How to: ebony/antler tipped ramrod

[magyar]

Afternoon all,

I would like to make an ebony tipped (or perhaps antler tipped) ramrod for my new rifle but unsure of the process. I am sure some of you all have made them before. I actually have an ebony tip on another ramrod but cannot tell if its simply glued on or perhaps counter-sunk in and then filed/sanded down to the point of looking like a single continuous piece. Maybe there is a metal pin inside joining the two pieces? Obviously i am not going to break it a part to find out! So any ideas/suggestions are appreciated.

[tallbear]

Here is one I recently did in Horn.The wood goes all the way through(and is visible from the front) and is glued and pinned with a silver pin.The front is dished so as not to deform the ball.

Mitch

[David Rase]

Here is a picture of one that I did that has the i.d. of the horn tip tapered, the ramrod diameter turned down to match the small i.d. of the horn tip, the ramrod cross slotted slotted and then 3 wedges driven in to secure everything in place.
David

[rsells]

I have been using buffalo horn tips and applying them like David Rase.  They look good and have had no failures.  I would caution about and recommend not using ebony for a ramrod tip because I find the material brittle and a bit hard to work with .  I think the material I have used for nose caps would fail in short order if I put them on as ramrod tips.
                                                                                                 Roger Sells

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

I have put horn ramrod tips on just by using a simple cross pin, as Mitch described, although I used an iron pin.  You do see the wood at the end.



The only "blind" RR tip installations I have seen is on the British long land muskets with wooden rammers.  The tips were made of sheet brass formed into a truncated cone with a lid on the big end, all brazed together.  They were put on by splitting the RR tip and inserting just the tip of a wedge into the split. The brass tip was slid over the RR tip and given a rap that drove the wedge into the split and so expanded the wood holding the brass tip in place.  This made a neat looking job, but apparently it worked poorly as a great many loose brass RR tips were found in the archaeological investigations at the F & I war Fort Ligonier site.  Obviously the tip came off too readily.

[gunmaker]

I'm simple, I cut a square of antler bigger & longer than needed, mark & drill hole 2 drill sizes smaller than your rod about 3/4" deep.  Glue & cross pin to rod.  shape on disk sander to what you like, file grooves around it or not.....Tom

[RAT]

The Jaeger book that Chambers sells shows them like Dave posted above. But you can use one wedge instead of two if you like.