What's With Ebony.......

[Tom A Hawk]

I have experimented with ebony in the manufacture of fire pistons and found it very hard to work and brittle. It splinters easily. Also, since it is an African / East Asian wood its use in an American firearm may not be historically correct.

 

[George]

I have an original W.W. Greener shotgun with an ebony ramrod.

Spence

 

[oldwood]

Dark woods , like ebony and lignum Vide , make excellent m/l forearm tips for m/l rifles......oldwood

 

[Tom A Hawk]

That's a wonderful piece. I was unaware that Greener's went back into the percussion era. Any idea as to the date of manufacture?

Your photo reminds me of something I've been meaning to comment on. Many photos of original pistols and shotguns from the 19th century indicate that loading from a flask was a common practice. Yet, rifle shooters of today often advise to avoid this as the flask or horn may become a bomb from residual bore embers. While this seems to make sense, I have never found a reference relating to an actual event. Perhaps this perception is related to the well intentioned guidance offered in the Black Powder Bible publications from the 1970's.

 

[firestick]

Ebony is used for risers in traditional bows and is becoming hard to obtain. I have had a few longbows with macassar ebony risers.

 

[George]

Tom A. Hawk said: "I was unaware that Greener's went back into the percussion era. Any idea as to the date of manufacture?"

Greener is still in business, Graham Greener is the honcho, now. He thinks my shotgun was built about 1871.

Spence