Candy Striping?

What is the correct way to candy-stripe a ramrod? Or heck... what are any of the ways to do it? Do you mask it off and stain it? I read something about rolling it over a hot iron bar at an angle... but I don't have a forge, so I'll be doing it some other way. Do you mask it off and scorch it with a torch maybe?

 

[canyonman]

Anyone of those ideas will work :imo:. Personally I like to tape and scorch.

Larry

 

[Packdog]

I have tried the tape and torch. I think it works pretty good. I had to put two layers of tape on to keep it from burning off to soon and leaving a very fuzzy edge. The real work begins when you try to get the goo off the RR. Goo-Be-Gone or something like that helps.
PD

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What kind of tape do you use? I'm guessing you'd want something not plastic that would melt to the rod... maybe duct tape? Duct tape or masking tape?

 

[Birddog6]

Take an old bedsheet & tear it into about 1.5" strips. Now fold it three times so that it is 1/2" wide. (If tht is the width you want) I had the wife just run it thru the sewing machine to hole it folded, only took a minute..
Wet it really good in a pan of water & squeeze it dry so it is just not dripping. Now take some electrical tape & tape one end to the RR tip, start winding it so you have the width of stripes you want & get them even. (May want to practice on a dowel rod first.)
Now take a torch & scorch the rod to the desired darkness, remove the cloth. Let the rod dry overnight & then take some steel wool & Lightly rub it smooth & then put your stain & finish on it.

That has always worked pretty good for me.

:results:

 

[Packdog]

I used regular masking tape but if the bed sheets work then I would try that before fighting again to get the goo off. A hobby store sells dowels for cheap for practice.

 

I like that idea. And I have enough old bedsheet around here that won't be a problem. I also happen to have a couple of scrap dowels I can practice with.

Thanks for the tips guys! Will let you know how it turns out.

 

[fatboy]

thanks for the tip Birddog !!

 

[reddogge]

I believe I clamped my propane torch in the building vise so the flame would hit an area between two supports. I then just rested the rod on the supports and slowly rotated it and burned them in. It took some pratice and trial and error but it gave a muted edge effect and not a painted on look. It wasn't that hard to do.

 

[Zonie]

I've used black plastick electrical tape, split to about 1/4 inch wide. Then applied 3-5 coats of walnut stain, removed the tape and oiled with linseed oil.

Works for me and doesn't burn material off of the rod.

 

[Leithan]

I just took a peice of tin foil laid it out on the floore and useing a strait edge cut a long strip, I wound it around my rodand sacured both ends with a spot of tape, I then just set my propane torch on the bench and moved the rod back and forth through the flame until I got the desired darkness. Removed the foil and I had nice crisp lines and no goey mess to clean up.

 

[Swampman]

Since original rods weren't striped, why do people stripe them?

 

Same reason they carry pearl handled pocket pistols!
:crackup:

 

[tg]

I think it is mans nature to fiddle with stuff and there may be the seed of the practice in myths started in the past about what was or wasn't done, I think most go through the striping phase then outgrow it if they get into gun history to any degree.

 

Since original rods weren't striped, why do people stripe them?

I want to stripe at least one of mine because I simply think it looks nifty. PC or not.

I will have more than one... and if being PC is important at the time... it's the easiest part of the gun to change on a whim. :redthumb:

 

[Packdog]

I can't say wheather it was PC or not but Peter Alexander, in "Gunsmith of Grenville County" refers to 2 guns dating around 1800 as having striped RR. One was a Sell rifle and the other Sheetz I think.

I know...Impossible to say if something like a RR was original or a replacement but he does describe it as having differnece in color under the RR pipes so it had been there for a while so I would not think it is a totaly a modern invention.

PD

 

[fatboy]

Not goin to say this is PC, but I would figure this would have been a 19th cent more (1820's on) thing, not a 18th cent here again this is my opinion :m2c:

 

[musketman]

Couldn't you wrap the rod with heavy gauge wire and then run current through it, heating the wire and burning in the stripe?

 

[Swampman]

I think it's probably a 1950s Hacker Martin thing.

 

[flintlockmdj]

Personally I like to take a propane torch and lightly scorch the ramrod without any kind of rapping. After scorching polish lightly with steel wool and wax. This polishing will take the scorching away from the harder grain areas in the wood and leave the softer areas dark.
Experement on scrap first.