Waddings ...made by bugs!

[rjm383]

Some time ago in the mid 1970's, I along with my father & cousins were takeing down my late grandfathers old falling down barn. Found quite a few items inside that had not seen the light of day in decades!

One of the items found was an old hand made bandalier with carved wooden plugs. Inside one half was lead shot and in the other was black powder. This black powder had a deep blue gloss look to it that appeared almost wet. Don't worry, it was disposed of with a match & never seen the inside of a gun.

Another item found in the barn was an old possibles bag. As I looked inside, there was a couple of small feathers and to my amazment, a handfull of paper wasp nesting material,(hanging ball type paper-wasp nest)!

I first thought that maybe the wasps had made a nest inside. But this material seemed to be neatly organized. Knowing nothing about muzzle loading at that time, I thought nothing more about it & tossed the bag aside & continued work on the barn.

It wasn't till about a decades and a half later that I read an artical in some dated black powder magazine that mentioned paper wasp nesting being used as wadding in a shotgun!

I can see it being uses as wadd over shot keeping the shot from falling out as well as offering an uninterupted pattern once fired. Makes very good sence to me.

Not sure about its use as wadd over powder though. Maybe if packed hard enough using enough material it might work, just don't know.

My question is, have any of you folks ever heard of "Paper Wasp" nesting material as wadding or ever "gave it a shot" yourself???

 

[Musketeer]

Sam Fadala mentioned in his Black Powder Handbook using wasp nest material as an over-powder wad. Apparently the material is pretty fire resistant and keeps the patch from getting burned. Never used it, myself. Never even seen a wasp's nest in real life. :idunno: :haha:

 

[mooman76]

I have never used it either but have also heard it works great. Some shooters sware by it.

 

[hanshi]

I've used it and it works fine. Wait until it's abandoned before collecting. :grin:

 

[Musketeer]

Wait until it's abandoned before collecting. :grin:

Sage advice. :haha:

 

[rjm383]

...So in other words, Eviction before Ignition! :rotf:

 

[necchi]

Heck yeah it works,
All kinds of natural stuff is/has been used.
Up here we can find'm in the winter and pull'm apart to be sure they'er vacant.
Haven't really used any for years but I have a bag full of the stuff.


My brother found a nicely shaped nest wrapped around a branch one winter. He thought it was purty and took great care to bring it home intact then brought it in the house an hung it in the corner.
Interesting thing happens when hibernating wasps warm-up to over 60 degrees, :rotf: .
His wife was NOT happy,,

 

[necchi]

Never even seen a wasp's nest in real life. :idunno: :haha:

Keep an eye out under the eaves of houses an sheds, especially those with little human traffic, they like privacy. http://images.ask.com/fr?q=paper+w...ge%3D1%26o%3D102267%26l%3Ddir%26pstart%3D0&qt=

 

My question is, have any of you folks ever heard of "Paper Wasp" nesting material as wadding

Searching Shooting Accessories for "WASP" returned these.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/252267/ http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/241209/ http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/218764/ http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/214740/ http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/201521/ http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/200701/

 

[rjm383]

Thanks for finding the links regarding wasp nest material for wadding. I'll be giveing it a try this fall.

 

[rduncan]

I read an article about that while back...for those of us that can't get wasp nests, there's a handy substitute at any hobby shop that sells model rocket supplies. The wadding that is stuffed between the rocket motor and the parachute is fireproof and precut into squares like toilet paper. I've used one square between my powder and patched ball in my .50 longrifle and haven't burnt a patch.
Okay...so it's "none traditional." Bet Daniel Boone would have used it instead of climbing trees to get the wasp nests...

 

[cynthialee]

I have an old wasp nest on a branch that is twice the size of a basketball, sitting in my storage space in the back of the house. It was in the house when we moved here, the last owner had found it and took it from the back property. (My cousin in law found one back there that is twice as large as that one, but it has current ocupants.) It was so huge and I never seen one that big before that I decided to keep it just as a curio.
Now that I know it has a use, it just may not stay as is for long.

 

[Billnpatti]

The time to harvest wasp and hornet nests is in the dead of winter when the "bugs" are gone.

 

[Zonie]

And here I was thinking when I red the title of this topic that it was about the wadding used by the "Bug's Boys". (A common term among the Mountain Men for the Blackfoot Indians.)

Reading Osborne Russell's "Journal of a Trapper" I found a description of an incident where Joe Meek was attacked by the Blackfoot. Russell quotes Meek telling about what happened:

"...and staid all night on a little branch in the hills and this morning started to our traps we came up to Dave's traps and in the first there was a 4 year old "spade" the next was false lickt went to the next and it had cut a foot and none of the rest disturbed, we then went up to mine to the mouth of the branch I rode on 5 or 6 steps ahead of Dave and just as I got opposite the first trap I heard a rustling in the bushes within about 5 steps of me I looked round and pop pop pop went the guns covering me with smoke so close that I could see the blanket wads coming out of the muzzles Well sir I wheeled and a ball struck Too shebit in the neck and just touched the bone and we pitched heels overhead but too shebit raised running and I on his bak and the savages jist squattin and grabbin at me but I raiesed a fog for about half a mile till I overtook Dave"
The foregoing story was corroborated by "Dave" a small inoffensive man..."

Notice the reference to the blanket wadding.

Also, to you folks who majored in English, although I am sure reading that was like hearing the sound of chalk squealing on a blackboard, that's the way it was written by Russell back in 1837.

 

[Musketeer]

Never even seen a wasp's nest in real life. :idunno: :haha:

Keep an eye out under the eaves of houses an sheds, especially those with little human traffic, they like privacy. http://images.ask.com/fr?q=paper+w...o%3D102267%26l%3Ddir%26pstart%3D0&qt=[/quote]

I'll have to revise that statement. I've seen plenty of the smaller ones up under the eaves, but when I said that I was thinking of the big honkin' ones like Cynthia is talking about (and like Sam Fadala pictured in his book) that looks like the head of the creature in the movie Pumpkinhead. :haha:

 

[Tumblernotch]

Never even seen a wasp's nest in real life. :idunno: :haha:

Keep an eye out under the eaves of houses an sheds, especially those with little human traffic, they like privacy. http://images.ask.com/fr?q=paper+w...o%3D102267%26l%3Ddir%26pstart%3D0&qt=[/quote]

I'll have to revise that statement. I've seen plenty of the smaller ones up under the eaves, but when I said that I was thinking of the big honkin' ones like Cynthia is talking about (and like Sam Fadala pictured in his book) that looks like the head of the creature in the movie Pumpkinhead. :haha:

She's describing a hornets nest. Same material, much bigger and shaped different. Nastier bugs too.

 

[cynthialee]

Here is a pick of my hornet nest. I put a tobaco can next to it for some scale.

 

[Musketeer]

She's describing a hornets nest. Same material, much bigger and shaped different. Nastier bugs too.

Ah! Got it. :hatsoff:

Cynthia, those things creep me out for some reason, but thanks for the pic nonetheless. :shocked2: :haha: