Water proofing a C&B Revolver

[flmason]

Was wondering if anyone has ever considered or tried plain old rubber cement to seal the caps on a cap and ball revolver against rain/water?

I've heard of folks using wax of various sorts, but was thinking rubber cement might actually be easier. Just not sure if it would cause problems with ignition.

I'm thinking not if you just seal end away from the hammer. The copper should still crush and the priming ignite?

 

[Smokin_Gun]

I rather think Pine Sap instead...about the same thing only more Traditional ... :O)

 

[BHP FAN]

One of Colt's tricks was to seal both ends of his cylinder on a revolver with a coat of beeswax [off stage]then emerse a Colt's patent revolver in water
, let the water run out of the barrel,and fire all six shots into a nearby target.Really impressed the rubes.Before he sold revolvers,the ''colonel'' sold ether ''trips''. Really into early marketing.

 

[Oyeboten]

Collodion would probably work...dab a little inside each Cap before setting...set 'wet'...


Crisco-et-al...over Ball...

 

[BCRider]

I doubt if you want to put anything into the cap. At least not without testing it.

A dollop of rubber cement sounds good but not if there's the usual film of oil on the cylinder. And if you clean it first then the rubber cement may stick down in the wells for the nipples well enough to make quite the mess. But then so would pretty much anything else as well.

 

[Hellgate]

BHP fan: I think they were called "ether frolics". If you think booze messes up your liver try doing repeated ether. Chloroform is even worse!

If you dripped a little wax from a candle over the balls and onto the capped nipples you ought to be able to waterproof it. Just keep the candle flame away from the cap.

 

[BHP FAN]

You're right, Hellgate.Ether Frolics it was.As an experiment I've done the ''Colt trick'' with beeswax,and it Worked!Haven't actually tried it with candle [paraffin based] wax,but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

 

[flmason]

Anyone ever just take a small strip of cellophane tap and wrap it around the cap/nipple to waterproof that end?

Saw one web page out there were someone was experimenting with waxed cardboard like a milk carton has to waterproof the other end. Anyone ever just cut a disk of wax and placed it over the ball or put the wad on top of the ball rather than under it? (The idea being to keep the lube out of the powder.)

Trying to figure out the best way to set up for carry in wet conditions and/or long term storage of a loaded cylinder.

 

[arcticap]

I did make wax board disks from juice cartons using the optional Triple P loader cutter attachment.
It's said that a short section of aquarium tubing can be used to seal caps on nipples but I've never tried it and I can't say how much risk of a malfunction would be created if it was used on a revolver as opposed to a single shot.
But there's many useful suggestions in the 2 following threads:

1. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=425008&highlight=seal+caps

2. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=401991&highlight=seal+caps

 

[Voodoochile]

Well now, arcticap is on the ball.
I was going to bring up my old thread but he's don'e it for me, thanx bud..

 

[flmason]

Good stuff gentlemen.

The nail polish idea I kind of like. I was thinking I could do the same with rubber cement actually, but it could be removed more easily. And either would have the possible advantage that recoil is less likely to decap the other cylinders.

Now... about this H.R. 45 thing mentioned over in the other threads...

WHY ISN'T THIS GETTING AIRPLAY FROM THE RIGHT WING MEDIA LIKE FOX, LIMBAUGH, ETC.???

I've heard nothing but Micheal Jackson B.S. all week on even the conservative radio stations. (Can't say I even think they are conservative, I don't know what to think about some of the stuff I hear on those stations these days. And the Liberal stations are just as bad but in the other direction. In the mean time... our rights are being chipped away.)

 

[Gryffydd]

WHY ISN'T THIS GETTING AIRPLAY FROM THE RIGHT WING MEDIA LIKE FOX, LIMBAUGH, ETC.???

Dunno...maybe because it's been dead as could be from the time it was introduced. Didn't get a single co sponsor, never made its way out of committee.
Google H.R. 45. 2nd result:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45
Take a deep breath and verify the status of something before hollering about it.

 

[Oyeboten]

Collodion is essentilly a thin, fast drying, liquid 'Gun Cotton' in-effect...and, a thin film of it would entirely dis-appear and combust when the Cylinder/Cap is fired...


Bee's Wax would seem simplest...either applied topically to a 'warm' Revolver while melted, or, maybe, dissolved in Hexane or Benzine or something, and, applied 'cold' with a fine Brush...

 

[flmason]

Most excellent.

Geezus I hate the gun control freaks.

Doesn't anyone realize the 1st amendment was some really important stuff... and the 2nd amendment was the insurance policy? LOL!

If there weren't any guns then the bad guys would just use swords and baseball bats. The problem is people, not guns.

(Steps off soap box... sorry for "jumping the gun" on this one. One of the few political issues I really worry about.)

 

[flmason]

@Oyeboton - I'd be a little worried about anything too combustible at the back end of the cylinder like a nitrocellulose colloidon. I'm envisioning it making a flash that could get nasty?

 

[Oyeboten]

Lol...


One would only need to use avery tiny amount...I doubt you'd ever notice anything...


Regular women's 'Nail Polish' is about the same thing anyway...being essentially old time Aeroplane 'Dope' for Painting Fabric Wings and Fusilages...ie: Nitrocellulose ( ie:'Gun Cotton' ) dissolved in Benzine or Naphta or other...

 

[flmason]

@Oyeboton - Hmm... interesting. Guess I'll have to take a match to some nail polish and see what happens, LOL! Had no idea it was nitro based. (I thought most nitro finishes had been banned for environmental reasons.)

 

[flmason]

Doesn't anyone worry about the heat and possibly flame with all these wax based solutions to this problem? (That's why I was thinking rubber cement initially. Goes on and dries at room temp., no flames or heating element needed.)

 

[Oyeboten]

There's always a 'flash' out of the sides of the Cap anyway...even with nothing on it...

 

[flmason]

@Oyeboten - Oh sorry... I meant while *applying* the wax.