Washing Pillow Ticking Before Use

[erhunter]

Is washing my pillow ticking from the fabric store necessary before I use it for round ball patches? If so, what are the benefits? Thanks for responses!

 

[Grimord]

I recommend that you wash the fabric to remove the sizing that is used that makes the fabric stiff, and to shrink the weave to make it even tighter. Be sure to put the material in a
mesh back used for dedicates as there will be some fabric fraying.

 

[ZUG]

Grimord has it right --- the washed ticking will also absorb your lube better.

 

[user 48679]

Plus, washing the ticking makes it taste better when using a spit patch.....

 

[nhmoose]

If you bought a couple of yards just wash in hot water, spin dry dry in the dryer on whites (hot) then just trim the frays of the ends. Tick should now be nice and tight with no junk to help foul the bore.

 

[Dibbuk]

Grimord pretty well sums it up. Washing removes the sizing, tightens the weave, and makes the material softer. I always wash at least twice. Usually, I just toss the material in with a load of towels or denims. After washing, I tear the material into strips, roll up the strips, and tie the roll with one of the frayed threads.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I agree. Wash it. After mine is washed and dried, I like to iron the material. I don’t know why anymore, I just do. It does make it easier for me to lay out and cut long strips. Those get rolled up and stored.

 

[necchi]

Good answers all,

I like to iron the material. I don’t know why anymore, I just do. It does make it easier for me to lay out and cut long strips.

Uhm, that is an extra step,,,,, nothin wrong with that at all.
"cutting" leads to a lot of stray fibers scattered about. I've found it easier to just "nick" the factory edge with a blade then "tear" the fabric along it's width.
That way just a few of the welt strands need to be pulled from each edge of the section.
A simple trick I learned from Mom,(60yrs ago),(gadd's!),,it's been that long?

 

[ZUG]

Or you could cut it into strips with "pinking shears" .

 

[renegadehunter]

It will feel very stiff and won't absorb lube well at all until the sizing starch is washed out of it. The last pillow ticking I bought I had to wash in hot twice before it all came out.
Don't skip using a delicates bag or putting into a nylon or something, or else it'll unravel something fierce.

 

[nkbj]

And some shooters say wash it three times. That's what I heard in the 70's. Not a big deal to just throw it in with clothes that are getting washed.

 

[Erwan]

Anyway, it is largely better to wash all the kind of tissues (pillow or other) before use like patches : that cleans the stuff that impregnate the cotton fabrics (also flax), and in this way the absorption is improved...

 

[Zevooo]

I know that it's an old thread, but I've wanted to thank everyone for the advice. You have helped me too.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I wash mine to make it softer and more absorbent.

 

[longcruise]

I can't vouch for the factuality (izzat a ord?) Of this but I once read that the sizing can be abrasive. Regardless, I wash mine twice for all the reasons already posted here.

 

[Zevooo]

I know it's an old thread, but I've wanted to thank everyone for the advice. You have helped me too. I used to buy pillowcases and sheets that were not from very expensive stores. Of course, the quality was not the best, but at the moment it was ok. Recently after my father died, I found myself inheriting a fortune. Thanks to him, I have had the possibility to redecorate my home. I did want to have a nice main bedroom, with a big king-size bed and the best quality bedding. My fiance and I have received a piece of advice from our designers to search for bedding from the company Pillow Insider. I hope you'll find my story helpful. Good luck to everyone!

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Is washing my pillow ticking from the fabric store necessary before I use it for round ball patches? If so, what are the benefits? Thanks for responses!

I wash Pillow Ticking and dry it on Hot Cycle...I want the fibers to shrink and create a dense weave for a better performing gas seal.

Now whether that is actually what happens and is true or not...I do it anyways for peace of mind.

 

[doubleset]

I had some ticking (from JoAnn's) that was very stiff with sizing, and I washed the crap out of it. It was fine.

Later I bought some ticking from Walmart that pretty clearly didn't have sizing in it. (There was some at JoAnn's too -- there's a lot of variation in the whole sizing thing. But I just didn't get it there.). This is what I'm using now and I don't wash it. Just cut it up and use it. It's great. It doesn't feel like it has anything in it, and if it does, it doesn't seem to matter. Not all ticking has sizing in it.