Pillow ticking

[jcs266]

Hey guys I have a question. I’m going to buy some pillow ticking at Walmart this week. When you take the measurement at the store is the measurement still the same after you have washed the sheet of material when you get home? Or does it shrink to a thinner thickness?

 

[jcs266]

Actually here’s another question. I keep seeing members here mentioning they use materials around the house for patch. I found a pair of 100% cotton flannel pajamas. They are not the fuzzy type of flannel, they are relatively smooth. Is this something that can be used for patch material? It measures around .012”

What other types of material commonly found at home is suitable?

 

[Grenadier1758]

Cotton flannel doesn't have the tight weave that is desirable for patching a round ball. The flannel will do fine for cleaning patches. I use old flannel sheets for cleaning patches.

Denim from blue jeans or coveralls or canvas materials used in coveralls if untreated for waterproofing has been used for patching. The issue with found materials is that the consistency of thickness throughout the fabric isn't there. A worn area may measure 0.012" while less worn areas will be 0.018". The found fabric will work, but don't expect the results to be consistent.

 

[mooman76]

I have used flannel from flannel shirts. Like noted they aren't the best material being not a tight weave but they seemed to work fine with light loads. Cotton dress shirts work to, they have a tight weave. I didn't use worn shirts, just ones I had awhile that just didn't really want to wear any more. I also used an old BDU uniform. They use to have all cotton ones years back, the newer ones are a synthetic blend. They worked like a thin denim. Go through your cloths and see what you got that is cotton and still in good shape.

 

[Davey Boy]

I bought 0 .015" pillow ticking from Wal-Mart. It is stiff as a board, rough. I think it is crap. Perhaps washing would help but

I have been cutting up my eyeglass cleaning cloths, I will check to see what residue results from burning but for cleaning they are very good.

 

[blushingmule]

We sent them for Flight line ot to the Cop shack for K9P lubricant. If they were really naive, we could get them running around with a plastic bag getting air samples.

We sent the newbie aircraft mechanics for a gallon of prop-wash...
Bob

 

[Grenadier1758]

Ah, tasks like those were good for getting at least half a day off of other duty.

Going into JoAnn's Fabrics and asking for Drill Cloth sometimes seems to be a fantasy task similar to going out looking for the K9P lubricant. There's been enough of us wandering around the fabric stores that there ought to be a muzzle loading cloth aisle. Probably could have a micrometer there to measure cloth thickness.

 

[OldRust]

I bought 0 .015" pillow ticking from Wal-Mart. It is stiff as a board, rough. I think it is crap. Perhaps washing would help but

I have been cutting up my eyeglass cleaning cloths, I will check to see what residue results from burning but for cleaning they are very good.

Davey.
I have bought pillow and mattress ticking super stiff like that. I believe it is the sizing or starch in the material. After running it through wifeys washing machine and air drying it turned out soft and great for patches.

Thanks
O.R.

 

[jcs266]

Davey.
I have bought pillow and mattress ticking super stiff like that. I believe it is the sizing or starch in the material. After running it through wifeys washing machine and air drying it turned out soft and great for patches.

Thanks
O.R.

Does the ticking “shrink” (get thinner) after washing, or just softer?

 

[Grenadier1758]

Yes, the ticking will shrink in area, but the ticking will be thicker and more compressible.

All fabric should be washed to remove the sizing and reduce the likelihood of shrinkage.

 

[Rickt300]

I have used some pretty non descript cloth for patching with OK results. Time to order some more or check out Wally world.

 

[OldRust]

Does the ticking “shrink” (get thinner) after washing, or just softer?

Just softer by my experience. I take my material thickness readings crushed with a micrometer. Dutch Shultz's method.

Thanks
O.R.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Bear in mind that when at the fabric store, the material has the sizing in the fabric for feel on the bolt and ease of handling for measurement. You can get a fair thickness measurement with the sizing, but the sizing will prevent an accurate compression reading. The fabric needs to be well washed before getting an accurate compression measurement.

Dutch and I have always disagreed on compression readings. I use the micrometer as if I am a tool maker and won't compress fabric. My father was a tool maker and his micrometers were precision instruments and he decidedly would not put that kind of stress on those threads on his micrometers not would he let me abuse a micrometer to compress a fabric. I did find a micrometer that fell behind a workbench for several years that I use for compression measurements. You need two measurements. The first is the slip (uncompressed thickness) measurement and with a snug thumb and finger compression. That shows that the fabric will compress and verify a tight weave. You will apply more compression on the fabric on loading than you will with a micrometer. If your ball is 0.010" less in diameter than the land to land diameter of the bore, then you are compressing the fabric to 0.005" on the lands and no one uses a micrometer to compress the fabric that thin. I can't compress fabric that thin with any of my Vernier calipers nor as thin as I can with that poor old found and abused micrometer.

 

[brazosland]

You squeeze the forks together. You don’t apply pressure to the wheel gear and destroy the gear teeth...

 

[BP Addict]

I have a buddy that was using the same flannel material for both cleaning and patching. I held it up and could see light through it. I let him use some of my commercially pre-cut patches. The ball landed about 4" higher on the target. This was a new (to him) rifle. Most of these patches have a tight weave but I believe that ticking is tighter. I was told by another friend that the blue (stripes) is .017-.018. The red is .015.

I've always been told to wash the sizing (starch) out of the fabric before using. However, I've used the T/C Pre-lubed/Pre-cut patches and they're really stiff. Leading me to believe that the sizing was left in.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Any difference due to the color of the stripes in the pillow ticking is simply due to a difference in the thread size that is being woven. The only sure way to know the thickness is to measure the thickness. There is NO thickness standard based on the color of the striping.

 

[LongWalker]

Last spring, needing patching and being in a hurry to shoot a new rifle, I went to the local farm supply store. In the clothing department I found the largest pair of Oshkosh bib overalls they had. They are 100% cotton. After a trip through the washer/dryer the cloth mic's .017", which was exactly what I needed. I'm set for patching that rifle for the foreseeable future. Might be an option for those who don't have a fabric store nearby (or are in a hurry!).

 

[Maven]

jcs266, Although pillow ticking varies quite a bit from vendor to vendor, I don't think that's [quite] the case with 100% cotton denim, which is sold by weight and available in many fabric stores. You'll still have to use a micrometer or caliper to determine thickness though.

 

[hanshi]

Two things I always do when I buy fabric; I wash it and then measure it with a caliper. Washing makes fabric a bit thicker and tightens the weave. I use the caliper but squeeze the jaws together with my thumbs and fingers, using both hands. I've used .012" flannel baby blanket for patches in my smoothbore to excellent effect. The prb is nowhere near as tight as in a rifle and works in spite of it. In other words it can be pushed below the muzzle with thumb pressure.

 

[Tasbay]

Zipped into the local draper yesterday for a meter of ticking. They only had 2 part rolls on the shelf, usually there are about ten to chose from. As I paid for it I asked about supply considering it comes from India and the Covid spike there. I was told our suppliers can`t get it at the moment so it`s wait and see when some arrives.