Tempering Ramrod

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TNtrapper

40 Cal.
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Howdy all! I need to pick yalls brains fer a little bit. I broke the ramrod on one of my rifles last week and ordered a hickory one from TOTW.Well it came today in the mail and I need to to know a good way to make it stiffer.Ive heard of flame tempering one but though Id ask some opinions on how yall do yours first. Have a good un!!!!!!!!TN :thumbsup:
 
TNtrapper said:
Howdy all! I need to pick yalls brains fer a little bit. I broke the ramrod on one of my rifles last week and ordered a hickory one from TOTW.Well it came today in the mail and I need to to know a good way to make it stiffer.Ive heard of flame tempering one but though Id ask some opinions on how yall do yours first. Have a good un!!!!!!!!TN :thumbsup:

I have always used naught but straight grained hickory RR's, never had a problem.
 
It has been said, to put it in a capped plastic pipe full of #2 diesel fuel and let it soak for 2-3 months. I did it and it is APPARENTLY correct...lots of flex.
 
I always have a hickory ramrod soaking in Lamp oil ( high grade kerosene). Guys at the range are amazed at how much bending that rod will do without breaking. I even shot one down range once(by mistake) "OUCH"! Afterwards I retrived it from 135 yards away and it didn't even break..Just my observations in action.
 
Trapper is correct. IF you insist on doing this, just get a piece of plumbing pipe long enough for the rod, thread the ends for end caps, and fill it with kerosene, or lamp oil. put the rod in there, and close it up and set it aside for a couple of months in your workroom or garage. It is kerosene, so keep it away from fires. When it is done, remove it and let it air outside for a few days. Wipe off the kerosene, but let the rest dry out of the wood over sevral days. If you pick it up with some napkins or paper towels, it should not leave a stain. At that point, you can stain it, and cover the surface with your favorite wood finish.

I don't see the need for anything other than a straight grained piece of hickory. The wood is tough enough, and will last several life times, if it is cleaned and finished once and awhile along with the gunstock. Use a hand over hand tecnique instead of trying to seat that ball with one big stroke, and you won't break any more rods. The one big stroke technique comes from watching people using military replicas and steel ramrods. Wood is not steel, and you are not loading a smoothbore musket. A rifle demands extra care in loading so that the ball is not distorted by the process, and flies true when the gun is fired. You also don't want to tear cloth patching, which can be done running the PRB down the barrel too fast. And, remember, if you have the right Patch and ball combination, there will be air in the barrel under the PRB that has to escape- usually out the vent or nipple behind the powder. That one big stroke technique sens a lot of your powder charge out of the barrel, and the amount varies from shot to shot. In a 75 cal. musekt, that is smoothbore, accuracy is measured in minutes of man. In rifles, it measured in minutes of angle. Use a different technique when loading a rifle using a wooden ramrod, and you will be a happy shooter.
 
idahjo said:
It has been said, to put it in a capped plastic pipe full of #2 diesel fuel and let it soak for 2-3 months. I did it and it is APPARENTLY correct...lots of flex.

Other's mileage may vary, but I have always considered that trick, "a perfect solution to a nonexistent problem."
 
Claude said:
Wasn't the original question how to make the rod "stiffer", not more flexible?

Doesn't stiffer = brittle (more breakable)?

I use wooden tent stakes and char the tips to "temper" them, they last quite a long time too. I realize tent stakes aren't rammers, but maybe there's something to the heat treatment process. :hmm:
 
I know that some bamboo rod makers fume the bamboo with ammonia to temper the rods. Goodwin Granger used this method and they are highly regarded as beautiful and durable instruments. It also gives them a nice brown tone. I don't know if this would work on hickory though. This isn't the household type of ammonia though. Pure ammonia is pretty dangerous stuff and can severely damage lung tissue.
 
True, the question was to make them stiffer - personally I wouldn't want to char a ramrod due to the small size.
A quality straight grained hickory ramrod needs to have some give to it or it will break - I have soaked ramrods and had good results as well as I've just used an oiled rag and rubbed the ramrod until it feels smooth to the touch. Every time I clean the gun, I re-oil the rag and wipe the ramrod several times .... this helps keep it from drying out and provides stiffness without being brittle.
hope this helps,
 
I soak mine in boiled linseed oil for 5 or 6 weeks and they last for ever, lots of flex
 
i agree with your statement that it is a solution to a non-existant problem. i have been working with straightgrained hickory for years both with ramrods and with other items which include snowshoe frames, basketrims and handles,etc. and find straight-grained hickory to be a very pliable wood. i have seen very old untreated rods that are still remarkably flexible. it is in hickory's nature to be so--i doubt if it needs any help. on the other hand it doesn't seem to hurt the rod either. i do think that burning wood to increase it's strength is very suspect.

take care, daniel
 
I have soaked some and did not like the smell. I did not soak others and they are still giving long service.

The only one that I broke was a soaked one that I tested beyond reason. I had several and was just curious. I think that the soaking might give some benefit, but I also believe that the benefit is not worth the effort or smell.

CS
 
I can see how soaking it in linseed oil would make it more flexible. I mean it soaks in and stays in. But how does soaking it in kerosene then drying it out work? What stays in the wood to keep it flexible? I've never heard of any of this before, so please indulge my curiosity. :)
 
I have never tried an oak ramrod and would not try it. My experiences with oak lead me to suspect that I would be running a rod through my hand. There are too many sources of hickory rods out there.

CS
 
I have not used it to soak ramrods but kerosene is like lamp oil or penetrating oil - these all seem to be (or act like) a mix of volatile fluids & oils. I know that some farmers will add some kerosene to the rinse water for cleaning equimpent to (they claim) retard rust. I think that the kerosene being thinner will penetrate the wood faster than straight linseed. I use tung oil in some finishes & always cut the first coat or two with turpintine or mineral spirits to get deeper penetration. JMHO.
 

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