Will Homemade percussion caps work in cap and ball revolver?

Black Jack Shellac said:

Someone has reported it to be Gelatin .I had thought it to be Dextrin. Both are used as a binder. I don't think either will work with anything but water. So using it can only degrade the power of the charge.
Black Jack Shellac

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The website for sharpshooter 22 lists acetone or alcohol to be used to wet the compound. I use acetone with a little amount of Duco cement added to it. Duco cement is flammable.

Brokenbear said:

..the double wall pop can cup DOES NOT disintegrate like the factory caps but rather stay tightly sealed on the nipple ..one would think a fully intact fired cup still firmly seated on the nipple would possibly be better at decreasing the chain fire than a factory cap ..
Plus I never have a jam with a disintegrated cap falling into the hammer valley or half hanging on to the nipple and impeding cocking ..so where I was looking at the expensive prospect of installing a "stake" behind the nipple under the hammer ... is now not needed ..

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Very interesting double wall pop can cup! First time I've heard about this method.

How do you do that, do you cut cups using double layer of sheet metal? If so, did you have to modify a tool? Also, do you have any problem with clearance between nipples and back plate?

Thanks

You take the cut out and flattened pop can. Fold it in half the long way. Iron out the crease and even up the outer edge. Start punching. If I make no mistakes I can get 48 cups per can. The tool will work ok as is for this.It will take more effort to punch out.
What sharpshooter says to use doesn't work very well at all. I guess you can but your powder will crumble and fall out. Other binders are needed.
Black Jack Shellac

Duco cement is nitro based. So it serves both as a binder and an ‘enhancer’

I just did a simple test. I took a small amount of the off white powder and added two drops of acetone. Two hours later it was solid. I took a screwdriver and tried to break it. It finally broke and then crumbled into a course powder.

So it appears to be a binding agent. I will continue to add the Duco cement to the acetone.

I know this is an old thread.
I have been bouncing back and forth between the toy caps and the PrimeAll.
In the spirit of time and success rate it has come down to a modified version of the Prime All. Although dirty, I will get used to it.
As stated in several posts the three main components are also know as H-42.
I was able to track down a source for all 3 of the components for the H-42. As it turns out when you leave the small bag out from the PA
mix, you now have H 42.
After reading all the posts and threads the duco glue and acetone cocktail and a small amount of the H42 mix out performs any combination of the toy caps and rates up there with the factory caps in my book.
A pound of each plus shipping is equivalent to 4 packages of the PA.
This will last me for the rest of my life time.
Thank you everyone in all of these topics and threads for sharing all of your experiences and input.

I was able to find the components also. It is very inexpensive by the pound.

Yep.

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I just marked each bag with the L's and S's. It is alot of compound mix compared to those little weed bags.

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Pottery supply houses carry Kno3 very inexpensively. 50# for around $80. My bad you don't need this.

J-Bar said:

OK, pop cans are essentially free if you drank the soda, but one cannot be in a hurry punching out these little aluminum cups.

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Go for a walk on any road, or any place, and you'll have a lifetime supply of cans. However, I'll be using beer cans. Just something about beer cans...

I have come up with a mix using three of the Lee powder measures. One for each component. It takes the guess work out of that white, supplied powder scoop with the PA. So far out of 60 caps all fired 17 gr and rb in my 1858 36 cal.
@Ugly Sauce I am just using cans also.

Pocket said:

I have come up with a mix using three of the Lee powder measures. One for each component. It takes the guess work out of that white, supplied powder scoop with the PA. So far out of 60 caps all fired 17 gr and rb in my 1858 36 cal.
@Ugly Sauce I am just using cans also.

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Lets hear that mix ratio with the dippers brother

Using the Lee powder measures:
The ratio is close to the H42 recipe and makes a little more compound mix per batch.
So this works for me.. use the same safety protocols that you do with any other substances. Us at your own risk.

Ps.I haven't been packing or tapping the mix either. That was just to messy for me.
That acetone and glue cocktail gets the mix pretty soaked through and through as it is. Mine have been working just fine not doing that step.

Thanks for the information. The next batch of caps I make I will bypass the compression step.

So far I have got 105 caps out of a batch using the Lee powder measures and still have a little left for probably 50 more.

I have read on here that one of yall added finger nail polish to the acetone cocktail.. In true fisherman style I had to try it also.
I bought some cheapo red. First if all it is not normal for a guy to be buying red nail polish.. And second, the red dried to a pink . That just ain't right.View attachment 1064650

Beautiful caps brother!

I’ll pass on the pink caps.

Lyle said:

I’ll pass on the pink caps.

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Come on now, you are putting them on nipples.

Pink caps on nipples, who woulda thunk it?

I've been following this discussion and I am interested in trying to make caps for myself.
I cannot find anyone on the web who still sells the Tap o Cap.
Anyone know how to find one?

These folks are who most of us got the cao maker from

I only have the #11 cap maker. So far it fits all my needs.
https://sharpshooter-22lr-reloader.myshopify.com/

Pocket said:

These folks are who most of us got the cao maker from

I only have the #11 cap maker. So far it fits all my needs.
https://sharpshooter-22lr-reloader.myshopify.com/

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Same. I got mine a year ago, works great. Mine is the #11 maker and fits the factory nipples on my Pietta 51 and Uberti 58. I use my homemade caps on both of my Navies.

Even with the start up cost.. it is better than fondling these guns wishing ya had some percussion caps.

Just my observation and it may just be my cap maker.
The picture shows 2 caps. The one on the right is the typical soda can. The one on the left is from an aluminum baking pan
The baking pan produces a more uniform cap with a clear visible round bottom. The soda can material is not as defined..Although the soda can material works just fine, I am going to start using the baking pans. I have also tried the brass sheets but it is not as readily available like the Dollar General stores on every corner for the baking pans.