Found some old paper

[helice]

Hit a garage sale this AM. Found a box of old weird paper. I'll tell you what it says on the box; Its called
Lancaster Bond, 100% Cotton Fibre-Cockle Finish - White - Made by the Gilbert Paper Co.
What's weird is the fact that they are legal size 8&1/2x13".

The stuff is thin, sort of like a thicker onion skin. I put 4 sheets together and pinched them with the dial caliper and got .009".

If its stuff you guys use I'd be happy to send you some. If its just paper - well - I'll put it in the out house and use it this winter. There's close to 500 sheets so it might last me a while.
Oh-oh. I just checked. This stuff isn't very soft. I hope you guys can use it.
Karl

[wgr]

i thinks i could use it

[windrider919]

100% cotton paper is supposed to be the gold standard for PP. I have maybe 100 sheets and am saving it for something special. All my testing of other papers was because of the shortage of 100% cotton rag paper which is what the old-timers swore by as 'the best and only paper'. It was used for legal documents and such in Manual typewriters using carbon paper because the long cotton fibers make the paper tougher than the short cellulose fibers of old production - regular, variable thickness paper.

No one produces it now that I am aware of, what is being sold is 'old stock' and when its gone...that's it except for maybe a group getting together and going to one of the specialty paper companies and having a batch made.

I do have a theory that back in the day...only the premium paper had enough quality control to hold consistent thickness standards. And that today's common printer paper may just be as good or better than the old paper (because of the quality needed to go through the paper pickup of a computer printer or copy machine) and hence is a more than adequate substitute.

My advice, split it up into 100 sheet packs and distribute/sell it to the Black Powder guys who would still think they needed it for the best performance....$8.00 or $10.00 plus shipping sounds about right.

[Nobade]

I found a box of what sounds very similar at a thrift store for 25 cents. It works great for patching and I thought that was a pretty good deal!

[Hardcast416taylor]

I could use some. PM to follow.Robert

[Longwood]

On my search for paper, I found 100% cotton in those big drawers that have special papers in them at the local office supply store.
When I asked if they had any,,,, I got the typical "DUH" look.

[helice]

There has been some response here tho not much.
I figure I'll divide it up close to 50 sheets/bundle.
I'll mail it to you cheap as possible in a manilla envelope if they make one that size. I haven't checked for mailing envelopes.
I'll charge $2 over the postage per 50 sheets. Is that fair enough?
let me know how many bundles you want. 50, 100, 150 etc.
Rbt Smoke, Lewis-Cactus Farmer and wgr have 50 set aside unless you want more.

[Ecramer]

Not to hijack the thread, but if rag bond paper were available somewhere, what bond weight/pound press would be useful for paper patching?

[I'll Make Mine]

No one produces it now that I am aware of, what is being sold is 'old stock' and when its gone...that's it except for maybe a group getting together and going to one of the specialty paper companies and having a batch made.

I have to disagree here. I used to frequent a fountain pen users' forum (I still use 'em, just don't feel the need to read/write about 'em multiple times a week now that I've learned what I need to know and got my flock built up); if you're willing to pay premium prices, there's all kinds of 100% cotton, 100% linen, and a recent development that's actually nicer for writing than either one (can't say how it'll work for paper patching), 100% bagasse (made from sugar cane waste). You'll pay more per sheet than most folks are willing to pay for plain everyday writing paper -- but probably a lot less than many would be willing to pay for reloading components like swaging jackets, gas checks, and casting alloy; given you should be able to get at least a dozen paper jackets out of a letter size sheet, these will wind up costing a penny or two each (with the catch being you have to buy several thousand patches' worth at a time).

What may be pretty much gone is onionskin and similar very thin papers -- makes me wonder if anyone has tried paper patching with Japanese tissue, primarily sold for covering balsa framed model airplanes? It's thin, tough, very lightweight, can be applied wet with a little stretch and will shrink as it dries to make a tight patch that'll wrap onto the ogive smoothly. Plus, it comes in colors that could potentially be used to color code different loads (also in white, for traditionalists). Online model airplane vendors sell it; expect to pay a buck or two per sheet, but that's two by three FEET; it usually comes rolled to avoid creases.

[Longwood]

Paper is fairly simple to make by hand.
How come I have not heard of anyone here trying it?

[leftiye]

Let me know how it goes.

[fatnhappy]

You may have heard of Cranes? They make a fair amount of cotton paper for somebody famous.

Anyways most the 100% cotton fibre currently on the market is 24# bond and up. Crane makes a 20# which I'm sure you can order order at your local Xpedx store. Mohawk makes a 25% cotton fibre 20# bond for about half the price. Expect to pay $950+ /CWT

I used to have some 17 x 22" samples of Cranes woven 24# bond but my darling wife sent them to daycare for the kids to color. I wish I was kidding.
If I were to try paper patching again I think I'd just bite the boolit and get a ream of Crane's letter sized 20#

Crane's Bond - Cut, 20lb, 10M, Ivory, Wove, 100% Cotton Fibers, 8-1/2 x 11 (500/Pkg, 5000/Ctn)
Mfg. Neenah Paper
Mfg. # 20005
Base UOM Sht
Packaging 500/Pkg, 5000/Ctn
Cube 1.348 Cubic Ft
Catalog # 1020514
Grade Crane's Bond - Cut
Brand Crane's
M Weight 10
Pack Method Sealed - 500 sheets/package
Basis Weight 20
Color Ivory
Generic Color Ivory
Finish Wove
Generic Finish Smooth
Caliper .0046
Alternative Fiber 100% Cotton Fibers
GSM 75
Size 8-1/2 x 11
UNSPSC 14111511
UNSPSC Description Writing paper

[303Guy]

Someone was make high grade paper from elephant poo. They do make a lot of poo so plenty of raw material. It was very fibrous and I suppose it looked good but not sure it would be any good for paper patching. Making more regular paper might be a little time consuming. It would be fun for someone with the inclination.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

why not just go to www.draftingsteals.com? They have about fifty flavors to choose from.

Rich
Sua Sponte

[I'll Make Mine]

Paper is fairly simple to make by hand.
How come I have not heard of anyone here trying it?

Making "paper" by hand is fairly simple, and the result can be "arty" with hardly any more effort than the minimum to make anything like paper. Making paper with a smooth, hard surface (even as good as copier paper, which isn't as smooth and hard as good writing paper), that doesn't just go to pieces under pressure or a little dampness, is considerably more work, and doing it in quantities large enough to make a profit pretty much requires heavy equipment.

[Hardcast416taylor]

My package of this paper arrived and it is definately worth having. Thanks again.Robert

[Cactus Farmer]

Mine came today ,too. Pretty stuff for patching......
Now to find time to do some load development!

[helice]

So glad you all are pleased. I mailed out the last of it today.
May your patches drop clean and your boolits fly straight.
Karl
P.S. It was fun serving you.