Making Cleaning Swabs.

[smokemjoe]

I   am making a wet and dry cleaning swab, I have 2 pieces of 1/14 in hickory handles and sloted the ends to wrap cloth  around. How do you guys tie the cloth on to keep it wraped on the rod. For 2 in. powder chamber on a 20 in. BB mortar. Or what do yous use, Thanks- Joe

[Zulu]

I always used leather thongs.  The heads on my ramrods were larger diameter than the shaft.  After the synthetic lamb's wool sock was pulled over the head I just took a few wraps around the shaft and tied it off, then cut off the excess.
Zulu

[GGaskill]

Maybe try various nap length paint rollers.

[Double D]

I thought we had some stickies on making swabs in the reference section.  I know we have discussed this before.  Oh well we'll collect idea's here and I'll add it to the reference sticky.

Here's mine.



L to R.  Full size paint roller, Small size paint roller, synthetic sheep wool cut from car wash mitt glued on to dowel with barge cement, Dom 1 inch worm.

I have used a longer dowel and put a swab on each end for a wet and drying swab.  I have third swab for final dry.

[VA Rifleman]

I've found that my worm makes a killer cleaning instrument for a full bore tube.  Wrap enough thicknesses of your favorite patch / cleaning material over the worm to achieve the desired fit. Lint free shop rags are diposable and cheap.  For a sub caliber application such as a powder chamber I guess one would need a smaller worm.  The nice thing is you can always retrieve the swab if it comes off. Found using the ram as a cleaning jag results in too tight of fit when I reverse the stroke.

[Artilleryman]

DD, in looking at your sponge using the full size paint roller I don't see fabric on the end of it.  Is the sponge used to dry sponge your bore?  If not this sponge isn't able to sponge (clean)  the face of the breech. 

[Double D]

Good eye Norm.  The big one is for cleaning the walls of the Pop can and 6 PDR mortar.  I use the smaller swabs for cleaning the ball seat and chamber.

I haven't built swabs as big as those two bores yet. 

[Artilleryman]

I knew there had to be a good reason. 

[Cannoneer]

This is a National Park Service PDF that has instructions (with accompanying photos) on how to fashion a sponge head out of sheepskin. Part VI ARTILLERY LABORATORY, P.48: Artillery Sponge