Wrought Iron Ramrod

[Hota]

Are there any blacksmiths in the house that can make me a wrought iron ramrod?

 

[Stumpkiller]

Wouldn't that be a bit rough on the muzzle? :shocking:

 

[rich pierce]

That would be easy, but getting the wrought iron is the hard part. if you'd accept modern mild steel it would be a piece of cake for any blacksmith. iron ramrods were standard on smoothbore muskets- Bess, Chareleville, all of them. Not recommended for keeping your rifle accurate.

 

[musketman]

Are there any blacksmiths in the house that can make me a wrought iron ramrod?

Members: Sparky the Blacksmith, Curt & Anvil are all blacksmiths...

 

[blksmth52]

Are there any blacksmiths in the house that can make me a wrought iron ramrod?

Members: Sparky the Blacksmith, Curt & Anvil are all blacksmiths...

I might have a scource for wrought iron, Let me check on it.
How long ya want it. (yeah I know...you want it forever :crackup: :crackup: :crackupActually that sound like a good idea. I'll make one for myself too.
I'll see what I can do.
Sparky

 

[blksmth52]

Wouldn't that be a bit rough on the muzzle? :shocking:

Nah. Wrought iron is much softer than steel. Especially the steel barrels are made from these days. Don't go crazy with it. Shouldn't be any problem at all. :thumbsup:
Sparky

 

[roundball]

Wouldn't that be a bit rough on the muzzle? :shocking:

Nah. Wrought iron is much softer than steel. Especially the steel barrels are made from these days. Don't go crazy with it. Shouldn't be any problem at all. :thumbsup:
Sparky

This is interesting to hear...for years I've read posts warning that fiberglass and metal ramrods, even wooden ramrods cause wear at the muzzle, therefore muzzle guides should be used...even my Easton aluminum arrows would wear down through stainless steel arms of my arrow rests.

Now seeing this about wrought iron ramrods not being a problem is surprising / puzzling...if anything I would assume their exterior finish would be rougher than an Easton aluminum arrow, no?

:: ::

 

[Hota]

[quoteI might have a scource for wrought iron, Let me check on it.
How long ya want it. (yeah I know...you want it forever :crackup: :crackup: :crackupActually that sound like a good idea. I'll make one for myself too.
I'll see what I can do.
Sparky [/quote]

Thanks Sparky, that is fantastic! I would need it to be
35 3/4"

Let me know how much $ you want via PM.

By the way, I have a wrought iron bannister that I replaced with an oak one. Is that the same type of iron you would use? I have it stowed away. If you are interested and know of a way for me to get it to you, just let me know. If it doesn't work out for you Spark, the same offer will go to anyone on the forum. Thanks :thumbsup:

 

[musketman]

Thanks Sparky, that is fantastic! I would need it to be
35 3/4"

Hota, you might want to let him know what diameter to make it so it slides through the ramrod thimbles (barrels)...

Also, what caliber gun it is for...

 

[Hota]

Thanks Mustketman, took it to a PM :thumbsup:

 

[FireMaker]

If you need wrought Iron let me know. I have a little.

 

I have some good soft wrought iron from about 1935 if anyone needs a piece for a project. Mostly short pieces but may be useful.

 

[blksmth52]

Wouldn't that be a bit rough on the muzzle? :shocking:

Nah. Wrought iron is much softer than steel. Especially the steel barrels are made from these days. Don't go crazy with it. Shouldn't be any problem at all. :thumbsup:
Sparky

This is interesting to hear...for years I've read posts warning that fiberglass and metal ramrods, even wooden ramrods cause wear at the muzzle, therefore muzzle guides should be used...even my Easton aluminum arrows would wear down through stainless steel arms of my arrow rests.

Now seeing this about wrought iron ramrods not being a problem is surprising / puzzling...if anything I would assume their exterior finish would be rougher than an Easton aluminum arrow, no?

:: ::

I guess I wasn't specific enough. The key part of that phrase is "don't go crazy". Any metal ramrod is going to present wear, and I didn't say it wouldn't. I said shouldn't be any problem. Wrought iron has almost no carbon in it. It can't be hardened. That means in the grand scheme of things it will cause less wear over a longer time span than modern mild steel, which is what most metal ramrods are that come with repro muskets. I ain't never used fiberglass, or aluminium on any of my BP weapons, so I'm not saying anythng about them.
Hota, you readin' this 'ol son, use at yer own risk. Just like me. I hope that clears things up and smoothes out any feathers I've ruffled. I guess I should have added :imo: :results:
Sparky

 

[roundball]

Wouldn't that be a bit rough on the muzzle? :shocking:

Nah. Wrought iron is much softer than steel. Especially the steel barrels are made from these days. Don't go crazy with it. Shouldn't be any problem at all. :thumbsup:
Sparky

This is interesting to hear...for years I've read posts warning that fiberglass and metal ramrods, even wooden ramrods cause wear at the muzzle, therefore muzzle guides should be used...even my Easton aluminum arrows would wear down through stainless steel arms of my arrow rests.

Now seeing this about wrought iron ramrods not being a problem is surprising / puzzling...if anything I would assume their exterior finish would be rougher than an Easton aluminum arrow, no?

:: ::

I guess I wasn't specific enough. The key part of that phrase is "don't go crazy". Any metal ramrod is going to present wear, and I didn't say it wouldn't. I said shouldn't be any problem. Wrought iron has almost no carbon in it. It can't be hardened. That means in the grand scheme of things it will cause less wear over a longer time span than modern mild steel, which is what most metal ramrods are that come with repro muskets. I ain't never used fiberglass, or aluminium on any of my BP weapons, so I'm not saying anythng about them.
Hota, you readin' this 'ol son, use at yer own risk. Just like me. I hope that clears things up and smoothes out any feathers I've ruffled. I guess I should have added :imo: :results:
Sparky

No feathers ruffled here...not my style...I was just looking for clarification...I hate using muzzle guides and was hoping this might have been a new light on the subject, that's all

 

[Hota]

Thanks for the advice all and the offer Sparky. I will proceed with caution. :thumbsup:

 

[blksmth52]

I have some good soft wrought iron from about 1935 if anyone needs a piece for a project. Mostly short pieces but may be useful.

How short is short? What are the dimensions?
Maybe we can strike a deal. Contact me via PM
Sparky

 

[blksmth52]

If you need wrought Iron let me know. I have a little.

What dimensions? contact me via PM
Sparky

 

As I understand it, the reason that ramrods wear down the barrel/rifling is because the wood or aluminum, etc. pick up dust particles and then act like weak sandpaper to abrade the muzzle/bore, etc....Dust commonly contains small particles of silica, which are significantly harder than steel. I am not sure, but I think that fiberglass is also harder than steel, but also picks up dust and wears down the metal like the other rods. On the Mohs hardness scale, steel is about 5 to 5.5 or so. Silica dust is Mohs 7 and glass is about 6 if my memory serves me. For comparison, the aluminum oxide whetstone material (corundum) is Mohs 9.

 

[blksmth52]

As I understand it, the reason that ramrods wear down the barrel/rifling is because the wood or aluminum, etc. pick up dust particles and then act like weak sandpaper to abrade the muzzle/bore, etc....Dust commonly contains small particles of silica, which are significantly harder than steel. I am not sure, but I think that fiberglass is also harder than steel, but also picks up dust and wears down the metal like the other rods. On the Mohs hardness scale, steel is about 5 to 5.5 or so. Silica dust is Mohs 7 and glass is about 6 if my memory serves me. For comparison, the aluminum oxide whetstone material (corundum) is Mohs 9.

Thanks for the info. Yer right on the money about silica being harder than steel, but I didn't know about the ramrod picking up dust. Make sense though. I use my fingers as a guide when I'm loading or cleaning, but I'll be paying a whole lot more attention to the condition of my ramrod.
Sparky