Cheap round ball patches

[tomme boy]

I have never bought from these guys before. But some of their prices are desent.

http://www.sageoutfitters.com/clearance.html

[Reg]

Have you ever thought of going into a fabric store and asking for unbleached muslin, pillow ticking or just plain cotton. Make sure it is not a synthetic. Bring a micrometer with you to get the exact thickness you want.
Wash it twice to remove the sizing. I am for free enterprise in all its forms but the cost difference will supprise you.

:coffee:

[Dorf]

Reg +1 After you wash it and get the "sizing " out of it, rip it into strips about 2" wide, add a spot of "bore Butter', spit or "Moose Milk" for lube, push the ball into the muzzle and cut it off flush with the end of the barrell and you've got a perfectly centered patched ball-- but of course you knew that. Plus you also have a nice bandage to use after you cut yourself with your patch knife. Don't ask me how I know! :-) Hope this helps. Stan

[405]

Reg +1 After you wash it and get the "sizing " out of it, rip it into strips about 2" wide, add a spot of "bore Butter', spit or "Moose Milk" for lube, push the ball into the muzzle and cut it off flush with the end of the barrell and you've got a perfectly centered patched ball-- but of course you knew that. Plus you also have a nice bandage to use after you cut yourself with your patch knife. Don't ask me how I know! :-) Hope this helps. Stan

+2
Exactly, I don't know where the notion came from that pre-cut RB patches was the "only game in town". As has been posted fabric stores and even the fabric section in Wallyworld will have a large selection of good patch material. Measure with mic or calipers, eyeball the tightness of weave then look on the end of the bolt where the type of material is printed. Cotton is the way to go- avoid synthetics.

[Chill Wills]

If you want your question answered, I can help- I know Harlan and he is a good man. Works hard to make a living and is a cast bullet & BPCR shooter as well as ML rifles. A small shop gets my business. If you choose to buy instead of cut patches this time around, give him a try.

[750k2]

I hand wash as the machine seems to loosen the weave a little.

[Flintlock Hokie]

Using strips of patching material and a patch knife work well unless you have a tapered muzzle as I do. I'd get a fist full of cloth ahead of the ball if I used a patch knife.

[451 Pete]

Tomme,
I have to agree with the above posts on hitting Wally World and buying your patch material. I was there about a month ago and picked up a couple of yards of pillow ticking material. That makes a LOT of shooting patch's for cheap.

I also make all of my cleaning patch's from the flannel material that they sell there. ( I bought a couple of yards of that too.) The gals have a self annealing cutting pad and a pizza cutter affair that Wall Mart also sell's. I bought one about ten years back and am still using it with the cutting blade that was in it when I bought it. ( They also gave me a spare cutting wheel but I have never had to change the old wheel out. ) The cutting pad is laid out in inch's and you can cut up a gallon zip lock bag full of patch's ( either shooting or cleaning ) in any size you want in about an hour or so using this set up.

Hope this helps .... Pete

[waksupi]

Buying pre-cut patches are a rip off. It is just muslin. Go buy a couple yards for what you pay for a hundred patches. There are different thicknesses.
For pillow ticking, I like to get enough material to make into shirts, and when the shirt wears out, use it for patches.

[Boerrancher]

I have never had precut patches shoot as well as ones I cut myself after I started the ball in the barrel.

Best wishes,

Joe

[tomme boy]

I would buy some material but, non of the local Walmarts or hobby stores have it.

[451 Pete]

Tomme,
You might check with one of the lady's and see where they get thier fabrics. Our local Walmart here just started stocking material again after discontinuing selling it for a couple of years. Most material shops even discount a substanitial amount on what they have left on the end of a bolt when it gets down to the last yard or two .... saves you even more.

Pete

[nicholst55]

I would buy some material but, non of the local Walmarts or hobby stores have it.

Is there a Jo-Anns Fabric store around? I suppose you could order the stuff online, too. Just be certain that what you order (or buy) is 100% pure cotton.

[wills]

I would buy some material but, non of the local Walmarts or hobby stores have it.

http://local.qconline.com/clinton+ia/fabric+shops.zq.html

http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/Clinton-IA/Fabric+Shops

[grullaguy]

For patch material I have moved from cheap to free. I was going with my calipers to the second hand store and buying suitable clothes to cut up. Walmart does not have a fabric section here and the fabric stores are a little too expensive for my tastes.

My mother in law volunteers at the local church's clothing exchange. I have asked her to check the discards and set likely materials aside for me. Those that suit me I take home and the others continue their trip to dumpster out back.

[7of7]

I buy my own fabric, and precut my own patches.. also made the patch cutter.. which chucks into the drill press, and will cut through about 10 layers with ease.. Not to mention, cuts into fingers with ease too... prior to you even noticing it.. Hate it when that happens... LOL

[grullaguy]

I buy my own fabric, and precut my own patches.. also made the patch cutter.. which chucks into the drill press, and will cut through about 10 layers with ease.. Not to mention, cuts into fingers with ease too... prior to you even noticing it.. Hate it when that happens... LOL

I don't suppose dried blood is a very efficient bullet lube.[smilie=l:

[Hang Fire]

Best and cheapest patch material I ever found was old Levis' front pockets.

[DODGEM250]

Excellent Thread... Speaking of "Threads"

I myself use heavy count cotton materials and cut them into 1" squares for my patches in .50 cal octo-barrels I use the same process for my .32 cals. Why do I go through the trouble ? Pre-cut pre-lubed patch prices are ridiculous these days. I've seen them on ebay for like $12-$14 for 50-100 lubed patches... HUH ?

However, I would not suggest using an old t shirt, the material is usually a blend, and the thread count is not very dense, which usually makes it very "stretchy". If you were to use a bullet lube type consistency, wax based lubes, this would make the cotton blend t shirt material denser of course.

You can also buy cheaper material options at sewing / material stores called "Fat Quaters" which is just an assortment pack of multi-colored materials cut in to quarter yard packs.

What I do is simply lay the material out on an old board and melt my boar butter or other lube mix in a glass bowl in the microwave and the use an old paint brush to brush the lube on over the materials and let it set for a while until the lube resets. Then just fold the material over a few times and cut several at a time with some nice kitchen shears, cut them to the appropriate size you need or want. I just cut them into squares to save time since a round patch is not required for round muzzleloader balls and it's less work than a wad punch.

However, I would do as mentioned before and fine an old denim shirt or pants maybe for free or .50 cents a thrift store or yard sale. You know, there's a life time of patches in a yard of material.

Honestly I'd love to see someone make a wad cutter die for the reloading press...

[DODGEM250]

I buy my own fabric, and precut my own patches.. also made the patch cutter.. which chucks into the drill press, and will cut through about 10 layers with ease.. Not to mention, cuts into fingers with ease too... prior to you even noticing it.. Hate it when that happens... LOL


You need to build a frame, something like an embroidery hoop, to clamp your material in. This will make it easier to handle when using the press. Just search for Embroidery Hoop (https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=material+loop&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=7949l10866l0l11380l13l12l0l0l0l0l401l2853l0 .5.5.1.1l12l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1024&bih=614&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=-2IVT-fNCsjV0QHL1ZSlBA#um=1&hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=embroidery+hoop&oq=embroidery+hoop&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=66363l67642l6l68641l7l6l0l0l0l3l383l1546l0. 2.3.1l6l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=2c10be45030c84a3&biw=1024&bih=614) or simple use two wooden frames and clamp them together. This way you can move the whole frame with one hand while working the press ram with the other.
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