So, I've got a bunch of tow, and a tow worm...but don't really know how to use it! Can someone give a quick lesson on how to use one? My worm is the tornado shaped corkscrew type. Do I screw it onto the rod with the widest or narrowest end first? What is the best way to load it with the tow?
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Tow worm tutorial
- Thread starter CWC
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paulvallandigham
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Put a length of the tow( a hank) in your hand. Now put the corkscrew patch puller jag onto the hank at right angles to the length of the hank. Close your fingers to wrap the hopefully short end of the hank around the corkscrew, and begin twisting the jag against your hand to wrap the hank around the jag until its wrapped tight. Now, hopefully, you didn't use so much that you can't get it in the bore of your gun. You will figure it out.
If the tow is too wide or thick, simply squeeze it while rotating the jag, so that more fo the tow goes inside the wire corkscrews.
Tow is used in place of a Swab to wipe smoothbores, mostly. they can be used in rifled barrels, but you are likely to break off bits of tow and leave that debris in the barrel, unless you then flush the barrel out with water.
In use, water is poured into a plugged barrel, and the tow is run down to scrub the residue off the sides of the bore. The coarse fibers act as an abrasive, where a cotton swab can't serve that purpose. That is its main advantage.
However, today, we have bronze bore brushes, that can be used to scrub the bores efficiently and thoroughly. If you put a cotton flannel cleaning patch on/ in front of the bore brush when you start the brush and patch into the bore at the muzzle, the bristles of the brush will Grab the fabric of the cleaning patch, holding it against the walls of the bore to clean them, and to soak up the BP residue that is scraped and knocked loose by the the bore brush bristles.( say that 5 times fast, I dare you! :grin: :hmm: ) There are also brushes available made with nylon bristles, that are considered gentler on the bore- altho, for the life of me, I can't figure out how a bronze bristle can possibly scratch a steel barrel????? :idunno: :hmm: :thumbsup:
If the tow is too wide or thick, simply squeeze it while rotating the jag, so that more fo the tow goes inside the wire corkscrews.
Tow is used in place of a Swab to wipe smoothbores, mostly. they can be used in rifled barrels, but you are likely to break off bits of tow and leave that debris in the barrel, unless you then flush the barrel out with water.
In use, water is poured into a plugged barrel, and the tow is run down to scrub the residue off the sides of the bore. The coarse fibers act as an abrasive, where a cotton swab can't serve that purpose. That is its main advantage.
However, today, we have bronze bore brushes, that can be used to scrub the bores efficiently and thoroughly. If you put a cotton flannel cleaning patch on/ in front of the bore brush when you start the brush and patch into the bore at the muzzle, the bristles of the brush will Grab the fabric of the cleaning patch, holding it against the walls of the bore to clean them, and to soak up the BP residue that is scraped and knocked loose by the the bore brush bristles.( say that 5 times fast, I dare you! :grin: :hmm: ) There are also brushes available made with nylon bristles, that are considered gentler on the bore- altho, for the life of me, I can't figure out how a bronze bristle can possibly scratch a steel barrel????? :idunno: :hmm: :thumbsup:
CWC said:
With the plain corkscrew type (no threaded tip) I push the rammer in the wide end. You have to keep in mind the natural "thread" direction that tightens it on the rammer . . . and it has to be a wood rammer with no other tip. Always turn it once in the bore in the direction that tightens it.
Take a pencil size bit of tow and wind it onto the worm while turning it. Tuck the end in (it's not critical). Then, dampen it (REAL men put it in their mouth. VERY REAL MEN rinse it that way between wipes!) and run it down the bore. Good news is that it will work as a breech-face scraper.
You can rinse and reuse tow many times. Also, it is handy to load up the worm and keep it ready in the patchbox.
Dry used tow for a great tinder.
rafterob
62 Cal.
Dang-I had seen a ramrod like that before and wondered what it was for. thanks for the insight :thumbsup:
paulvallandigham
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With TOW, use he patch pulling (corkscrew style ) jag, caliber size. If I am using Cotton flannel cleaning patches, I use a caliber size bore brush with the patch, so I maximize the amount of cleaning I achieve with each stroke. I have square-bottomed rifling in my gun, and crud sticks in those corners like a marriage has taken place!I know if I soak the barrel for a couple of hours with soap and water, even that crud in the corners will come loose. But, using my bronze bore brush is faster, and lets me be confident that I have gotten all of the crud out of those corners. Then I don't have to repeat any of the cleaning process, and wait even more hours, before the gun is cleaned, and put away.
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