Where to Get Ticking For Patches

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Where do you guys get your ticking for patches? I’m wanting to start cutting my own, and am looking for the best place to buy. Thanks!
Joanns Fabric (chain store) bring calipers and try different thickness .Get the right one and go back and by the same lot# otherwise it may differ and buy a bunch !!!
 
for all of my guns the only thickness is .015 thousand's. it is what works for me.
 
Walmart or Joann's fabrics. It's about 5 or 6 bucks for a yard. Bring a set of digital calipers and you can measure the thickness of the different types.

One of these fabric cutters here is handy for cutting them into strips. Just lay it out on a board or hard surface.View attachment 167543
My sister sews, I borrowed her wheel cutter, board and guide to cut nice square 1 1/2" cleaning patches out of some flannel cloth I bought.

For patches I use a cotton canvas feeling cloth that is .022". I cut my patches with a 1" gasket cutter., I have also cut at the muzzle but prefer the precut patches.
 
Thrift stores fir denims, lots of patches from a 60 Wast x 30 inseam. Can also get leather belts and bags along with jackets.. great place for historic items.
 
I twice wash my new patching material hottest water plus detergent plus extra rinse this is done to get the sizing (starch) out so the fabric so it can absorb what ever oil or grease I want to use in the future.

But what about drying the fabric?

I dried it on the hottest cycle to intentionally to cause the cloth to shrink and tighten the weave.

Then ironed it flat this makes it east to cut out patches and have them turn out the same size. Takes a hot steam iron to get all the wrinkles out It a lot of work but must be done for good patches.

Hang up the cloth for a day to dry the steam moisture out.

I prefer round patches so I trace circles with template, circles are drawn with a Fisher Space pen ball point Its got good ink. Then spend a few evenings cutting out the circles.
 
Last edited:
I don't remember the water temp. I wash it inside a cloth bag as suggested to control edge unraveling. Same for the dryer. I'll wash it again and make sure its hot and soak per your suggestion thx.
 
My recent experience has shown that on the Joannes websites, what is shown in stock for individual stores is not being correctly displayed.
 
About how many times to wash.
In the 70's I was told by pro's to wash and tumble dry, and do it again and again. Three times.
Thought that was somewhat excessive at the time but hey, they knew what they were doing and just like at Mardi Gras if you don't have excess then you don't have enough.
 
I always check out the remnants pile at the fabric stores. I found a couple of 44 inch by 15 inch pieces of 100% cotton 100 plus thread count cloth recently. It cost $1.50 for them both. Looks by feel to be really thin too. Maybe .05”, but I haven’t measured them yet.
 
Dixie Gun Works sells patching material. Other Black Powder/Muzzleloader suppliers may sell it too.
 
I was told that Joanne's ticking is only good if you wash it first during New moon and then again during Full moon. First wash during new Moon be sure to add some Sage to chase off the evil spirits and on full moon was add some sweet grass to purity it.
Not rocket science at all.
Oh, ensure the first wash the water turns clockwise and second wash the water must turn counterclockwise otherwise you have to toss it all out and start over.
 
Back
Top