How to make percussion caps without a die II

[DragoonRick]

This is a new thread to consolidate and present this topic in a concise and accurate presentation. I also have more information that has been developed in the last few months while working to improve the cap making process.
And please to any of the many who have read the first thread and contributed ideas and questions I’d like to hear more.
Thanks
Rick.
  And Adam Brackin

[ShotgunDave]

Looking forward to you doing this Rick. I think as you add to it, I'll sticky this thread to the top so it's easily found. This is great information.

[DragoonRick]

 
How to Make Percussion Caps Without a Die.
By Rick Foster and Adam Brackin
Anyone who uses a black powder firearm knows you need some sort of percussion cap to make it fire. Except for flintlock guns or modern in-line guns, most of us must use percussion caps to fire our black powder rifles and revolvers. Caps are single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks, enabling them to fire reliably regardless of the weather.
9
My two Remington revolvers simply will not function without caps!  
And yet, percussion caps have been rather difficult to find during this Covid-19 era. Along with ammo and numerous other shooting supplies, percussion caps are consistently “out of stock.” I have found only a few places with a can or two of #10 and #11 caps still on display, but they are hard to find and too-often even harder to afford. Early on, I saw cans of caps for $25.00 or more! That was what got me thinking about how to make my own percussion caps.
The ancestry of all guns is traceable to the 1300’s, beginning with rudimentary iron tubes fixed to a pole. The powdered charge—any of several early black powder recipes—was loaded down the bore. But of course, some way was needed to set off the charge. Thus, the powder was ignited through a touch hole via a fuse or direct flame. Surprisingly little has changed in principle; even today’s modern cartridge weapons have a touch hole under the primer which is really a sophisticated percussion cap.
The percussion cap era of weapons began around the 1830’s when several inventers found the explosive fulminate of mercury could be used to set off a black powder charge in a rifle or pistol.  The plains rifles and revolvers of the 1840s to 1870s used percussion caps. Civil War soldiers, both north and south, used hundreds of thousands of percussion caps to fire their Colt and Remington revolvers, in addition to their military muskets.
We do the same with our replica period guns, which brings us back to the issue at hand. They simply will not function without caps

[DragoonRick]

Shotgun I’m really grateful for your support.
Rick.

[DragoonRick]

I’m outlining this topic under: tools, material and process.

Through trial and error, I achieved the best results with a half-inch leather hole punch and copper sheets. In doing research on the size, I found the average size of store-bought caps to be .160 inches wide and about the same height. That makes the original disk a total of .48 inches wide, and since a half-inch punch cuts out a disk about 7/16ths in., it is very close to the .48- inch diameter .  The resulting caps fit very well on my Colt and Remington revolvers as well as my Hawken rifle, but it is not an exact replica, so there is plenty of room for you to adjust and test your own results.

[DragoonRick]

Next you need to make a forming “die” of hard wood like oak or walnut..  it should be 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. Couple of inches wide and 6 inches or so long.  Whatever comes from your scrap pile.  Drill a hole in this (probably near center) with a drill bit The diameter of the cap you want.  Trial and error works here. My best hole is a bit larger than a #10 cap.
   In the top of the hole cut a counter sink funnel shape entry.  Next and importantly carve a star with six or eight points. That each curve down into the drilled hole.  This is the cap forming die. The star provides release as the foil disk have to fold as they are pushed through the board.

[DragoonRick]

The goal here is to use the unpowered drill press with the ID bit to push the disk through the hole to form the cup. It is important that the drill bit be locked into the chuck with the shank down so that the rod is smooth. Remember, the drill press is simply the press for the cup and can remain safely locked and unplugged for this process.
Now you are ready to carefully center the metal disk under the drill bit and over the forming hole. Off-center cups will deform and cannot be used.  You can push the formed cup through the hole in the drill table and catch them in some container. But if you put a piece of board or metal under the hole you can form a nice squared base to the cup.
  An alternative method is to use screw driver with a proper diameter shank with the tip cut off . You can form the caps by hand power ver easily. But carefully center the screwdriver or you will have of center useless results.  I’ve done that to many times.   Clamp the forming board to the drill table centered for best results.

[Zulch]

DragoonRick, this is awesome stuff man👍 I did a quick glance through but intend on a more thorough reading soon when I have a little more time to digest at which I may have some questions 😊 thank you so much for your post! I’m be back👍 Tim

[Captainkirk]

Thanks for posting this, Rick. I know all of us have wondered at one time or another if we shouldn't have a go at rolling our own...

[Hawg]

Wondering about heavy foil. Like the bottom of a roasting pan.

[DragoonRick]

To all I’ll be adding more information tomorrow.  Hawg,  The aluminum from roasting pans or pie pans works great.  I have been experimenting with paper role caps the last few days. The hole punches t got of 1/8 and 1/4 inch were not useful because the little paper disk kelp sliding to one side or the other. But my wife to the rescue. She has a 1/4 inch punch that punches out a star shape. These were much easier to fix in the percussion cup with a proper size dowel. I easily put four in a cup made of Arizona Tea can. Loaded easily fired easily and no plastic residue.
Rick

[G Dog]

Wondering about heavy foil. Like the bottom of a roasting pan.

... Or that heavy sealing foil on top of unopened coffee cans.

[DragoonRick]

If you have limited space and need to make caps, my solution is to make them at your desk or table. I place the forming board on a solid surface.  I push the disk through the hole with a screwdriver that has been cut down. I also use a star driver for the same purpose . A proper star screw driver works great.

[Captainkirk]

Star driver...now how come I never thought of that?

[DragoonRick]

Priming the Caps
My final challenge was finding the best method of priming the cups. This step can be tedious and time-consuming, or you can get creative, but the whole point is to make reliable caps that work.
There are several choices, and lots of information can be found in survival manuals and on the internet. Most methods require time and patience to charge a small number of caps.  I’ve seen lots of good reports on “Sharpshooter” priming compounds, but I have not tried it.

Alternatively, you might try the “strike anywhere” matches method. To do this, the matchheads are crushed separately, with the green part in one pile and the white tips in another. These ingredients are carefully blended, and very small amounts are poured in the percussion cup, followed by some sort of glue or alcohol to set the charge. I have not tried this method, but I have some of those matches in reserve.

My personal method is the use of old toy revolver red ring caps. I have a couple of thousand, saved up from several years ago. I did discover that after several years the red plastic disintegrates, however, the charge is as powerful as ever! I first cut the toy caps from the ring and trim the sprues from each one with scissors. Then, during the disk shaping phase, I place one red cap on the ID drill bit used to form the cup before carefully aligning the bit and disk over the forming hole as normal. Finally, slowly lower the bit with the red cap onto the disk, forming a charged percussion cap in one easy step!  The cup grips there’d cap as it is formed. It makes a percussion cap that fits well on my revolvers.

If everything is centered, it makes a very functional percussion cap. These have worked well on my revolvers and rifles. Do note that the red cap charge is corrosive, similar to eastern bloc rifle ammo, so even if you use a few percussion caps for testing, you still must clean your cylinders and revolver nipples, or you will see rust in a day or two.