square or round, linen or cotton

[shortbow]

Hey all. It seems to me that in the dark reaches of my doddering mind I somewhere read that linen was much more common than cotton in the frontier West during the fur trade era and was the patching material of choice. Anybody know if this is true?

Also read that as linen is a lot stronger than cotton it makes for a better patch?

Anybody use it, know were to get it in a fineness of weave and thickness appropriate for patches?

Does it make any difference to accuracy if one's patch is round or square?

Thanks eh?

 

[rabjr]

Does it make any difference to accuracy if one's patch is round or square?

Not sure about the other questions but it don't matter if the patches are round or square. I cut my own and it's just easier/quicker to cut square patches.

 

You can get unprimed canvas in several weights and thread count from art supply stores such as Utrecht or Dick Blick. I am a painter and so I use the remnants from stretching my own canvases. Linen was probably used more than cotton in the colonies. Linen was easier to get than cotton from what I have heard from those that are in the know. I read a lot of primary source documents and I have never read anything about what patching was used. Flax was a bigger crop here than cotton in the 18th century. Flax is what you make linen out of. So.... :hmm:

 

[Claude Mathis]

Does it make any difference to accuracy if one's patch is round or square?

No.

 

[xxgrampa]

gosh claude, you have a silver tounge when it comes to words.. :grin:

tt.g

 

[Claude Mathis]

gosh claude, you have a silver tounge when it comes to words.. :grin:

tt.g

I guess I was remembering all the previous discussions. My fault. :redface:
[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/211534[/url]
[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/209691/[/url]
[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/207740[/url]

 

[Many Klatch]

Best place to get cheap linen with a fine weave would be a garage sale. Seems someone is alway selling grandma's old linen place settings and table cloths for a buck or two. A lot of dish towels were made of linen as well. Just hide them from your wife when you bring them home, else she may tell you that they are too good to cut up for patches.

Many Klatch

 

[shortbow]

Thanks all. Good idea on finding linen in old "linen." Will start at the local thrift store for that.

Claude, :blah: :grin: . No worries about the short answer. I sure understand from another site how the same newb questions keep coming up, and it CAN git tejius for the old timers.