baxter said:
With all due respect to my rifle's builder, I understood him to say that I can/should? drive the pins out of the forestock, remove the barrel and then reinstall (he gave careful instructions regarding removing the lock beforehand) and use the "TOTW Flintflush". I own a "Flintflush" but I am hamfisted as anything and I loathe the idea of driving the pins out to remove the barrel. Remove the lock carefully? Yes, I can do that. Barrel is 44", swamped. I also fear getting water into barrel channel and having it remain there unseen though the builder waxed the barrel and channel and beeswaxed the pin holes if I try to soap-and-water clean the barrel with it in the stock. Is there a "pretty sure method" someone has used with the "flintflush" and left the barrel in the wood that they would like to explain to me? I just read a posting by a gentleman who had the misfortune of having a barrel pin drift awry and the subsequent problems with same. Were it me, I'd NEVER try to drift those pins out. Thanks in advance. baxter
Remove the lock with a screw driver that fits the slots in the screwheads.
Plug the vent with a toothpick, just drive it in snug. Pour about 3" of water in the bore. Plug muzzle with finger or thumb and up end the gun 2-3 times to slosh the water. Dump water out. With a loose fitting patch run it up and down to the breech. Repeat the slosh, dump, wipe cycle a couple of times. Use a dry patch or two to remove excess water then wet patches with a tight fit (if you leave too much water in the bore you can force the water around the toothpick) 3-4 times. Till the black is gone. I like to twist a wet patch against the breech with a worm/patch puller, to scrub this area better.
Dry the bore with more dry patches, twisting a dry patch or two in the breech. Pull the toothpick as soon as excess water is out of the bore. The air flow will speed drying.
As it dries it possible to get some black on the patch even with a clean bore since there will be some black iron oxide appearing on the patches. Fouling will remain grey or black after a day or so. Iron oxide usually turned brown on patches set to dry as a test.
Once dry oil the bore with a good rust protectant oil. NOT patch lube, olive oil etc. Wipe fouling from the wood. NEVER wipe the wood with petroleum oils. These can soften and even remove many wood finishes. Petroleum oils are the reason for all the black streaks and black wood rot seen around locks and barrels of old firearms. Walnut is very bad for black petroleum oil streaks in the wood from oil migrating from the metal parts to the end grain.
Use STOCK finish. A light wipe with hardware store Boiled Linseed oil is OK. I would order some stock finish oil from Jim Chambers flintlocks to touch up.
Use patch that is wet enough to oil the breech.
Once this is done stand the rifle muzzle down on a folded paper towel for 10-12 hours to keep the oil from running out the vent and into the wood.
Now clean the lock with water and a brush and a Qtip for some areas. The frizzen and frizzen spring only need to be removed now and then. But if the frizzen or frizzen spring have no roller then a little dab of grease needs to be used to protect the spring and the frizzen foot from wear.
A drop of oil for the frizzen pivot.
Oil the internals and if its not a link type mainspring some grease where the mainspring bears on the tumbler. Oil internals very sparingly of the oil WILL get into the wood. A light wipe to iron parts like triggers etc will prevent rust on the triggers, barrel etc.
Replace the lock and leave the gun muzzle down at least overnight.
Dan