How you clean pan & frizzen?

[WonkyEye]

Testing after 100 shots without cleaning. Clean after shooting provided you have a good lock.
View attachment 277555

What lock is that? The pan looks huge.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

A couple of passes with a damp cloth (hangs off my bag or belt) then the other end (dry): then reload. Every shot, range or field.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Commodore Swab]

What lock is that? The pan looks huge.

Earlier heavy dragoon pistol, it looks larger because of all the crud on it during the test.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Alcohol patches

 

[FlinterNick]

For those that hunt: after taking a shot, how do you clean the pan, frizzen, & vent?
I am curious if many people use those pan brushes you see sold with "flintlock tool kits", or if you use a damp rag, or some other tool.

I just brush and pick as i go and need.

i woudln't’ use a damp wrag.

With the last shot fired for the day, i take advantage of the heat that is left over in the pan and breech, the area generally wipes out fine.

 

[oldwood]

At th range , and in the woods , I use a simple hdw. store plumbing flux brush to clean powder ash from pan , and underside of frizzen. In the woods , I wipe any residue from the pan , flint , etc. with a patch. Same at the range. All this is followed by touch hole pick , 1/16". If you already loaded , the touch hole pick will make a crunch sound , indicating the hole is open to the powder charge in the barrel. Prime , and close frizzen.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

In the woods , I wipe any residue from the pan , flint , etc. with a patch. Same at the range.

Dry or wet patch?

 

[bpd303]

I usually use a spit patch.

 

[WonkyEye]

At th range , and in the woods , I use a simple hdw. store plumbing flux brush to clean powder ash from pan , and underside of frizzen. In the woods , I wipe any residue from the pan , flint , etc. with a patch. Same at the range. All this is followed by touch hole pick , 1/16". If you already loaded , the touch hole pick will make a crunch sound , indicating the hole is open to the powder charge in the barrel. Prime , and close frizzen.

What do you prime with? Everyone seems to be fine with soft whisk brushes besides me. I use Scheutzen 3F, my pan has a thick hard black crust after firing. A soft brush doesn't work, I just upgraded to brass cup brushes for a Dremel so I can scrape that crap out.

 

[French Colonial]

I tried using a brush a couple of times during our humid summers, ended up with a sloppy goopy mess in the bristles that was hard to clean out and after a few shots did little to clean the pan.

A strip of cloth as mentioned above tied to the bag strap works better for me.

 

[flconch53]

Oke
Okeydoke ...just wipe out the pan with yer shirt or a piece of patching cloth then ....Ive never seen it a problem hunting but I guess ive never hunted in Florida before ! LOL ... Best of luck.

And that gets to the crux of the matter. It all depends where you hunt. Here in Florida I keep a strip of cloth tied to my shooting bag strap to wipe the frizzen between shots. When I am hunting I just tuck the loose end of the cloth in my shooting bag so it doesn't flap around

 

[oldwood]

Black Jaque........I use 4f in the pan , and again , those little solder flux brushes , or my wife's tooth brush cut off short has worked for me 1/2 century. In the woods , after I brush , I wipe with something absorbent. I've built and used all the flint guns from scratch that I've experimented with. Reason I mention this , is I slightly enlarge the pan longitudinally , so I can get the tip of my finger , with patch , or corner of paper towel into it to clean and dry efficiently before repriming . Here in Pa. , the natural humidity levels , leave a wet smudge in the pan. My idea is , if the wet pan isn't dry , the shot to shot powder residue stays wet , and builds up . I used to still hunt deer in the late Pa. flintlock season. I clean out and replace primer powder every hour or so , 'cause if I trail a deer most of the day , I want my rifle to fire , when the shot opportunity comes. Works for me. Most of my shooting nowadays , is at the range , so I don't have to be quite as fastidious with the pan cleaning. Use your touch hole pick after loading and before priming. You should be able to feel the crunch of dry powder in the bore.

 

[Rob M.]

And that gets to the crux of the matter. It all depends where you hunt. Here in Florida I keep a strip of cloth tied to my shooting bag strap to wipe the frizzen between shots. When I am hunting I just tuck the loose end of the cloth in my shooting bag so it doesn't flap around

Yeah , exactly. Everyone's got a different routine but so nice to have some tools or material hanging right there ...and can be later just tucked back in your pouch . .. . I have a long piece of cloth hanging down for patching hung there too but many times will use it for a quick wipe of the frizzen before the prime , sometimes my colonial shirt end ... great to have T.H. pick , patching , pan brush just hangin right there by my side , easy peezy , quick to grab ....