Moderator, as there is no "shop tools/how to" category, posted here, feel free to move as you see fit.
I was making some round ball patches today and took pics of a little tool came up with sometime back.
It is low tech and easy to make. The one here I made from short length of chain link fence top rail tubing. (1 1/4" I.D,) Cut it off with hack saw, squared up the ends with file and small machinists square. I took cupped retainer from an old truck shock and centered up the tubing in it. Used low temp silver solder to join, the hole in retainer was OK for piece of 3/8" all thread, used internal jam nut. Chucked up in drill press, indexed to minimum run out, and tightened external nut. Sharpened the opening to a knife edge, and it has been cutting out patches ever since. I have made up three different sized ones for various calibers.
With this tool it takes about 2 seconds to make a patch. Sure beats the hardened valve stem guides off large industrial engines I used batter them out with.
I was making some round ball patches today and took pics of a little tool came up with sometime back.
It is low tech and easy to make. The one here I made from short length of chain link fence top rail tubing. (1 1/4" I.D,) Cut it off with hack saw, squared up the ends with file and small machinists square. I took cupped retainer from an old truck shock and centered up the tubing in it. Used low temp silver solder to join, the hole in retainer was OK for piece of 3/8" all thread, used internal jam nut. Chucked up in drill press, indexed to minimum run out, and tightened external nut. Sharpened the opening to a knife edge, and it has been cutting out patches ever since. I have made up three different sized ones for various calibers.
With this tool it takes about 2 seconds to make a patch. Sure beats the hardened valve stem guides off large industrial engines I used batter them out with.