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Tip for punching tissue for paper cartridges

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Joined
Nov 14, 2008
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Location
Pflugerville, TX
Sorry if this hack has been posted before. I'm starting to make paper cartridges for BP revolvers and my Sharps. I got the Guns of the West paper cartridge kit and ran out of the supplied circles. I tried using a cheap 3/4" hole punch for scrapbooking from Michaels to punch some more circles, but the tissue paper kept jamming the punch, and wouldn't cut complete circles, causing rips when you unjam the thing. The punch seemed to work fine on stiffer paper, so I put an index card on both sides of a stack of 5 tissues (cigarette papers or hair curlers), and it punched out neat perfect circles. Just toss the pieces of index card.

BTW, a funny note when I was searching for hair curler paper on the Sally Beauty Supply website. In the reviews for True Wave paper, another shooter posted that he was using it to make BP revolver cartridges. You can imagine the hissy fit this caused among the ladies!
 
I make and sell punches and have always recommended using a light cardboard under the material being punched. leather, cloth, or tissue paper.
 
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I made one from a short length of 3/4 copper pipe. Typ N I believe. Cooper is soft so a pocket knife can be used to “sharpen the inner edge. Placed on 8 to 10 layers of cigarette or curling papers and struck sharply with a dead blow hammer it will cut neat circles. The block on top is optional it just saves the face of the dead blow hammer. Took about five minutes to make.
I suppose an iron pipe may take a sharper edge but the walls, outside diameter, are thicker and would need to be ground back.
 
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