How to make combustible paper cartridges

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8.4.12 HOW TO MAKE COMBUSTIBLE PAPER CARTRIDGES
Harry Eales

Making nitrated paper isn't difficult, all you need is a few ounces of Potassium Nitrate. Dissolve this in a small quantity of hot water until no more will dissolve. (a saturated solution). Pour this concentrated solution into a plastic or metal dish, a photographers developing dish is handy. Obtain some 'onion skin' typing paper and soak each sheet in the tray and hang them up to dry, much like photographers did with developed film. Let it dry and then cut it to the required shape to make the cartridge.
Make a slightly tapered former, and wrap the nitrated paper around it once with a slight overlap and lightly glue the seam.
I found it helpful when making such cartridges for a .577 Enfield ML to tie the top of the paper cartridge into a bullets grease groove with a single strand of strong cotton thread. Needless to say, but keep the treated sheets well away from anything that could cause them to ignite. Have fun.
A word of caution though in their use especially in Muzzle loaders. If there are smoldering remnants of the case left after firing, a new cartridge may go off when loaded. That's why they had wet sponges used between rounds on the old muzzle loading cannon. Better safe than sorry, especially in today's world where Lawyers are always ready to sue.
I suppose a wet or rather damp, lambs wool mop down the barrel on the end of a ramrod between shots, wouldn't come amiss, and it would help soften any powder fouling present.

"Let it dry and then cut it to the required shape to make the cartridge."

Why not cut it to shape first? That's what we used to do making cartridges for my friend's .54 Sharps Carbine reproduction.

We also wrapped it wet around the base of the Miníe ball with a shaped wooden mandrel stuck in it's hollow base and sized to support the paper at the same diameter as the Miníe ball. To dry, put the partially assembled cartridge, ball down, in a wood tray cut to size. Done that way, the wet paper cylinder sticks to itself when it drys.

Once dry, we poured the measured black powder charge (FFg or FFFg, I forget now) into the formed cartridge, applied a little Elmers glue, and held the "tail" together to dry with a clothspin.

The Sharps is a breech loader and the tail of the cartridge is cut off when the block is raised. A musket cap never failed to set it off, and NO residue left behind.

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Originally Posted by joeb33050

Help!!!Comments?Errors?
8.4.12 HOW TO MAKE COMBUSTIBLE PAPER CARTRIDGES
Harry Eales

Make a slightly tapered former, and wrap the nitrated paper around it once with a slight overlap and lightly glue the seam.

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Never done this before so my question is...glue it with what? Does it make a difference? Regards, Woody

Why sweat making your own nitrated paper? Rolling Papers are already nitrated and work just fine.

Here's a good link: http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=144094

I shot a paper cutter Sharps for a few years in comp.Started out with adding machine paper nitrated. Used kids paste,glue stick,blue elmers glue and sodium sillicate. All worked,last is best.
E-Z wider papers work well. Gets two wraps around mandrel.Smaller ones need two sheets. I have bad luck with these.They are way too fragile for my fingers in raipd shooting.I end up with a cartridge box full of loose ff.
I know some that swear by phone book paper,plain un nitrated?
For shooting a musket use the US armory method. Bite off end of paper cartridge,pour powder,rip paper off minne and load.No paper was to be loaded into a Springfield.Now the Britts ... If using a Enfield just say you are using captured Yankee ammo.
From what I hear making paper cartridges for a pistol is not worth your time.