Nice job, RuneWolf! That's an interesting idea, tying the patch on like that.
I have done this, and it works fine. You just need to get the diameter right. I like a tight patch, but I take RuneWolf's point about the pistoning effect, with excess water or whatever squirting out the touch hole.
Ned Roberts described the carved jag in his book,
The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle:
"
The cleaning rod is made of the same kinds of hardwood [hickory or white oak]
, somewhat longer than the loading rod, one end having a small knob with square under-cut, and a narrow tapering shank... to hold the square or round cleaning patches. The other end should have a rectangular slot about one inch long by 1/8 inch wide cut lengthwise in it to hold the dampened patches for cleaning the bore after each shot." (pp.69-71)
That slot on the end opposite the jag works like the "loop" that screws into modern cleaning rods. I have made a couple of rods according to Major Roberts' description, but unfortunately can't put my hands on one at the moment.
Here is a picture of an old trade gun with its cleaning rod:
View attachment 31338
Look carefully at the end of the rod on the left and you can see a jag tip carved into the wood just as Major Roberts and brother Herman described. The other end has a wire coil worm attached. These coil worms only cost two or three dollars from Track of the Wolf or R.E. Davis. I bought a couple of them a few years ago and found that when I installed one on a rod, it was more or less permanently attached. I put the first one on a ramrod, which (obviously) would not go back into its ferrules with the worm installed. I pretty much wrecked that worm trying to get it off... They hold very well! I believe the Indians must have had the same experience, as you sometimes see pictures of native people holding a rod separate from the gun. They probably just left the worm in place, as you see in the image above. However, for practical purposes, I still prefer a jag for cleaning.
Best regards,
Notchy Bob