Had an idea on making felt wads

[Mr_Sheesh]

Has anyone tried cutting their wads out using a laser cutter?

I cannot find a 15/32" wad punch which should be "just right" for 1860s, had the idea of trying this just to see if it'd work.

May try it in a while; Own a laser cutter but it's at a friends' (who has a place he can put it) 40 miles or so North of me.

[GregLaROCHE]

No harm in trying.

[charlie b]

Laser cutter will work fine on felt. I had a 75watt.

But, they take forever (we charged $2 per minute for cutting) to do a lot of small circles like that. By the time you buy the felt, cut it, lube them you have more time than it would cost to buy some.

FWIW, it is faster to get a punch die for your reloading press and do them by hand. That way you could cut them after you lube the felt.

(If you lube the felt before cutting in the laser you get a real mess. Fogs the laser lens and leaves residue in the cabinet)

Sent from my SM-P580 using Tapatalk

[Nobade]

Buffalo Arms has those great punch dies that mount in your press for about $50. I use the 45 rifle one to make felt wads for 44 revolvers. Works slick and you can make a thousand of them in very little time. Cut your felt into 1/2 inch strips first.

[Mac118]

I've made wad punches out of straight wall cartridge cases when standard sizes wouldn't work. I cut the rim off and file a sharp edge on one end. 38 cases, 45-70, 500 S&W etc. Hit'em with a leather mallet and they cut through durafelt very effectively. Have also tried copper pipe. A little soft and need to resharpen often, but it seems to work for my .54.

[bob208]

use a 7/16 punch. when you seat the ball they smash out to size. I use that size for grease cookies in .45-70. if the size difference worries you that much take the 7/16 punch and hone it out.

[LynC2]

Or go to Harbor Freight and buy their cheap gasket making punches, one of them should work or with a small modification.

[Mr_Sheesh]

OK, if 7/16" works then I can just do that. Just always thinking on how to do things "better"

[country gent]

At work we uses a piece of mechanical tubing and machined to size needed. sharpened with a 15* angle on the iust side only. Hardened this and sharpened to a fine knife edge. chucked in drill press and a block of wood ( end grain is preferred) lay felt on block run drill press around 1500 rpm and cut thru cutting discs to fill tube then push out into container.
This way you get good clean edges no fraying.

A sharp leather punch will work edges may be angled a little but normally get use able wads. A true shim punch while it cuts plastics steel and brass cleanly with felts or cloths they tend to bind on the fibers getting between punch and die.

[DaveM]

For .44 caliber revolver wads, I use the 7/16" punch from a HF set. I polished the inside of it with a stone in my Dremel. This makes the cuts cleaner and the felt comes out more nicely. I'm using 1/8" thick felt from Durofelt.

My set is for hand punching but I put the punch in the chuck in my mill/drill and use a piece of scrap wood under the felt. It's much faster than banging them out with a hammer.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I'm thinking for Pietta Model 1858 Black Powder Revolvers, they're sorta .44 and sorta .45 (I need to slug the bores, but think they're a little over .440 because of the available conversion cylinders that let you put .45 ACP or .45 LC in them) so I was thinking I needed a bit larger wads. Seems not I guess!

[William Yanda]

Thanks for asking. Short circuited my thinking.

[Geezer in NH]

I'm a thinking cheaper option is buy the wads in the size wanted.

A yoke style cutter is cheap compared to a laser and if commercial a steel punch will be more useful.

I have a laser cutting machinist near me and just cutting a serial # and location on a part took over a 1/2 hour as his machine was low wattage.

The commercial laser marker I used in my barrel business cut the logos and warnings in about 15 seconds each piece. They also cut many other manufactures markings for them. We got them through the maker of the barrels.

[rfd]

the cornell press wad cutter (that nobade mentioned) works Amazingly well, i've cut thousands of .40 and .45 wads with mine and would be lost without these great tools. a note to fred cornell might get him to make one for a specific diameter wad.

[stubshaft]

Buffalo Bore sells a .45 arch punch which I use for all of my BP 44/45 pistols.

[Mr_Sheesh]

stubshaft, Track of the Wolf sells one but didn't see it at Buffalo Bore?

[Drm50]

I have made felt wads and cleaning patches on drill press. Grind the teeth off hole saws. If you can't find a hole
saw close enough to grind to specs a piece of tubing will work. If it's brass you have to give it time, to much pressure on it while rotating can deform or collapse it. I tack several layers of material on a piece of sheeting
scrap and put in press vice. Even steady pressure cuts felt well.