Erwan
50 Cal.
All my vents/touch holes and rifles nipples are mounted with Teflon and that works pretty good...
How Often Do You Remove the Touch Hole Liner
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Dphar1950
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There are lots of people selling stuff to ML shooter that are completely clueless so....
Ben Meyer
40 Cal
I removed my liner yesterday. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Was at the range, got to talking with my son and dryballed my rifle. Now, he used to have a rifle without the removable liner and dryballed it once. A ball puller with a heavy brass range rod did not work. An hour and a half of poking grains of 4f powder into the flash hole eventually did. But for me yesterday? Took the lock off, took the liner out, put some 4f in there, shot it out. Took 5 minutes, and not only was I darn glad I had a liner, I doubt I ever buy a rifle without one!
Once home and cleaning the gun, I noticed it was darn near impossible to get it back out. I'm guessing some powder got in the threads and made it tighter over the course of 30 more shots. I then sprayed some WD40, let it sit, went ahead and did my entire bore cleaning with soapy hot water, and upon completion was able to remove it. Cleaned it and the threads out well and put antiseize on the threads before reinstalling it.
Once home and cleaning the gun, I noticed it was darn near impossible to get it back out. I'm guessing some powder got in the threads and made it tighter over the course of 30 more shots. I then sprayed some WD40, let it sit, went ahead and did my entire bore cleaning with soapy hot water, and upon completion was able to remove it. Cleaned it and the threads out well and put antiseize on the threads before reinstalling it.
Erwan
50 Cal.
That is the reason why I use three round of Teflon on the screw threading of the nipples and vents: in this case I don't need W40 or penetrating oil...
Ben Meyer
40 Cal
At the range, it came right out. It had a dab of antiseize on the threads. After fixing the dryball and reinstalling it, THATS when it must have gotten TIGHT. I'd have needed to reinstall teflon tape and/or antiseize out at the range. I had neither in my blackpowder box. I can fix that!
That is the reason why I use three round of Teflon on the screw threading of the nipples and vents: in this case I don't need W40 or penetrating oil...
Griz44Mag
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I carry a small toolbox to the range. In it (among other stuff) is a small tube of antisieze. I have never dryballed one of my flinters, but having something to re-dope the threads on the nipples is priceless.
I know that when I have to pull the nipple on a dry load, after I replace it, the nipple is much more difficult to remove. I should use a bit of my bee's wax and olive oil lube to treat the threads.
Erwan
50 Cal.
Why not a grease for hot temp. like copper or graphite grease based.
The olive oil burns in the time with the temp. et the risk is that the vent or the nipple be more difficult to disassemble like this than when the vent or the nipple is a bit warm after shooting...
OK, Teflon, graphite or copper grease aren't historical or naturals but that works...
Sure, the high temperature, never seize, lubricant would be the best choice, but I didn't have that tube of lubricant in my range kit. Normally I use RIG, which isn't necessarily a high temperature grease, to apply to the threads. RIG also keeps the threads easy to back out for cleaning.
Note: I do use the high temperature Never Seize lubricant when I install breech plugs and touch hole liners. But I also don't take them apart at the range.
You should never remove a vent, unless it has shot out too large for good accuracy.
I made a fitting to screw into the vent so I can hit it with a tire pump. Made out of a tubeless tire valve.
My experience is only with white lightnin liners. In the supplied instructions it states to leave the bottom two or three threads partially cut. This is so the liner will essentially lock itself in, seal the joint between the liner and the barrel.
In industry, bolts that are in critical positions are replaced each time they are removed. The bolts are never re-used.
Tightening the liner stretches the threads. Your life depends on that touch hole liner to stay in place.
Continuous heat cycling and high pressure from shooting the gun causes additional stress on the threads which will also cause the liner to conform to the barrel, essentially locking it into place. Each time you remove the liner you cause the threads to flex and wear; you could call it cold cycling. We all know what happens when you cold cycle hard metals.
If it was my liner and I removed it I would replace it each time w/o never seize compound.
If you dry balled the gun and cannot pull the ball, it would be safer to pull the breach plug and push out the ball.
Just remember the pressures that are developed in black powder guns; 13,000 to 26,000 psi.
In industry, bolts that are in critical positions are replaced each time they are removed. The bolts are never re-used.
Tightening the liner stretches the threads. Your life depends on that touch hole liner to stay in place.
Continuous heat cycling and high pressure from shooting the gun causes additional stress on the threads which will also cause the liner to conform to the barrel, essentially locking it into place. Each time you remove the liner you cause the threads to flex and wear; you could call it cold cycling. We all know what happens when you cold cycle hard metals.
If it was my liner and I removed it I would replace it each time w/o never seize compound.
If you dry balled the gun and cannot pull the ball, it would be safer to pull the breach plug and push out the ball.
Just remember the pressures that are developed in black powder guns; 13,000 to 26,000 psi.
Griz44Mag
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Can't agree with that one. If the liner gives, the blast is going to go out the side and away from you.
Nothing is going to blow up in your face. Your hand is below the vent, your face behind.
Now, if someone is sitting to your right, that might be a horse of a different color. But the pan on the lock would likely bounce a vent liner up and away.
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I remove the liner every time I clean my Lyman Great Plains flintlock. To clean mine, I have a brass fitting that screws in there and has some rubber tubing attached, so I can stick the other end of the tube into really hot water and clean most of the gunk out of the barrel. Using a patch and a jag sucks the hot water into the barrel, like a piston, and flushes it back out. Then just dump the dirty water outside. It saves me time and patches.
