ramrod finish

[crmyers]

I bought a new wooden ramrod blank and was wondering what to put on it to protect the wood. It is going to be my range rod and cleaning rod.

 

[paulvallandigham]

ANy color wood stain works. Then rub in several coats of oil stock finish. I like Birchwood Casey's Tru-oil, and that is what I have on hand. I have also used Linspeed. Then there is tung oil, varnishes, shellac, and even polyurethanes finishes. They will all work but may give you a different finish than you want. Test them out and use the one you like. You want to seal the pores of the wood so they don't collect and hold crud, or metal. You don't want to hold silicates because they are very hard, and will act like emery cloth, slowly wearing down the sides of your muzzle over time. Try to get a muzzle protector for the rod and use it always to center the rod in the barrel, and protect that all important muzzle crown.

I use a full length steel rod with a nylon bore protector for my range rod, and experimental loading rod. When I settle on a load, I mark the wooden hickory ramrod that goes under the barrel of the gun and out in the woods for the load I am using. I have used a knife edge, and just pencil to make my witness mark on my hickory stick. If I have to pull a ball, using that steel rod makes the job a lot easier. The muzzle protector centers the rod so I can run the jag into the center of the ball, and the steel rod give good purchase for me to grip and pull on. It cleans off easily after use with the wipe of a rag, and it is too hard to hold and silicate debris. I wouldn't be without one at the range. With my hickory rods, they get wiped down after each loading so they stay clean, and don't gather crud. With that close attention, I don't have to worry about them wearing the muzzles of my guns.

 

[SusieB]

Paul had a good point about a separate bench rod. If you are going to hunt or "trail walk" with your rod as the full use then by all means practice using it. But if not, save it. You can get more uniform tamping pressure from a solid rod. My grandfather had a really cool way he finished his rods. Said he learned it from his dad so I do all of my rods the old way to make them as authentic and durable as possible. Try this: go ahead and stain the rod whatever color you want. But after you do that, rub in wax, whether paste or bees wax. Pappa then took a propane torch (he used to do this in the blacksmith shop over a fire) and literally burnt it in. What he did was to scorch it. He did this 2 or 3 times. I learned later that he was fire hardening the outer surface of the rod. The wax permeated the wood, made it fairly water resistant, and a bit more tough. I thought it so neat, I now copy the process. It makes a really cool finish.

 

[crmyers]

:hatsoff: Thanks for the help. Think I'll leave it natural and just use a clear sealer.

 

[madbrad]

Not to sound like an idiot but are you touching the flame directly to the wood and charring it. Do you wipe the charred surface off later? Do you have any pics? Sorry for all the questions.

 

[Kuckus]

This method sounds credible... I'm going to finish a ramrod tonite with this method. Hope you have the best memories of those earlier years :thumbsup: !