Cleaning
rod
The cleaning rod or extraction
rod (Wischstock) is the required accessory for the German flare gun.
Indeed, due to the way
cartridges are made, in some cases the shell expanded in the barrel or even
breaks.
So, cleaning rod had two roles:
Cleaning the barrel itself (powder residue and oiling against oxidation for
steel barrel) and extracting, when needed jammed shell.
The way cleaning rods are
manufactured are quite identical.
On top of it, a handle is welded
on the rod. Down of it, a aluminum cylinder is fixed using a key.
On the handle, a strap of
leather fixes a clasp.
Markings are observed on the
handle and, sometimes, on the aluminum cylinder.
Examples of cleaning rods:
Some of the different manufacturer codes found on cleaning rods:
HEIMSCHUTZ (
J 42
GL 38, 40, 43
Way the cleaning rod is fixed to the holster:
Closed strap so the handle is fixed to the holster:
Detail on the leather piece for storing the head (aluminium cylinder) on the
down part of the holster:
Detail of the strap for fixing the cleaning rod handle to the holster:
