Here's my 2004 write-up...its a combination of tips and comments others have given me, plus a few bits of my own windage as I experimented through it all.
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With ideas from other posters and articles over the years, I experimented around and settled on the following approach for making some paper shot cups for longer range tighter pattern shot loads in a .62cal/.20ga smoothbore:
1. Post-it note papers with their particular thickness and self-adhering edge worked best;
2. I used a 6" long piece of 1/2" dowel with about 7 wraps of thick clear scotch packing tape around it to produce a paper cup diameter that is CLOSE BUT NOT TOUCHING the sides of a .62cal bore;
3. I roll / wrap the entire post-it note around the dowel on a hard flat surface starting with the dry edge so the tacky edge comes last and is used to stick it to the rolled paper, holding it together;
4. The size of the dowel needs to be built up enough so a post-it note stops short enough of going completely around twice so there is still a narrow (1/8"-1/4" wide) strip of single thickness paper which aids in bursting at set-back time;
5. Then I slide the tube off the dowel about 1/2" and fold in the end of the tube as you would a coin wrapper;
6. While still on the dowel, press the folds hard down onto a hard surface to crease the folds good and tight;
7. I pull the paper tube the rest of the way off the dowel...at this point it will be too long to use;
8. Measure the amount of shot you plan to use and pour it into the shot cup;
9. Mark the paper NO TALLER than the height of the shot you just poured in;
10. Pour out the shot and use scissors to cut off the excess paper at the mark;
11. Pour the shot back into the cup to test it...the paper should not extend above the shot;
12. The resultant cup diameter is a close to friction fit in the bore, with about .020" clearance around the tube;
13. The shot cup protects & holds the shot charge together until the instant it leaves the bore;
14. Upon exiting the bore, the paper opens and disintegrates, fluttering to the ground 5-10 feet from the muzzle;
