A Question for everyone

[Beekeeper]

My Wife was watching me PP some boolits for the practice.
I wet them and roll and twist the end.
After they dry I cut the twist ,dampen the end and roll it flat.
There is always the one or two that try to unroll when you cut the tail.

She left and returned with a small dish with starch made of rice ( soaked in water ,mashed ,and strained) ,It makes a great starch.
I put some on my fingers and rolled the wayward ends back up and finished the bottom as I normally do.
The patches when dry are harder than normal ( I have yet to try and size one) but seem to hold their form very well.
My question is has anyone ever tried this and fired any?Could the patch be coated on the outside to give it a harder surface, I don't think you would want to soak it before rolling but maybe I am wrong.

How about it 303 Guy how about giving it a try and let us know.
My wife has Dementia so I cannot leave her long enough to go to the desert and try it myself(about a 6 hour trip) but thought it might work.

Anyone got any ideas about it pro or con?


Jim

[bcp477]

I think that you are OK with this - it should pose no problem. I have, from the beginning, sealed the edges of my patches with yellow glue. I smear a small, amount, as thinly as possible, on the last 1/4" of the patch, before roling it closed. This has never given any indication of any problem whatsoever. So, you applying a bit of "starch" to your patches should not hurt anything, as long as this is not serving to "glue" the patch to the bullet....thus hindering the patch from releasing from the bullet in flight. That would be bad.

As to any advantage/ disadvantage to this (or what I do)...... the advantage would be that it would prevent any patches from opening up or getting loose. Disadvantages ? I can't see any.

[BABore]

I dip my paper in a soultion of warm water and a touch of egg white. I give them a shake and wipe them on my pant leg so they're not sopping wet. After rolling, I twist the tail in the same direction as the rolling and stand them on their meplat in a loading block. Sun drying makes things happen fast. The wrap is pretty much all dry, while the tail is still slightly damp. I give the tail another twist to make it real tight and let it dry fully befor cutting it with toe nail trimmers. I have cut them slightly damp, but get a cleaner cut when fully dry. As I get the trimmer set to cut, I apply a little pressure and twist it slightly as I cut down. I'm using vellum tracing paper with some rag content. No tears and never had one peel open.

[303Guy]

Beekeeper, I'm sorry to learn of your Wife's condition.
I too, use a dab of glue, mine being on the bottom corner of the patch for the same reason. The glue I use is clear and is from a 'glue pen'. Once dry, there is no sign of glue ever having being there.

One concern of starch (same applies to egg white) is what happens when the stuff gets heated against the bore - the same reason I don't want to see any trace of glue on the surface of the patch! That's not to say there is a problem with starch. I believe it was used for paper patching in the past, for the very reason you are trying it. If you could tell me how to 'make' the starch, I could try it out. (My wife isn't at home to help me there).

[Beekeeper]

303 Guy,
The way she makes it is to let a little bit of cooked rice ( the real kind not uncle Bens) soak in a bowl.
Kind of mash it up a little and stir.
The whiter it gets the stronger it is.
After a while strain the starch to ensure there are no clumps and it is ready to use.
Sounds kinda long winded but when she does it it seems to only take a couple of minutes.

Jim

[303Guy]

That sounds easy. Thanks. (New things to try out). Have you been following the "Liquid Paper" thread. The starch might make a good binding agent for the paper mush.:roll:


The patches when dry are harder than normalThat interests me. I would expect (or hope) that the harder the patch the more brittle and easier to make it come of at the muzzle! I would think that the trick would be to remove any trace of starch from the outer surface of the patch. It should matter under the patch as starch wont stick to lead anyway.

What is this 'starch' stuff one uses to stiffen clothing? My mother used to use it. Mmmm...... !