Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

ChrisPer · 2nd February 2015, 02:30 PM

Thank you very much for your experience so generously shared Michael, as well as your excellent pictures.

The usual English term for the founding nozzle is the sprue. When I am casting balls for my muzzleloaders, the sprue cutter in a modern mould is a rotating plate which is knocked sideways to both cut the sprue and unlock the mould blocks. The scissor moulds displayed here would require shears or pincers - even just a sharp knife - to remove the sprues.

As you note above the sprue cone would be ideal to allow a cartridge to be tied off with thread. Another innovation of approximately 1850 by Robert Adams of London for use in percussion revolvers, was to cast a spike on the ball as pictured, and place a greased felt wad on the spike. It was intended that these wads and projectiles be thumbed into the chambers rather than using a larger diameter ball and force it in with a lever rammer. In practice this was unsatisfactory, as the recoil would leave the bullets projecting from the chambers. The innovation was abandoned, then superseded in a few years by cartridge revolvers.

2nd February 2015, 02:30 PM	#34
ChrisPer Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 35	Thank you very much for your experience so generously shared Michael, as well as your excellent pictures. The usual English term for the founding nozzle is the sprue. When I am casting balls for my muzzleloaders, the sprue cutter in a modern mould is a rotating plate which is knocked sideways to both cut the sprue and unlock the mould blocks. The scissor moulds displayed here would require shears or pincers - even just a sharp knife - to remove the sprues. As you note above the sprue cone would be ideal to allow a cartridge to be tied off with thread. Another innovation of approximately 1850 by Robert Adams of London for use in percussion revolvers, was to cast a spike on the ball as pictured, and place a greased felt wad on the spike. It was intended that these wads and projectiles be thumbed into the chambers rather than using a larger diameter ball and force it in with a lever rammer. In practice this was unsatisfactory, as the recoil would leave the bullets projecting from the chambers. The innovation was abandoned, then superseded in a few years by cartridge revolvers. Attached Images Last edited by ChrisPer; 2nd February 2015 at 11:44 PM.