Some numbers to think about..... as regards this copper foil idea. Based on the website link posted by Peter Nap (above)......
Buying the 1 mil (0.001" thick) copper foil in 18" x 20 ft rolls (the cheapest way to get it listed on the website) ....... works out to about 1.9 CENTS per sq. inch. This does NOT include shipping costs. So, very roughly speaking, one could patch an 8mm bullet (what I shoot, as an example).....for somewhere between 1 cent and 3 cents.....not figuring WASTE.
Paper (the simple lined notebook paper I use) for example.....in comparison, works out to cost roughly 0.19 CENTS per sq. inch (1 / 10 as much)..... not figuring sales tax (which is 7 % here). So, I can patch one of my bullets for approximately 0.3 CENTS (3 / 10 of one cent). I measured the area of my patches....so this DOES figure waste.
So, summarizing the monetary costs...... the copper foil runs roughly 1 /3 of the cost to about the same as 1 PRIMER....PER bullet.....whereas one can patch AT LEAST 6 bullets with paper, for the SAME money.
Environmental factors are not an issue, in my estimation, because the copper would eventually turn to copper oxide ....which is the same as copper ore (and the paper will biodegrade....just as wood rots). The issues related to how easy or diffcult it would be to use 0.001" thick copper foil are unknowns.... but I'd have to speculate that it would be more difficult to patch a bullet without tearing than it is with paper (0.001" foil is THIN !). Also, one would not have any of the inherent advantages as with paper, in terms of the stretching and shrinkage of moistened paper patches..... so the copper foil patches would need to be wrapped quite tightly, in order to get the "fit" to the bullet needed. I am certain that some adhesive WOULD be needed, to seal the patch end/ edge....and that is another issue.
All in all...... I think I'll let someone ELSE try this idea. I'm not enthused..... especially since paper works so well for me (and I can get what I need at any grocery, drug or office supply store....heck, almost anywhere).
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