Why do we use pillow ticking? What qualities make a good patch?

Just curious why pillow ticking is the standard? Why not canvas or denim or muslin? What difference does it make? I understand the prerequisite that nothing synthetic be used s it would melt and gum up things... but beyond that, what's the difference as long as the ball is snug in the barrel?

Please enlighten me...

There is also cotton pocket drill cloth.

The qualities that make for a good patch for round ball is tight weave and consistent thickness. Pillow and mattress ticking were woven to prevent the tiny downy feathers used in from poking through the material that makes up the pillow and pricking one's head while trying to sleep. Mattress ticking is the same thing. Since we are not making pillows that are required to keep the feathers inside the bag, quality. of ticking has gone down. Cotton Drill cloth is made with a tight weave and an extra thread for wear in pockets that contain things that can quickly wear through other fabrics and drill is softer than canvas and holds lubrication a bit better. Denim is woven for wear and is slightly thicker than drill cloth or mattress ticking. It works well for patching of a smaller ball while giving a reasonable grip of the rifling. Canvas is the thickest and designed for heavy duty wear. Well washed, it also works for patching.

Tightly woven linen cloth of 100% flax is also good for patching. I can take the abuse of a very tight fitting patch. Most modern linens are mixed with polyester fabric so beware when looking at linen.

That said, the difference is thickness of fabric, tight weave and made of 100% cotton or 100% from flax.

Even so, beware! I was looking at the utility cloth at JoAnn's Fabrics nt long ago and they had two types of pillow ticking from different sources. The ticking from China had a loose weave and was thinner from the pillow ticking from India. The ticking from India had more sizing and needed two washings to adequately remove the sizing. The so-called mattress ticking was as thin as the pillow ticking. Both the red striped and the blue striped ticking from the same source had the same thickness.

Measurement is only applicable after the material has been washed.

Note: Denim salvaged from used clothing will have different thickness due to wear.

I’ve found red and blue ticking no longer indicates pillow vs mattress tick as it seemed to do years ago. As Grenadier pointed out. One can feel the difference in thickness but a caliper or micrometer is the best way to check.

A digital Vernier caliper can be purchased for about $25. While not as accurate as a micrometer, it is accurate enough for the measurements we need to make. Also you measure inside, outside and depth. One tool we should all have.

Should be of natural fibers and strong with a good, tight weave to withstand the G-forces and thermal events of discharging.

Thanks everyone for the input ths fr... Ive noticed guys find their patches on the ground t the range and upon discovering a neat hole in the middle they expressed frustration as if this were an undesirble outcome. It almost looks like a ball was shot through the patch but that makes no sense becuase (hopefully) patch is aft of ball.... Was this a sitution where the ball ws too tight in the barrel and the part of the patch touching powder burned under the pressure before the ball was expelled? Not enough powder/pressure meaning slower (thus more time exposed to heat/flame)?

also, some guys ive noticed start their ball and then cut off excess patch with a patch knife. I havent done this before. Does excess patch fore of ball have adverse effects on ballistics?

@Tomahawk Taxidermy, when the patch is either cut making a hole in the patch, the patch has multiple tiny holes where the lands have cut the patch, or the patch is shredded is an indication that gas cutting is occurring. This means that pressures on the ball are not consistent. When loads are not consistent, accuracy suffers. Cutting of the patch means something sharp is cutting the patch. A circular cut is indicative of a sharp crown. The tiny holes indicate sharp corners on the lands. Shredded patches indicate that the patch is too thin, or the patch material isn't robust enough to survive the firing. A well-matched ball and patch will result in a patch that is intact after firing. Holes in patches should be corrected by smoothing the crown, smoothing the edges of the lands or finding a better patch material or lubricant to use.

A little bit of excess patch doesn't hurt accuracy. One does have to watch for too much excess patch can catch on the loading jag and pull the ball away from the powder making an unsafe condition that can bulge the barrel.

When I can shoot a fist sized group at 75 yards, I don’t worry about what the patch looks like.

Grenadier1758 said:

The qualities that make for a good patch for round ball is tight weave and consistent thickness.

Click to expand...

Correct. The American made ticking I buy from Walmart meets those requirements. Tight weave, strong and consistent. Works for me, no need to change and mess with success.

Here in NZ I've been buying ticking from "Spotlight" , I've also tried a Cotton Canvas they sell - the same thickness but I find the plain weave of the Canvas doesn't hold up as well as the twill weave of the ticking. I wash the 'size' out too - seems to make a difference.

Grenadier1758 said:

@Tomahawk Taxidermy, when the patch is either cut making a hole in the patch, the patch has multiple tiny holes where the lands have cut the patch, or the patch is shredded is an indication that gas cutting is occurring. This means that pressures on the ball are not consistent. When loads are not consistent, accuracy suffers. Cutting of the patch means something sharp is cutting the patch. A circular cut is indicative of a sharp crown. The tiny holes indicate sharp corners on the lands. Shredded patches indicate that the patch is too thin, or the patch material isn't robust enough to survive the firing. A well-matched ball and patch will result in a patch that is intact after firing. Holes in patches should be corrected by smoothing the crown, smoothing the edges of the lands or finding a better patch material or lubricant to use.

A little bit of excess patch doesn't hurt accuracy. One does have to watch for too much excess patch can catch on the loading jag and pull the ball away from the powder making an unsafe condition that can bulge the barrel.

Click to expand...

Informative. Thanks. This is what I was looking for