Brown Bess cleaning

[moose30273]

Howdy all!
Have not posted in years. But read something on here about using a rare earth magnet and piece of tape to block off a touch hole when cleaning. I tried it today on my Bess. Flipping Gamechanger!!! No more toothpicks or skewers whittled down.
Lots of knowledge here.
Thank You to whoever had that idea.
Moose

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

I agree. That little unit is the cat's whiskers. I have clamp-on type, threaded vent liner replacement type, and the magnetic type. As long as you don't bump it hard while in use, it is the easiest.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I never would've thought to use a Neodymium Magnet as an aid in cleaning a gun...Amazing.

 

[garra]

Here is a site that has a lot of surplus stuff, wide assortment of magnets
American Science and Surplus

 

[springfield art]

I never would've thought to use a Neodymium Magnet as an aid in cleaning a gun...Amazing.

Back in the 1700's, they'd of called it witchcraft! Very clever.

 

[blackeagle]

Ok I'm curious...is there another thread with pics or can you share a pic of this in action? And is this limited to just the Bess or would it work on other flint barrels?

 

[Grenadier1758]

It can work on any barrel with a touch hole liner that is flush with the side flat of the barrel. The touch hole liner with the screw driver slot needs a little larger magnet to ensure that the touch hole and the slot are covered.

Here's a link to the complete flintlock flushing kit from The Lucky Bag in the Gunsmithing Tools in the Products page.

THE LUCKY BAG

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Back in the 1700's, they'd of called it witchcraft! Very clever.

OMG…think about that

 

[toot]

Howdy all!
Have not posted in years. But read something on here about using a rare earth magnet and piece of tape to block off a touch hole when cleaning. I tried it today on my Bess. Flipping Gamechanger!!! No more toothpicks or skewers whittled down.
Lots of knowledge here.
Thank You to whoever had that idea.
Moose

what is an earth magnet?

 

[toot]

Back in the 1700's, they'd of called it witchcraft! Very clever.

and burnt at the stake!!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

what is an earth magnet?

I think he meant to say “Rare Earth Magnet”…

 

[Grenadier1758]

@toot, I did say "rare earth magnet" not uncommon earth magnet. To be sure I should have typed rare-earth magnet.

Rare-earth magnets are strong permanent magnets made from alloys of rare-earth elements. Developed in the 1970s and 1980s, rare-earth magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnets made, producing significantly stronger magnetic fields than other types such as ferrite or alnico magnets. The magnetic field typically produced by rare-earth magnets can exceed 1.2 teslas, whereas ferrite or ceramic magnets typically exhibit fields of 0.5 to 1 tesla.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Interesting. I have always used round toothpicks. May try the magnet thingy on my flint rifles.

 

[toot]

@toot, I did say "rare earth magnet" not uncommon earth magnet. To be sure I should have typed rare-earth magnet.

thanks for the reply. can you show it in use on your gun. as I am very interested it trying it. thanks.

 

[toot]

what does the GIZZY, rare- earth magnet look like?

 

[Grenadier1758]

thanks for the reply. can you show it in use on your gun. as I am very interested it trying it. thanks.

Okay Toot, I have taken a few pictures and hopefully the pictures will let you know what I am using to block the touch hole. The magnet I used, I bought at Harbor Freight. There are other brands that have a stronger magnetic attraction, but the Harbor Freight one will work.

These are the common flush kits that are out there. From the inside to the outer edge:
A threaded adapter for 1/4-28 to use in a standard nipple in a gun that has a barrel pinned to the stock. Note that the nipple has a rubber gasket to seal the nipple seat. The next one is the magnetic flush kit sold by the Luck Dog. That's great because it can used to cover a simple drilled touch hole. The last is the clamp on flush kit. This one requires a smaller breech than the King's Musket and I am always losing track of the gasket. I prefer the magnetic flush kit. Note that all of the flush kits have a weighted barb on the end that is in the cleaning solvent. Without the weight, you can spray that dissolved fouling all over the work area. I drop the weighted end in a gallon jug of solvent (water and some soap or whatever is your favorite solvent)

The next is the magnetic block. I have used a piece of plastic black electrical tape as a gasket. You can see the rough edges of the tape on the magnet. It works pretty well. It is a block and a toothpick or with the touch hole of my musket, a bamboo skewer is a better choice than a toothpick.

The touch hole on my King's Musket. I have no liner to remove, and I have just enough flat space around the touch hole for the magnetic kit to seal it off.

Flush kit in place.

Magnetic block in place.

I find the block best to use in the field or a toothpick to block the touch hole. I don't get the flushing action, but I do get the fouling removed and can complete a good field cleaning.

With the magnetic flush kits and the block, you must be sure that the touch hole area is flat. Any part of a liner that is above the flat of the barrel is a potential leak. You need a gasket that is larger than any part of a touch hole liner. I have a couple of screw in touch hole liners that are very close to the edge of the gasket, and these have a leak under the pressure of flushing.

Hope these pictures help you to keep your gun clean.

 

[toot]

Granadier1758, OH, yes. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to explain all stations to me! it is a process that I have been looking for. your explanation should be added as a TUTORIAL!! again thanking you, toot.