BP patches - Home made?

Ed Smurf

Ed Smurf

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Does anybody make their own BP patches?. I would like to know how it is done and what tools/materials are recommended. I heard pillow ticking is a favorite, but are there any substitutes? How do you make the patches round....I tried a hole punch but it doesn't seem to work too well.
 
Old bedsheets. You just need to find something thin enough to fit in the barrel. I suggest a trip to the local thrift store for a couple of dress shirts or bedsheets. It may look funny but take a caliper and try to get .010 to .020 thick material. I prefer .010 in my guns but others like it thicker.

Then either spit patch or get some lube.

Just cut it in strips about 3/4 to 1 inch wide and put the end of the strip over the muzzle. Push the ball in about half way and cut off the strip along the edge of the barrel.

Just don't pee on your patch strip. It is quite funny for those who are watching.
 
I went to a fabric store armed with a caliper.. started measuring cloth you get service right away.. Nice lady asked what I was doing, I told her.. After that she was very helpful.. I do the same as tbrwlf make square patches.. You can buy a round punch from Track of the wolf.. i don't see the point
Leroy
 
Just make sure what you find is natural fibre without polyester etc. It can melt or burn onto the inside surface of your barrel and be a bugger to remove. They won't be effective as patches if they burn through either.
Look for a good tight weave and no stretch.

A micrometer works better for me than a caliper if you have one. Thickness depends on the rifling depth and size of the ball. ie. .490 or .495 ball in a 50 cal makes a big difference.
 
All of the above. I don't believe I've ever bought patches.

Went through a lot of material that didn't work so well, as others above have noted you need 100% cotton with a tight weave and the correct thickness. I just mic the kids old clothes as they outgrow them and look for the good quality stuff. I got hundreds of patches out of one dress (that couldn't be passed down, it was too badly torn). You can usually tell right away if the weave isn't right.
 
Never bought pre-cut patches. For cleaning I use diaper flannel. For shooting use tougher fabric - I use all-cotton denim. Denim comes in 3 thicknesses at fabric stores: 10, 8 and 6 oz. I find the 8 oz most versatile but you need to find which works best in the gun you have. Old jeans are okay for cleaning patches but are different thicknesses depending on where you cut them from - worn or other locations so not consistent for best accuracy. Square patches work fine and as a guideline the patch width should be 2.5 times the bore diameter: for a 50 cal you cut 1.25" X 1.25" square patches. If you don't like square patches then cut off the corners to make octagons but punching out round ones is unnecessary work. Personally, I pre-cut the flannel but carry my denim in 24" X 2" wide strips and cut each patch as I am loading the rifle on trail walks.
 
I never use used fabric any more. Sheets or jeans, or whatever, have varying thicknesses depending on wear. Splurge and buy $8 worth of denim. Take a micrometer with you, it's no big deal. When you get home, cut it into strips, and do as tbrwlf mentioned above. Place strip on the muzzle, set ball on strip, set ball flush with short starter, cut patch off with a knife, flush with the muzzle. You end up with a perfect fitting round patch every time. As for lube, try mixing 5 parts water with one part water soluble cutting oil. Soak the strips ahead of time, let them dry in the sun. The water evaporates, leaving a light coating of oil, very consistent from patch to patch. Consistency is everything! The objective is to have a patched ball that is as tight as possible, without having to beat the crap out of the thing to get it down the barrel, because that deforms the lead ball. You can improve accuracy dramatically by wiping between shots, because you can use a tighter patch, and still get it down the bore fairly easy. I am well aware that you can shoot all day without wiping, but you will either have to use a thin patch, or beat the crap out of your balls...never a good thing.
YMMV
Glen
 
Old denim shirt is about 12 thou and just about right for most purposes. I make them using a 1.20 inch steel bearing from some hydraulic device I found . Use a 1" i.d. steel tube that can be hardened then place doubled material over top and 4 hammer strokes later-perfect patches. I hold the tube in a vice bottomed on the frame or on a lead block. Also make pistol patches using a .80 i.d. tube on the same block with the same ball bearing. Never have had to buy patches in the last 9 years.
 
I use double weave cotton , and wash it first to get the sizing out of it.
I then cut it into 1" wide strips and cut my patches at the range after initial round ball seating on the muzzle.
For hunting with my loading block I use a punch before seating the ball and patch in the block.
I quit using worn denim in 1980 after a very well known shooter showed me the differences in thickness on the front compared to the back of an old pair of jeans.:rolleyes:
Cat
 
catnthehatt said:
I use double weave cotton , and wash it first to get the sizing out of it.
I then cut it into 1" wide strips and cut my patches at the range after initial round ball seating on the muzzle.
For hunting with my loading block I use a punch before seating the ball and patch in the block.
I quit using worn denim in 1980 after a very well known shooter showed me the differences in thickness on the front compared to the back of an old pair of jeans.:rolleyes:
Cat
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Cat makes a good point: always wash your new patch fabric a couple of times to remove the sizing. It then absorbs the patch lube better and holds more of it. possibly because there is less surface tension on the fibers and it seems to compress more readily, in my experience. I too prefer to cut my patches as part of the loading process rather than carry pre-cut ones but that is just personal preference.

If denim is too thick for your application, I have also had success with both "Shirt Linen" and "Coat Linen" the latter is a bit thicker but both are thinner than denim and just as durable. Downside is that the linen is a bit more expensive but $10 will buy enough almost anyone needs for a year of shooting. I had to go to the linen for my 62 cal smoothbore for a proper fit.
 
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oneadam12 said:
Pillow ticking works. Like denim but more consistent.
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I agree but it seems very hard to find here in Canada. I use it but I buy it at Walmart when I visit the USA - all Walmart stores carry fabric down there, unlike here in Canada and it is a bit cheaper than the denim we get here. I have found it in only one thickness whereas the denim comes in at least 3 weights. One neat advantage of pillow ticking is you can rip it parallel to the stripes to make the strips of patches - saves some time and scissor work.
 
Ol' Flinter said:
I agree but it seems very hard to find here in Canada. I use it but I buy it at Walmart when I visit the USA - all Walmart stores carry fabric down there, unlike here in Canada and it is a bit cheaper than the denim we get here. I have found it in only one thickness whereas the denim comes in at least 3 weights. One neat advantage of pillow ticking is you can rip it parallel to the stripes to make the strips of patches - saves some time and scissor work.
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If I find an old pillow, what are the chances it would be useable stuff? Wash, burn test and mic all pass?
 
Canvass worked the best for me. Needs to be 100% cotton. I too hit the fabric store with callipers. Bought many samples, and tested for accuracy. Then bought a couple of meters. Remember to wash the material first to remove the sizing (I think that's is what it's called).
Better by far than buying patches.
Different lubes will influence accuracy as well.
 
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