Sharps patching machine

[5.7 MAN]

Anyone ever seen a sharps paper patch rolling machine? I think someone on here mentioned that by the end of the sharps era sharps had a machine that would patch thousands of bullets a day. What did it look like?

[country gent]

I dont know Ive heard of this machine never seen a picture of it. From what I have read most of the patches were rolled on by laides and girls some of who could do several thousand a day. It would be interesting to see a machine do this operation and its actual consistency. I have heard of people using cigerette rollers to wrap patches also.

[barrabruce]

try these links.
http://www.bpcr.net/images/Borchardt/index.htm

http://www.google.com/patents/US257585
and there are probably more.
Yes after you build me a lowly 200 hr jobbie for 30 cal I'll give it thorough testing for you for free for several decades to make sure it works properly and will last.

barra

[Lowpower]

II have heard of people using cigerette rollers to wrap patches also.

I have also heard of people using cigarette rolling machines but for the life of me I can't find any at any of the tabacco shops in my area. When I was a kid you could find them anywhere.

[country gent]

A local carry out has them, there like $4 or $5.00. But I perfer my patching board over most other ways. Its quick easy and locates patch and bullet the same everytime. A few rolls on its rails and the patch is tight. fold over the bottom and its done. I drilled holes for 2 wood dowel rails instead a saw blade cut. The rails are 3/8" dia oak dowels 3" long set in the board on 7/16 centers and 5/16" down from face. The dowels are epoxy finished and polished smooth.

[303Guy]

Making a patching machine is on my to do list. Nothing like the Borchardt machine though. Mine will be more like a cigarette roller with a crank handle, guides, boolit locator and a third roller.

[perotter]

I spent a little time and gave up on using a cigarette roller years ago. It was the box type of roller. I do believe that some of this type(the black plastic Top brand) are designed to only roll a certain diameter. The metal Rizza one is a move versatile in the area of diameter.

I do think that the method would work, but needs to be redesigned a little for this use.

[StrawHat]

A local carry out has them, there like $4 or $5.00. But I perfer my patching board over most other ways. Its quick easy and locates patch and bullet the same everytime. A few rolls on its rails and the patch is tight. fold over the bottom and its done. I drilled holes for 2 wood dowel rails instead a saw blade cut. The rails are 3/8" dia oak dowels 3" long set in the board on 7/16 centers and 5/16" down from face. The dowels are epoxy finished and polished smooth.

Having trouble with my minds eye, can you post a photo?

Kevin

[barrabruce]

looks like 303 guy wants one of these super modern ones. :D

https://www.google.com/patents/US136352?dq=bullet+patching+machine&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDMQ6AEwA2oVChMI3Nuzt8CMxgIV4dimCh1dfwDh

Never been done before.
Who wudda thunk it.

[country gent]

Well I worked in the food industry for years (Campbells Soups) and they put labels on cans at 1000 / min or a little better than. The tops rollers are just a couple r ollers one sliding with a dand over them.

[5.7 MAN]

Thanks for the replies! I should have googled first.

i think for me the idea that an early Industrial Age machine could perform such a delicate task reliably is amazing.

As for my patching, I just picked up a poly cutting board that was on clearance in the market, it has a deep blood groove around the outside edge, I've only patched a few bullets on it but it seems to work pretty well. It will also Be my wad punching board.

imagine having 25,000 patched bullets sitting in a box ready to go!

[Harry Eales]

The original Paper Patching Machine designed by Hugo Borchardt for the Sharps Rifle Co in Bridgeport was almost certainly built and possibly in several calibres. However, these were likely built just before the Sharps Co., went into bankruptcy. It is likely that when disposing of the assets of the Company that these paper patching machines were sold to the Union Metallic Cartridge Co., also in Bridgeport. The Patent by Hobbs et al. http://www.google.com/patents/US257585 is an improvement only for the original Borchardt design and it was assigned to the UMC Co. This does make me wonder why the UMC Co., would purchase the patent if they didn't have the original machines.

There are references to female employees working on paper patching were capable of turning out 12,000 patched bullet per day. Assuming that one of these girls worked a 12 hour day, (not unusual at the time) and took no relief, coffee, or lunch breaks, then she would have to patch 1,000 bullets per hour, that works out at 16.66 bullets per minute, a figure I submit is impossible for even the most nimble fingers. To produce that rate of patching only a machine could cope with that number. The PP bullets produced by Sharps were made by hydraulic presses in the Bridgeport factory rather than by casting, so a high volume of production could be maintained. The patches which were pre cut were held in a magazine on the PP machine itself. The patches were applied slightly damp having been moistened by a jet of steam playing over each one exposed. A tiny dab of 'mucilage' or adhesive to use modern terminology, was applied to each bullet as it passed a certain point, this adhesive pulled the outer patch in the magazine out of the magazine, and, as the patching table rotated it wrapped the patch around the bullet and folded over a small overhang of the patch at the base of the bullet in over.

How the bullets were supplied to the machine is not shown or stated in the patents. Sadly, as with all patents, no dimensions are given and there is no guarantee that even the parts shown are to scale. Eventually I believe that UNC was absorbed by Remington. So just perhaps, in some dusty old warehouse or storeroom belonging to Remington, maybe one or more of the machines is gathering dust, forgotten about, unattended and unloved. It's a nice thought that one may come to light, but after so long it's likely they were sold as scrap.

Harry

[country gent]

Alot of factories didnt sell off old equipment but dismantled destroyed it and scrapped it. Or salvaged parts to be reused and such. This was the way it was done as selling off working equipmnt ment you could be competeing against it at some point in the future. Alot of this equipment was made in house and was a closly gaurded secret. However if there were patents issued or applied for the Patent office should have the drawings on file still and if the patents are expired they should be available for viewing.

[BrentD]

I think you will probably find that bullet patching matching machine lying right next to Galatine and Excaliber in some tumbled down chicken coop somewhere. The patching machine has taken on nearly mythical proportions. I can't imagine a use for it today however. We can roll the limited numbers of bullets that we need today, just fine and dandy by hand.

[Old-Win]

I'd much rather find Metford's foot operated bullet swaging press![smilie=w:

[Sharpsman]

This is the only 'patching machine' you need:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7654/16451154013_5f424ed8f1_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/r4JsWr)Patch board (https://flic.kr/p/r4JsWr) by Rick Mulhern (https://www.flickr.com/photos/61286670@N08/), on Flickr

[5.7 MAN]

This is mine.

[johnson1942]

if you can get ahold of the guys that sell loaded cartridges for black powder guns out of the black hills in s.dak. they have a working sharps paperpatch machine. they planned on useing it but that may not have happened. they may not be in business anymore. i know they moved a couple of times and i dont remember their name. talk to them on the phone alot years ago and was assured the machine worked fine and was in good shape. its still out their some where.

[perotter]

I'd be very interested in seeing that Sharps paper patch machine and especially seeing it run. I do like machines and seeing how they work. I wouldn't really want to own it for actually paper patching, as the very little I do it wouldn't be worth the time keeping it going.

[Harry Eales]

Hello Brent,
Respectfully I have to disagree with your perceived current location of the Borchardt Bullet Patching machine(s) in a mystical place. I do believe that at least a few were made. Looking at the Sharps Catalogues for 1877 and 1878-9 they are offering several bullet weights for each calibre made, only a very few of these were offered in grease groove format. So Sharps needed a large volume of PP bullets not only for their loaded ammo but also as spare bullets to be available to the hand loader on the plains who may not have the necessary experience or time to cast his own bullets or PP them. Even loading between 50 and 100 rounds out on the prairie would not be easy, neither would casting and PP'ing, I know it was done, but not by everyone. Given that for a period of thirty years in both Europe and the USA the PP bullet reigned supreme many tens of millions must have been made, and having machines to do the patching would have reduced labour costs considerable. I haven't found any bullet patching machines allocated to other ammunition manufacturers, but there are several Patent's relating to applying paper patches by machine. I would agree that todays shooter doesn't have the need for possibly several dozen rounds a day, but some of those old time Buffalo hunters certainly did. However, I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree in out opinions on this matter.
Harry.

[Harry Eales]

if you can get ahold of the guys that sell loaded cartridges for black powder guns out of the black hills in s.dak. they have a working sharps paperpatch machine. they planned on useing it but that may not have happened. they may not be in business anymore. i know they moved a couple of times and i dont remember their name. talk to them on the phone alot years ago and was assured the machine worked fine and was in good shape. its still out their some where.

johnson1943,

If you ever recall their name and have a contact address I would be very grateful if you would let me know their particulars, either by posting here in this Forum or via a PM. Most obliged.

Harry

[BrentD]

Oh, I believe they were made, but I just don't think they exist any more.

As for loading 100 round on the prairie, not so hard. Casting would have been the hardest part. But either way, the machines that undoubtedly once existed have been searched for by dozens, if not hundreds, of serious collectors w/o success. I think they are long since left the mortal world as we know it.

Brent

[5.7 MAN]

I suspect they were rounded up during the scrap drives of WW I and WWII. Anyone have any idea when the last factory produced PP cartridge left the factory? I think for instance factory spencer ammo was catalogued until around WW I.