Ramrod Stripes

[John C IND]

Greetings!  I got new 1/4" hickory ramrod blanks last week from Flintlocks, LLC.
As seen in the attached photos, what's left of the original ramrod in my JS Burson squirrel rifle has a hand-applied stripe of varying width and pitch. I can feel no difference in the texture of the rod between the light and dark areas, causing me to think it wasn't simply done with a torch...
About 40 years ago, Dr. L.H. White in Valparaiso showed me how to stripe a ramrod...  If I recall correctly, he wrapped it with masking tape, and swabbed nitric acid on the rod, then peeled the tape, and then passed it thru a gas flame on an old wash boiler in his basement. The heat 'developed' the dark stripe where the acid was.  Does this sound correct to the forum?  If so, where does one find nitric acid nowadays? Would one then have to neutralize the acid on the rod, or does the flame do that?  Thanks in advance for any advice here.

[mikeyfirelock]

John:   I remember "Doc" White !  A real gentleman, and a good workman.  I have several books that my father bought from him when he downsized to move to Florida I think. 
 That sounds right.   I think several other acids would also work.  I suspect that vinegaroon would work also.  I'll have to give that a try. 
Mikeyfirelock
(aka Mike Mullins)

[oakridge]

Check out this thread:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=28063.0

[oakridge]

And, this one:

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=26497.0

[JTR]

It looks like the stripe was done with ink to me. Although hard to tell from this long distance.

What's wrong with the original rod, other than the stripe is a little worn off?

John

[John C IND]

John, the rod has about 5" missing off the larger end. The rifle was built in Wabash, IN and the builder was listed in the 1850 and 1860 census (censi?) in Wabash County.  The gent who had it in his family since the Civil War said that rod was always with the gun, the bore was plugged, and the tumbler was broken off, for all of his life and he's in his 70's. He basically thought it was junk and consigned it to an auction. 
Since I feel it was original to the gun, or an ancient replacement, I would like to attempt to duplicate it with it's freestyle stripe.  Heck, it could even be a gain twist.         Firelock, I might have met your father, I hung out at Doc White's from the time I was about 14 until he and his wife retired and moved to Union City Tennessee in about 1979. They later moved on to Fla.  Doc had some nice books, but money was tight for me when he moved on. I'd love to have access to some of them again.

[mr. no gold]

A suggestion would be to put a three inch metal ferrule, (threaded, for the jag), on the distal end and a two inch brass head on the proximal end. That would take up the five inches and the only part showing would be the top of the rod. Something like this would keep the old, (original?) rod with the gun and in service. I have seen restorers splice a part of an old rod to a shortened original to preserve what was left of the one that came with the rifle. Best part is that it agrees with what was in use at the time, perhaps on this one.
Dick

[John C IND]

Mikeyfirelock, AKA Mike Mullins: 2 PM replies sent, did you get them?