How to get bit of toothpick out of nipple

Status
Not open for further replies.
Heir Kommt Die Sonne

Heir Kommt Die Sonne

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2018
Messages
1,443
Location
Texas
Hello,

today i just got done cleaning a brassy 1851 and as I was clearing the nipples with toothpicks (As per my usual procedure) luckily enough, today was the first time i actually got a bit of toothpick stuck in one. Been doing this for years, you just firmly place the toothpick straight down, then pull out and it absorbs the moisture and powder residue. Never had a problem until today.
I got a nipple wrench but the steel on that was so weak the wrench broke. Shameful really and they sell those at the sporting stores.
So just a slew of bad luck, but no big deal. I just need help coming up with creative ways to get the wood out of there. Thanks.
 
1) Blow it out with a primer? Guess you have to re-clean afterward tho. . .
2) Blow it out with compressed air? Boring!
3) Blow it out with a can of your favorite solvent? Only counts as fun if you're smoking at the time and the solvent is flammable.
 
Not helping right now, but ordering a decent wrench will help in the future. The ones Articap posted look good, I like this one:

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/65/1/NW-140

I also have the one named NW-130 for 1858's that have smaller recesses (will work on all other c&b's ive tried it on too) and the NW-100 for Muskets. All of them are great quality in my opinion. The "traditions" one with the screw off nipple pick at the top was pure garbage. That little wire nipple pick has been useful though!

Any thin wire or needle should knock it out. Take a butane torch and burn the bit of wood thats in there from the toothpick, also extra points if you combine this with #3 from the previous post!
 
See some else has the idea also, burn it out with a small butane torch, if you have one, if not a perfect excuse to buy one, handy little shop tool.
 
SlowFuse said:
Also, I dont think he meant actually drill it, just as a poker...
Click to expand...

Yea thats what I knew. I actually got a small drill bit (1/16) smallest size I could get and I wasn't successful at pushing it out from the chamber end.
Deciding why not experiment, I decided to actually use a drill on it and although I got alot of the wood out, the very tip is still stuck in there and no matter how hard I drill it won't go out. Gonna have to burn the rest of it out. This is so complicated not having a reliable nipple wrench.

My only concern about blowing it with percussion cap is that's a small clogged space and I worry about combustion or damage of the nipple if the flame has no where to escape to. But seeing i've cleared most wood out anyway, it's probably not that bad a risk.
 
Heir Kommt Die Sonne said:
Yea thats what I knew. I actually got a small drill bit (1/16) smallest size I could get and I wasn't successful at pushing it out from the chamber end.
Deciding why not experiment, I decided to actually use a drill on it and although I got alot of the wood out, the very tip is still stuck in there and no matter how hard I drill it won't go out. Gonna have to burn the rest of it out. This is so complicated not having a reliable nipple wrench.

My only concern about blowing it with percussion cap is that's a small clogged space and I worry about combustion or damage of the nipple if the flame has no where to escape to. But seeing i've cleared most wood out anyway, it's probably not that bad a risk.
Click to expand...
I've been to a few B/P skirmish matches and on at least 2 occasions I've seen ramrods shot at the target, so I don't think a toothpick would do any worse than a ramrod.
 
robhof said:
I've been to a few B/P skirmish matches and on at least 2 occasions I've seen ramrods shot at the target, so I don't think a toothpick would do any worse than a ramrod.
Click to expand...

Well just tried it with two percussion caps and the toothpick is definitely getting out of there, but still stuck. Don't like doing this because percussion caps are LOUD (And i'm in my backyard). Would you suggest keeping doing this until its out? Would be a good use of those CCI number 10s I have no other use for..
 
Remove the plugged nipple from the cylinder. Soak the nipple in a dab of drain cleaner for a couple of days to soften the wood. Flush with water. Push the wood pulp out of flash hole with a nipple pick.

Or if you are in a hurry, pull the nipple and burn the wood out with a match.


Shouldn’t be a big deal.

edit: I missed the part where you don’t have a nipple wrench.

Bummer. Buy a good one.
 
Last edited:
Make a nipple wrench. Customize one by cutting a 5/16 socket wrench. Mike 56 did a great post recently on making them
 
Leave it alone until you get the wrench . Then if it won’t push out from the opposite side , just hold it with a pair of needle nose pliers and burn it out with a lighter . If you think that you hurt the nipple when you were drilling it , just buy a new nipple when you order the wrench .
 
Another suggestion is if you have access to aquarium tubing or even flexible brake line, and a way of hooking to a water source, water pressure has worked for me when I've had a stuck bullet in a rifle. Warning it could get messy, do it outside for sure.
 
Now that most of it is out, I think the safety pin is the best bet for getting the last little bit broken up. After that, if shaking the little bits out wont work, then try the percussion caps again to blow them through. Good Luck!
 
I would blow it out with a cap. If that didn't work, soak it, and use a drill bit. I like the soft wrenches. They give you very strong feedback that the nipple is stuck before damaging it. Then you know to get some penetrating oil and heat.
 
I kept using percussion caps on it and yet the wood is still stuck in there.
Brutuskend.. how hot does the oven have to be to burn wood?
 
Watch the oven heating ! you don't want to turn the cylinder into a grenade ! Apply a small butane torch that is it, if the cci10 caps don't blow it out get a proper nipple wrench and maybe a couple or a set of new nipple to be greased and start over.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Malachi Leviticus Blue
  • Locked
Custom Nipple Wrench
Replies
15
Views
1K
wittzo
W
T
  • Locked
Just broke a nipple...
Replies
17
Views
2K
tickTalk
T
bear166
  • Locked
Extremely tight nipple on a factory new Uberti 1860 Army
Replies
15
Views
674
bear166
bear166
R
  • Locked
Frozen Black Powder Nipple Is Out!!!
Replies
1
Views
534
Chawbaccer
C
goldpelican
  • Locked
Capping nipples while cylinder removed from frame?
Replies
10
Views
1K
elhombreconnonombre
E
Back
Top