Burnt patches

[Pioneer flinter]

Hey everyone, I want to run this buy you guys. I took my Fussil de chase for a walk this morning, we got 4 to 5 inches of fresh snow yesterday and i wanted to play, so anyway I walked back to my shooting area and took a couple of shots with my FDC. The load i was using was 60 gr of ffg, a nitro card, and two .015 red ticking patches lubed with olive oil and a .575 diam round ball. After I did my shooting i noticed the cardwads laying in the snow and they had separated like those biscuits that come in a tube. Then i found my patches and they were visibly burnt on the sides with some burn through spots on the sides of the ball imprint. My question is, is this from using a undersized ball, or a lube issue? The ball seems fairly tight when i load it. Thank you all for your advise.

 

[Carbon 6]

After I did my shooting i noticed the cardwads laying in the snow and they had separated like those biscuits that come in a tube.

Normal.

Then i found my patches and they were visibly burnt on the sides with some burn through spots on the sides of the ball imprint. My question is, is this from using a undersized ball, or a lube issue?

Some light burning or scorching is normal, but the integrity of the patch should remain. If you burn holes or the whole patch incinerates you have a problem. likely a lube problem but my first question is, Did you wash the pillow ticking before use ? The fabric sizing is usually starch based and quite flammable.
Inadequate lube or the wrong lube can cause patch burning issues.

Addendum: Were the red ticking patches pre-cut and store bought, or cut from bulk ticking ?

 

[Pioneer flinter]

Normal.



Some light burning or scorching is normal, but the integrity of the patch should remain. If you burn holes or the whole patch incinerates you have a problem. likely a lube problem but my first question is, Did you wash the pillow ticking before use ? The fabric sizing is usually starch based and quite flammable.
Inadequate lube or the wrong lube can cause patch burning issues.

Addendum: Were the red ticking patches pre-cut and store bought, or cut from bulk ticking ?

I ordered the red ticking from October county, per half yard and no I didn't wash it I have always washed my blue ticking just slipped my mind.

 

[Pioneer flinter]

I ordered the red ticking from October county, per half yard and no I didn't wash it I have always washed my blue ticking just slipped my mind.

I was told by a friend of mine that red ticking is always thinner then blue. So I found this red ticking at October country and it is .015 thick which is just what I was looking for so I ordered some. I went to Walmart and found a yard of it took it home measured it and it mike's at .022 thick so much for going by color.

 

[Ponderosaman]

I have no experience with patch materials or lubricants in a gun, but can say that olive oil burns at lower temperatures than other oils like canola oil or peanut oil in a deep fryer.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Some nitro cards are to stiff and if a little loose will allow hot gas past them.
I like to see recovered cards dished around the ball.
I've used thin overshot cards in the past but if your set on the nitro cards try two if they are easy enough to load.
You could also put lube between them or soak them in the olive oil.
Sounds like a simple improvement in your firewall is needed but also dont dismiss just using the patches alone.
How well did it shoot anyway?

 

[Grenadier1758]

I was told by a friend of mine that red ticking is always thinner then blue. So I found this red ticking at October country and it is .015 thick which is just what I was looking for so I ordered some. I went to Walmart and found a yard of it took it home measured it and it mike's at .022 thick so much for going by color.

I have found the notion that the red striped ticking is a different thickness than the blue striped ticking is a muzzle loading legend and the major difference is the color of the stripe. That's why you measure the fabric when you buy it. I have quite a bit of blue striped ticking that measures 0.015" thick. I used the red striped ticking, which also measured 0.015" thick, in order to differentiate my used patches from the other shooters' used patches. I now use cotton drill cloth at 0.018" with no striping.

 

[Pioneer flinter]

Some nitro cards are to stiff and if a little loose will allow hot gas past them.
I like to see recovered cards dished around the ball.
I've used thin overshot cards in the past but if your set on the nitro cards try two if they are easy enough to load.
You could also put lube between them or soak them in the olive oil.
Sounds like a simple improvement in your firewall is needed but also dont dismiss just using the patches alone.
How well did it shoot anyway?

My first shot I was a little jumpy my second shot I was dead on just 2 inches low.

 

[Pioneer flinter]

Has anyone ever used straight olive oil for patch lube? I have read other places of shooters using it and it worked ok for them.

 

[JHB]

I have been using vegetable oil with good results it is cheaper than olive oil.

 

[Brokennock]

I'm surprised you got any burning of the patch with a theoretical fire wall of the nitro cards. Maybe Britsmoothy is on to something. I get no fire damage when I use a patched roundball in my smoothbores, using one or two of the thin "overshot" cards as a firewall/lube barrier, between powder and patch. My best shooting combos are always loose compared to rifle standards.
.615 bore likes;
.595 ball with a .010 patch and a thin card firewall,
or,
.610 ball with no patch, but sandwiched in between 2 thin cards then a lubed felt wad or lubed ball of faux-tow, the ball, then 2 more thin cards to hold it all in.

So I doubt the burn issue was from the ball and patch combo being loose, so it must be the nitro cards letting hot gas past.
Maybe try either the thin cards, or, with historical reference available, a 1"x2" piece of "brown paper rubbed soft," folded to be 1"x1" and seated on the powder before the patched ball.
The reference is for shot loads but we have reports of it greatly improving gas seal and this energy in those loads, so it may seal gas well enough to help your problem.

 

[Carbon 6]

I ordered the red ticking from October county, per half yard and no I didn't wash it I have always washed my blue ticking just slipped my mind.

I'd try washing it. I had the same problem once. If it still happens after that, try a heavier lube like beeswax and olive oil mix..

 

[Britsmoothy]

Another firewall I experimented with was a patch on its own centred and rammed down first.
It depends on the rammer ends how well that works out but one of my guns benefited from it.

 

[Carbon 6]

Constant tinkering and experimenting is part of the fun IMO, especially with shotguns/smoothbores.

 

[fillwa]

For my "fire wall" I use about 20gr (45 acp brass measured) in my 54 cal flintlock and it works good for me.

 

[Pioneer flinter]

remember this is with a .575 diam ball.

 

[TomV]

I have no experience with patch materials or lubricants in a gun, but can say that olive oil burns at lower temperatures than other oils like canola oil or peanut oil in a deep fryer.

Mink oil