# bore brushes...rust issue



## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

unfortunately i have some rust issues with my .50 cal flintlock. it was rode hard and put away wet i suppose. (please refrain from being my dad and lecturing me...i know, i know)

not looking for a new gun or barrel or harsh words...i just need a sturdy bore brush for now. i wanted to use a stainless steel brush but cannot find one in .50 caliber. does anyone have a source for this? how much harder is bronze than brass? i can find bronze brushes.


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## bgak47 (Sep 4, 2003)

Bronze is somewhat harder than Brass. Either one in a bore brush should be enough to take away your rust.


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## TnTnTn (Dec 23, 2004)

Try a regular .50 cal bore brush with some 4/0 steel wool worked into it as a spiral wrap. You may need a .45 cal and build it up a little with the steel wool. Protect the muzzle and crown and work the wrapped brush in and out until the bore smoothes up. Using Remclean and/or JB bore paste on the brush/wool helps a lot also. Wipe the bore with soft flannel patches as you work to clean out the rust and debris that you have loosened. This ought to clean up and make servicable all but the worst neglected bores. TnTnTn


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

TnTnTn said:


> Try a regular .50 cal bore brush with some 4/0 steel wool worked into it as a spiral wrap. You may need a .45 cal and build it up a little with the steel wool. Protect the muzzle and crown and work the wrapped brush in and out until the bore smoothes up. Using Remclean and/or JB bore paste on the brush/wool helps a lot also. Wipe the bore with soft flannel patches as you work to clean out the rust and debris that you have loosened. This ought to clean up and make servicable all but the worst neglected bores. TnTnTn


This is what I would do!

Plus I don't know how you are cleaning.But I use warm water from the tap not Hot,with Dawn Soap,then rinse.Dry it good and use Remington Gun Oil.Check within a week,then at least every couple months.

I use to use Bore Butter but there was so many having problems with rust I decided not to take the chance.I do use it to lube my Patches.


big rockpile


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i am not that much of a flintlock rookie...i was just negligent during a very humid year. i thought i had cleaned out the gun after my last shooting many months ago but i didn't. i bought the gun of my bro-inlaw after i did the same thing and it rusted once before. i just bought him a duplicate and kept the rusty one. i cleaned it up good and it always shot well.

the rust just seems a little worse this time. it is hard to see into a muzzleloader to see just how bad as they are not open at both ends. i just feel a lot of rust in the barrel when i swab.

i always use bore butter. everyone i know swears by it for muzzleloaders.

i don't think dawn and hot water is going to help a rusty barrel. it is a good way to clean residue perhaps. the rust needs to be removed manually. before i posted, i worked it over for about 30 minutes with a brass brush. brush, brush, brush...swab, swab, swab. repeat...repeat...repeat. after i posted, i worked it over for about 30 more minutes.

maybe a new brush would help. i know stainless is not the best thing for a good barrel, but the damage it would do to the rusty barrel is probably outweighed by the good it will do. maybe i will order a bronze brush and see what happens. it just seems weird that you can get a stainless brush in every caliber BUT .50 calliber. :shrug:


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## Highground (Jan 22, 2003)

MELOC said:


> i am not that much of a flintlock rookie...i was just negligent during a very humid year. i thought i had cleaned out the gun after my last shooting many months ago but i didn't. i bought the gun of my bro-inlaw after i did the same thing and it rusted once before. i just bought him a duplicate and kept the rusty one. i cleaned it up good and it always shot well.
> 
> the rust just seems a little worse this time. it is hard to see into a muzzleloader to see just how bad as they are not open at both ends. :shrug:


What kind of gun you got?


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

TC .50 cal. penn. hunter carbine.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Want to see inside that flint lock bore? I bought a bore light at either Wally World or Dunhams for less than $5.00. Just turn on the switch and drop in the bore.
Before that I used a 357 case all shined up bright dropped in the bore and shined a bright light down there to reflect off the head and light the bore.

You can use some JB bore paste to help clean up the bore or you can raid your other halfs cleaning supplys and use the scouring powder (like comet) dampened on a patch or two to clean that bore.

good luck.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I knew I had a rust fix in my files some place.
I have used it and it does work.
You will have to plug the flash hole.

Workshop Hints
Removing Rust from Steel Parts
Alan Timmins, F.B.H.I. 
Senior Instructor (Clocks) B.H.I. Upton Hall, UK.
I don't advocate the use of any of the proprietory rust removers as they all seem to contain some kind of nasty acids and can be very corrosive! Definately a No No with antique clocks.

However, I have a solution (pardon the pun), and this is not a wind up, although I thought it was myself when I first heard of it - until I tried it and I've used nothing else since!!

The answer lies in every kitchen cupboard (at least in the UK, and probably over most of the world.) It is TEA!! 

Get some ordinary run of the mill everyday tea bags, boil about a pint (1/2 litre) of water and add about 4 or 5 tea bags,or teaspoons full if you can't get bags, ie. a strong mix of tea. Stir well and let this brew for a few minutes and remove the bags or strain the liquid to remove the tea leaves. Let it cool down for 10 minutes or so and then put your rusty steel parts in there, fully submerged. Depending on how rusty they are, leave them in there for between 1 and 8 hours - keep having a look now and again to see how they are doing.

What is happening I am told, is that the (very weak) Tannic acid is attacking the rust, neutralising it and turning the residue into a rust preventitive. I am not a chemist, so I can not vouch for the exact truth of this. What I do know is that when the parts are removed from the tea, they are a grey/blue colour, and when rubbed up with very fine wire wool and oil, take on a very acceptable steel appearance with any deep pitting left a dark grey.

After this treatment, clean by your usual methods (ultrasonic tank or whatever). The parts don't seem to suffer any harm, brass doesn't seem to be affected and the bits don't go rusty again, AND IT'S CHEAP!

The more sceptical amongst you may prefer to use either Earl Grey or Lapsang Suchong for delicate parts such as carriage clocks and traditional strong Yorkshire Brew for more robust items

Try it, IT WORKS.


 Al


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Have you ever tried using emery cloth or crocus cloth instead of ticking to patch your balls?


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## poorboy (Apr 15, 2006)

MELOC said:


> i am not that much of a flintlock rookie...i was just negligent during a very humid year. i thought i had cleaned out the gun after my last shooting many months ago but i didn't. i bought the gun of my bro-inlaw after i did the same thing and it rusted once before. i just bought him a duplicate and kept the rusty one. i cleaned it up good and it always shot well.
> 
> the rust just seems a little worse this time. it is hard to see into a muzzleloader to see just how bad as they are not open at both ends. i just feel a lot of rust in the barrel when i swab.
> 
> ...


google the recipe fer "ed's red" clean it with this an then clean it again with it in a couple of days an you will be surprized, Wished I had known about this forula years ago..


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

lol, i think the earl grey may be a bit high-brow for my gun, but it may be worth a shot..


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

A 20 gauge shotgun brush is 50 caliber. Wrap a cloth patch around it and use some Flitz Metal polish on it. You can also do this with a 50 cal cleaning jag . Also, Bore Butter is mostly olive oil. It is NOT a good rust preventative. Plain old motor oil will keep the rust off during storage. Using a black powder substitute instead of REAL black powder will cut down on corrosiveness. After using the Flitz, clean the barrel with Windex or carbeurator cleaner to remove the polish, then oil it well.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

I'm new to the black powder circuit, so please understand where I'm coming from. But I thought that the whole idea behind keeping your bore rust free was to "season" it like a cast iron pan. WIHH (my wife) would never use strong detergents, solvents or steel wool to clean her cast iron...it would ruin the "seasoning" of the iron. I understand that you might have to take extreme measure to remove existing rust, but once the rust is removed shouldn't you start your "seasoning" process all over again by religiously cleaning with hot water and a mild soap and protecting the inside of the bore with Bore Butter or Crisco?


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i am with cabin fever on this one. the purpose of the bore butter is to help season the barrel with every shot. for storage, i personally try (and failed this time) to just use oil or gun grease. hot soapy water is used to remove heavy black powder residue. if you use that without using a metal brush, the seasoning should remain intake. i normally use hoppe's powder solvent or rubbing alcohol (91%).


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

:shrug: Just heard of too many Guys getting rusty Barrels because of Bore Butter.

Like I say anymore my Barrels are very clean and dry.Oil them good with Remington Gun Oil.

I just resently found out about using Hot water cleaning these Barrels :nono: 

Oh well only been at this 40 years I might learn something.

big rockpile


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

A "seasoned" pan should NEVER be washed with anything but hot water. Soap removes the oill film and you have to "reseason" it. Back when all they had was natural oils it was accepted to use them. But now there are MUCH better things available. If you shoot real black powder with patched balls you MIGHT get by with just using natural oils and water only to clean. Most now are using sabots, and water wont remove the plastic fouling from the bores


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Your Metal is totally different now days.

You misunderstood as to what I was saying I would do.I was going by what TnTnTn was saying.Then I added how I would clean it once you got the rust out.

big rockpile


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## Rockin'B (Jan 20, 2006)

I've been there and done that....

I soaked with Kroil, patch dry, and follwed with many passes of JB bore paste.

It worked well.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

I try to keep my Guns clean as I can.

Seen a Guy last year he had a Hawkens that looked like it had never been cleaned :grump: I just can never see doing any Firearm like this.

big rockpile


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