Need one .51 cal. casing or?

[WaddWatsonEllis]

This is an unusual request, but I think I might have the greatest chance of finding one here.

The reenactors group that I am with requires all wadds to be used in guns (in place of bullets) to be of floral foam.

For my .44 cal black powder wads I have found a .45 Schofield shell works as a 'cookie cutter' to make wads from 1/4" sheets of floral foam.Now what I need is some kind of casing in .51 or .52 to make the wads for my .50 cal Pedersoli cap n ball rifle ....

Any suggestions?

[Blackpowder Burn]

How about a casing for the 50-70?  Bullets are 0.512+ (depending on the particular rifle).  Buffalo Arms has quite a few different cases in that size range - you can likely find one that will work.

http://www.buffaloarms.com/45_and_up_Caliber_pr-3833.aspx?CAT=3833

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Sounds like an answer right  here. The only thing is that I don't need a whole box ... just need one to use as a punch .... In an idels world, I was lkinda hopin' some one might send me an email or PM saying that they had WAY too many of them and ask for an address to send one to ... hey, I can dream!

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Try a half-inch hardware store punch? I might be large enough to work?

[Professor Marvel]

Ah My Dear Wad -

your answer is as close as the nearest construction trash pile - look for a cast-off length of common 1/2 inch electrical thinwall  conduit. the 1/2 " is the nominal interior dimension. A  short stub of this lightweight steel pipe can be sharpened on the outside with a fine file to form an excellent punch for felt, cloth, or foam wads or patches. If one wishes to get fancy, one case case-harden the edge (with casenite ) and add a wooden handle, but for your purposes that would b e overkill :-)

yhs
prof marvel

[StrawHat]

Ah My Dear Wad -

your answer is as close as the nearest construction trash pile - look for a cast-off length of common 1/2 inch electrical thinwall  conduit. the 1/2 " is the nominal interior dimension. A  short stub of this lightweight steel pipe can be sharpened on the outside with a fine file to form an excellent punch for felt, cloth, or foam wads or patches. If one wishes to get fancy, one case case-harden the edge (with casenite ) and add a wooden handle, but for your purposes that would b e overkill :-)

yhs
prof marvel

Yet again, the Professor has come up with an elegant and cheap solution.  I would add that if the wad is too small, you can sharpen the inside edge and gain a bit of diameter. 

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I think I have my solution; thanks professori!

I do think I actually ave a few stubbs in my garage left over from another project ....  I  think I een have some 1/2" dowel there too .... and a handle would certainly mak making wads a kinder activity ... Thanks again!

[Paladin UK]

Well Done Kiddywinks!! Our next project is a field telephone.....

For this you will need 2 tin cans and a length of string.....

Paladin (What could not resist  ) UK

[Border Ruffian]

A 1/2 in or 13 mm pipe fitting could be close enough.

[pony express]

If the half inch pipe is not quite big enough and you want to try a 50-70 or similar cartridge case, I believe Track of the Wolf sells single ones

[Pettifogger]

These are strong and will make a billion wads.  You can pretty much make any size wad with this set.

http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-hollow-punch-set-3838.html

[rickk]

The harbor freight hollow punches would work on felt but probably not work well on styrofoam. The foam would get stuck on it.

An arch punch would give the clearance needed for the foam to come out.

1/2" arc punch prices are all over the place depending on who makes it. For leather or felt there is a difference in long term performance depending on who made it.  C.S. Osbourne makes what is probably the best punches one can buy.

For 1/4" styrofoam I doubt it would matter much so the < $15 made in china ebay ones should do the job well.  You would not even have to use a hammer, just push it thru.

If you want something slightly bigger than 1/2", a 13mm punch would be about .51 and a 13mm punch would be .55 " .    I just looked on ebay and for some reason did not see any metric punches listed. There are usually tons of them on there. I don't know why there isn't right now.

Note that arch punches are typically not made with .001" precision. .01 maybe is more like it.

Also, a punch is made to make a hole, so the diameter of the hole is typically more important than the piece that get's punched out. There is material deformation when leather is punched so the hole and the part removed from the leather are not always the same size after punching. That being said, depending on who makes the punch, a 1/2" punch may yield a 1/2" hole in leather but cut out only a 7/16 or so piece of material in the process of making the 1/2" hole.

Over time I have acquired quite a few (many dozens) of them and I don't take the marked hole size super seriously. For leather work it typically isn't critical at all.  For wads I use whatever gives me the size wad I want, be it fractional or metric marked.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

When you go to the harbor Freight link look down to the 6 punch drill mounted set.  Using a drill press makes neat wads.

I agree with rcckk.  I have a set from Tandy that looks identical to the HF set in the link.  My 3/4" punch makes .777 wads that are perfectly sized (11 ga.) for 12 ga.Magtec  brass shells.  Others have tried it and the result was less than 12 gauge.  Especially with the economy offerings, individual tolerances vary widely.  

Oh!  The 1/2' punch makes great wads for my 12.7 x 44R (.50-70 with a Swedish accent) which is almost .52.

But!  I can't find a .45 wad punch without paying money, so I cut off an ordinary belted magnum case at the shoulder and drill out the primer pocket.  "Walla!" as someone here mistranslates, I have a wad that fits anywhere from .451 to .46

[rebsr52339]

Your local Hobby shop will have a rack of K & S brass tubing.Just find the right dia. and you can have a 12" punch.

[Professor Marvel]

When you go to the harbor Freight link look down to the 6 punch drill mounted set.  Using a drill press makes neat wads.

Ah, thanks Sir Charles, those sound perfect for wads! I must look for those! HF has so much strange stuff, such as brass padlocks that are identical to those from 1870; fancy fake brass instruments, etc. It is all I can do to refrain from buying all those garbage treasures.

Instead Being the cheap barstich frugal sort I am, I am often skulking scouting out other's trash mounds garbage piles recycling heaps on the quest for something precious. My best finds of late are a heavy steel water pressure tank (to make into a combination clay kiln/ melting furnace) and  a small collection of discarded exercycle parts in order to build a complex  chain and sprocket drive for some blasted brain fart a marvelous project.

But!  I can't find a .45 wad punch without paying money, so I cut off an ordinary belted magnum case at the shoulder and drill out the primer pocket.

A man after my own heart, Sir. After losing my Lee Cake Cutter I produced a .45 Colt bullet lube cutter in the same manner, adding a wooden handle to the case and a ten-penny nail through the primer hole (with knob) to push the bullets back out. It actually looks not like crap rather victorian.

"Walla!" as someone here mistranslates, I have a wad that fits anywhere from .451 to .46

Since as we all know, Walla is the  name the local residents of Washington State gave for the town they named twice -  Walla Walla, Wash.
when we know you mean Viola, a large fat violin (often played in these parts by Mariachis  like a guitar) And thus we circle back to harbor freight,  where I found tiny little brass and rosewood minature violin maker's planes - If one works his ass off for a week  expends a bit of time on these fascinating little buggers gadgets one can actually make them usable .

yhs
prof marvel

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Walla Walla, as in;

"Deck us all with Boston Charlie

Walla Walla Wash and Kalamazoo

Nora's freezing on the trolley

Swaller dollar cauliflower...

http://www.pogopossum.com/deckus.htm

[Professor Marvel]

"Deck us all in Boston Charlie

http://www.pogopossum.com/deckus.htm

Ah My Dear Sir Charles -

You Sir, have trumped me in spades :-)

We must really meet f-t-f one day !

yhs
prof (i been bested!) marvel