MY ROD IS SWELLED UP

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flashpoint

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Unfortunately I had to hunt in the rain for 12 hours today (didn't get a shot), Now I find my ramrod is so swelled up that I can't budge it from the thimbles. I put a T handle on it, stood on the handle and still can't pull it out. I really don't want to pull the brass tip off the ramrod. Does anyone know of any "tricks" they can share other than just plain old air drying? Thanks.
 
If you have a heat gun you could use that to dry it a bit quicker. If you are married, your wife most likely has a hair dryer, which would work too.

When you get it out, put some finish on it, followed by some paste wax to keep it from happening again.

Good luck.
 
Yes dry it and you may have to twist and turn it in order for it to come out.
 
Reminds me of the time, back in 1982, when I discovered I had a stuck ramrod at the start of a hunt with an unloaded rifle. I was out in the middle of nowhere and there wasn't much I could do about it.
While we're on the subject, what kind of "finish" should be applied to prevent this problem?
 
Reminds me of the time, back in 1982, when I discovered I had a stuck ramrod at the start of a hunt with an unloaded rifle. I was out in the middle of nowhere and there wasn't much I could do about it.
While we're on the subject, what kind of "finish" should be applied to prevent this problem?
I use several coats of shellac to waterproof and seal my wooden arrow shafts.
 
Flashpoint,
After you get it dried, I mean good and dry.....that is going to make the wood dry brittle. Means you can't whip it up and down without it breaking. All my wood rods, hawk and knife handles get this fix. After I finish staining, burning or whatever treatment they get and are dry. I soak them. I get a 48" long 3" diameter PVC pipe, cap off one end (seal glue) and cap the other end with a screw off/on cap. I fill this tube with a mixture of 8 ounces of transmission fluid and add white kerosene to make the tube about 3/4 full. Add in the rods, handles what ever other wood items you want done. I put plumbers tape on the cap threads and tighten and lean the tube so the contents get completely soaked with this mixture. I soaked for about 4 to 7 days and tip back and forth to swish contents and keep liquid mixed. When I felt the process was well done, I'd remove the mixture to a white storage plastic (kerosene Container for future use). I'd wipe soaked rods and parts with rags and set out to air the fumes from the rods. They now have an oil soaked process and after they air out an oil based finish can be used, if desired. They also will have some flexibility to minimize cracking and won't soak up moisture.
 
Thanks for the info Jack. I will look forward to doing that to the rod as soon as I get the #%@*%!!!! thing out. I've attached a T handle to it turning it back and forth. The wood is finally moving a bit in the thimbles. However, where it goes into the metal part of the fore-stock it still is frustratingly tight. I am sure there is no way from the outside to take that part off to give me better access to the wood. and there is no way to take the barrel off because of the ramrod. Thanks again.
 
Flashpoint,
After you get it dried, I mean good and dry.....that is going to make the wood dry brittle. Means you can't whip it up and down without it breaking. All my wood rods, hawk and knife handles get this fix. After I finish staining, burning or whatever treatment they get and are dry. I soak them. I get a 48" long 3" diameter PVC pipe, cap off one end (seal glue) and cap the other end with a screw off/on cap. I fill this tube with a mixture of 8 ounces of transmission fluid and add white kerosene to make the tube about 3/4 full. Add in the rods, handles what ever other wood items you want done. I put plumbers tape on the cap threads and tighten and lean the tube so the contents get completely soaked with this mixture. I soaked for about 4 to 7 days and tip back and forth to swish contents and keep liquid mixed. When I felt the process was well done, I'd remove the mixture to a white storage plastic (kerosene Container for future use). I'd wipe soaked rods and parts with rags and set out to air the fumes from the rods. They now have an oil soaked process and after they air out an oil based finish can be used, if desired. They also will have some flexibility to minimize cracking and won't soak up moisture.
 
Thanks Jack. I will do just that just as soon as I get the #@#%%&^**##!! rod out. I put a T handle on and now the rod twists somewhat in the thimbles as I move it back and forth. However, it still is tight where the rod goes into the fore-stock. I suppose there is no way to remove that metal end on the stock so I can get better access to the wood. And of course I can't get the barrel off because of the ramrod situation. I guess continuing to hit that area with a hairdryer is my only option. Thanks again.
 
Drill a 1/16'' hole crossways through the rod tips. push a piece of 1/16 brass rod in the hole with epoxy glue, let cure then trim it off and file it flat. Now your ramrod tips wont just pop off at highly inconvenient times.
 
IT'S OUT!!! After 3 days I finally pulled the sucker out! I had been heating it with a hair dryer and putting it into a 400 degree oven to dry it out which I think it did; but it was still stuck because I think even though it was dry, the HEAT caused the wood to expand. Then I got to thinking how I could get the wood to contract? On-line it said that COLD will contract wood. So being it was freezing here last night, I left the gun out in the garage. This morning it started to budge and I was able to pull it all out but the last 5" were still in. Because we had some snow. I laid that part of the gun in the snow this morning and even covered it with an ice pack. Several hours later I tried to pull it all the way out and the rod still didn't budge. It was impossible to even rotate the rod to get some movement in that area. Hmmmm..... Then I wondered what happens to metal when it is cold? I fund out that metal contracts. So on one hand I am trying to contract the wood but making it cold. In doing so, the cold was also contracting the metal. So I took out the hairdryer and carefully tried heating only the metal. After about 15 minutes of this I gave one major pull (after I hooked the T handle which was screwed into the brass rod tip in the crotch of a tree) The "pull" changed it from a T handle to a Y handle. However SUCCESS, the rest of the rod popped out. OH the JOY!! I am sure at this point everyone reading this is greatly relieved and can now get a full nights sleep. with no worries that they have to spend any more time thinking about this annoying subject. Anyway, thank you for your suggestions and words of encouragement. They are appreciated.
 
Congratulations! Some ordeal, eh?
Kinda makes me wonder how many mountain men, pioneers, and soldiers lost their lives because of this exact problem a couple of hundred years ago.
 
Love the title of your post! a wise man told me "never complain when that happens". Glad you figured it out.
 
Now what is your plan to prevent this in the future and is the rod still viable for use? BTW what kind of wood was that rod made from?
 
Thanks Fiddler and Bobby. Yeah, that is an interesting thought. Maybe they kept greasing it with bear or beaver fat so it wouldn't swell up? TB, I got the rod from Track of the Wolf. I do have to say that it is super strong. When I was trying to pull it out I accidently pushed it forward and it bent sideways quite a bit then went right back into place. It didn't even split or splinter (thank God). The other thing is that the brass tip never pulled out. I put unbelievable stress pulling on it and the tip never pulled out.
The wood is hickory and has nice visible straight grain in it. That's important. Now, from all the wetness and drying, etc., it does have a "bow" to it. So I am going to soak it then put some weights on it to see if I can get it back to its original shape after it dries. I also noticed that the shaft is slightly thicker than the brass at both ends which may have contributed to it getting stuck when it swelled up. So I am going to sand it down so it fits a bit looser in the thimbles. As far as reconditioning the wood, I might contact Track of the Wolf or check out the hardware store. Mad Irish (above) has a process he swears by. Or maybe put a satin exterior poly-uro on it or after reconditioning put a paste wax on it like 30 Coupe suggested. Marty uses a couple coats of shellac to waterproof his arrows. We shall see.
 
I am going to sand it down so it fits a bit looser in the thimbles.
Be careful. Too much (and it don't take much) it will slip out when you don't want it to. "Adjusting" the retaining spring can be done, but is tricky.
Is the replacement ramrod from TOTF the same diameter the same as the original?
 
What an ordeal! I'm glad you finally got it out without damage to rod or (especially) gun. :cheers:
 
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