Pillow ticking

[Ben Meyer]

Last year, before we REALLY started getting into traditional muzzleloading, me and my son bought a bunch of good pillow ticking for patch material off Amazon.com. Like, YEARS worth. Its quality, 100% cotton made by Santee Printworks. Thing is, I dont know the thickness. I reached out to them and THEY dont know either! Said it's not measured that way. I've bought some prelubed pillow ticking patches that are .015 and this stuff looks like it's the same, but I doubt the naked eye could tell the difference between say, .015 and .018.

Do any of you know the thickness of this stuff? Is there s reliable way to determine thickness?

 

[Grenadier1758]

The most reliable way is to buy a digital caliper from Harbor Freight. With easily available discount coupons they are $10 to $15. Easy to measure and easy to read. And accurate enough.

 

[Ben Meyer]

A guy in the product questions said he measured it at .020. I'll get a caliper but even with one I can see that being difficult to get a real accurate measurement. I shoot a .490 roundball with this ticking, and it's not too tough to load/get started. Drylubed with Ballistol and water 6:1 it's very accurate out of my Hawken with 80-90gr 2F Goex. I still havent expiramented enough with my Flintlock to KNOW its preferred load.

 

[Carbon 6]

I still havent expiramented enough with my Flintlock to KNOW its preferred load.

Good, Then you can buy a calipers and start over.

 

[Kansas Jake]

If you get good accuracy, just use it.

 

[longcruise]

It doesn't matter how it measures. If it loads and shoots that's all that matters. Measuring patch material gets talked to death but if it works, it works!

 

[Rat]

Kind of put the cart before the horse, but it sounds like you lucked out. You can always change ball size of course...unless you already bought a mold.

On the other hand, "very accurate" doesn't exactly sound like a disaster. I like patch material in the .020" range, rather than the thinner stuff. If I had to go thinner than that, I'd go to a smaller ball size.

 

[Buckskinn]

Are you talking compressed or not?

 

[Grenadier1758]

Generally, you want to compress the patch material. I don't want to abuse my micrometers by using excessive cranking pressure. I try for the sliding measurement then just enough extra twist to stop the material from sliding in the micrometer. Some people recommend a hard compression as they believe that will represent the compression the patch material is subject to on loading. What you want rondo is a consistent method to measure so that when you go back to the fabric store you get the same compression in the new fabric.

Be aware that fabric on the bolt will have sizing in the fabric that will prevent an accurate compressed measure. Any fabric purchased should be washed. Hung dry doesn't fluff up the fabric. Dried in hot air drier will shrunk the fabric a bit but fluff it up some. Either way works, just do it the same way every time.

 

[hanshi]

I use a dial caliper, they're inexpensive, and squeeze the jaws with fingers and thumb to get a compressed measurement. Just measure the same way each time.