Dave Markowitz
Member
I like to shoot replica cap and ball revolvers. For example, replicas of the Remington New Model Army and especially the Rogers & Spencer. These have 8" long barrels, which is a little longer than the pistol cleaning rods you can buy off the shelf. So, I decided to make my own using a 12" long 1/4" 360 brass rod and a piece of 5/8" 6061 aluminum for the handle.
The first thing I did was face one end of the rod, then drill and tap it 8-32, to accept standard cleaning brushes and jags. Here's a picture of how I used my lathe to hold the tap straight. When using this technique, you're using the lathe only as a tapping guide, with the power off.
Next, I took a length of 5/8" aluminum rod, faced one end, then drilled a hole to accept the point of my live center. Then I knurled a section that's a little longer than my hand. Use plenty of lubricant when knurling. WD-40 seems to work well for knurling aluminum.
With the knurling done, the next step was to drill a hole for the rod. Since I wanted the hole to be a snug fit, I drilled it out to 7/32" then reamed it with a 1/4" chucking reamer.
I used a pin to secure the rod to the handle. First I drilled out a hole large enough for a 6d nail, using my milling machine as a drill press.
Finally, I drove a 6d nail through the cross hole, snipped it to length, then peened it on both ends so it stays put. It's solid. Here's the finished cleaning rod, fitted with a .44 caliber jag from a set I bought a few years ago at Cabela's.
One thing I'll add is a muzzle protector. I didn't make one since there's one on the rod I've been using, that I'll move over to the new rod. This will make cleaning my percussion revolvers easier since it will take a brush or cleaning patch all the way through the bore. It will also make a good loading rod for single shot black powder pistols.
The first thing I did was face one end of the rod, then drill and tap it 8-32, to accept standard cleaning brushes and jags. Here's a picture of how I used my lathe to hold the tap straight. When using this technique, you're using the lathe only as a tapping guide, with the power off.
Next, I took a length of 5/8" aluminum rod, faced one end, then drilled a hole to accept the point of my live center. Then I knurled a section that's a little longer than my hand. Use plenty of lubricant when knurling. WD-40 seems to work well for knurling aluminum.
With the knurling done, the next step was to drill a hole for the rod. Since I wanted the hole to be a snug fit, I drilled it out to 7/32" then reamed it with a 1/4" chucking reamer.
I used a pin to secure the rod to the handle. First I drilled out a hole large enough for a 6d nail, using my milling machine as a drill press.
Finally, I drove a 6d nail through the cross hole, snipped it to length, then peened it on both ends so it stays put. It's solid. Here's the finished cleaning rod, fitted with a .44 caliber jag from a set I bought a few years ago at Cabela's.
One thing I'll add is a muzzle protector. I didn't make one since there's one on the rod I've been using, that I'll move over to the new rod. This will make cleaning my percussion revolvers easier since it will take a brush or cleaning patch all the way through the bore. It will also make a good loading rod for single shot black powder pistols.
