Making patches

[R Ellis]

Like the guy from Tyrone, high atop the Alleghenies, says: Cut long strips of material the width you want, then cut squares down the strips. I thought about making round cutters, etc, then decided that the shape of the patch doesn't matter. Use yours or your wife's "cloth only" scissors to make the cutting easy. If you get sloppy and some of them are parallograms....doesn't matter.

also square patches eliminate the waste you get with round

 

[tenngun]

Yer choice to make cut round shooting patches. But, after a half century of shooting ml I am devoted to cutting at the muzzle. I pre lube my material then tear strips off for use. I cut those at the muzzle. Works fer me. For cleaning patches I use washed baby blanket cotton flannel and cut into aprox. 2" squares and store in a plastic baggie just like the original mountain men did.

Rifleman, I need to take exception with you. There is no supplier that provides good French baggies as we’re used by real Mountian men

 

[WonkyEye]

I've been experimenting, trying to find what works for me, and I think I have it just about down. Tried a bunch of lubes, and I've reproduced Lehigh valley lube. At least i think, never shot the original but what I have let's me shoot continuously without swabbing. It's liquid, so cutting from strips at the muzzle is inconvenient. I got a 1" punch, sharpened it up, glued up a softwood end grain block. I can punch out about 20 layers at once. More than that and the layers slip around too much. I have a silver snuff tin I put patches in there, a bit of lube, and I'm good to go. Only change I want to make is the 1" patch is barely big enough for. .490 ball. I think maybe 1.25" would be ideal.

 

[Maven]

I've been experimenting, trying to find what works for me, and I think I have it just about down. Tried a bunch of lubes, and I've reproduced Lehigh valley lube. At least i think, never shot the original but what I have let's me shoot continuously without swabbing. It's liquid, so cutting from strips at the muzzle is inconvenient. I got a 1" punch, sharpened it up, glued up a softwood end grain block. I can punch out about 20 layers at once. More than that and the layers slip around too much. I have a silver snuff tin I put patches in there, a bit of lube, and I'm good to go. Only change I want to make is the 1" patch is barely big enough for. .490 ball. I think maybe 1.25" would be ideal.

I've always used ball diameter x 2.3 for my patches.

 

[Grenadier1758]

also square patches eliminate the waste you get with round

With the square patches, you are shooting the waste out the barrel with the patched ball. You can minimize waste by proper positioning of the patching material as you cut at the muzzle.

 

[WonkyEye]

I've always used ball diameter x 2.3 for my patches.

Thanks, that sounds like a good guideline. The 1" works, but I really have to work to center the ball perfect.

 

[Piquant]

Take a hole saw and grind the teeth off and sharpen the edge. I used a drill press but a hand drill would work. Fold the cloth up and slice thru it. I can make hundreds in minutes.

 

[aussie pete]

Been wanting to make my own precut patches for a while and was trying to figure out a feasible way to do it.
I came up with this and it works pretty good. I bought a cheap leather punch set off Amazon $9. Tried just using a dead blow hammer and that didn’t work great. So I borrowed my coworkers arbor press and that worked fantastic. View attachment 317701View attachment 317702View attachment 317703View attachment 317704

Store bought .018 pillow ticking from our Spotlight haberdashery store here in Australia. Patches cut square with scissors to suit the .54 roundball rifles I shoot - Pedersoli Tryon and Rocky Mountain Hawken. Square patches, no waste like punching out round patches, no need to fabricate tools, quick and easy. Spit for lube.

Cheers, Pete

 

[LME]

I was cutting at the barrel and I agree shape doesn’t matter. I just like the round ones

Round just looks better? I am somewhat anal when it come to how my patches look! LOL!

 

[WonkyEye]

Round just looks better? I am somewhat anal when it come to how my patches look! LOL!

I haven't noticed any change in POI or accuracy from patch shape. I cut at the muzzle, used oversized round, precut square, round, no difference.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I do have to admit that finding the square cut patches among all the round patches at my range is easier than finding the round patches among all the others littering the ground.

 

[Mike in FL]

I've seen too many videos of cutting at the muzzle wherein the shooter uses a sawing motion to get thru the material. I always ask why not just sharpen the blade. Make it really sharp then use it for no other purpose. Touch it up after each outing. Watching someone struggling with a not-so-sharp patch knife to cut patching seems to say a lot to me about the rifleman. I like the blade sharp enough to dry shave hair of my arm. A 20 degree sharpening angle makes a much better cloth cutting blade than the steeper angles of an all around working knife. A very sharp blade will smoothly glide through patching material with just one swiping motion. For whatever all that is worth.

 

[rickystl]

A dull knife is such a useless tool. Almost as bad as dull scissors. LOL

 

[Piquant]

A dull will cut you faster than a sharp knife. You have to bare down hard on a dull knife to cut. That's when accidents happens.

 

[Bucks Co]

I've used precuts but prefer to cut at the muzzle - I reckon there're automatically centered -just needs a really sharp patch knife no 'sawing' required.

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

My hunting/shooting buddy of fifty + yrs. had an on going good natured argument for 10 yrs. , about weither patches had to be cut round or square. After yrs. of good natured bantering , I had to agree w/him , didn't matter , round or square. If I find some good .015 cloth , I am lazy and cut them square with scissors. Some turn out hexagon , doesn't matter. thickness matters.

And you don't waste 20% of your fabric!

 

[Grenadier1758]

Uh, @#blackpowderbill, with a square patch, that 20% waste is shot out the barrel along with the rest of the patch.

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

Uh, @#blackpowderbill, with a square patch, that 20% waste of shot out the barrel along with the rest of the patch.

Yep and it can also be used as a wiping patch .
20% of the square is what is what is left over after the round is cut.

I shoot both Squares and rounds.

 

[flntlokr]

I bought a few arch punches to cut my own patches: (1 1/8",1", .75") to fit all of my guns. I buy patch material of appropriate thickness(s), and fold it several times, then pound the punch through to cut 16 or so at a time. I stack the cut patches in pill bottles dry, and before heading to the range, I squirt a bit of dish detergent into the bottle and fill it with water, and squish the stack a few times to drive the air out. On the range, I remove several at a time, and squish all the water I can out of them, leaving me with wet patches that won't dampen a load, but will swab the barrel every time I load. I tried cut squares (too time consuming) and cut strips (too much fussing around on the firing line, and invariably dryer patches than I like) The choice is yours; try all methods and choose yer poison!

 

[aussie pete]

With the square patches, you are shooting the waste out the barrel with the patched ball. You can minimize waste by proper positioning of the patching material as you cut at the muzzle.

Ah crikey!!! Here I was thinking I was being frugal. @Grenadier1758 led me towards the light!

Cheers, Pete

PS Still going to use square patches though.