Patch material thickness

[Charlie Sometimes]

I bought some red stripe pillow tickng for patches today at Wally World for $4.17 a sq. yd.

They had blue stripe, red stripe, and plain (no stripe) for the same price.

I couldn't feel any obvious difference in the thickness or weight- some one here once quote that blue was slightly thicker than red, etc. The lady at the counter said they were all the same, just printed different.

True or False?

Never considered this either, but would it be a good idea to wash and dry the material, before tearing it into strips for patches, to tighten it up?

Anybody tried that, did it help?

[waksupi]

The only way to be somewhat sure of the thickness when you buy patching, is to take along a mic, and take a compressed reading on the material.

Definitely wash it a couple times before using, to remove the starch.

[357maximum]

I was the one that said that they were different thicknesses. The differences are very minimal in the 4 colors that WalMart sells...a micrometer is your tool of choice here. I think lot to lot variation is more the difference than the color. We have blue/red/tan striped and plain here locally.

[lonewolf5347]

walmart blue and white stripe runs .017-.018

[Charlie Sometimes]

I should have thought to take my mic with me- but holiday shopping will cause you to loose your senses!
I was buying something for me to put under the tree.
My wife says that I am hard to buy for, so I do it myself- usually all year long!

I usually buy the blue stripe, but thought to get some red to try this time.

I will check it before I wash- next time I go back (with a mic), I'll get some blue stripe and compare results.

THANKS for the input!

[John Taylor]

The last time I took a micrometer to a fabric store I got some funny looks.

[Flinchrock]

The last time I took a micrometer to a fabric store I got some funny looks.

EVERY time I take a mic. to the fabric store, I get funny looks!!:smile:

[Catshooter]

I would think that if you want to tighten it up drying in a hot dryer would be more apt to do that than the washing. The dryer is where you shrink your jeans.


Cat

[357maximum]

The dryer is where you shrink your jeans.


Cat

The calendar is what shrinks my jeans, everytime we get a new one my pants shrink.:shock:

[Charlie Sometimes]

Measured this Red Stripe with my micrometer- came out to 0.0125 inches.
This will work good.
Next time I go to Wally World I'm taking my mic to check the others jsut to see.

[jack19512]

Measured this Red Stripe with my micrometer- came out to 0.0125 inches.






I also have the red stripe pillow ticking from Walmart but after washing and drying mine measures .0183, not sure if it is the same stuff you have.

[waksupi]

Make sure you compress the material when measuring, as it would be compressed when loading.
Once material is washed, it is going to change dimension somewhat, but once you get the right stuff, you know what to look for next time.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Long ago and far away when the USA made things, it was that blue ticking was for matresses and a bit thicker than the red ticking, which was made for pilliws with a little tighter weave for keeping pinfeathers in.

Wally no longer has material in many stores. The last they had in my local store was red chinese and measured the same despite the color, you see, it was fake. If you really look you may find, in other stores, USA fabrics, 100% cotton marked on the end of the bolt, ticking, denim, and pocket drill is what to check, maybe linnen or cotton sheeting if woven closely.

Take your measuring tool, the material will be thicker after a washing or two though. Old cotton blue jeans, worn nearly out, sometimes run in the low 20 K of thickness, and very good worn out cotton chino slacks a little less, but are woven a little tighter. Go to a Goodwill or Salvation Army store and get your patch material off the rack. BvT

[mooman76]

If you want the material to stay as close to the original demention as possible wash in cold water and dry on low heat/no heat or even let hang dry.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Yea, thought about that- hang drying.

I compressed it as tight as I could when I measured mine- if it had been a quarter, Georges wooden teeth would have popped out!
IF the blue IS thicker like the numbers state above, then it wouldn't hurt to wash and dry the red- it would still be thinner.
Either way, it looks like it is going to leave thread marks in the ball- still has 2 1/2 thousandths to compress.

That ought to be just about right.

[Maven]

All, having just purchased some pillow ticking two weeks ago, I have to say that you can't tell the thickness of blue pillow ticking, or red for that matter, without a micrometer. Why? Because the blue striped ticking comes in several thicknesses (different lot numbers on the bolt of fabric). Jo-Ann Fabrics (where I bought mine) stocks two different blue striped pillow ticking thicknesses, but only one red striped ticking, which was too thin for my purposes. They also had several bolts of pocket drill, but they too were too thin for my rifles.

[Charlie Sometimes]

I washed mine this weekend, and then the wife dried it in the dryer, before I knew it. :oops:
Of course it was wrinkled up badly, so I took the steam iron to it- that leveled it out all right, and now I've got to check the thickness again to see what difference any of that made!

No singe marks either- I haven't ironed anything since I left the Marine Corps 24 years ago!
I still got it...... [smilie=l:

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Do not be worrying about the thickness of the cloth patch so much, it is the actual tightness of the ball with your patch as you load and the circumstances of the rifling that is important. This is easy to test. Hang a cotton string between two points in your back yard. leave a litle "belly" in it. You will soon see the string rising or falling as the humidity changes. Your patches change in thickness the same way. Thus the fit changes a bit from day to day too. But not enough to seriously affect accuracy of your combination. Measurements are only a indicator of the unwashed, store, conditions. BvT

[Charlie Sometimes]

That is also an indication of thermal expansion or contraction- including whatever you have it attached to. Zinc and copper together make a thermocouple for the same principle.

Not really "worried" about it, I just want to be able to make sure it's not too thick to use when I buy it.
I don't want a too tight, and therefore difficult, loading process in the field when hunting.

[Catshooter]

The calendar is what shrinks my jeans, everytime we get a new one my pants shrink.:shock:

That made me laugh 357.


Cat

[Charlie Sometimes]

It's not the calendar- it's the holidays at the end of it that does it! :lol:

[Gerry N.]

I was corn-fused by all the measuring and thicknessing and such so I went to the local Jo-Ann Fabric store and struck up a conversation with one of he women working there. Turns out she and her husband both shoot muzzleloaders and go to some of the local Rendezvous'. She even knew me by my Mtn Man name but didn't recognize me in civilized duds.

Anyway, she tore off samples of everything we decided was suitable for patch material. I took 'em all to the range and tried 'em in my .50 T-C Hawken and my .32 Crockett. Then I went back and bought a couple of yards of patching and a few yards of all cotton flannel for cleaning patches. Total cost: $7.38. Should be about a five year supply.

Oh, yeah. All cotton pillow ticking, blue, woven pattern, .015" for the Hawken.

All cotton pillow ticking print, blue, .009" for the Crockett.

They both loaded and shot the same washed as unwashed, so I don't think I'll wash any more.

Gerry N.