Washing patch material

I went to Joann fabric store yesterday to look for some likely patch material . Took the calipers and found some .015 blue stripe ticking also some .018 white denim and last .020 canvas cloth . Bought just a 6" wide piece of each . I had heard/ read that most folks wash the fabric before hand and I figure a good idea as I normally stick it in my mouth using spit as the lube . Threw it in the drier till try went and measured them all this morning and boy did it change . The ticking is now .020 the denim is .030 the canvas is .032 that was all with the same compression on the caliper as before. Is this a common thing I expected a little thicker but at .030 I don't think I'll even be able to use those two . Do you normally pick your thickness before or after you wash ?

Tim

I pick before. Wash it at least three times to get all the starch out, and then try it.

I pick by finding out what works for me the best. The mikes get me in the ball park.
And say, isn't that canvas awesome stuff!

I choose the thickness 1st (via micrometer) and wash in warm, sometimes hot water twice. I also iron it. Btw, I sometimes measure it afterwards and find no difference between it and the unwashed fabric.

Question: Is the fabric that looks like a painter's drop cloth canvas or something else?

Are you using Dutch Schultz way of snugged up on cloth? That tells compressed thickness.


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Originally Posted by Maven

Question: Is the fabric that looks like a painter's drop cloth canvas or something else?

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Maybe that's where I went astray I just kinda hand washed it in the sink real quick and tossed it in the drier I'll try it in the washing machine next time there's a load to do and measure again , I believe it is canvas, stuff I bought is sorta a cream color .

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Originally Posted by fiberoptik

Are you using Dutch Schultz way of snugged up on cloth? That tells compressed thickness.


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have no idea what that is or what your talking about ?

Don't know if this is Dutch's method or Daryl Sapergia's, but I take my micrometer, holding it by the ratchet, and spin it shut, i.e., until it no longer clicks, on several places on the bolt of cloth I'm looking at. Ditto for the ratchet. According to Dutch (?), you should be able to pick up the cloth with the micrometer "fastened" in that manner.

RU, My cloth is the very color you described.


P.S. What I mean is to measure the fabric at several places with the mic' and do so by spinning the ratchet shut several times at each location.

Ticking in blue or red stripe, 36" swath and wash in machine and double rinse and then line dry. Works great. Favorite is to haunt 2nd hand and yard and church rummage sales = find anything in real linen, the old ladies are always real helpful. give it an estimate and buy it and then get the scissors and cut away, already washed and lost all that new fabric fluffiness. Linen is great stuff for PRB and I much prefer it to ticking but hard to come by. 10

Ahhh linen I read different posts about guys using it with great results and I did look for it at Joann but every single bolt that was 100 percent cotton (most were blends) were too thin at .010 Another fabric that may be useful is 40 weight drill its all cotton but again all was .010-.012 but am going to get a sample next trip .

Tim

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Originally Posted by RU shooter

Ahhh linen I read different posts about guys using it with great results and I did look for it at Joann but every single bolt that was 100 percent cotton (most were blends) were too thin at .010 Another fabric that may be useful is 40 weight drill its all cotton but again all was .010-.012 but am going to get a sample next trip .

Tim

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Linen is not cotton. If I recall correctly, it is from flax.

Wash and air dry so it don't shrink so much. You could also dry on no heat. Soak in vinegar or baby shampoo should relax the fabric some.

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Originally Posted by waksupi

Linen is not cotton. If I recall correctly, it is from flax.

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Yup, flax fiber.
Flax is the source for linseed oil.
..

And gmo flax gives Canola oil, i.e. edible(?) linseed oil


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Yes the real linen is butttttt all the stuff at the store was labeled "Linen"100% cotton, made in china . If I go to the thrift store how do I know what's what ? As I said earlier a lot of what was being sold as "linen" was actually a cotton blend and I know that's no good at all .

I bought some ticking a little while back from Joanne fabrics. Lady knew exactly what I wanted it for. Said guys were the only ones that bought real ticking. The other blue and red striped stuff she said was thin and just used for looks. Don't know the thickness of it since I wanted thick stuff for my radius grooved barrels. Not sure what the stuff I bought miked before, but after washing, drying and the giving it a light ironing to clean it up for cutting into strips, it mikes out to .020 Going to get some more next time the wife goes to the store

you can get medium weight tight weave linen off of the internet. it used to be hard to get but not any more. the patches made from pure linen are so tough that if you had a mind to you could pick them up and relube them and use them again. another cloth you may run across is medium weight tight weave hemp. that may even be stronger than linen. linen come from flax and has nothing to do with rape seed which makes canola oil.

The problem with Jo Ann fabrics and my local Walmart is that it's increasingly difficult to get "real" 100% cotton pillow ticking from them. The stuff on the racks does measure ~.014" (often red, green, or brown striped), which is OK for my smoothbore, but not my rifles. Jo Ann, however, does carry outdoor ticking, which is more substantial, but I don't recall exactly how thick it is. OTOH, 100% cotton denim is widely available and comes in a nice variety of weights/thicknesses and certainly is worth looking into. The only minor disadvantage with it is the absence of lines a la pillow ticking to guide cutting or tearing it into strips. This isn't a problem if you cut your patches at the muzzle though.

Matress ticking is a little thicker if that suits your needs or get what is called "drill cloth or pocket drill". It's extra strong for making pockets, nice tight weave and comes in different thicknesses.

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Originally Posted by johnson1942

you can get medium weight tight weave linen off of the internet. it used to be hard to get but not any more. the patches made from pure linen are so tough that if you had a mind to you could pick them up and relube them and use them again. another cloth you may run across is medium weight tight weave hemp. that may even be stronger than linen. linen come from flax and has nothing to do with rape seed which makes canola oil.

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XD2 amen brother. Canola = can - Canadian, O - oil, L - lubricating, A - acidic = canola. It was an early substitute for diesel fuel and a light lubricating oil. Also edible and can be used for frying = French fries, tater tots, chicken nuggets, catfish fingers, fried softcrabs, fried oysters, sautéed Portobello, fried lettuce, fried cabbage etc... adinfinitum...

Again best source of linen is yard sales, rummage sales, 2nd hand sales, etc... the mfg tag will give the contents of the material, linen straight is really tough and linen/cotton "alloy" is tough too. I much prefer the linen or linen cotton to any other thing for PRB. JMHO, 10

Anyone care to post some links to what fabric they are buying?

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Originally Posted by glockky

Anyone care to post some links to what fabric they are buying?

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Heres the blue ticking from Joann fabric .015-.018 give or take http://www.joann.com/utility-fabric-...ing%2B&start=1

well it it looks like the samples I bought aren't gonna work out , my new to me rifle came yesterday and to my surprise a very tight bore with shallow grooves , I couldn't even start a .493 RB with a .015 patch even smacking it with the short starter looks like it's gonna take .010 material which is ok they had the red ticking in that thickness same for the 40 wt drill cloth and their version of linen .

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Originally Posted by RU shooter

Heres the blue ticking from Joann fabric .015-.018 give or take http://www.joann.com/utility-fabric-...ing%2B&start=1

well it it looks like the samples I bought aren't gonna work out , my new to me rifle came yesterday and to my surprise a very tight bore with shallow grooves , I couldn't even start a .493 RB with a .015 patch even smacking it with the short starter looks like it's gonna take .010 material which is ok they had the red ticking in that thickness same for the 40 wt drill cloth and their version of linen .

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It's best to select a good tough patching, and then fit the ball.