm trying to figure about when such tips began being used and what gunsmiths made them and where? Was it a common item by 1774 or was it something fairly new at the time? Was its use confined to rifles or was it also used on smoothbores?

I'm tickled to learn such a tip was original to the period, so I'm eager to learn more.

Gus

 

[rich pierce]

Gus, I have an original German boar gun at home.. I’m on a deer stand, will check that one. It’s 1770s or so.
I’ve not heard of any other kind of tip on the small end of ramrods in the 1700s. Gun worms and ball pullers with threaded ends were in use by riflemen with wooden ramrods. Not sure what other designs are out there.

 

[rickystl]

Great job Rich !! Beautiful fowler.

Rick

 

[Artificer]

Gus, I have an original German boar gun at home.. I’m on a deer stand, will check that one. It’s 1770s or so.
I’ve not heard of any other kind of tip on the small end of ramrods in the 1700s. Gun worms and ball pullers with threaded ends were in use by riflemen with wooden ramrods. Not sure what other designs are out there.

Thank you. Hope you had good luck and am looking forward to any more information you can supply.

Gus

 

[dave_person]

Hi Rich and Gus,
If you think about it, there would not be any logical reason to weld the iron sheet. It would require precise heat control and again there is no need. These tips were pumped out by the hundreds by ramrod makers in England, and I am sure a colonial American gunsmith would not waste time trying to weld one rather he would use brass spelt or solder. That was how the muzzle-end tips were made on British muskets. They formed thin sheet brass and soldered the seam. I have the original ramrods on two of my original English fowlers. The tow worms and ferrules are beautifully made with the seem so tight it is barely visible. They were soldered not brazed.

dave

 

[Artificer]

Hi Rich and Gus,
If you think about it, there would not be any logical reason to weld the iron sheet. It would require precise heat control and again there is no need. These tips were pumped out by the hundreds by ramrod makers in England, and I am sure a colonial American gunsmith would not waste time trying to weld one rather he would use brass spelt or solder. That was how the muzzle-end tips were made on British muskets. They formed thin sheet brass and soldered the seam. I have the original ramrods on two of my original English fowlers. The tow worms and ferrules are beautifully made with the seem so tight it is barely visible. They were soldered not brazed.

dave

Hi Dave,

Thank you.

Were they soldered with lead or tin solder or were they done with what we today call silver solder?

The reason I ask is because I know they brazed a lot of things, but don't know how far back silver solder goes.

Gus

 

[dave_person]

Hi Gus,
No idea. There is no way to tell but I suspect no silver solder because they did not need the strength for the part. That would be overkill.

dave

 

[McClura]

Outstanding! Very nice work and good looking smoke pole. What was your reason for choosing the .58? I have been thinking about getting one of these from a friend and his is a .62. I really like the lines and all of the carvings. You did a great job.
Good thinking on the ramrod. I assume it is rifled. I bet it would shoot a good load of shot for turkey hunting!
Great job.
Mike

 

[Magungo1066]

The .58 was because that is what barrel we already had available. I had been looking for something smaller than a .62 anyway. I like how much easier/cheaper it is to buy the .570 balls

 

[rich pierce]

Here are some tips I brazed up. These are not the cream of the crop lol.

 

[CumberlandRiver]

Rich- Very elegant. How does it shoot?

 

[Magungo1066]

Rich- Very elegant. How does it shoot?

It shoots unbelievably well. Rich did a phenomenal job. I need to experiment with shot more!