Altoids Tin Patch box

[ronnie_kennedy]

I have recently purchased my first smoothbore flintlock pistol. I will be using pre-lubed patches to wrap my balls, and thought about using an altoids tin i had laying around the house to put my patches in. Just wondering if anyone has done this and if so, does it keep the patches from drying out or would something like a dip can work a little better at sealing the air out?

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I forget who posted a thread regarding the Altiods box. It was maybe a month or six weeks ago. I thought it was very nicely done. The poster burned off the paint and hammered out the embossed part of the lid. It looked really good to me. Maybe he will chime in. The thread is out there, just don't know where. :hmm:

 

[ronnie_kennedy]

I actually just got done looking at that thread. Stumpy made a really nice set and i hope to do the same style as his. My main question was if the tin would keep the patches lubed or not. It looks as though his patches that he carried weren't prelubed.

 

[Birdman]

Ronnie once a patch is lubed its lubed, if it sits for months without being used it may dry out n need relubed but most everybody always checks that sort of thing the day or so before going out just yto make sure everything is up to snuff. Heck I've got patchs from years ago that are still greasy feeling but before I used them I would of course give them a new coat of lube just to be on the safe side--just some thoughts YMHS Birdman

 

[roundball]

Many different types, sizes, and styles of tins at this website:
http://www.papermart.com/Product P...74&SubGroupID=23271&ParentGroupID=19037#23271

ONE EXAMPLE LIKE ALTOIDS TINS:

 

[trent/OH]

Kind of tangential, but a few years ago at one of the Friendship IN flea markets a guy had a bunch of Altoid tins for sale, which as I recall I snagged for the cost of 7 for a dollar. Every boy and leader in my Scout troop who wanted one had a tin for firemaking the next week.

 

[Stumpkiller]

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showpost.php?post/1074731/

 

[PA.1740]

dip can would work better . alot less air better seal. :thumbsup:
Have Fun
Phil

 

[PA.1740]

HO! I forget when not in use put tape around the can black tape works the best :thumbsup:
Have Fun
Phil

 

[Supercracker]

I just started using one of the mini altoids tins and it has the same holes in the back at the hinge as the big one that let the patches dry out. I roughed it up on the inside with some sandpaper and then stuck a strip of ticking in place over the holes using straight beeswax. This covers the holes but the lid hinge can still operate. I also melted about 1/32" of beeswax in the lid so the lip seals to it when closed. It's watertight and almost free. I expect it to keep patches from drying out for a long time.


In addition, Burts Beeswax makes a hand cream that comes in a very very nice little tin that is big enough for about 3-4 .50 balls, leather OPWs and about a dozen round patches folded in half. It's what I keep in the bag for my rifle. No raised lettering, the paint burns off easily and with the layer of wax in the lid it is absolutely airtight.

 

[Supercracker]

Many different types, sizes, and styles of tins at this website:
http://www.papermart.com/Product P...74&SubGroupID=23271&ParentGroupID=19037#23271

THANKS

I'll be spending some money there soon.

 

[VTdeerhunter]

The Altoids tins make great char cloth making boxes as well, pound the raised letters out of the top and use it to make a bunch of char cloth...look pretty old at that point

 

[ronnie_kennedy]

Thanks for the replys everyone. I went out today and pounded out my lid and it looks great! I am new to all of this, so i guess i was under the assumption that once the patches dry out they are no good. I see the error in that line of thinking now and hope ya'll look past that little novice ignorance! :redface:

 

[lonehorseman]

Use a wood chisel to make a shallow depression, approximately the size of the Altoids Logo, in a piece of pine 2X4. After the paint is burned off the box, remove the lid, place it over the depression in the wood, and take a round head (peen) hammer to hammer out the Altoids raised logo. As the logo is removed, the top will take on a nice convex form. This adds a nice flair to the box. I use them for patches, and a variety of carried items.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Use an oil/beeswax lube for your patches and they don't "dry out". If you insist on using any water based lube, the patches will dry out, unless sealed in a plastic bag and kept in the freezer.


Always check All of your gear, including patches, before you pack up to go to the range or hunting. You will be less likely to forget something, and everything you take will ready to go. Since I flush my barrel out with alcohol before every shooting expedition, this is a "Habit"( checking all my gear) for me. You only have to drive an hour to a range and find out you brought the wrong balls, or forget your percussion caps, to get into this habit.

Thank you very kindly for not asking me how I learned this invaluable lesson myself. :grin: :v :hmm: :idunno: :surrender: :hatsoff:

 

[ronnie_kennedy]

I learned to get all my gear together the night before any adventure through fishing. I always take all my gear out, inventory it, and set it near the door. Now, i do the same with all of my black powder supplies.

I finished the tin yesterday and will upload a pic of it a little later. I am really liking the way it turned out and am planning on making some more for my friends :thumbsup:

 

[paulvallandigham]

The tins make excellent containers for patches. And, as Stumpy showed us they can be modified to make a much different shaped tin that will be the envy of many Mlers.

But NO tin will seal well enough to store patches lubed with a water based lube for many days or weeks. The reason to use Beeswax in a lube mix is because Honey is nature's antiseptic- ie. it has enzymes in it that kill bacteria. Those enzymes are also present in "Bees Wax", and prevent bacteria from forming and eating the fabric of your lubed patches. That allows these greased patches to be stored longer, in good condition than if you use some other wax for you lube mix.

I use spit, water, and water based lubes on the firing range, where shots are fired fairly soon after the PRB is loaded down the barrel. However, when hunting, I switch to my Wonder Lube, or home-made Olive oil/beeswax lube. In sub freezing temps, the dry air sucks the water right out of the patch within an hour, and allows oxidation( rust!) to occur where the patch is placed against the rifling in your barrel.

You don't want rust in your barrel! :shocked2: :td: :nono: :shake:

Be very conscious of the air temperatures when shooting BP. When temps drop much below 40 degrees, the air begins to dry out. In the high mountain states, relative humidity is so low it may as well be below freezing. You may have to adjust your lube choice several times during one day's shooting, when you have a huge change in temperatures and relative humidity while out shooting. :hmm:

I happen to live in a "Middle area" here in Illinois, where we can have huge changes in weather based n whether we have a Cold High coming down from Alberta( Alberta clippers), or
strong warm winds blowing up out of the Southwest, but bringing heat and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. And, this can change in one day!

This kind of change can not only make life miserable for hunters- I suffered hypothermia one day when deer-hunting in far Southern Illinois--, but it can give you fits if you used the wrong lube on your patch that is in the gun. :hmm:

 

[ronnie_kennedy]

Not as purdy as Stumpy's but i like the way it came out. I like the old and worn look and the patina it took on. I should have taken a pic of it head on to show it more as it is hard to tell in the pics, but the lid did take on a naturally domed shape when i was hammering out the logo. Thank you guys for all the info and advice!

 

[Pigman]

They are not just for patches:
http://artofmanliness.com/2011/01/30/22-manly-ways-to-reuse-an-altoids-tin/

Foster From Flint

 

An old Copenhagen tin would work real nice :wink: