|
|
Post by armando on Oct 27, 2020 3:59:05 GMT -7
I wanted to take an informal survey from you folks I trust about how they clean their flintlocks after a day of shooting.
I've learned many different ways along my journey and I know some people are more fastidious than others.
Some of the folks I shoot with (reenactment blanks) will take their flinter home and disassemble the whole lock even after shooting only half a dozen times. Others just go home and run the HOT soapy water mixture through the muzzle and out the touchhole and run a few patches and call it a day.
I sort of do a combination of the whole thing then coat the bore with Balistol and the outside with Moosemilk.
|
|
|
|
Post by hawkeyes on Oct 27, 2020 4:31:33 GMT -7
Firelocks will not tolerate laziness, period. However they need not the strict cleaning regimes, gadgets or gizmos and wonder chemicals you see all over. As someone who hunts with their flintlock twice or more weekly I can attest to the simplicity of cleaning. I use two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen near boiling with patches. Then wipe dry followed by a saturated patch of sweet oil. Concerning the lock depending on the level of fouling it will get broken down when the need arises for inspection, cleaning, lubrication and greasing of required components. I also wax the underside of my barrel and only remove it once a year or when rainy and again the need would arise, thats it. I'm VERY meticulous, more than most and can say with a guarantee that even 18th century cleaning methods are effective when one does their due diligence. I will advise you cese the use of a moose milk patch lube concoction for any protection. If its water based your asking for trouble. This video essentially sums it up perfectly. youtu.be/dYVS7AnUAhg |
|
|
|
Post by armando on Oct 27, 2020 8:28:38 GMT -7
Thank you Hawkeye
What do you think of the pouring of “ Extremely hot soapy water“ down the barrel and out the touch hole. The hot water is supposed to make the drying process faster.
I realize that involves water though....
|
|
|
|
Post by hawkeyes on Oct 27, 2020 9:17:50 GMT -7
Thank you Hawkeye What do you think of the pouring of “ Extremely hot soapy water“ down the barrel and out the touch hole. The hot water is supposed to make the drying process faster. I realize that involves water though.... That's the key, hot, hot water to the boiling point as it evaporates off. Thats all I use to clean my bores with, have since I've been shooting a flintlock. I'm advising against the use of moosemilk or whatever as a protective coating as it is my understanding it is likely a water/ oil mixture. Using water and even dish soap if you wish is perfectly acceptable. Again though the key is to make sure the bore is dry then followed by an oily patch. A thin film is only required, no need to absolutely saturate the bore that will ultimately cause problems. Water is great for BP, even cold water from a stream. Just make sure your bore is dry. That's as technical as it needs to be, honestly it truly is that simple. |
|
|
|
Post by armando on Oct 27, 2020 10:06:36 GMT -7
Thank you sir
Question: do you remove the barrel from the stock when you run your hot water through the barrel?
I have to admit that I don’t always disassemble my rifle often and just run the water so hot it’s drying before I even start running my patches.
I don’t do that every time; like every couple of shoots I will disassemble and clean every nook and cranny very well.
Should I be concerned about the water affecting the stock?
|
|
|
|
Post by hawkeyes on Oct 27, 2020 11:07:00 GMT -7
Thank you sir Question: do you remove the barrel from the stock when you run your hot water through the barrel? I have to admit that I don’t always disassemble my rifle often and just run the water so hot it’s drying before I even start running my patches. I don’t do that every time; like every couple of shoots I will disassemble and clean every nook and cranny very well. Should I be concerned about the water affecting the stock? In my previous post you'll see I mentioned removing the barrel about once a year, or if in very rainy weather. I also wrote of waxing the underside of the barrel and inside the channel, old timer trick. That is it, no need to risk damage to the frail stock by removing and installing the barrel and pins during regular intervals. To each his own and this is coming from someone who uses their firelocks on a regular basis, but there truly is no need to remove the barrel except when conditions warrant. That is once a year for inspection and waxing, or when I've encountered rains which I do try and avoid. If fouling is bad I'll plug the touch hole with a feather and carefully fill the bore with scalding water and allow it to sit while tending the lock. Dump the water, swab and repeat until the bore is clean. That truly is as crazy as I'll get on a normal basis. My rifles exhibit signs of use, not abuse as there's a difference. A well maintained rifle is a sign of good care. I've seen plenty of negligence in care and came across one on my last outing. Being studious in your maintenance doesn't require any wonder lubes or chemicals, just the proper know how and preventative maintenance. I've ruffled feathers before by saying if your lazy in cleaning, don't own a black powder firearm and I stand to it. I can assure you if for a second I thought my cleaning regimes would hurt my rifles things would change. I've literally spent hundreds of hours building my guns and thousands of dollars on parts. I'm extremely anal and cleaning is one area I'll let that show with no reservations. However it need not be time consuming or complicated. |
|
|
|
Post by Black Hand on Oct 27, 2020 11:51:37 GMT -7
In the field, I'll use wet patches or tow to clean, dry and lube with Bear grease.
At home, I'll use hot/warm tap water with a drop of dish soap and patches to clean, dry with patches and lube with Bear grease.
In either case, I don't feel it is necessary to clean IMMEDIATELY, rather when I get to it. I've left my gun dirty for as long as a week but usually no more than a day or 2.
One thing to remember about boiling water - it can cause flash rust...
|
|
|
|
Post by armando on Oct 27, 2020 11:54:48 GMT -7
Thank you so much sir!
I feel vindicated because in a recent discussion with another Flintlock friend my method came under some criticism (which closely resembles yours ).
I trust you and many of the guys on here and you’re real world experience.
I guess I will be retiring my moose milk and sticking to the oils
|
|
|
|
Post by Black Hand on Oct 27, 2020 13:31:23 GMT -7
I guess I will be retiring my moose milk and sticking to the oils Olive Oil (I would NOT use extra virgin, the regular version will suffice), Bear oil, Lard, Goose grease, Raccoon Grease and Beaver Grease are ones people have told me they've used. I started with Wonderlube, but once I got my hands on Bear grease (and Bear oil for my lock), I have not used anything else. |
|
|
|
Post by hawkeyes on Oct 27, 2020 15:24:41 GMT -7
I guess I will be retiring my moose milk and sticking to the oils Olive Oil (I would NOT use extra virgin, the regular version will suffice), Bear oil, Lard, Goose grease, Raccoon Grease and Beaver Grease are ones people have told me they've used. I started with Wonderlube, but once I got my hands on Bear grease (and Bear oil for my lock), I have not used anything else. I cannot get bear grease... I need some badly. Good point on extra virgin oil, should have mentioned that. |
|
|
|
Post by spence on Oct 27, 2020 17:13:00 GMT -7
My cleaning method is essentially the same as that of hawkeyes, with a few minor differences. I use no chemicals in cleaning, only water, and not boiling water, only as hot as it comes from the tap. I use a mixture of hog's lard and beeswax as my lube/preventative in the bore, on all exterior metal and the wood. I remove my lock for every cleaning, scrub it with a brush with hot water, oil/grease it with the same lube. I always remove the barrel if the gun has hooked breech, never if not. For my smooth barrels I use a worm and mop instead of a jag so I can twist it to clean the face of the breech. It's rare that I don't clean the same day I've shot even once, but I am comfortable leaving a load in for months if it was loaded in a clean gun.
BTW, this might be of interest to any other OCD members than myself. I put it together years ago to explain to newbies why all those magic cleaners are not needed, only water.
Chemistry of Powder and Explosives, Vol. I, by Tenney L. Davis, published in 1941, gives a list of the products of combustion of black powder, both gaseous and solid:
The gaseous products, by percent weight, are: Carbon dioxide-49.29, Carbon monoxide-12.47, Nitrogen-32.91, Hydrogen sulfide-2.65, Methane-0.43 and Hydrogen-2.19.
The solids by percent weight are: Potassium carbonate-61, Potassium
sulphate--15.10, Potassium sulphide-14.45, Potassium thiocyanate-0.22,
Potassium nitrate-0.27, Ammonium carbonate-0.08, Sulphur-8.74, and
Carbon-0.08.
Some info on solubility of the solids left:
Potassium carbonate... very water soluble. Described as "deliquescent,
tends to liquefaction by attraction and absorption of water from the air"
[sound familiar?]
Potassium sulphate... very water soluble
Potassium sulphide... water soluble
Potassium thiocyanate... very water soluble, deliquescent
Potassium nitrate aka saltpetre [left over from the powder, not a product
of combustion]... moderately soluble in cold water, very soluble in hot
water.
Ammonium carbonate... water soluble
Notice that the first three constitute 90.5% of the fouling, and that the
bulk of the remainder is residual sulphur at 8.74%.
The only things you are likely to find in your barrel after the shot which
are not water soluble are some left-over sulphur and some carbon
(charcoal), both neutral. Even most of that will be blown out the barrel. I
see nothing here which requires alcohol, windshield wiper fluid, water
soluble oil of any type, soap, acetone or any of the many, many other
things I hear people advocating as cleaning agents.
Sorry, lost my head.
Spence
|
|
|
|
Post by hawkeyes on Oct 28, 2020 4:45:47 GMT -7
Let's revisit boiling water. I've done it multiple times, however I use hot water from the tap, barrel gets plenty warm with that as is. If you use boiling water you utterly cannot touch the barrel for minutes after as it must set and cool. Hot water, cold water, warm water, whatever water will work as Spence posted the leftover composition is vastly... water soluble. Also as BH mentioned, flash rust can result from scalding water but easily removed with a moistened patch.
So, as corrected hot water, aka hot from the tap or wamred over the fire is my go to, no chemicals besides that.
|
|
|
|
Post by spence on Oct 28, 2020 17:28:40 GMT -7
I agree, any water will do. Knowing that most things are dissolved quicker if the water is warmer, I can't think of any reason not to use water as hot as we please, up to and including boiling.
I've been hearing about flash rust for almost 50 years, but have never seen it, even when I have used very hot water. I decided long ago that there must be something about some metal alloys which allows it. Sort of like those barrels which will give you a black smudge on every cleaning patch forever, no matter how many.
Spence
|
|
Keith
City-dweller
Bushfire close but safe now. Getting some good rain.
Posts: 990 
|
Post by Keith on Oct 28, 2020 19:14:01 GMT -7
This is how I do it Armando.
|
|
