(10-03-2023, 02:23 PM)Snarl Wrote: 20 bucks sounds like it 'would be' a pretty good deal. There's more than a bit of touch labor in there.
Are those just straight holes? What's the depth? It'll be easier if there's no lid. You sure you don't want it hinged? If you want a lid ... I'm gonna make you attach it if there's glue involved. LOL
I'm betting you'd like a better wood than pine too. Something bordering on a collectible item. A dark stain would look nice on walnut.
What'll it be, Sir?
I got out all my high-tech measuring equipment (steel rule and a set of calipers) and measured the 7-hole block - the one without a lid.
3 3/4 in long
1 9/16 in high
9/16 in wide
The holes are 13/32 dia 1 1/4 deep
Now as I mentioned above, those dimensions don't really fit the bullets they were made for. I can squeeze a bullet into the holes if it's bare, and can tap it down, but a naked bullet ain't a cartridge. The cartridge "envelopes" (casings) are made of nitrated paper, nitrated so that it'll burn to mostly ash upon firing, and not foul the chambers or the bore with bits of paper. I nitrate the paper myself with potassium nitrate (stump remover for working folks that ain't scientists), and the paper I use is coffee filters, rather than cigarette papers, so it's a little heavier than the cigarette papers.
Because of the thickness of the paper added to the bullet, as well as the layer of glue to hold it there, the holes are not big enough around to allow cartridges in. So unless I'm using round balls or Colt pattern bullets, I don't use those blocks.
I think final dimensions that would work would increase a little bit, as follows:
3 7/8 in long ( 3 15/16, see below)
1 9/16 in high
5/8 in wide
holes 7/16 dia 1 1/4 deep
But to put seven 7/16 inch holes in it, evenly spaced on 9/16 inch centers, would take a block 3 15/16 inches long. That 7th hole is pretty important. The leather cartridge boxes for my belt will hold 3 of those blocks, wrapped and loaded, but that leaves no room for a tin of caps, so caps for the cartridges go into that 7th hole.
Originally, they were made out of whatever lumber the sawmill had handy, so mostly pine, but I'm sure some walnut, chestnut, and other stuff got mixed in occasionally, too. But the pine is easiest to work, so it was preferred..
The hinged boxes are more complicated. They're 3 1/8 inches long, since they've only got 6 holes, and the hole in the body block is shorter, because the bullet sticks out, and is covered by the lid - meaning the lids have to have matching holes. Looks to me like they'd be a pain in the ass to make, not to mention not having any place to keep the caps. If I were going to make that sort for myself, I'd just bore the hole through, then saw off the cap part and cap that cap with a thin strip of wood. Much easier and more versatile to just go with the 7 hole basic blocks, and "lid" it with the paper wrapping to hold everything in place.
To wrap 'em, a jig is handy. it's just a block of wood with upright sides on it sized to hold a sheet of wrapping paper and the block itself. You lay the paper in, then a pull string to tear the paper open with, then a loaded wood block of cartridges. wrap the string around the block so that an end hangs out, fold the paper over it and glue the ends, making sure the pull string is available, and let it dry. Wax it up to weatherproof it, slap on a label, and you're done.
They used to hire women and kids to do the cartridge making and packing. Colt's munitions plant in Connecticut blew up during the Civil War (they believe one of the boys was trying to light a smoke - in a powder house no less!) and killed a bunch of them.
What would you estimate a few of those 7-hole boxes with the bigger dimensionss to cost?
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