hickory ramrods, where to buy the best?

[Reno]

I have made my own before also. I have a tiny spoke shave that I use.
I have actually cut a tree and into the lengths for a ramrod.
I then use a froe to split out so the grain is followed.
I cut these lengths long so I can hold one end in a vise. Then slowly and carefully I remove what needs to be removed.
Finally I use a swage block I made to pull the final rod through. A step of holes finally getting to the perfect size
Fun and easy. But At the same time. It takes time

 

[user 31232]

Anyone use Osage for a ramrod?

 

[longcruise]

Anyone use Osage for a ramrod?

Not yet, but I was gifted some Osage boards that might be candidates pending examination of growth lines.

 

[FPDoc]

Hard to believe, so waiting with eager anticipation for your reference.

With jewelry making. fire plating and engraving used for intaglio printing (artwork or money), the tools used for polishing areas are very hard, curved surface tools. Those used for cutting are relatively soft matrix materials (wood/fabric/paper) with extremly hard materials (carborundum/emery/flint) imbeded. The theory is historically sound (in my 72yrs experience). A hard Smooth Rod should not do damage, a Clean Soft rod should do no damage. P.S. Might buy a bore guide ànd màke sure All your rods are Both Clean and Smooth and use a bore guide in addition like belt and suspenders.
P.S.S Old guys wear belts and suspenders because we are too darn lazy to buy new pants when we lose weight.
Disclaimer.. this post is directed at noone, I just had to put it somewhere.

 

[FPDoc]

I will add here that I always sand down a rod after wetting a bit to close the grain.
Regardless of whether you soak the rod in coal oil or not I still burnish my rods with a hard tool or a chicken leg bone works really well. They still do but used to call it boning.
That helps seal it.

Surface hardening works well to protect against splintering in wooden weapons such as Japanese, Chinese or Korean boken, jo etc. Sometimes called "Impact Hardening" from use against other wooden weapons at less than full force (think students as they train) or boning as noted by post this is addended to. Its like "OLD TIMEY" bead blasting.No sufface flaw (runout/splinter) No Failure, (usually).

 

[DixieTexian]

In general, you have to pick them out yourself. I am particular, so at the Log Cabin Shop, I have to look over 10 to find one that is straight grain all along the length. Most of them are "OK", but still a little grain run out. And it is the same with the hardware store oak dowels. You have to look long and hard for that straight grain white oak dowel amongst the random red oak blanks. Now I make my own. It is really fun to split your own out of a log, using the traditional wedges, froe, shaving horse, draw knife, etc. One decent 4' hickory log and I have a lifetime of straight grained blanks. But I like to play with that sort of thing...

Unless you have a loupe (jeweler's magnifying glass, basically) and a razor blade, you aren't likely to be able to distinguish red oak from white oak at the hardware store. The most reliable way to distinguish red oak from white oak is to get a good look at the vascular tissue in the wood. Cut the end grain with your razor, and then look at the tube like structures that were basically the blood vessels of that part of the wood when it was still the outside layer of wood just under the bark. With red oak, those tubes will look like you are looking into the end of a straw, but with white oak it will look like a straw filled with foam.

That foam-like structure is called tyloses. It is also the reason we use white oak for making barrels instead of red oak. Those "straws" in red oak allow it to leak, while the tyloses in the vascular tissue of white oaks prevent that leakage and make a quality barrel.

 

[wiscoaster]

Interesting!! I'm reduced to just reading the labels on the rack.

 

[rmann]

Unless you have a loupe (jeweler's magnifying glass, basically) and a razor blade, you aren't likely to be able to distinguish red oak from white oak at the hardware store. The most reliable way to distinguish red oak from white oak is to get a good look at the vascular tissue in the wood. Cut the end grain with your razor, and then look at the tube like structures that were basically the blood vessels of that part of the wood when it was still the outside layer of wood just under the bark. With red oak, those tubes will look like you are looking into the end of a straw, but with white oak it will look like a straw filled with foam.

That foam-like structure is called tyloses. It is also the reason we use white oak for making barrels instead of red oak. Those "straws" in red oak allow it to leak, while the tyloses in the vascular tissue of white oaks prevent that leakage and make a quality barrel.

Maybe I have good eyes.... not any more, but I still can identify white oak over red, and yes, confirm by looking at the end grain. But a lifetime of wood working still hasn't equipped me with discerning Sugar Maple from Red, apart from the tree.