Cleaning with Tow

[rmefbowhunter]

Someone else posted about this recently and I tried it with frayed-out hemp rope (what I had handy) and it worked fantastic, far better than patches, Nylon brushes, or cotton bore mops. It cleans the grooves in rifles and cleans pitted bores extremely well, too. Brilliant.

Now, where can a person get a wad of tow fibers for a reasonable price?

Etsy has several vendors who sell tow.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

Hah! I thought it was a selfie!

Lol I’m not that stupid looking (at least hope not!)

 

[Ohio Rusty]

When your tow gets full of black poweder residue and won't clean anymore, dry it and save it for fire starting tinder.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[ETipp]

Hey all

So I’ve been experimenting with cleaning my trade gun using tow and an original style coil gun worm.

I’ll have to say, you’ve got to try it! It works more or less like a heavy duty bore brush.

View attachment 238682

My method is to wrap some tow around the worm and wet it with creek water:

View attachment 238684

The tow naturally comes out filthy! But the neat thing is it can be swished around in water and wrung out to clean it for continual scrubbing. Just scrub, rinse the tow, and scrub again till the tow comes out clean.

View attachment 238693

Some dry tow can then be ran down followed by a greased or oiled piece. It’s remarkable how quickly and thoroughly this works. I’ve been very impressed with this method! You can clean the bore with just a few pieces and the tow can be washed out numerous times and reused.

Just a small hank in your shooting pouch is all that’s needed. There are also fancier threaded worms available that have been used for centuries on many types of guns, which threads into a ferrule on your ramrod.

If you aren’t hip to cleaning with tow “the old fashioned way” you need to try it. No more patches and jags for me. This period correct way works even better.

Thanks for reading and take care!

Dillon

Awesome post, Smoke!

 

[TDM]

About a year ago I went to our last old timey hardware store, they had about 10' of 1" hemp rope left on an old spool so I bought it. Cut a sapling last fall and stripped the bark, let it dry all winter by the fire place. Made a wiping stick out of it with a threaded cork screw end. Fits my 12 ga New Englander fine, but not my 20 ga. I have an extra hickory ram rod blank I can adapt for the 20. Probably 2 lbs of Tow too. I just need to start using it all!

 

[Salt River Johnny]

I like your bullet worm / cleaning jag where did you get this and wondering what type of steel it is made of? Does it slip down on a tapered ram rod and hold there?
Thank you Sir
Salt River Johnny

 

[Yewbender]

I have that style tow worm in 2 sizes. Them and tow work very well for cleaning. Tow…the wounder fiber…has many uses for our muzzleloader hobby. I have got’n tow from several places but last was the 1lb from the Woolery. It will last a long long time and worth the money!

 

[Jay Templin]

The Woolery sells it for 37.99/lb. And I'll tell you that you can clean many many guns with one pound of the stuff. So at that price, I'd say that's reasonable.

Don't want to buy it by the pound? I found this on Etsy; $5.90 for 4 oz. Even that seemingly small amount is quite sufficient and will last a long time. So it's out there. Google is your friend.

A pound of tow will definitely last a long while. Back when I was running the Farm at Yorktown, we did a lot of work with flax processing with school groups, and we had to buy some retted flax stalks. It was drop shipping from Belgium, and we ended up with a ball of roughly 1000 pounds of stalks! We spun a power of thread with that, and lit I don’t know how many hundreds of fires!
Jay

 

[RAEDWALD]

Plumbers in Europe still use it with tallow for some jobs and plumbers supply shops readily stock it. I can’t advise for the USA.

 

[Mad L]

I have been using tow for a long time now and it works great to get down into tiny crevices that patches don't get oe when you need something for a little more 'scrub power'.
I have found that hemp TOW seems easier to find, cost less. And is more course then the linen tow I have found. Some places like Hemp Traders on line will even offer different 'grades' of hemp fiber (fine and soft to thick and course).
I have both a small and large 'primative' spring tip but for .50 cal and .45 cal i find the store bought 'corkscrew' patch puller works best for me and gets further down into those pattern type breaches to scrub the back wall.

I bought, I think, a pound years ago and still have tons left even after using some for stuffing in little Gnome dolls I once made for the grand kids and used some for blunderbuss wadding.
When used for wadding you sometimes can retrieve it and use it again.
About the only time I pull the bag out for another wad is when I misplaced the last one.

 

[waksupi]

Get some flax seed at the health food store, and plant some!

 

[waksupi]

Hey all

So I’ve been experimenting with cleaning my trade gun using tow and an original style coil gun worm.

I’ll have to say, you’ve got to try it! It works more or less like a heavy duty bore brush.

View attachment 238682

My method is to wrap some tow around the worm and wet it with creek water:

View attachment 238684

The tow naturally comes out filthy! But the neat thing is it can be swished around in water and wrung out to clean it for continual scrubbing. Just scrub, rinse the tow, and scrub again till the tow comes out clean.

View attachment 238693

Some dry tow can then be ran down followed by a greased or oiled piece. It’s remarkable how quickly and thoroughly this works. I’ve been very impressed with this method! You can clean the bore with just a few pieces and the tow can be washed out numerous times and reused.

Just a small hank in your shooting pouch is all that’s needed. There are also fancier threaded worms available that have been used for centuries on many types of guns, which threads into a ferrule on your ramrod.

If you aren’t hip to cleaning with tow “the old fashioned way” you need to try it. No more patches and jags for me. This period correct way works even better.

Thanks for reading and take care!

Dillon

Where did you get the wire worm? I have one I got years ago, but can't find them anymore.

 

[Cruzatte]

Where did you get the wire worm? I have one I got years ago, but can't find them anymore.

Log Cabin Shop $1.25 each.

 

[Jay Templin]

Get some flax seed at the health food store, and plant some!

The store bought flaxseed is from oil flax, not fibre flax, so it doesn’t really get as tall or produce as much fibre- it’s meant to produce seeds. Plant it THICKLY- I plant a 6x10 foot bed with almost half a pound of seed. Broadcast by hand, throwing it from one end, then again from one side. Rake it gently. In a few days when it’s all starting to sprout, toss more seeds into any bare or thin spots. Thicker sowing = taller stems with fewer branches. Pull (don’t cut) the stalks once they have flowered. Waiting until they set seeds is less desirable for making linen, but is fine for tow. To get the fibres out, you’ll want to rett the stalks- it’s a controlled fermentation/rotting process which is well explained here: Flax to Linen: Retting
Jay

 

[Mad L]

Just cleaned out my .50 cal flinter last night after a day of shooting, and yes I used tow instead of a brush - quick, easy; rinse the tow out when done and set to dry out for next time.

An easy substitute for the primative Tow Worm (spring looking one) and if you can't find the hand forged ones is a simple OX-Yok 'Patch Puller'. I find it great for getting into tighter barrels and breeches:

https://rmcoxyoke.com/product/patch-puller/

 

[flatcreek]

Had 50 ft or so of 1" old hemp rope down in the barn so if I like it I'm set for a while. Ropes old and wouldn't want to use it as a rope any longer.

 

[RMH]

Now, where can a person get a wad of tow fibers for a reasonable price?

I don't know what is reasonable to you, but Epsy and Evil Bay both sell it in various quantities. I purchased 1/2 lb. and it looks to be a lifetime supply. I don't trust the spring wire twist on thingamajigs and am looking for "reasonably priced" 8/32 Tow worms. I have seen some beauties but $40-60@ seems a bit dear.

This is what I get for posting before reading the whole thread. The Ox-Yoke puller is 10/32 but I have adapters. Thanks guys!

 

[FlinterNick]

Hey all

So I’ve been experimenting with cleaning my trade gun using tow and an original style coil gun worm.

I’ll have to say, you’ve got to try it! It works more or less like a heavy duty bore brush.

View attachment 238682

My method is to wrap some tow around the worm and wet it with creek water:

View attachment 238684

The tow naturally comes out filthy! But the neat thing is it can be swished around in water and wrung out to clean it for continual scrubbing. Just scrub, rinse the tow, and scrub again till the tow comes out clean.

View attachment 238693

Some dry tow can then be ran down followed by a greased or oiled piece. It’s remarkable how quickly and thoroughly this works. I’ve been very impressed with this method! You can clean the bore with just a few pieces and the tow can be washed out numerous times and reused.

Just a small hank in your shooting pouch is all that’s needed. There are also fancier threaded worms available that have been used for centuries on many types of guns, which threads into a ferrule on your ramrod.

If you aren’t hip to cleaning with tow “the old fashioned way” you need to try it. No more patches and jags for me. This period correct way works even better.

Thanks for reading and take care!

Dillon

I only use flax tow in the field, it doubles as a very great fire starter when dried.

Otherwise, i clean my smooth bore guns with Brillo steel wool and brass steel wool for rifles.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Yeah but does it "season" the bore?

In all seriousness the folks around back then knew what they were doing.

It was all that they had