Ballard #5 project: Metal selection help

[sean69]

Working on a new stock for a Ballard Pacific, I need to make the wiping rod lugs & tubes (and a wiping rod, and it's tips), & want to get a similar steel so that they will blue up close as possible to the barrel...

1. Anyone have any thoughts on what type of steel would have been used? what sort of carbon content?

2. I do not have an original thimble/tube/lug to work from, does anyone have one they can take a couple pictures of or have a url of a good image?

-thanks
-sean

 

[trevj]

Working on a new stock for a Ballard Pacific, I need to make the wiping rod lugs & tubes (and a wiping rod, and it's tips), & want to get a similar steel so that they will blue up close as possible to the barrel...

1. Anyone have any thoughts on what type of steel would have been used? what sort of carbon content?

2. I do not have an original thimble/tube/lug to work from, does anyone have one they can take a couple pictures of or have a url of a good image?

-thanks
-sean

I doubt the steel was anything notable, pretty much mild steel.

I would suggest asking on the ASSRA forum. Like as not, one of the fellows there has a few thimbles ratholed away. But a few pictures should be easy enough too.

Cheers
Trev

 

[mr.e moose]

Pricey but the Ballard Rifle company in Montana sells the wiping rod thimbles for $35.00 each and the wiping rod end for $5.00. Is this one for Mike? I am having regrets but I thought I would never get around to it so I passed it on to him.

 

[sean69]

Pricey but the Ballard Rifle company in Montana sells the wiping rod thimbles for $35.00 each and the wiping rod end for $5.00. Is this one for Mike? I am having regrets but I thought I would never get around to it so I passed it on to him.

I did actually send an email in to request some reference material/pics ... have not heard back yet.

Making this stuff is pretty dead simple (if you have a lathe & mill) $75USD(+ship/exchange/duty call it $100CDN) isn't really that expensive at all considering it will take 3 or 4 hours to fabricate the parts - which I really want to do, machine shop time is FUN

whose gun?? all I can say is it's for another CGNr - and that it's also going to be up for sale when it's done. So if you are having regrets .... (PM me & I will ask the owner to get in touch)

You can follow along the progress here: https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1575963-Just-somethin-I-been-working-on/page11
the Ballard shows up around post #102

I doubt the steel was anything notable, pretty much mild steel.

I would suggest asking on the ASSRA forum. Like as not, one of the fellows there has a few thimbles ratholed away. But a few pictures should be easy enough too.

Cheers
Trev

I would imagine that is pretty accurate - what, we only started getting HSS around 1900? lots of dings in the barrel, it's pretty mild stuff.
I been up and down google images several times looking for reference - nothing with enough detail to give me something to go on

-the hunt continues.