Re: MtMan-List: Patch Lube / BP Cleaner

[John Kramer <kramer@kramerize.com>]

At 03:38 AM 6/16/98 -0400, capt. rodger lati wrote:
>ive used your methods for some 25yrs yes ways of old. im trying to have fun
>hear but get poked at by this and that . we are getting out of hand  hear im
>notadvocating . the use of modern products hear. but we do take our modern
>medication we dont have scurvy and head lice. paracites in the intestines. i
>think we can reinact and then we can have fun also and not be self concious
>when we go to a meet and some finger pointing person say thats not period.
>when you take the fun out of somthing with  puting someone down it  is not
fun
>anymore. i do the best i can with what i got crome tan bucks and the lot and
>to hell with wtih the finger pointing. i respecet a person that does it the
>right way. a purist. they keep it the way it was some one has to rember how
>was.its is one of my pet peeves. im not a purist but i injoy going to a meet
>and watch and learn the old ways. do you think im going to throw away my
>200.00 leather bucks just because some one says its not period no way. im
>keeping them i made them my self me an the dear it took some time . i
followed
>an lod patern.  though !!!!!!! im 54 yrs young and when i was 10 yrs a
>mountian man said get your self some skins and come play.there was no mention
>of crome tan or this and that. or you cant come play if you dont. thats ben a
>few yrs ago. im still playing and maby some day ill have a coveted set of
bain
>tans and ill make them my self. use it up wear it out >make do or do without.


Capt. Lati,

I was trying to keep things a little humorous.  To try and follow up on the
wry
humor in Jon Townes' posting.  Too bad you took it personal.  Guess I tend to
be more humorless.  

Scurvy was cured by the 1700's with citrus at sea and rose hips in the
mountains, head lice is still a problem and I've had Guardia in my intestines
for years.  I don't take modern medications.  

There was a point to my posting and to his.  

The point is: this list is a historic discussion group supported by members of
A.M.M.  Modern techniques have no place here when reasonable period
alternatives exist.  It has nothing to do with any public rendezvous, nor
is it
an attempt to dictate only what is right for everybody.  No one is trying to
ruin your fun. I and others are trying to keep these discussions on track.  

We are all guests of Dean Rudy here, I would like to honor what he has set out
as the purpose and intent of this list.

We do try and sort out what may be more correct for those individuals who
continually strive to learn more about the old ways.  Discussions of
irrelevant
modern expedients do not further these efforts. expedients which seem to have
their own problems.

This is not an extension of the NMLRA, who don't care if you wear naugahyde. 
They don't care about preserving history.  They do care about nickel and
diming
the participants to death.  I quit over 20 years ago.

We are all learning and in this world there will always be accommodations
forced upon us.  Exactly right is a very elusive concept.  We know much more
than was known 20 years ago, there is much more yet to learn.  We do not learn
how things were if we do not do things the old way.

I still have the rotted remains of my first set of commercial tan skins and
those of a braintan set as well.  Getting ready to make another, my fifth or
sixth set. 

I have never said anything against commercial tan leather, because there was
commercial tanning being done in the early nineteenth century.  Some
commercial
tan inevitably made its way to rendezvous and braintan is just not available
for everyone. 

I commented because flocum generated a ridiculous number of postings on a
subject totally inappropriate.  How tough can it be to mix 3 or 4 simple
common
ingredients and do it close to right?  A simple recipe was nicely presented,
promptly ignored, and the flocum discussion went on.

In the mountains, if I need to clean my gun, I pull the load, pee down the
barrel, rinse with water and swab it out with some sort of dead animal
grease. 
It's what they had to work with, it is still readily available, and it still
works.  At home I use scalding water and soap and then treat all wood and
metal
with the period correct product I make and sell.  A real soap like Castile,
not
expensive detergent and water in a plastic bottle.  For lube I use sperm oil
because I still have a tiny dab from the last of Naval Stores.  

If I was going to make a gun solvent I'd start with shaved soap, vinegar and
alcohol.  Never found it necessary, and mostly a damn nuisance unless you
carry
a tackle box onto the firing line.  When shooting for fun I've found a chewed
spit patch swabs the bore well enough to load another shot.  

>From studying many old guns it seems cleaning them was not a popular hobby. 
Probably because they kept them loaded.  In the 30,000 or so recipes in my
collection (100's of which deal with cleaning things) I do not remember ever
seeing a period recipe for gun cleaning solvent.

I really don't care what anyone else uses or does for personal amusement.  If
it isn't of the period (or the most reasonable alternative to that no longer
available) it has no place on this list.  For example; sperm oil is not
available, jojoba is the best substitute.

This is the A.M.M. Historic Discussion List.  A little off topic conversation
offends no one.  Extensive discussion of modernist thinking I find counter to
our purpose.

John...

If it ain't exactly right, it's wrong.
john <kramer@kramerize.com>