DIY cleaning patches

[smoothshooter]

I'm thinking of just getting some cloth from the fabric store and making my own cleaning patches.

Have you guys done this?
Do the patches have to be round, or can Just cut squares?
Can I use muslim cloth instead of t-shirt cloth?
What size for .50 cal and 12 gauge?

Old white tee shirt material is the best. MUST be 100% cotton.
I cut mine in random shapes; square, triangle, rectangular, trapezoid, whatever.
Shape is not critical.
I wet a patch and wrap it around an undersized copper brush and run it down the barrel. Give it a couple of twists when the cloth/brush bottoms out against the breech plug. Use in conjunction with a breech plug scraper that is contoured to match the face of your breech plug. Some are flat and some are dished out. One of the reasons I despise patent breeches is that you cannot clean them this way.

 

[Warfaremilitary]

I’ve used cotton flannel for decades. Works great and cleans quickly. I make my own solvent which I’ve used for many years skirmishing with the N-SSA.

As a Christmas present every year (c.1968 until the early 1980s) I’d receive cotton flannel pajamas. I’d also receive flannel shirts throughout the year. Old pajamas/shirts wouldn’t be thrown out but would be recycled for cleaning patches. A pair of pajamas or shirt would yield a couple hundred or more patches. Long Winter evenings would spent cutting up the garments into patches. I’d cut the garments into 2” square patches.

Hope that helps!

 

[flconch53]

I’ve used cotton flannel for decades. Works great and cleans quickly. I make my own solvent which I’ve used for many years skirmishing with the N-SSA.

As a Christmas present every year (c.1968 until the early 1980s) I’d receive cotton flannel pajamas. I’d also receive flannel shirts throughout the year. Old pajamas/shirts wouldn’t be thrown out but would be recycled for cleaning patches. A pair of pajamas or shirt would yield a couple hundred or more patches. Long Winter evenings would spent cutting up the garments into patches. I’d cut the garments into 2” square patches.

Hope that helps!

I go to Joann's after Christmas and buy the Christmas print flannel that is marked down. I don't worry about cleaning patches being 100% cotton as you can see many others don't either and I sure don't worry about the thickness.

 

[smoothshooter]

I go to Joann's after Christmas and buy the Christmas print flannel that is marked down. I don't worry about cleaning patches being 100% cotton as you can see many others don't either and I sure don't worry about the thickness.

Any cleaning patch material that has any synthetic fibers woven into the fabric will not absorb your cleaner of choice or wet fouling as well as 100% cotton.

 

[flconch53]

Any cleaning patch material that has any synthetic fibers woven into the fabric will not absorb your cleaner of choice or wet fouling as well as 100% cotton.

If it is a a cotton blend most of the time it is 80% cotton. This will work just fine. Most T shirts are a blend anymore and they still work fine.

 

[JDBraddy]

I was using Midway 1.5" gun cleaning patches, but bought a seamstress cutting wheel and matt at Walmart while there to get a couple yards of denim for loading patches. I cut up an old T-shirt first, and it was basicly worthless, way too thin and flimsy, had to fold them over or use two or three at a time. Next, I cut up a torn flannel plad shirt, and it's doing much better. A shooting buddy uses some thin orange craft felt he bought on clearance, I like it, will probably try something like that next.

 

[Mzzlldrinpa]

Been buying from Hobby Lobby. I think every other week, fabric is 40% off. Usually get pretty good deals that way.

 

[AZ Muzzleloaders]

I use the baby blanket cotton fleece from Joann's, a fabric cutting wheel and the cutting board makes cutting large numbers of cleaning patches very easy.

View attachment 354776

I use the same on flannel sheets from the thrift store. Thousands of patches for a couple of bucks.

 

[ZUG]

I want a cleaning patch to have some "body" to hold my cleaning solution. For me T-ee shirt material is too thin. Years ago I purchased two bags of 5000 qty military surplus cotton cleaning patches at a discount price. I still have some. I can trim them down to fit most of my guns. For my big smooth bore and shotguns guns I go to Joann Fabrics and get a few yards of cotton flannel and cut them with one of those rotary cutters - square works just as well if not better than a round patch. You can also wash them to get more milage out of them.