What to do with a patch box ?

[davec2]

OK....so I have built several rifles in the last few years and I never quite know what to do with a patch box. I have never kept patches in one. And I have never actually made two the same size. The size, at least for me, is determined by the aesthetics of the butt architecture and they just don't come out any sort of standard size. I haven't had the time lately to work on some of the more involved projects I have on the bench, but the other day I got the urge to make up some items for the patchbox on the copy of the Jim Chambers rifle I did a while back. The patch box on that rifle is one of the largest I have made and I thought I could fit one of my Gunner's Mates shooting tools in it...and I could. The only problem is that the tool won't fit in a .36 bore. So I re-machined a few critical parts to fit the bore. It won't assemble into the single tool any longer, but it fit easily in the patch box with a little tow and I made a little ticking bag for the ball puller and worm.







Well, I liked the way that turned out, so I wanted to put one of the complete tools in the box on the .58 caliber English rifle I made some time ago now. The only problem was that this rifle has one of the narrowest boxes I have made and the "T" handle for the tool would not fit. After a little thought, I cut away a notch on each side of the box and got the "T" handle to drop in. A little more tow and the body of the tool taken down into two pieces and it all fits fine.









This seemed to work out so well, I did the same thing to the copy of Jim Keebler's .54 caliber rifle that I built (the one with the sights made out of a meteor)....








And one more....a walnut stocked .50 caliber I made back in 2014....







With the tow in the box, none of this stuff rattles around. And I always have everything I need to service each rifle....without even looking...

 

[PathfinderNC]

Dave, your work is exquisite and a joy to look at . Those patchboxes are beautifully designed and created, and serve a fine purpose as your example show. Wow !

 

[Brokennock]

Yup. When I had a rifle with a patch box, I kept cleaning and maintenance stuff in it. Of course, nothing as cool and neat as your gunners mate tool, but basically the same tools and some cleaning patches.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Beautiful and very clever !

 

[Notchy Bob]

Outstanding workmanship on the rifles and the tools!

I know we call those traps "patchboxes," but I don't know the origin of the name. It just doesn't look like a practical place to carry patches, unless they were pre-greased, and the rifleman didn't want to get grease on everything in his shot pouch. Seems like someone a while back was calling it a "tallow box," but I don't recall who it was.

I have an original New Haven M1841 Mississippi Rifle, which still has a spare nipple screwed into a threaded hole in the wood inside the patchbox. This seemed like a good idea to prevent losing that little item. I think the patchbox on the Mississippi rifle was intended to hold the government issue combination tool and a worm or wiper, in addition to the spare nipple. However, this rifle was originally issued with a compartmented "rifleman's pouch," and maybe the tools were supposed to have been carried in the pouch. I don't know.

Here is an excerpt from Granville Stuart's Forty Years on the Frontier, with comments about how they used "...an oval silver box set into the butt stock on the right side...":

Thanks for showing us your work, Dave!

Notchy Bob

 

[JohnnieT]

Excellent work! The precision fitting is beautiful and practical. Those tools are pretty slick, too.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

OK....so I have built several rifles in the last few years and I never quite know what to do with a patch box. I have never kept patches in one. And I have never actually made two the same size. The size, at least for me, is determined by the aesthetics of the butt architecture and they just don't come out any sort of standard size. I haven't had the time lately to work on some of the more involved projects I have on the bench, but the other day I got the urge to make up some items for the patchbox on the copy of the Jim Chambers rifle I did a while back. The patch box on that rifle is one of the largest I have made and I thought I could fit one of my Gunner's Mates shooting tools in it...and I could. The only problem is that the tool won't fit in a .36 bore. So I re-machined a few critical parts to fit the bore. It won't assemble into the single tool any longer, but it fit easily in the patch box with a little tow and I made a little ticking bag for the ball puller and worm.


Well, I liked the way that turned out, so I wanted to put one of the complete tools in the box on the .58 caliber English rifle I made some time ago now. The only problem was that this rifle has one of the narrowest boxes I have made and the "T" handle for the tool would not fit. After a little thought, I cut away a notch on each side of the box and got the "T" handle to drop in. A little more tow and the body of the tool taken down into two pieces and it all fits fine

Dave,
Impeccable workmanship! What a display of craftsmanship! Thanks for sharing the eye candy!
Larry

 

[Dibbuk]

Beautiful work. Surprised you don't have a spare flint or two wrapped in the patching material.

 

[waksupi]

I recall one of the more well known contemporary builders recommend making the patch box large enough to hold a Snickers bar. A man after my own heart.

 

[davec2]

Dibbuk.....I carry spare flints in an accessory wallet (see my other post on that) but I do often tuck at least one spare in the patch box.

Waksupi.....sounds like an even better plan for a patch box than my set up !