I made a joke about this in a previous post, but it's something I do every fall after my last event.

I take all of my leather gear, and, first, give it a good going over with Huberd's Shoe Grease. Come January, I'll do it again with either Huberd's again or neatsfoot oil. Same thing happens in April just before the season starts. I've also found that Ballistol does a fairly good job, too, of giving leather a pretty good lube.

For weapons, I'll clean thoroughly after the last event, then go over the outside two or three times during the winter just to keep them lubricated as they sit in their cases.

My tinwear gets disinfected with a little bleach in the wash water, then goes into it's winter box, not to be brought out again till spring, when I again wash it up and disinfect anything that caught hold during storage.

Everything is kept in the basement, where it's cooler than upstairs, but not cold.

Anyone else?

I oil everything that's wood, leather or metal, then make sure there's cedar cakes in with all my wool.

Marc,

Hubard's Grease does wonders.  I've used it for years on all of my leather pieces.

This is what I do, but I'm a gun Nut:

Detail Cleaning Your Rifle Musket
By Bill Rodman

You have been a Reenactor for a year or two, and have finally figured out how to pass weapons inspections. This means your “shooting iron” won’t blow up in your face, and the exterior looks pretty good. Well, the Season is almost over, and it’s time to give your weapon a real cleaning. A complete cleaning, and inspection, will protect your investment, and reduce the mechanical problems that can ruin a weekend. Next spring you might even get a smile from the Ordnance Sergeant.

First, you will need the proper tools and equipment. The most important tools, you will need, are screwdrivers that fit the screws on your rifle. The blade of the screwdriver must exactly fit the slot in the screw. In some cases, you will have to file down a screwdriver to fit a specific screw on your rifle. Trust me, it is worth the trouble. You will also need a nipple wrench, a cleaning rod (not the rod that comes with your rifle, that’s a ramrod), a bore brush, a cleaning jag, #0000 steel wool, 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper, a wood or plastic dowel and bore patches. You will also need cleaning products such as WD-40, gun grease, or the some of the non-petroleum products that are on the market. A bore light is also very helpful for inspecting the rifle’s bore.

The first step is to field strip your weapon. Remove the tang screw, and then remove the barrel bands. On Enfields you must loosen the screws on the bands. On Springfields, just depress the band springs and carefully slide the bands over the barrel. If the bands will not come loose, tap them gently with a dowel. Be sure your lock is on half cock, and carefully remove the barrel from the stock. Don’t just pull the barrel and stock apart, as you may split the wood around the tang. If you haven’t had your weapon apart before, the barrel may be very tight in the stock channel. Stand the rifle upright, and pull the barrel up and away from the stock. The secret is to take your time and be careful. After the barrel is off, you should remove the lock from the stock. The best way to remove the lock is to loosen both lock screws a couple of turns, and tap them with a plastic hammer, or the handle of a screwdriver, to free the lock from its bed in the stock. Continue unscrewing the lock a few turns at a time and insure that the lock is coming free. Again, be sure not to split the wood around the lock plate.    

After you have your weapon in three pieces, set the stock and lock aside and go to work on the barrel. First remove the nipple, using your nipple wrench. If you have a model 1861 Springfield or Richmond Rifle, you will also have to remove the cleanout screw in the bolster. If the nipple won’t come out there are a few things you can try. First, make sure your nipple wrench fits your nipple, then soak the nipple and bolster with WD-40 or Liquid Wrench. While the nipple is soaking tap it gently with a hammer. If that doesn’t work, you can apply heat to the nipple, using a blowtorch. Do not overheat the barrel. Please note, the torch will destroy the bluing on an Enfield barrel. If the shoulders of the nipple are rounded over you may be able to use Vice-Grips to grasp the nipple. As a last resort, you can drill out the nipple and remove it with an easy-out bolt extractor. You may want to take the barrel to a gunsmith for this job if you are not familiar with the work.

After the nipple and cleanout screw are removed, place the breach of the barrel in a bucket of hot soapy water and scrub out any powder fouling, using the cleaning rod, jag, and patches. There are two types of cleaning jags. One type has a slot to slip a patch through. The other is sized for the bore, and holds the patch with a friction fit. The friction fit jags do a much better job, but you must be very careful, as they can get stuck in a rough bore. If you have any doubts about the condition of your bore, I would suggest you get a jag sized for .54 caliber, rather then .58 caliber. It is far better to have a jag too small, rather then too tight. It is relatively easy to remove a patch that slips from the jag; but removing a stuck jag can be a almost impossible, without removing the breach plug. Be sure that all fouling and corrosion are removed from the channel between the nipple and breach. This fouling can be as hard as concrete. Break Free cleaner seems to work well to dissolve these deposits. Dry the barrel and inspect the bore. It should shine like a mirror, If it doesn’t, wrap #0000 steel wool around a bore brush and scrub the bore with WD-40. The idea is to remove any rust, and smooth out any pitting in the barrel. After the bore is completely clean, wash it out again, dry it carefully, and lubricate the barrel. I use non-petroleum lubricants,  but a  good gun oil, such as Hoppe’s, or Outer’s also works well.

After you finish the bore, clean the exterior of the barrel. You may find a good deal of rust on the bottom of the barrel that is hidden by the stock, If your rifle has a bare steel barrel you should soak a piece of 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper with WD-40 and wrap it around the barrel. Carefully sand the barrel from muzzle to breach in smooth strokes to remove any rust or discoloration. After you finish sanding, polish the barrel with auto rubbing compound. The finished barrel should shine when you are done.

If your rifle has a blued barrel, rub any rust spots with a piece of wood soaked in WD-40. Removing the rust will also remove the bluing. These spots can be touched up with commercial cold bluing. Just follow the directions on the container. You should also touch up any nicks on the muzzle caused by the bayonet socket.  

The next step is to clean and inspect the lock. Scrub the lock with WD-40 or carb cleaner, using a stiff toothbrush. Be sure that all rust and corrosion is removed. After the lock is clean, wash the lock with soap and hot water. Use a hair drier to dry the lock. After the lock is cleaned, inspect it for any defects. First, look for any cracks or broken parts. Then check that all screws are tight. Insure that there is little or no play in the hammer. If there is play in the hammer the lock needs work. In most cases, you will need to replace the hammer, the tumbler, the lock plate, or all three. Spare parts are available from Lodgewood  Mfg. or the Regimental Quartermaster. The lock mechanism is rather complex. I would recommend you get help before you disassemble the lock, or take it to a gunsmith for repair.

Finally check the stock. Look for any cracks or splits in the wood. Minor splits and cracks can be repaired with wood glue and clamps. Check the inletting under the lock plate. Look for places the wood may be binding against the lock mechanism. The wood will shine where it rubs against the metal. Use a small file to remove the wood. Do not remove more wood then is necessary to free up the lock. In many cases, small dents can be removed by steaming. Place a small wet cloth over the dent and heat it with an iron. The hot steam will often raise the dent. Remove any rust or corrosion from the butt plate, trigger guard, and nose cap. On steel parts, use #600 wet or dry sandpaper and oil. On brass parts, use Brasso. When the stock is done, wipe it down with linseed oil and finish with a coat of furniture wax.

Now reassemble your weapon. First coat the underside of the barrel with a thin coat of gun grease, then carefully install it into the stock. Be sure the tang is seated into the stock. Replace the tang screw and the barrel bands. Do not tighten the tang screw at this time. . Coat the threads on the nipple with gun grease and  screw into the barrel. Be sure the nipple is seated against the bolster and is tight. If you have an 1861 Springfield install the cleanout screw at this time. Coat all the internal parts of the lock with gun grease. Be sure that the hammer shaft gets lubricated. Place the lock into the inlet on the stock. Be sure the trigger lever is under the hammer release on the lock. Replace the lock screws. Tighten both screws equally to insure that the lock is seated in the stock. After the lock is seated, tighten the tang screw, which will pull the barrel down into the lock.    

After you reassemble your rifle, test the action. Make sure the hammer is centered over the nipple, and hits square. Insure the half cock works. Put the weapon on half cock and lift it by the trigger. The hammer should not fall. There should be little, or no play in the hammer. Put your weapon on full cock, put your hand over the nipple and pull the trigger. The hammer should fall with no binding.  

This is also a good time for maintenance on your bayonet. Remove any rust with sandpaper or steel wool and oil. Make sure there are no burrs, or rough spots inside the socket, that will scratch your rifle’s barrel. Clean the inside of the socket with sandpaper wrapped around a dowel. Repro bayonets are poorly made and not very authentic. I would suggest you obtain an original bayonet. Nothing on the market compares to the originals.  

There are many different ways to clean muzzle-loading rifles, but these methods have worked well for me. If you have any problems call me at 610-265-8852, or you can send a message over my boring E-mail address: wrodman1@aol.com. I am sure any of the other “Gun Nuts” in the Unit would also be glad to help.

Bill, I wouldn't mind our erstwhile newsletter editor reprinting that piece, if you'd give permission.

Meanwhile, those of us who reenact year-round, don't quite get the concept of winterizing gear, but then again it wasn't until I moved up to the great frozen northland that I fully understood winterizing lawnmowers & tillers, buying snow chains for tractor tires, and why certain metal roofs have ice breakers on them.  

Ok, how do you winterize equippage for an eent in February?

Grumpy didn't you write the definitive article on that in some magazine? Wasn't the titled "Frozen like a pane of glass at the North Pole?"

Keep that M-1 Carbine close to your body, or else the LSA will freeze below -10 F. Wait, wrong war....

Good point, Grumpy -- what if the season never fully ends?

I've got Fredericksburg coming up in a few weeks, but before that a post-Thanksgiving march, then a couple more marches over the holidays, Winter '64, and then various COIs leading into the actual reenacting season.  Maintaining gear and keeping crawlies out of my woolens has become kind of a year-round endeavor.

Still, there are a few projects I save for the holidays.  A couple of years ago I made a bed tick (for the last W64); this season, I hope to work with a buddy on making a better repro desk, and I'll probably touch up my oilskin wallet and do some repairs on other gear.  It would also be nice to get all my ammo rolled in advance.

Good to have some down time, but I wouldn't want too much.

What I *should do is take up knitting for the playoffs.

Pull the shoes off the horse.  Drain all the fluids out of him.  Put him up on blocks until next season....

Actually down here we have to "summerize" our equipment.  Our down time is in the summer.  Many of the same things mentioned, we just have bigger bugs.

Bill, great article on taking care of weapons!  I will follow those steps.  Thanks.

Barry,

Funny you mention that, because the critters do get their teeth floated in November, as well as their second batch of shots.  It is about time to see if the mice have made homes in their blankets this year, too.

Here comes the mud, at least until the ground freezes solid.

Charles,

When I had my horse's teeth floated last time it really made the chickens mad.  He has always been a messy eater.  When the teeth get long they just love him!  They hang out right under him when I grain him.  With the teeth done, the chickens are getting skinny.  He still drops a little but not nearly as much.  The other horses don't waste anything.

No hard freezes here that last.  That also means worming more often.

I just had a few of my teeth "floated". I hope your horses like it better than I did.  

Bill, at your age didn't you just take 'em out and hand them to the dentist?

   :lol

Quote :

Charles Heath wrote : Bill, at your age didn't you just take 'em out and hand them to the dentist?

Charles,

That would have been the sensible thing. Instead I've got various crowns, bridges, and three implants, at roughly three grand per implant. To say I'm a little careful when eating hardtack would be the understatement of the year.  

Old age sucks, but it sure beats the alternative.  

Hey, age has its advantages.  You youngsters pay attention.  Do you know what real romance is? Huh? Do you?

Well, it happens every night.  It’s when you and the old lady take your teeth out of your mouth and float in the same glass of water.  Now, by gollies, that’s romance!!

Curtis,

Suddenly, my implants don't seem so expensive!

Quote :

Bill wrote :   Old age sucks, but it sure beats the alternative.

At least, up to a point...

Quote :

Bill wrote : Curtis, Suddenly, my implants don't seem so expensive!

Bill,

Are we still talking about teeth or do I not want to know?    

--Last edited by barry smithson on 2007-11-16 05:46:38 --

Quote :

Barry Smithson wrote :   Bill, Are we still talking about teeth or do I not want to know?

Barrry,

Thanks, I just spit coffee all over my keyboard!