Tip on Cleaning a Cylinder

[Castaway]

For the last few years I’ve been cleaning my cylinder with bamboo.  I use a large diameter piece of bamboo and split it into a piece just under the cylinder diameter.  A little trimming on what was the inside cut, and depending on the thickness, maybe a trimming on the outside will leave you a flat, flexible and tough tool.  It’s a simple matter to contour one end to fit the back of the cylinder.  Place a patch on the end and clean away.

[Old and grumpy]

Nice tip. What do you think about using a long piece of full round  green bamboo and splitting the end to  make a brush to clean the breach plug face on muskets? Pounding the end would fuzz out the end fibers making a brush.  The scrapers only take off chunks and any rough parts don't get clean.  Brush and swabs are the wrong shape. Any bamboo fibers that get stuck will burn out next time you shoot. Just cleaned my Zouave. Think it would work.

[Dee]

I always use a bronze bore brush dipped in solvent in a cordless drill. Clean in seconds instead of minutes.

[Old and grumpy]

A trick I have used to clean the nipples is those cheep dental pick brushes. Perfect fit.

[Rex in OTZ]

And here I just pulled the nipples and dunked the whole cylinder and barrel in hot soapy dish water, use a nylong baby bottle brush, then use really hot tap water to rinse the thing and it flashes dry from heat, then quickly oil before it flash rusts.