bending brass for patch box cover?

How do y’all bend the bass piece for an end plate on a woodsrunner patch box. I hope to start working on mine Monday

Lots of places online for instructions but the short of it is:

Softening brass is a process that involves removing the tarnish and restoring its malleability. Using mechanical methods to soften brass involves a process called annealing. Annealing is a heat treatment technique that helps to reduce the hardness of brass and makes it easier to work with.

• Clean the Brass: Start by cleaning the brass thoroughly to remove any dirt, grease, or corrosion. You can do this using a brass cleaner or a mixture of vinegar and salt.
• Heat The Brass: Once the brass is clean, heat it using a torch or a furnace. The temperature required for annealing brass is around 600-700 degrees Celsius (1112-1292 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Monitor The Temperature: It’s important to monitor the temperature of the brass throughout the annealing process. Use a thermometer or heat-sensitive paint to ensure the brass reaches and maintains the desired temperature.
• Hold And Cool The Brass: Once the brass reaches the desired temperature, hold it for a specific period to allow the internal structure to adjust. This duration depends on the thickness and size of the brass piece.
• Cool The Brass Slowly: Slowly cool the brass to room temperature after the holding time. This can be done by turning off the heat source and allowing the brass to cool naturally or by placing it in a container filled with sand or vermiculite to slow down the cooling process.

You can the use a light hammer and a wood form to lightly hammer the bend into it. After all this heat the brass up once again and quickly quench (cool) it by placing it in a bowl of water.

I would have thought this end plate should be flat??

hawkenhunter50 said:

I would have thought this end plate should be flat??

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Bingo! No bending required.

hawkenhunter50 said:

I would have thought this end plate should be flat??

Click to expand...

I bent mine before fitting it. Maybe wrong but worked out.
AED881B7-0627-49A0-9145-2187E52C78EC by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

It has a very large radius bend from the butt plate forward. I was thinking of using an oxygen tank as a form.

Originals “never” had bent end plates. Flat on the side against the wood and filed on the exterior to match the buttplate.

By “never” I mean less than 1 in 100.

However, many ways to skin a cat.

Heat brass until dull red then let cool - form it as desired - not rocket science.

rich pierce said:

Originals “never” had bent end plates. Flat on the side against the wood and filed on the exterior to match the buttplate.

By “never” I mean less than 1 in 100.

However, many ways to skin a cat.

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Wish I’d know that before, I would have preferred to do it right.

Much easier to have a flat but angled cover. Then fasten a thick piece of brass with screws, pins and/or glue. I keep a small stash of 1/8” bar stock. Once fastened and secure, just file to match the angle and profile of the butt plate.

I put a piece of 1/16” brass in a vise with a 1” dowel and formed it with a hammer - just took a few minutes to match the Woodsrunner lid profile. Still need to final fit and polish it…

Originals do not have end plates bent over i.e. rolled toward the top of the lid like some are showing on this post. The end of the wood lid is filed to match the contour of the brass butt plate. I use a scrap of sheet brass the same thickness as the end cap as a stopper so I can file it flush with the buttplate, a common method. Once the end of the lid is shaped a piece of sheet brass is cut and formed by bending it slightly to fit the contour of the end of the lid. It's attached to the end of the lid, and cut/filed so it fits nicely.

rich pierce said:

Originals “never” had bent end plates. Flat on the side against the wood and filed on the exterior to match the buttplate.

By “never” I mean less than 1 in 100.

However, many ways to skin a cat.

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I strongly disagree with this statement.

In order to reasonably flow with the buttplate, at least a slight bend is typically required.

You could start with a thicker piece of brass like 1/8" and just file the curve you want in to it, removing the middle. I did that with the end piece on a domed PB lid. Much easier. With homogeneous material like brass for the lid, and brass for the end plate, it's pretty it hard to see. Just a slight solder line.

I bent my piece of brass to fit the curvature of the end of the patch box lid. Fifteen minutes tops from heat to final form. Piece of cake. And a few sips of coffee in between…

Hatchet-Jack said:

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I essentially did the same thing as you, cut the wood square and installed the brass on the end. After that glued a piece of wood in the inside of the front of the lid to put a stop to going to far forward. I than filed the plate to match up with the butt plate.

It's really quite surprising to me that you don't feel the bump from PB lid latch, or round head screws coming through the butt plate when you're shooting the gun, (like a piece of gravel in your shoe) but you just don't.