Question about Ram Rods for the Historians Among Us

[rich pierce]

I’ve been playing with primitive fire making and teaching others for a couple years. Mostly friction methods but some flint and steel since that is easier to teach and have students have success first time. I do not favor char cloth because cloth was expensive, it would be hard to obtain in the wilderness, and though very good for catching a spark, it is not as good as solid soft charcoal for making a very hot coal.

Rotten soft deciduous wood like aspen or cottonwood or willow that is falling apart, white, and can be torn like a loaf of bread is great for catching sparks when toasted in a vented can. The charred pith of cornstalks works well but is a narrow target. I like the charred woody stalks of last year’s wolf bane. This is very soft charcoal with almost no grain. If there was enough of this stuff it would make great gunpowder, I bet.

 

[Martin S.]

I am interested in the name of the fungus as well, seems I heard that a certain fungus was a good substitute for char cloth, but I can't remember where I saw it or read it.

I did not know about cat tails, but I am too far south for them.

[tiswell]

Tinder fungus, Fomes Fomentarius, grows primarily on birch trees from what I have read. It is softer then baby mouse fur, takes a spark well and keeps it  for a while before being consumed. I wish there were more birch trees near me!

[T*O*F]

The fungus grows on dead trees.  It's solid thru-out and has no gills.  You need to pick it after its dried out.  It all works.  You can take almost any type of vegetable matter and char it.

If you take a wad of tow and sprinkle a couple drops of diesel fuel on it, it's almost as good as a match.  Don't soak it, just enough so it thoroughly distributes.  It will evaporate over time but leave enough residue behind to catch a spark.

[David R. Pennington]

I have tried cattails with very poor results. I have had some success with punky wood, but with varying results, some good some not so.

[Lucky R A]

      What you are referencing is tinder fungus or bear sh-t fungus.  As the name may imply it is coal black in color and is usually found growing on yellow birch trees that have had an injury.  You can do a google search for "tinder fungus" and find out a lot more.  It will take and hold a spark over an extend length of time, and was used to transport fire from one location to another.  It can also be brewed into a tea and has certain medicinal qualities...Sorry Jerry you probably don't have yellow birch trees out your way, but they are abundant here in PA.
Ron

[Iktomi]

What I've always called "punk wood" is dry rotted hardwood. You want it so's it's spongy like when you squeeze it, not rotted to the point it crumbles. Maple punk wood works well un charred if dried really well, but it isn't a problem to make it into char. Vented can is easiest, or bury it under a couple inches of ash in your fire pit and rake some hot coals over top. Whole point is to keep air away from it so it carbonizes without combusting.

[Levy]

Back in 2005 we recovered several flintlocks from the bottom of the Apalachicola River.  Only one of them was a rifle and it was .62 cal. and 38" in barrel length.  Sediment plugged the muzzle of the barrel, but there was a hole in the middle of the sediment.  When I cleaned out the bore, it still had 29 cm. of the original wiping stick in the bore and the remains of tow at the breech of the barrel.  The stick had small flats over its surface indicating preparation with a knife.   We preserved it, but I couldn't tell you what type of wood it was.  James Levy

[Pukka Bundook]

Chaps,

This a different sight to the one I found originally, but has exactly the same tinder fungus.   I found some up her in the Canadian west, on   birch trees.

http://www.wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/tinder/tinderfungus/true.html

Good photos on this site.

Name is Chaga, or true tinder fungus. (Inonotus obliquus if it helps!)

Thinking on it, I believe the first time I came across this was a Polish sight....  Can't find that one at present.

Red inside but looks black on the outside.

I think this is epic topic drift!   

Tanks for bringing us back on track a bit James L.!

[Elnathan]

Back in 2005 we recovered several flintlocks from the bottom of the Apalachicola River.  Only one of them was a rifle and it was .62 cal. and 38" in barrel length.  Sediment plugged the muzzle of the barrel, but there was a hole in the middle of the sediment.  When I cleaned out the bore, it still had 29 cm. of the original wiping stick in the bore and the remains of tow at the breech of the barrel.  The stick had small flats over its surface indicating preparation with a knife.   We preserved it, but I couldn't tell you what type of wood it was.  James Levy

Levy,

Have these finds been published anywhere, with pictures, measurements, etc?

[Levy]

Elnathan,  A large report was done at the time and the firearms were only part of it.  It was produced by Div. of Historical Resources, Underwater Section, FL Dept. of State.  I did a lot of measuring and some photos were published, but the work I did was edited, so didn't include everything.  I have  a copy of my notes and a copy of the report somewhere, but will take a search to find it.  I retired as Florida's Historic Conservator back in 2011.  I'm cleaning my shop now and if I come across it, will let you know.  James Levy

[rollingb]

Mr. Levy,.... I too, would be very interested in seeing your notes of the report if it's ever convenient for you to post them. 

[Craig Wilcox]

Mr. Levy, it is surprising how many of us still have our original field notebooks.  When my kids moved me east to this infernal Ohio, I found several dating back 30 years to my days with the Florida Park Service, and the Dept. of Environmental protection.


Most of the shelf, or bracket fungi will catch and maintain a spark very well.  These are the fungi that stick out from a tree.  Quite hard, but easy to break off a chunk.


Back to the ramrod questions.  Following the Civil War, quite a few ramrods were found "down range" from the various shooting lines, from both sides of the conflict.  IIRC, our scout master showed us one that was stuck in a tree, and had a century of tree growth almost swallowing it.


Don't know why they called it "Civil War".  I've been to war, and there was nothing "civil" about it.

[jerrywh]

 I think the fur trappers in the days of Peter Scene Ogden had a much different situation than the frontiers man of the 17the Century back east. The trappers with Ogden were all on horse back and had pack horses. They no doubt carried lots of replacement suplies

[Elnathan]

I think the fur trappers in the days of Peter Scene Ogden had a much different situation than the frontiers man of the 17the Century back east. The trappers with Ogden were all on horse back and had pack horses. They no doubt carried lots of replacement suplies

The longhunters had lots of horses too. That was how they carried a quarter or half a ton of deerhides back after they were done hunting.

They were also surrounded by trees, including hickory, so carrying an extra stick was probably not worth the effort.

[Pukka Bundook]

I don't know Elnathan;
From tree to ramrod isn't a five minute job.   They were carrying kit and camp on their pack -horses, so half a dozen rammers, even just roughed out, would be no problem at all.
When you think of it, a gun with no rammer is rather hors de combat,  just a club.

[rich pierce]

Who has actually broken a ramrod?  Sounds very dangerous. Like a spear going through the hand.

[Sawfiler]

Sounds like a good idea for a fun shoot. Everybody surrender their ramrods and the first to fire there rifle is winner.

[davec2]

Rich,

I have had two ramrods break over the years (and I shot a third one away  )  Dangerous ?  Yes....one speared a right hand, one just cracked....and the third one put me on my posterior rather unexpectedly.  But like Pukka said, a muzzleloader without a ram rod is just a rather clumsy club.

Sawfiler,

What a great idea for a bunch of old guys that would rather whittle and talk than shoot !

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Years ago, one of the requirements at registration for our rendezvous, was to create a bow and an arrow that would shoot fifty yards, over the course of the weekend.  It was quite interesting what came forward.

[rich pierce]

That sounds like a great rendezvous, Taylor!  When I was in a bow making frenzy I made a bow in a day from a dead black locust limb. I call it my “hatchet bow” because I used only a hatchet and a knife. I started after breakfast and shot it by late afternoon. It’s my carp killer, draws about 45 pounds at 26”. I recurved it over coals, and it took no set. Crooked as a dog’s hind leg.

[Sharpsman]

Bois D'arc aka Osage Orange is best!

[hanshi]

There have been four ramrod breaks in my career.  One simply came apart on a trail walk, another broke loading a little caplock I used to own and the third broke the end off when my little dog bumped it and the forth one came apart while I was trying to use a ball puller with it.  No injuries but you can be sure I'm careful using them.  All rods were the ones that came with the guns; most of mine are hickory, now.

[retired fella]

I broke one just a couple of weeks ago luckily right at the end of a club shoot.  No harm done but I miss it after 40 years.  Maybe it just dryrotted away?