How were they cleaned?

[nosrettap1958]

A friend questioned me while I was cleaning my rifle the other day by asking how were these rifles cleaned and oiled back when they were being built. I tried to answer his question as best I could but before getting any deeper into the subject I figured I would stop and ask here on this Board. So I ask the question; how did the city folk and the backwoodsman clean and preserve their firearms?

[northmn]

First off, I doubt if they ever let them get quite as fouled as we do today.  Unless in combat whcih was really rare, I think they may have shot at a game animal and then cleaned in the field.  One reason I think that is that the best way to get a misfire, especially with a percussion is to shoot it and then load without cleaning and let it set for a day or two. They left the guns loaded for some time and powder and ball was pretty dear such that shooting off a load at days end would not have been considered frugal. Greased patched ball may have been as much a barrel preservative as an aid to accuracy as it greases the barrel when seated.  Tow was commonly used, which to the best of my knowledge is the fuzzy stuff off of linen or maybe wool, kind of a byproduct, that is not suitable for the loom.  They had a jag for tow which appeared to be much like a patch puller where they could wrap it and for a ball to clean with.  Barrels were iron carbon and did not contain the alloys of today.  However I believe they were very low carbon, which is why they may have been so thick.  Low carbon does not rust as badly as a higher carbon, wrought iron with no carbon barely rusts at all.  Freshing a barrel was a very common gunsmith chore, whcih implies that they may have had some cleaning issues.

DP

[smylee grouch]

Its my understanding that tow is strands from the Flax plant stalk, what they make linnen from.     Gary

[Candle Snuffer]

DP brings some good info to the table with his post above.  I also wonder if their powder was a bit more forgiving without the graphite coating that our powder has today? 

By this I'm suggesting a cleaner burning powder without the graphite coating (and I don't know - some one will have to chime in that does know) was perhaps less
prone to draw moisture as rapidly as our modern graphite coated powder does today?

If so, perhaps the frontiersmen could fire a shot, reload, and wait a day or two with no worries of the reload fouling in the breech until they had a chance to pull the load and clean their smokepole.

Just throwing this out there if there's any possibility in this at all?

[Dphariss]

DP brings some good info to the table with his post above.  I also wonder if their powder was a bit more forgiving without the graphite coating that our powder has today? 

By this I'm suggesting a cleaner burning powder without the graphite coating (and I don't know - some one will have to chime in that does know) was perhaps less
prone to draw moisture as rapidly as our modern graphite coated powder does today?

If so, perhaps the frontiersmen could fire a shot, reload, and wait a day or two with no worries of the reload fouling in the breech until they had a chance to pull the load and clean their smokepole.

Just throwing this out there if there's any possibility in this at all?

Graphite will not burn at the temps involved in BP firearms so it will slightly increase the fouling.
Also note that Swiss is not graphited. Also note that the British military would not accept BP that was graphited.
Graphite is a way to give a powder a better polish without spending the time to polish the powder.
It also keeps powder grains from adhering to each other.
BP fouling is BP fouling adding graphite to the mix will not change the foulings ability to pull moisture from the air and cause corrosion.  Not being able to clean well after firing a shot is likely why refreshing was so common.
When hunting in areas where hostiles might be present reloading  after firing was a really good idea. So cleaning would not be so important until in a more secure situation.

Unfortunately there is little written down about cleaning and fouling management back in the day. Chapman writes about to some extent but I would have to refresh my memory.
Dan 

[Mike R]

My understanding is that they cleaned with water [like I do today] and lubed with bear oil or some other suitable tallow [rarely with 'sweet oils']--like I do today. The worm or 'tow worm' was the universal tool, although in a pinch one can tie a thread/string around a wad of wet tow and push it down the bore with the rod [retrieve it with the string].  Worms came in two basic forms: a simple wire coil that slipped over the end of a wooden rod [like a chinese finger trap] or an iron device with prongs that screwed into a rod tip.  Tow [fibrous waste from linen making] was wrapped in the worm, wetted, and used like a brush in the bore...pretty simple and effective...water was also ued to wipe down other parts and finished with a greasy rag, likely...

[northmn]

Its my understanding that tow is strands from the Flax plant stalk, what they make linnen from.     Gary

Sorry I cannot remember the source but I looked up tow as I really did not know.  On some Frontiersman sights they showed flax strand ready for weaving and the tow was the fussy stuff not suitable for cloth.  It makes sense to me as it would be a very good cleaning tool and is a waste anyway, which could be put to practical use. However teminology today and back then changes and sometimes over regions.  But looking at the tow they had pictured I really think that that was it.  Bear oil as mentioned, was used.  I do not know when sperm whale oil became popular, but it was very well thought of.  Hog fat?  If water works today it makes sense it worked yesteryear.

DP

[horsetrader]

I have an 40 cal flintlock rifle ( in good condition but not very well built) and experiment a lot with it as I do not care so much if it  has and "accident" ( rust, dings,...)
to clean it, I have only used tow on a worm. If shooting a lot ( more then 20 balls at a time), I use a wet tow and run it up and down a few times, then follow with a dry one - lastly i use a deer tallow soaked tow. Then all the tow is dried and used again.
If I only shoot one or 2 balls, I reload and then run a damp ( spit) tow down the barrel, followed by a try one and then a greased one. I wipe the lock with my hand and and if nessessary smear a bit of grease everywhere besides the frizzen and pan( needs to stay clean to get a good spark). Gun is ready to be shot again. I have used the gun from  Georgia to Utah and so far I had no problems.....