Pinning ramrod tip

[jtmattison]

How should I pin the tip onto the ramrod I am making?
Suggestions please.
Thanks.

Huntin

 

[Slash]

We fit the tip by turning it down on a lathe. Then put on the tip and drill thru it and the rod and pin with 1/16 stainless or brass wire (actually brazing wire).
Slash

 

[shmrck1]

any other suggestions????
snake-eyes eace: :thumbsup:

 

This is how I do it, others may think Im full of it (that depends on what it is). I make a primitive long lathe consisting of a drill clamped in a vise and a hunk of wood with a hole in it for a rest.
Reduce the dimater of the end (a pocket knife works just fine) untill the tip just fits. Clamp the rod in the lathe and fit the tip while the rod is turning, this will insure a perfect fit. Epoxy the tip on and fit into a jig, recipe follows.
to make a jig just drill a hole the same size as your ramrod through a thickish block of wood. this aligns the tip and the rod.
when the epoxy has hardend drill a 3/16 through the tip and epoxy a small peice of 3/16 copper through the hole. when hard cut the wire off with side cutters close to the tip. give it a tap with a hammer and hard surface to upset the wire for a perfect fit.
dress it down with a swiss file and polish the tip in the lathe. you will have a perfectily fitting ramrod tip that takes less work than writing this.

 

[Zonie]

I just finished the ramrod for my latest gun, and my methods are similer to the ones above.

As the hole in the tip does not run all the way thru, I measure the depth and scribe this on the ramrod.
Using an Exacto knife, I then roll the ramrod scoring the line all the way around the wood.
I then deepen this cut to about 1/32 and cut, from the tip end back to this scored line. This results in a clean cut shoulder.
Using a double cut file, I then gently file off the excess wood until the tip can be wrung onto it.
Coating the inside of the tip with Epoxy, and applying just enough Epoxy to the wood to wet it, I then push the tip into place.

Using a 1/16 dia drill, I drill about 5/16 from the wood/metal joint completely thru the metal and wood.
Using a knife (or the tip of a Forstner drill) I countersink the hole on both sides of the tip.

Placing a short (7/16 long for a 3/8 dia ramrod) piece of 1/16 dia brass wire thru the hole and peen the ends so they fill the countersinks on both sides.
Filing the ends flush with the outside of the tip and polishing it results in a joint that can only be seen if your looking for it.
Works for me. ::

 

[Herb]

I measure the depth of the hole in the tip and then mark this on the rod. Bevel the end of the rod to match the inside of the tip. I use a tubing cutter to make concentric cuts close together around the rod, turning the cutter the same amount for each cut. Then I file that off with a double cut file. When the tip is just about to fit on, I chuck it in an electric drill and turn it onto the rod, held close in a vise. Once on, I back it off and put some wood glue on the rod, turn the tip back on and drill a 1/16" hole 3/8" from the joint, lightly countersink it, and tap a 1 1/2" finishing nail through. Saw it off and peen on my vise, both ends. File flush.

 

[thehorn]

In reducing the ramrod end to accept the metal tip, I remove wood by using my table saw with blade just barely above table height. Use fence to keep rod perpendicular to saw blade and turn while moving away from blade to end of rod. Fill tip with epoxy and slip onto rod. Use above previous post suggestion for pinning w/ brass rod and peening fliush. Can also do this with a router table, straight bit and some initial care in setting up tolerances.

 

[Birddog6]

I take the rod to a belt sander & sand off the measured end of the rod as I rotate it on the sander til I have it sanded down to where it will barely go all the way into the RR tip. Then I take a piece or emery cloth & roll it up & put it in the tip & twist the emery cloth in the tip to roughen the insides a bit.

Next I take a countersinking tool & I bevel the inside of the RR tip edges just a tad.

I take a round wood file & I make a couple light file marks in a spirial form (like a barber pole stripe) on the sanded wood surface where the tip goes over the ramrod.

Now take a piece of posterboard & cut a small circle of it & put the small dot of paper into the end of the RR tip to block the end of it where the threads start. Mix up some epoxy or microbed & put some in the hole & some on the sanded ramrod end. Push the ramrod end into the tip & twist it on tight forcing the excess glue out. Wipe off excess & let dry overnight. Stand on end with tip down.

After setting all night, take a auto centerpunch & make a punch about 1/4" from the wood/brass edge in the center of the tip. Drill it with appropriate sized drill for same size hole as a #3 finish nail. Drill it thru & then take a countersinking bit & bevel the edges of the holes you just drilled. Insert #3 finsih nail & tap it in snug & clip off excess with a pair of sidecuts or needlenose pliers. File excess on same side til you have about 1/32" of nail sticking out. Put the nail head on your vice & on side sticking up peen it over carefully with a small hammer. File flush turn over & file down nail head flush.

:results:

 

[Tumblernotch]

I pretty much do it the same as you Slash. I used to do it with a penknife but since I got a small metal turning lathe, I stick the rod through the spindle hole and turn it. I just did a batch of them the other day. I found a while ago that using steel pins was dumb, as the moisture from solvent and water rusted the pins which in turn rots the wood which in turn tends to make the ramrod break at a most inopportune time. I also countersink the holes lightly then peen the pins to tighten them. I then put the rod back in the lathe and very lightly turn the tip or file the heads flush with the tip. If you do a good job of peening, you won't be able to see where the pins are. I use brazing wire too. :m2c: :results:

 

[jimbo15563]

Today, my flintlock ate my cleaning jag. It's an older (70's) TC Renegade with the original ramrod. I stuck the jag at the breech. A friend and I tried to yank it out with vise grips, but were afraid of breaking it.

We jumped in the car and drove to Dunham's for a T-handle rod. The only one they had was a CVA range rod for $14.95, which I bought. When we went to unscrew the TC rod from the jag, we twisted it off. Out came the rod and some epoxy, no jag, and what's worse, no threads dpwm the barrel to hook onto. The older TC's appear to have a solid breech to which the tand is attached. Now What?

The only thing I can think of is to send it back to TC. Anybody have another idea?

Thanks,
Jimbo

 

[cayugad]

Today, my flintlock ate my cleaning jag. It's an older (70's) TC Renegade with the original ramrod. I stuck the jag at the breech. A friend and I tried to yank it out with vise grips, but were afraid of breaking it.

We jumped in the car and drove to Dunham's for a T-handle rod. The only one they had was a CVA range rod for $14.95, which I bought. When we went to unscrew the TC rod from the jag, we twisted it off. Out came the rod and some epoxy, no jag, and what's worse, no threads dpwm the barrel to hook onto. The older TC's appear to have a solid breech to which the tand is attached. Now What?

The only thing I can think of is to send it back to TC. Anybody have another idea?

Thanks,
Jimbo

pack powder with a nipple pick into the breech of the flintlock through the vent hole liner. A little bit of powder has a lot more power then you might think. You can shoot them out sometimes.

Another way is to go to an air compressor and get the compresser set as high as you can in PSI. Put a head on the end of the hose (I have an attachment that blows a strong force of air I use for cleaning the woodshop tabletops and even the floors, like an air broom) that will force strong air through it. Put a piece of soft rubber with a hole in it to seal the vent hole and then the tip of the hose attachment against that rubber and you can blow out the jag with air pressure. It will unload a rifle ball I know. So this might work and get you shooting again.

 

[Wart]

I like most of you've already mentioned, mark the distance needed for the jag to fit onto the rod. I then use a file and sandpaper to get the jag to just fit the rod. I use hot glue (like you use for arrow tips or repairing an eye on a fishing rod). Be sure to wipe off excess glue that squeezes out.
To pin, I use a very small brass wire that goes completely through the jag (put a dab of glue on this as well).
Should you break off a jag or one comes loose in your barrel.
I will put some 4f in the touch hole (use your vent pick to help get it in the touch hole) before I make sure the jag is seated (this way you have a bit of powder behind the jag), then discharge into the ground. Like already mentioned, it doesn't take much powder to get the jag out.
If your not sure it has came all the way out, repeat the steps ... always make sure the jag is seated before you shoot. Any obstruction partially up a barrel can cause injury.

hope this helps, Wart

 

[jimbo15563]

:master:

Thanks, it worked!

Jimbo

 

[11th corps]

I turned mine down with a stationary grinder. Once I had it to the desired diameter, I used Gorilla Glue to attach the tip to the rod.

 

[hcook]

I pretty much use the table saw method like Thehorn. Works really well. The only thing I do different is to drill across grain for the pin. Don't know if it's necessary but it just seems right.

Hank

 

[SAJones]

Definately across the grain. Used to not pay much attention to this detail, but had a jag come off by pulling out the wood along the grain. Blew this one out w/ powder, & happened to be at a San Jacinto reenactment at the time. Didn't use much powder, but the tip stuck about 1 1/2 inches into an oak tree. Unscrewd the jag but couldn't pull the tip out. Can just see two hundred years from now when the oak falls someone will find this "genuine Battle of San Jacinto artifact" in the wood.