Making Patches

[R-71]

Paper Patchers tell me how you make your patches. I like shooting my rifle and casting bullets and loading ammo but dislike the patch making process itself andI am wondering how some of you are doing it?

I have a paper cutter and make strips and then use a template to lay out the patch.

perhaps it seems as tedious for everyone as it does for me!

[country gent]

I use the paper cutter for it all. no templates per say. I have a rolling cutter board. I added a rail stop and flat surface out side of the cutter. Like is on a sheet metal shear this allows me to cut sheets from the roll of Seth Cole paper. these Sheets I put n groups of 5 maintaining direction. I then glue the edges together ( like a books binding) A glue stick works well for this. I then set the rail to cut the strips to width. I know have strips the width of the patch needed. I made a angled guide rail for my board that is set in place with double faced tape and orients from the boards rail. I mount this and set rail to length of patch and feed strips thru to rail and cut. Its a job getting it set up and finding the dimensions you want but if you write them down then its a one time deal. A good steel rule works for setting it.

I tried templates and exacto knife was always slipping and moving didn't like the cuts. Tried a blade type cutting boards and again paper would stretch or slip cutting. The rolling cutter has clamps to lock paper in place and does a great job. Mine had 2 screws I used to bolt the sheet metal extension to and 2 threaded rods for the guides rails the extension tray is z shaped. 2 holes for the threaded rods to slide in a nut on each side rail is 1/8"x1X1 aluminum angle 2 holes drilled and taped to match spacing of threaded rods. threaded in and jam nuts lock it in place. I did glue a couple rails underneath to stiffen it up some. My extension try is 13" wide and 14" long. the stop rail over hangs this by 1/2" each side. It would be more work to make but quicker to set if you used 2 round smooth rails and a threaded rod centered. this would allow square movement in and out and one lock point. With the 2 threads rail needs set on both ends to parallel.

I can sit a watch / listen to TV and cut patches at the same time. I also have a mount on the board side to hold the roll of seth cole paper so its not bouncing around.

I sit the rail to 12" and cut sheets in groups of 5 every five I lightly glue the edges together. I also mark square egde and front edge alighning to each when glued together. I may cut 4-5 groups of 5.

I then set the rail to patch width and cut the 4-5 groups of 5 into strips the glued edges hold these together.

I then double face tape the angled rail in place

Set the rail to patch length ( I marked a patch for length and then measured distance square to cut rail its easier to repeat)

Insert a strip to where the first angled cut cleans up the end

Slide strip thru to touch rail and cut continue with each strip.

This makes very consistant patches very quickly and easily.

[rfd]

like CG, i also use a paper cutter ...

[Nobade]

I do them pretty much like RFD, only his setup is nicer. You can cut a big stack of strips at the same time so making a few hundred patches doesn't take very long at all.

[Lead pot]

I make mine a little different.
I make a master and run it through a scanner making several copies and staple one copy to 15 sheets together putting one staple on each strip to hold them together in alignment then cut them with a roller cutter and throw away the top thick master copy patch. I can cut 450 patches in less then 1/2 hour and they are all the same.
I shoot to much to cut just one patch at a time. When I patch the bullets I do it sitting in the recliner watching a movie

IMG_1885_1 by Kurt, on Flickr
IMG_1888_1 by Kurt, on FlickrIMG_1889_1 by Kurt, on Flickr

[BrentD]

Now that you have seen all the HARD ways to make patches, here is one of many easier ones.

[Nobade]

Yep, that's a good way to do it.