Patch Box uses

[Henry]

All,
I'm confused. Not an unusual condition I'll admit. In the 1700 what was normally kept in a patch box?  I've read that patches were kept in patch boxes, but recently read in another site that bear grease, or some other lubricant was kept there.  Thanks for any help.

[JTR]

Welcome to the forum, Henry.
I think the patchboxes held pretty much whatever the owner wanted to put in them. On rifles that I have or have had, there's been round balls, bits of patch material, the residue of some sort of lubricant, ramrod extensions with a worm, fuzzy lint sort of stuff I suppose for cleaning the gun, percussion caps for those guns, and a friend has a gun with the price of the gun scratched into the inside of the patchbox door....

John

[Mike R]

Originally they were called just "boxes" and often contained small tools like worms and screws [ball pullers], perhaps with tow or patching for cleaning. You might find a vent pick/wire in one. As the brass box became more common--the relative ease of use as compared to the sliding wood cover--may have contributed to more widespread use as a greased patch carrier--or depository for patch grease.  In several original rifles I have found paper cartridges in the "patch" box. 

[blunderbuss]

A couple of years ago I restored a rifle for the San Jacinto monument museum The rifle is 1814 era converted percussion It still had grease on the patch box.

[Glenn]

A couple of years ago I restored a rifle for the San Jacinto monument museum The rifle is 1814 era converted percussion It still had grease on the patch box.

What kind of "grease" did they have back then I wonder ...

[blunderbuss]

Chrisco I think, not really, it looked and smelled like lard

[jdm]

Beef ta lo  &    bear grease