AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: Jakob on June 24, 2025, 07:10:26 PM
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As I'm inching ever closer to finishing my flintlock, I have, after reading here, become aware that my flintlock pick and brush that I bought ages ago, is way too thick for the white lightining vent line I have installed.
What does the group normally recommend for picks? I have some welding tip 'brushes' (really just twisted wires) in various sizes...will they do?
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Welding tip brushes are amongst the worst things you could use. They are like little files and will enlarge your vent. a piece of brass or soft steel wire with a somewhat rounded tip would be much better. A piece of soft steel wire hammered or filed into a long taper also works well. I am sure others will suggest equally suitable options.
Congrats on joining the flint crowd.
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Cheapest way to go is a paper clip. Straighten part of it and the rest is a handle.
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a heavy-duty paperclip does a great job, soft metal does not harm liner and stiff to cleanout fouling. you can mount in a handle with hot melt glue , wood antler.
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Or a piece of suitable coper wire
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I find that a short piece of 12ga copper wire works well for me. Strip off the insulation and pound it into a tapered shape with a square cross section. About 3 minutes work with a hammer and hard, flat surface. If you want, you can "clean it up" by draw filing the flats. I taper it enough to fit in the touch hole a ways, and the edges on the square shape do a good job of cleaning fouling. Since it's copper, it doesn't harm the touch hole. After a bit of use, the softer copper will have rounded a bit from contact with the touch hole - it's a simple matter to clean it up again with draw filing. I bend a little loop in the back end and tie it to my horn strap.
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Thanks! I'm glad I asked!
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As a fly tier I have found a small "pick" used in making certain flies to work very well. It has a small plastic handle, nice tip and small size. Available at your local sports store that carried such material.
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If you are going to use a pick that is square in cross section, then only use one made of something softer than your liner, such as copper (as Eric L suggested). A square pick made of steel is just a reamer. It will enlarge the hole. On my guns I only use picks that are round in cross section. Steel or copper. Just slightly smaller than the hole. A pick is a primarily a pushing tool. It should be able to be able to go all the way into the bore without binding.
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Heavy sewing needles also work, you can glue them into cork ,wood or deer antler.
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Having learned long ago that attention to detail drastically reduces misfires, I always load with a feather or pick in the touch hole. Pick a feather with a shaft a little smaller than the touch hole, trim the barbs to ~1/8" on both sides, and try to not lose it. My usual source is the latest starling or sparrow to land on the 25 yard target frame.
I still carry a metal pick. I don't think the source matters, as much as it matters that you have one when you need it. The pick attached to my bag was originally a piece of K-wire (used to pin bones together after surgery): stainless steel, about .059" diameter. Before I got that I was solidly in the large paperclip camp.
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I use a bulb syringe instead of a pick. Developed the habit with percussion to make sure nipples were clear without wasting caps and it works for the flintlock as well.
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Music wire works great. I get it from hobby shops or Ace hardware. It is marketed by K&S Metals. It is spring stock of various diameters.
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Whatever will fit in the touch hole! Another long winded unnecessary thread! How complicated can this be????
I’m going to start asking goober questions just to see how many “expert” replies I can get.
It’s roughly a 1/16” diameter hole in a barrel boys!
Geez
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Whatever will fit in the touch hole! Another long winded unnecessary thread! How complicated can this be????
I’m going to start asking goober questions just to see how many “expert” replies I can get.
It’s roughly a 1/16” diameter hole in a barrel boys!
Geez
I'm sure some questions seem unnecessary to guys who have been at this a while. But some guys on here are just getting started. "Picks" is a simple topic, but guys just starting don't know what picks are for or what to use or how to make them. And they get mixed info from other sources. For example, a quick search for "flintlock picks" on eBay will show you 6 or so listing for picks that are absolutely useless, and some that will actually do damage to a gun. And some of those listings have sold dozens and dozens of the things to guys who didn't know the answer to questions like this one here.
So I'm glad to see even basic questions. And glad to see solid answers.
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Well said whetrock.
I believe the OP's thoughts concerning the use of oxy acetylene tip cleaners is, in itself, proof of the value of such threads. And, yes, they do sometimes run on.
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Some of us remember the time when there were no electronic devices to stare at and if we had a question, we somehow how figured it out on our own. A great part of the learning experience. These forums are helpful but often a question gets answered by true experts AND well intentioned “experts” who are only proficient at tapping a keyboard. I’m going to start posting simpletons questions.
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I remember those days.
You have a lot of experience and knowledge to share, Wayne, so I'm sure even your "simpleton" questions will be useful to a lot of guys.
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Wayne's right just about anything that will fit into the vent using gentle fingertip pressure will work just fine. Any adult handling a firearm probably knows without being told not to be aggressive enough to cause major damage.
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This thread appears to have taken a detour and I do believe some well-experienced members are overlooking the obvious.
Yes, we did have to figure things out on our own - with the occasional failure and risk of damage due to a lack of knowledge and absence of guidance. At the risk of harping on a point but addressing Daniel's comment, a welding tip cleaner will fit nicely in a flash hole. That does not make it a suitable vent pick - even when used gently.
Isn't it nice that we now have forums such as this, where the less experienced amongst us can benefit from the guidance of those who have been there and done that.
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Gee wiz, I have read it here many times ( there is no such thing as a dumb question ).
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Not trying to start a fight but have you actually used a welding tip cleaner for a vent cleaning tool? I have and did for almost the entire decade of the 1970s. Did I ever notice the slightest damage? No. Would it be my first choice today? No. Am I recommending it? No.
There's just a heck of a lot of other things that will fail first when you shoot enough for the type of vent pick to make a difference.
Now we can be friends again! ;) ;D
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Not to argue, but the question deserves an answer. I have not used a welding tip cleaner to clean a vent, but do use them on a regular basis - as recently as yesterday. Having seen first hand what they can do to a welding tip, I would never use one to clean a vent.
A lively discussion should never be a reason to end a friendship :)
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I’ve never used a brush on a flintlock either. 46 years and never saw any reason to. I’m certain that there are some brush experts out there who will opine!!
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I'd estimate I use a vent pick once every 3 or 4 times shooting one of my flinters.
It just doesn't happen unless I have a flash in the pan - which is rare - at that point, I
put more prime in the pan and tip the rifle sideways, and tap on the breech with my short starter.
a bit of powder dribbles into the breech.
She goes off after that, perfectly.
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Never have used a pick, but a bit of copper wire would work.
even a feather.
Never liked small touch holes though, so always drill them 5/64" rather than 1/16".
I think a bigger touch-hole blows the $#@* out on firing and never think of a pick.
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Never have used a pick, but a bit of copper wire would work.
even a feather.
Never liked small touch holes though, so always drill them 5/64" rather than 1/16".
I think a bigger touch-hole blows the $#@* out on firing and never think of a pick.
Same here. 5/64th's is my standard, and all works well :)
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How do you clear a "Klinker"?
With a "Pick" of course.
When I started shooting BP the word "Klinker" was common on the firing line. Of course most shooters were long in the tooth and the skin behind my ears was still wet. But now my teeth have also grown long and some terms and fixes seem to have dropped from our language.
So how many here has ever heard of a "Klinker"?
And if so, how to fix it?
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The only clinkers I've heard of, came from coal stoves.
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Exactly why posts such as this can be useful.
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Yep, coal stoves an coal forges.
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And steam locomotives and steam tractors.
My brother was a volunteer engineer on a tourist railroad in New Hope PA where they ran steam locos. I fired for him a few times.
A few years later I took a course in running steam tractors at Rough and Tumble in Kinzer PA. It was a blast.
Dale H
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I am talking about shooting flintlocks not train engines. It doesn't seem many know what a "Klinker" is. Or how to fix one.
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Someone mentioned something about this thread if I recall correctly. I’m actually kinda enjoying reading all of replies from our “experts”. I keep waiting for the guy who uses a laser to pick.
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I am talking about shooting flintlocks not train engines. It doesn't seem many know what a "Klinker" is. Or how to fix one.
Please tell us more.
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Someone mentioned something about this thread if I recall correctly. I’m actually kinda enjoying reading all of replies from our “experts”. I keep waiting for the guy who uses a laser to pick.
You mean like this?
(https://i.ibb.co/JRjfVR06/Gemini-Generated-Image-vm6py6vm6py6vm6p.png) (https://ibb.co/WWvbZWq8)
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Darkhorse,
I think clinkers in black powder showed up possibly in the lousy powder we got in the '70's with its poor sulphur.
Bill Curtis called the powder, "Nutty slack".
Not seen any light coloured lumps left behind for a Long time now.
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I am talking about shooting flintlocks not train engines. It doesn't seem many know what a "Klinker" is. Or how to fix one.
Please tell us more.
Since bluenoser asked.
As we shoot the fouling builds up down in the breech of our barrels until it's quite thick. Weather conditions can make this worse on certain occasions. The more we shoot the worse it gets until the coating below the touchhole breaks loose and becomes like a slab that now can move. When this "slab" of fouling moves up and covers the TH from the inside it becomes known as a "Klinker".
That is entirely possible Pukka, that is the time frame when they were most prevalent. But rarely they can still occur.
When this has occured to me I've taken a pick and tried to move it so I can get fire to the charge. If your TH is big enough you can see it as a gray slab blocking the TH. If I can't move it I take a pick with a point on the end and dig into it until I get enough of a hole to shoot the gun. Often the gun is loaded before you become aware of it.
The "Klinker" is a main reason for the practice of loading a gun with a pick in the TH.
I've only experienced this at home during long shooting sessions without cleaning the rifle. So to prevent them I clean the rifle regularly. Often I plug the TH with a toothpick, then pour a little water down the barrel and let it sit while I do something else. Then I turn the rifle TH up, remove the toothpick and place a wadded up paper towel in the pan and close the frizzen. Next I insert the ramrod slowly a little more than halfway down. Turn the rifle bore up and with a sharp press of the RR blow the fouling out the TH and into the paper towel. I do this a couple of times until no more fouling comes out. Then run a wet patch down the barrel to clean the grooves then back to shooting.
As long as I clean the chamber area regularly I get no "Klinkers". I had rather try to prevent one than fix one after the fact.
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I like to make touch hole picks out of 1/16" brass welding rods, Taper one end to fit smaller touch holes and bend a eyelet on the opposite end so it's easier to grab and tucks quite nicely in a hunting pouch pocket. Make a few extra and hand them out to friends that need them! ;)
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I like to make touch hole picks out of 1/16" brass welding rods, Taper one end to fit smaller touch holes and bend a eyelet on the opposite end so it's easier to grab and tucks quite nicely in a hunting pouch pocket. Make a few extra and hand them out to friends that need them! ;)
OK, this sounds like a fine idea. I have one pick, but need to make one for my son and son-in-law, and maybe a spare for me in case I lose one.
Is it fairly easy to make the bend? Do you just take a pair of needle nose pliers? Do you need to heat it first?
Thanks.
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I pick after I load the powder and ball and seat them fully. I use a fine tapered brass wire/rod to insure the flash hole is clear, and to make a channel into the compressed powder for the flash to enter. The resulting felt “crunch” of pick into powder tells me much about consistent powder compression.
My pick is tapered such that it rarely touches the flash hole edge. The brass is softer than steel, minimizing damage.
I really don’t use a brush. If possible I have a rag or patch wet with alcohol or windshield washer fluid (alcohol dries faster) I use to wipe the frizzen, pan and flint between shots. Consistency is key. I hate misfires.
God bless, Marc
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I do much the same, pick after I load the powder and ball, wipe the frozen and pan with a rag. Probably just as much a habit as anything else.
Tony
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The most shots I've fired before cleaning is in the 80 to 120 shot range. Guess I'm just lucky not to get any klinkers.
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All of my shooting bags are fitted with a vent pick. I make mine out of a short length of tie wire which is very soft steel or iron wire about 1/16" in diameter. I forge or grind a tapered point on the business end and make a loop for the thong tie and stick it into an appropriate place on the strap of my bag. The wire is easy to bend, so inserting it into the vent must be done gently, but the fouling is easily pierced and cleared away from the vent, and ignition restored.
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Like someone else posted they sell 4 packs of piano wire at the hardware store. One of the sizes is just right for a vent pick. they are long enough to make a few out of 1 piece. Into a mule deer antler tip and there you are a vent pick that doesn't use soft wire, won't hog out the vent hole and is cheap to make. I have one on every bag strap.
(https://i.ibb.co/svH6Cxsk/Vent-pick.jpg) (https://ibb.co/qM5WCqmX)
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I use a partially opened gem clip & have a lil pipe cleaner attached to it.
Put gem clip end in the vent hole into the bore, wrap the pipe cleaner around the frizzen.
Load the rifle, unwrap the pipe cleaner & wiggle the gem clip & pull it out & vent hole is
for sure open.
Before this & for many years I just used the gym clip & opened the hole.
It Was & Is a worthwhile question. A few lil tips can save oneself allot of misfires on a flintlock. And not everyone has anyone to shoot with that knows flintlocks. If everyone knew everything about ML'ers, this forum would be useless.