Patch Cutting

[Dean2]

So, went to the fabric shop yesterday and bought a meter each of cotton ticking in .015 and .018. Now I need to cut them into 1x1" patches for my .32 caliber. Since one meter of material will make over 1600 patches, I am looking for a simple way to do this, without having to build machines, cutters, punches etc.

Are there any smart fellers on here that have fiured out how to do this the easy way with simple hand tools? (I did a search but could not find info on this bit.)

 

[vern faulkner]

Sure, cut at the muzzle.

Vern

 

[Rev_William]

I have a crockett usually at the muzzle as the gentle man previously stated or in the ball block if you carry one. Good news is you get to buy a really cool patch knife much more pleasin than a punch

 

[Dean2]

Cutting at the muzzle would stretch the work over a much longer time frame, but what I am really looking for is a way to make the 1600 pre-cut patches without having to make 1,600, or some multiple thereof, individual cuts to accomplish it.

Looking for something like fold it a certain way and use a VERY sharp paper cutter. There is something inexpensive that fabric shops or some other industry already sell that accomplishes this efficeintly, etc.

 

[Hawkeye]

I use a rotary cutter, straight edge and cutting pad my wife gave me when she got a new one. Watch the rotary blades!! they are sharp!! Don't ask how I found out.

 

[David W.]

Cutting multiple layers can involve clamping the material down so it doesn't shift. I wish I could say there is an easy way to do it cheaply, but I find a rotary cutter with a straight edge on a cutting board works for me. It really doesn't take that long to cut single sheets once one gets the hang of it.

Be certain you wash it to get the sizing out BEFORE the material is cut. If one washes after cutting into pieces, it can make one terrible mess of tangled stuff.

 

[MikeC]

Not what your looking for, but I just cut what I need with a sharp scissor when I need it prior to a shoot or hunt. Plan on shooting 25 rounds this weekend so I'll cut 25 patches on Friday while watching TV.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Mount a sharp razor or knife in a bench vise, start your cuts with scissors to space them correctly, and then pull the fabric over the sharp edge to cut the fabric into strips. Cut the patching at the muzzle using a sharp patch knife.

If you hold the fabric taut at both ends, its easy to cut it in straight lines by pulling the fabric over the blade. If this is above your skill level, take the fabric back to the fabric store and ask the clerks to do this kind of cutting for you. They use this technique all the time. I would wash and dry the fabric twice to remove the "sizing"( a starch-like substance added to the fabric by the manufacturer to aid in ironing the fabric flat, so they can ship more fabric per load), before cutting it into strips.

 

[bob308]

get an arch punch. hold it in a drillpress. wrap materal around board. and cut away you can do about a 1000 patchs in about a half hour. pnly problem is they will be round. for a .32 you will need a 1" punch.

 

[Ken Rummer]

I use pinking shears I bought at WalMart. The produce a zig-zag cut pattern and are the tool used by tailors. The zig-zag seems to reduce the loose frizzy threads coming out of the edges.

I also bought a pair of small historically incorrect sissors to cut at the muzzle. They are much sharper than a patch knife.

 

[rafterob]

Good suggestions so far for mass cutting. My 2c;a square meter is going to last you close to a year and I have found a tendency for pre-cut patches to curl up over time, especially smaller ones. I have settled on cutting 4-6 strips at a time and cutting at the muzzle. A typical range session for me is about 20 shots and with my .50 cal I will use about 1 1/2 strips. Probably every other month I spend about 20 minutes cutting cleaning patches and ticking strips.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I'm of the cut at muzzle school also. But, that's not what you asked. I use a large pair of antique tailors shears to cut my cleaning patches. But, I believe the easiet thing for you to do is take the patch cloth and make a starting cut for the size you want at the top. Then just rip strips. Then using sissors cut the strips into squares. Just eyeball the size. They may not be exact but that is not important. Faster than it sounds.

 

[Grullaguy]

I'm of the cut at muzzle school also. But, that's not what you asked. I use a large pair of antique tailors shears to cut my cleaning patches. But, I believe the easiet thing for you to do is take the patch cloth and make a starting cut for the size you want at the top. Then just rip strips. Then using sissors cut the strips into squares. Just eyeball the size. They may not be exact but that is not important. Faster than it sounds.

Yes if you want to save time, cut them square.

They will shoot just as well.

 

[gjr902]

If square is ok, then the wifes rotary cutter, mat and straight edge is the fastest way at my house.

 

[Deadeye]

A pr. of scissors, a yardstick, and a ball point pin. cut a couple of hundred, when they are about gone,do it again. Only takes a few minutes.
Waste of time to remove the sizing.
Deadeye

 

[biliff]

I'm in the rotary cutter and cutting board group.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Waste of time to remove the sizing.

Disagree. Without washing you have cloth impregnated with 'stuff' that changes the characteristics.
I always wash and double rinse to get the 'stuff' out. Softens the cloth and fluffs it a bit and makes it more absorbent.

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

I'm in the rotary cutter and cutting board group.

Yup


:thumbsup:

 

[BigDogg]

I'm a muzzle cutter too. Seems way simpler, and faster to me.

 

[Huntin_Dawg1215]

I agree.