Turning down fiberglass ramrod end to fit tips

[RonC]

I have a small bench grinder and no lathe.
In the past, I have used the bench grinder to turn down a fiberglass ramrod to put on a brass tip. The fine, fiberglass dust goes all over.
How do you recommend turning down the end of a fiberglass rod and minimize the mess and exposure to the very fine dust?

Also, I hold the rod by hand and try to evenly turn down the rod end. It never comes out perfectly. What can I use to make the rod end as even as possible?

Thank you,
Ron

[P.W.Berkuta]

This is not an easy task to get right. If it were me and I used the tools that you have I would first mark out my cut line with a pencile then wrape some masking tape around the rod on the side that you want to save not the reduced diameter end, then score the rod at the tape with a sharp utility knife then use a file to reduce the diameter to the size you want. I would not use a grinder because it will throw fiberglass dust all over - not good for you .

[Hungry Horse]

My first question, is why would you use a fiberglass ramrod? They are just about like using a long, fine cut, rat tail file. Back in the day, a buddy of mine totally ruined a limited addition Tryon Trailblaser, using a fiberglass ramrod. The black plastic (weenie rod) ramrods
do a lot less damage.
 I'm not a big fan of metal range rods, but, with a good muzzle protector they don't damage the barrel.

  Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

I have a small bench grinder and no lathe.
In the past, I have used the bench grinder to turn down a fiberglass ramrod to put on a brass tip. The fine, fiberglass dust goes all over.
How do you recommend turning down the end of a fiberglass rod and minimize the mess and exposure to the very fine dust?

Also, I hold the rod by hand and try to evenly turn down the rod end. It never comes out perfectly. What can I use to make the rod end as even as possible?

Thank you,
Ron

RonC,
 I'm not sure how to use a bench grinder to make or alter a ramrod but I have recently made adapters that make the grinder a multi station polisher. ASAP I will get some pictures posted.

Bob Roller

[ddoyle]

Wrap a piece of masking tape around the circumfrence (to keep things square and crisp). use that as a guide to make a cut all the way around (the proper depth) with a fine hacksaw blade. The remainder can be worried down to the proper depth with some 30 grit shoe shine style. coat the inside of the tip with lard/butter/oil smear epoxy on the rod end. put tip on. once cured you can pull the tip off and will have a perfect fit.

A drop or two of water will keep the dust down. Or just work out side and keep your lungs up wind.

No two ways about it repairing building anything with fibreglass sucks and IMHO if it don't float on the water it does'nt need silica or fibreglass

[dogcatcher]

I would use a belt sander with a dedicated belt that I soaked in automatic transmission fluid.  The ATF will capture more of the dust than water.  I would build a jig using wood that pivots squarely toward the sanding belt, with a second person rotating the shaft while I guide the shaft towards the moving sanding belt.  The rotation of the shaft along with the guidance can get an almost perfectly "turned" end. 

[J I]

A shop vac may also help too. You can clamp the end near where the most dust is going to come from. Also wear a dust mask of some sort at a minimum, you don't want those particles to get into your lungs.

[RonC]

Thank you for the sage advice!

I hadn't thought about the grinding nature of fiberglass! I think I will abandon the idea of using the fiberglass rods and stick with my brass range rods for shooting and wood (mostly hickory) rods for determining whether the barrel is empty.

Fiberglass is nasty to work with. I wore a mask while grinding but the fiberglass dust that landed on my bare arms and shirt was enough for me to break out with an allergic dermatitis. That rash on my arms and abdomen itched like mad for days.  

Ron

[CARROLLCO]

I've fitted brass tips to fiberglass rods also; but use another approach. I use the brass tip to measure how much needs to reduced, mark with a fine tip Sharpie. I place blue painter's tape at the mark, I then take a tubing cutter and make a series of cuts from the tape to the end of the ramrod, estimating how deep to go with the tubing cutter. I take a sharp chisel and remove some of the fiberglass, top, bottom, then the 2 sides, then make it octagonal. then I take a file and make it round. Trial and error fit from then on. I epoxy the tip on, then drill and put a small brass brad thru the tip/ramrod. I use nippers to cut the brad and peen it,then file the brad smooth. I use a fine grit sandpaper to remove file marks. I use the same method on wood ramrods too.

[bigsmoke]

This is the easiest way I have ever found to cut the end of the rod.
First, determine how much you are going to need to cut off and put a pencil mark at that point.  Then take a tubing cutter, locate the blade on the mark, tighten it a tad and spin the rod in the cutter.  Tighten it a little more and repeat until you are satisfied with the depth of the cut.
This also works great on nylon rods as well as wooden ones.
John

[RonC]

I haven't seen any responses to Hungry Horse's comment about the file-like nature of the fiber glass and damage to the bore. Is this damaging effect of fiberglass something that is well accepted? The rod feels very smooth to my fingers, but that doesn't mean it is smooth at a microscopic level.
So, should I abandon the fiberglass rod completely?
Thanks,
Ron

[Bob Roller]

I haven't seen any responses to Hungry Horse's comment about the file-like nature of the fiber glass and damage to the bore. Is this damaging effect of fiberglass something that is well accepted? The rod feels very smooth to my fingers, but that doesn't mean it is smooth at a microscopic level.
So, should I abandon the fiberglass rod completely?
Thanks,
Ron

No,not accepted by a lot of us. The old hickory loading rod did double duty. It could be used to load and clean the gun and when a bratty kid shot off his mouth it could be used to teach him or her that the way of the transgressor is indeed hard. This according to my maternal grandfather,C.M.Taylor 1873-1972.
I won't use the fiber glass rods and if you have a barrel by a long dead maker it is asking for damage
that can't be easily cured unless you are willing to cut the barrel off.

Bob Roller

[bigsmoke]

Ditto to what Bob Roller said.
Personally, I would abandon the concept.
But, what do I know, only been shooting these things 50+ years and been in the muzzleloading business to one extent or another for a big part of that.
I just thought about 50 years doing this, and it really set me back a little bit.  Sometimes we don't realize how old we are getting until we think about it.  Whew!!  Note to self - stop thinking about it.
Maybe it's time for a nap.
John

[RonC]

Thank you, Gentlemen!

I have only been doing this traditional muzzle loading activity for about 3-4 years.
I have been doing many other activities, good and bad, for over 68 years. I visited a location I had once lived as a boy and stopped at the local lake. A young fellow asked: "How long has it been since you went fishing here?" "59 years ago," I said. 59 YEARS AGO! Darn, that's a long time.
Ron

[bigsmoke]

In the immoral words of Biilly Clinton, "I feel your pain."

[WadePatton]

I too have no use for a fiberglass rod, wooden or steel or even brass-which gets wiped down frequently.  I use a muzzle protector on the steel and brass rods.  Even used an aluminum substitute rod the day I shot my hickory stick down range. 

Hey, I'd rather shoot my rod than dry-ball it! 

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Hickory is awesome and probably more historically correct if that is important to you.  I have found that mine do everything that any other rod can do including pulling dry balls..cause I would rather dry-ball it than  shoot my ramrod down range and have to  make another!!  

[PPatch]

Fiberglass is nasty to work with. I wore a mask while grinding but the fiberglass dust that landed on my bare arms and shirt was enough for me to break out with an allergic dermatitis. That rash on my arms and abdomen itched like mad for days. 

Ron

Yep, fiberglass is awful stuff once it gets into the air and on you. I would avoid it if I could, and I can. I worked in a small shop once that did fiberglass fabricating, running routers through it and sawing it with the dust just flying, I could never get the darned stuff off me. I quit the job because of the fiberglass and problems with my eyes because if it.

dave

[RonC]

I'm convinced. Thank you to you all!
All my muzzleloaders have hickory attached and I use a brass rod with muzzle protector for the range.

Anyone looking for some 3/8" fiberglass poles?

Ron

[ddoyle]

Handy for making duck blinds on a boat