Speaking of tearing patches

[longcruise]

I've been cutting patch material, tearing patch material, using round patches, using square patches and cutting at the muzzle for a long long time.

Good Cheers thread got me thinking about something I noticed recently. In fact, something that should have dawned on me a long long time ago! :redface:

It seems that my best quality patches are the ones that are the hardest to tear off into a strip, while the poorer patch materials are the easiest to tear. Some that look and feel really good tear incredibley easy and at the same time don't shoot very well.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I don't know how you are judging quality. But, a good patch material must be strong. Some use duck cloth but I have found it to be unsatisfactory because much of it is soft and loose weave and not strong at all.
Denim and ticking are widely used because they meet the needs we are looking for. That does not mean other cloths are not available that will work for us but the downside is they are not readily available.

 

[dikman]

I tried some "duck" cloth too. It looked good (in the shop), thickness was good but after I bought it I noticed the weave wasn't quite as tight as ticking/calico, and sure enough when I fired it the weave opened up even more! Oh well, at least it won't be a total waste, I just use it as a quick swab.

 

[longcruise]

Yeah, I have bunch of a red duck that I got at wally world and it just did not have the toughness of the wally blue and red stripe. The Joannes #40 drill is tougher than the red and blue stripe from wally's, but I've been shooting the blue stripe this year in all my matches with the .45 and lightish loads getting excellent results.

Toughest patching I have is artists canvas bought in bulk off the roll. Was in 8oz, 10oz and 12oz. It's all I can do to tear the 10oz into strips after starting with a knife or scissors. Not sure if I can get it again but am just about out. Shoots very well in my .54 with loads in the 90 to 110 range.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Have you tried drill cloth? It works pretty well for me.

 

[George T.]

Well I'm odd to search artist supply's. I wonder in Michael's has that material? Geo. T.

 

[dikman]

Yeah, I had a look at the drill cloth, but the stuff we get here looks pretty much the same as the "duck".

Artists' canvas - now there's a thought. One chap at the club has some sailcloth, which is a very tight weave canvas, and a decent thickness, unfortunately someone else gave it to him so he doesn't know where it came from. My attempts to find it have drawn a blank, as the sailmakers that I rang use synthetic stuff these days!

 

[DUSTY 14]

very little sail cloth today is made of natural material. artist canvas would be the way to go as you could get the origin of the fiber

 

[Billnpatti]

There are several different kinds of drill fabric. Drill is just a type of weave and not a specific cloth. The drill material that you want is "Pocket Drill". It is made for making pockets and is a tightly woven fabric that is 100% cotton. I get mine from Jo-Ann's Fabrics. It mics uncompressed at .018 and compressed at .011. At least, the piece that I have been using for the past several years miced to those specs. You will, of course, need to wash it without fabric softeners before using it to remove the sizing. The sizing makes the fabric a bit stiff and prevents good lubricant absorption.

 

[longcruise]

Geo, I shopped Michaels at the time I picked up the good stuff. The stuff Michaels had was pretty poor quality. Did not bother even trying it.

The stuff I have now came from an outfit called Meiningers here in Denver. Checked there web site and it is mostly under construction. If I get a chance I'll go by there and see if they still have the "good stuff".

Meanwhile, here is a link to some 10oz unprimed artists canvas, but I have no idea of the quality.
Artist canvas

 

[M. De Land]

Try shirt felt from old Field and Stream shirts bought at Costco. It is very tight weave, all cotton and is the best patch cloth I have ever found so far. I wear them until the neck frays out and the wife tells me to get a new one then out to the shop and into my round patch cutter.
I like getting full use from my shirts and it is especially satisfying to end their life down my rifle barrels and they are free.
I also use the stuff for all my cleaning patches and it cuts very well but is really tough to tear. Try it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised how good it works. It runs typically .018 thick so may be a bit tight with some ball diameters. Mike D.




Push them out of the cutter and separate the individual patches. I keep them in a plastic vitamin bottle wet with window wash fluid for my patch lube which is nothing but water,soap and alcohol.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

:thumbsup:

 

[M. De Land]

I forgot to mention that I cut the strips with a drywall knife on a cutting board pinned down with a heavy steel straight edge. I currently have two patches sizes for .36 through .45 cal and .54 cal. Mike D.

 

[Snakebite]

My wife is an artist and sometimes makes her own canvas'. She gets a lot of her stuff at Dick Blicks Art Supply.

Good old pillow ticking has been good for me for 35 years.

 

[M. De Land]

Yup, pillow ticking has been the standard for many decades and works fine but the shirt felt is tougher, tighter weaved and free. Mike D.

 

[dikman]

M.D, I like the way you "punch" out the patches :hatsoff: . Wonder why I never thought of doing it that way? Much quieter than using a hammer and punch. Looks like I'll be making myself a new punch.

 

[MSW]

interesting set up ... I cut at the muzzle, but just out of curiosity, do I assume correctly that the white rectangular piece between the round cutter and the vice face is a piece of delrin?

Thanks!

 

[M. De Land]

Aluminum plate. MD