AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: davec2 on September 18, 2017, 04:09:56 AM
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Yesterday I had a chance to shoot just a few rounds (for the first time) from the copy of the Chambers rifle I built a while back. Got ready to clean it today with my usual remove the lock, plug the touch hole with a toothpick, fill the bore with water, etc., etc. Just after I put the toothpick in the touch hole, I broke it off and spent a while trying to get the remnant out. As I was doing this, I noticed that I had two high pull, small magnets on my work bench and had a thought. These magnets are rare earth (Neodymium) and are 3/8 inch in diameter and 1/2 inch long. They have a pull of 19 pounds. So I cut a small piece of silicone tape to use as a gasket, placed that over the touch hole, and then held it in place with the magnets. Long story short, it worked like a charm. No leaks. Easy to attach and easy to remove. The magnets are commercially available. To each his own but this is the new normal for me. Thought others might like to hear about it.
Lock out, magnet and gasket, plug in place, all done.
(https://preview.ibb.co/nQRiG5/IMG_3959.jpg) (http://ibb.co/ctikUQ)
(https://preview.ibb.co/gWLM3k/IMG_3961.jpg) (http://ibb.co/fzkoik)
(https://preview.ibb.co/hw2qw5/IMG_3963.jpg) (http://ibb.co/hoKs9Q)
(https://preview.ibb.co/eFmuOk/IMG_3965.jpg) (http://ibb.co/mSsqw5)
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If the toothpick breaks off flush, I just push the remnant into the barrel...
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Me too.....but the toothpick trick often leaks for me at some point in the cleaning process.
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Now that is a slick trick and one I will have to try !!
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I have had some good luck from putting grease on the round toothpick for a wood sealer. The magnet idea is something to try.
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Thanks for sharing Dave. Sounds like something I will try too. :)
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The magnets in my photo are from McMaster Carr....... 1/2 " diameter by 1/2" long, 19 pound pull (you only need one). Part Number 5862K29
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Very good idea! You can salvage free neodymium (rare earth) magnets from old computer hard drives. You'll need some very small torx bits (T6 and/or T8 usually) to remove the cover and some components from the hard drive and a screwdriver to pry the magnets out. There's usually a pair... and be careful you don't pinch your fingers! As Dave states, these magnets are strong!
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If I try this I'll try to paint the magnet orange, so that WHEN I drop it on the ground I'll be able to find the little rascal easier. Although I suppose I could also just sweep over the ground with the rifle barrel, and it will jump onto the barrel.
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I have been using the little hose kit I bought at Dixons' faire. Clamp it over the touch hole liner, insert the other end into a Folgers coffee can filled with water and run the rod and patch down. What I like most about it is that the wet patch, when drawn sharply up the barrel, will soften the fouling log jam at the breech with the water it draws and my cleaning time is cut in half.
Since it relies on the flats to clamps tight, I dunno how to get it working if I ever build with a straight round barrel.
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Toothpicks work pretty well and I wrap paper towels around the breech/wrist to catch leakage. But the magnet sounds like a winner.
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I really like the magnet idea and will definitely try it, wish I had thought of it first, LOL. Keep yer powder dry.........robin 8)
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Very clever. I was thinking about just using a small piece of duct tape.
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Put your magnets in a sandwich bag to keep iron filings off it if you drop it.
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I like it! I like magnets in general and have found several uses from them in other applications. Justifies getting myself a few more magnets to mess with.
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I would bet a little dab of grease on the magnet would negate the need for a gasket.
Great idea.
Doc
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Capgun.....
I have one of those clamp / tube gizmos.....but the clamp is not very solid for me as the touch hole on some of my rifles is a little below center and there is not sufficient area on the other side of the barrel for the clamp to hold on securely. However, I do like pumping the water in and out of the bore with the ram rod. I think I am going to replace the clamp on the end of the tube with a magnet with a hole through it. These magnets machine fairly easily (except that the chips stick to anything magnetic....:) I will report back on how it worked out.
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Thanks. I may try this.... Last time I cleaned my rifle- I wasn't paying attention and I forgot the tooth pick... It didn't take me long to figure out I screwed up. ::)
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Capgun.....
I have one of those clamp / tube gizmos.....but the clamp is not very solid for me as the touch hole on some of my rifles is a little below center and there is not sufficient area on the other side of the barrel for the clamp to hold on securely. However, I do like pumping the water in and out of the bore with the ram rod. I think I am going to replace the clamp on the end of the tube with a magnet with a hole through it. These magnets machine fairly easily (except that the chips stick to anything magnetic....:) I will report back on how it worked out.
It is unlikely the magnet will remain stuck to the side of the barrel with the water pressure pushing through the hole...
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I will let you know, but these magnets, with 19 pounds of pull, take some effort to get back off the barrel. I don't think it will be a problem.
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Let me know how it works.
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Me too.....but the toothpick trick often leaks for me at some point in the cleaning process.
That is slick , Dave. The solution prevent to toothpick leaking has been right in front of us (most of us) all along! Well done.
The one and only time I had a toothpick leak when cleaning that way, was at rendezvous and using a NEW BP SOLVENT suggested by a shooting friend. He said it was amazing. It was, as the
dribble of solvent ran down the side of my butt stock, it lifted off the finish and the stain leaving a white mark from the rear of the lock mortise to the butt plate.
Water is all I used before and most certainly all I will use ever again. No solvents or soaps are needed.
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I cut a small green branch instead of using a toothpick, it is less likely to leak.
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I have a magnet with a hole through it. Making up the fitting now to attach a tube. Will let you know how it works out.
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OK....made up the required fitting and installed the magnet. Put on the water tube, put the unit on the rifle, and dropped the tube end into a gallon jug of water. Pumped the ram rod, with a patch and jag, up and down the bore as fast as I could about 20 times. Worked perfectly with no leaks ...and the magnet / tube didn't come off the rifle. (The water flow, even with fast pumping, is still restricted through a 1/16 inch touch hole.)
The only improvement I intend to make is to glue the silicone gasket to the end of the magnet to eliminate dealing with a loose piece. The only two guns of mine this won't work on are the brass barreled blunderbuss and my Ferguson.
Hope this trick helps someone out.
Dave C
(https://i.ibb.co/8gkYYMQ/IMG-3969.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jktJJhj)
(https://i.ibb.co/N646Xx3/IMG-3971.jpg) (https://ibb.co/JRhRNnd)
(https://i.ibb.co/qMVyhKS/IMG-3972.jpg) (https://ibb.co/TBdvJ6f)
(https://i.ibb.co/dj3L1Nj/IMG-3973.jpg) (https://ibb.co/tQNxk0Q)
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By the way, if you have any magnetic bits collected on a magnet from dropping it in the dirt (or whatever), I just use a small piece of duct tape and remove any magnetic particles with the sticky side.
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Davec2,
I have been tinkering with the magnet with hose attached and am finding that the magnet is not strong enough to hold a seal. I used the 3/8 inch neodymium magnet with a hole in the center supergluing a nipple in the center and using a super thin silicone gasket. I even used 2 magnets thinking that it would increase the strength. No luck yet. Great idea but I suspect I'll continue with a toothpick. Let me know if you can figure it out. I will be happy to help you spend your first million if you do. ;) ;)
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Retired,
A 3/8 inch diameter magnet with a 1/8 inch hole in it and 1/4 inch thick has less than 5 pounds of pull (with a thin gasket). The magnet I am using is 1/2 inch in diameter, with an 1/8 inch hole and is 1/2 inch thick. It has a 16 pound pull. I think that's the difference between what you are doing and what I have done here.
P.S. I'm working on my second million.....my first one didn't work out worth a $#@*..... :o
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There's another one for the Lucky Bag!!
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Retired,
A 3/8 inch diameter magnet with a 1/8 inch hole in it and 1/4 inch thick has less than 5 pounds of pull (with a thin gasket). The magnet I am using is 1/2 inch in diameter, with and 1/8 inch hole and is 1/2 inch thick. It has a 16 pound pull. I think that's the difference between what you are doing and what I have done here.
P.S. I'm working on my second million.....my first one didn't work out worth a $#@*..... :o
Oh man we need to ALL work on this in the coming Winter (you know right after hunting season when we're all cabin feverish and stir crazy and posting to/starting endless loop threads*) and decide exactly (and uniformly like any good herd of cats) the following details:
magnet-shape, density, diameter
gasket- material, thickness, and durometer reading.
per flash hole construction--yes there's going to be more pull from any serious magnet where the hole is a simple thru-bore than where coning has removed bbl steel by insert or actual internal relief. Of course the internal relief type won't lose as much pull as the drilled and tapped insert. Also there's the carbon steel insert to consider. Smaller bbls are going to give less pull too, but smaller bores might generate less internal pressure. Hmmm.
What if we make an electro magnet for the purpose? Then: voltage, voltage source, windings, core materials, polarization, etc. So much to consider. I'll be ready for that in February or January. :D
*endless loop threads that come to mind:
-patching (thickness, material, sources, lubrication, shape)
-cleaning (solvent ::), material, after oiling)
-softening fouling by breath
-caps vs. rocks
-P-word is the Devil
-where to get BP
-how they did it BITD.
It's coming. :P
again ;)
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BTW I do like the idea and have a magnet or two to try out, just busy with other stuff and a new job presently. The magnet idea that is... ;D
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Neat idea Dave. You are quite the innovator. :-)
For those who are using toothpicks, I always trap a patch flat under the frizzen along with the toothpick. That way it catches any drips before they can migrate to running down the stock. Maybe half the time the patch will catch a drop or two. I obviously clean the barrel with the lock in place, then clean the lock afterwards. Works for me.
God Bless, Marc
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Dave,
The only thing you haven't told us is what the magnet, with hose fitting, will cost?
Mark
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Mark,
I have a long personal history of what I consider "good ideas" that no one else really likes or cares about.
(Here is a link to one of my favorite "good ideas".... https://www.luckybag.us/GunnersMate.html )
I have no intention of selling these magnetic plugs / flush tube set ups. I can tell you where I got the few purchased parts I used and how I made the rest of it up so you can make one for yourself. Doesn't take very long, although I did use a lathe to modify one of the parts. Let me know if you want the details and I'll 0make up a list of parts and instructions. The rare earth magnet is about $16 by itself. The fittings and tubing are just a few more dollars.
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Several people have sent me an email about this magnetic flush tube. Here are all the components and a description of how to make one, if you are so inclined......
The magnet I used is from McMaster Carr:
High-Pull Rare Earth Magnetic Ring, Nickel-Plated Neodymium, 1/2" Thick, 1/2" OD, 1/8 " ID Catalog # 3360K74
The brass tubing to hold the magnet is cut from this:
Ultra-Formable 260 Brass, Round Tube, 1 Foot Long, 0.014" Wall Thickness, 17/32" OD, .503" ID Catalog # 8859K34
The fitting I turned down to solder into one end of a piece of the brass tube is this:
Brass Barbed Hose Fitting, 3/16" Hose ID, 1/8 NPTF Female End catalog # 5346K39
You will also need one of these fittings as a weight on the bucket end of the tube:
Brass Barbed Hose Fitting, 3/16" Hose ID, 1/8 NPTF Female End Catalog # 5346K51
The tubing is transparent and can be purchased at most hardware stores by the foot. Get the really soft, flexible type. The hose barb fittings can also be purchased one at a time at the hardware or auto parts store. You will need two of the hose barb fittings. The 1/8 " pipe female ended one gets turned down to a 1/2" OD on the hex so it will fit inside a short length of the brass tubing and soldered into place. The magnet is then glued into the brass tube with CA (Super) glue or epoxy. I used a piece of silicone tape as a gasket between the magnet and the barrel side but you can use several different materials.....just keep the gasket as thin as possible so as not to reduce the pull of the magnet. In addition to lathe turning the few parts to hold the magnet, the only tricky part is to get a high quality magnet. I have found several that are the same size but are nowhere near as strong and fall off fairly easily in use. The thin wall brass tubing is also available as some hobby stores. However, the only place I know to get the high quality magnet is McMaster Carr.
Hope this helps...
Dave C
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You're the MAN, Dave!
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Daryl,
I saw from another post that you have also had one of those clamp on "gizmos" hanging on a hook and unused for several years. I used the tube and the end weight from mine to make the magnetic one, so it's even easier for those of us who had the clamp on one to start with. Might save you from having to pull the barrel out each time you clean.
DC
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OFS!! (a little Navy lingo)