Ballistol/water patch question.

I am in the process of making some test strips in mixture of 6:1, and 8:1 water to ballistol. I mixed them together and made sure the mixture was thoroughly mixed before I soaked the strips. When I laid them out on the rack to dry, I noticed there were areas of the strips that looked different than the other areas. I thought maybe I didn't let them soak long enough so I put them back in for several minutes making sure they were completely submerged and not folded over on top of each other. I pulled them back out and they looked the same. I don't remember my first two batches looking like this. I'm worried those sections that look different have to much or not enough oil. Any of you guys notice this? I'm using blue stripe pillow ticking for material. Thanks for any help.

That happens to mine too, but apparently they work fine as I get excellent velocity and groups without much damage to fired patches.

If you don't wash pillow ticking to remove the starch "sizing" applied at the mills you will get areas of the cloth that resist absorption of the balistol/water mix. The application of sizing is not always uniform as the selvedge (edges) is often double coated to stiffen it. I wash my pillow ticking cloth in warm water with regular detergent then dry it with a fabric softener before tearing it into strips and applying lube. I soak the strips in the balistol/water solution then pull them between thumb and forefinger to strip away the excess, then aly them horizontal on cookie sheets to dry. Patches cut from the strips are extremely uniform.

These have been washed and dried. I follow the procedure listed in Dutchs manual. This morning after they had dried a little there wasn't any obvious difference in feel of the different looking areas of the material

LD

Just a quick note on drying the strips. I use a flat lid from a plastic storage tub rather than a cooky sheet because I had one handy in the basement where work bench etc. is at. It seems over the years we have lost a few tub or have tubs too full for a lid so one was handy.

THERE IS VERY LITTLE BALLISTOL IN YOU PATCHING.
AS I WAS AMAZED TO LEARN DURING MY EXPERIMENRS. YOUR RIFLE DOES NOT LIKE ALL THAT SLICK GOO AND GREASE , BUT LIKES A LITTLE BIT OF RESISTNCE.
FOR A YEAR I MAILED OUT A SAMPLE OFMY DRY PATCH LUBRICATED PATCHING AND AFTER A EAR LEARNED I HAD BEEN SENDING OUT UNLUBRICATED ATCH MATERIAL.
IT'S THAT HARD TO DETECT ANY LUBRICATION BY FEEL.
SMELL IS THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW IF THE PATCHING HAS BEEN LUBRICATED.
WHEN THE PATCHING HAS BEEN CRUSHED BETWEEN BALL AND BORE, ENOUGH OF IT COMES OUT TO DO THE JOB.
I ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE DETERMINED THAT YOUR PATCH CLOTH IS OF THE RIGHT THICKNESS.

DUTCH SCHOULTZ

Oregononeshot said:

These have been washed and dried. I follow the procedure listed in Dutchs manual. This morning after they had dried a little there wasn't any obvious difference in feel of the different looking areas of the material

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Yes Dutch I have the thickness down I am just trying different lube ratios now. They just didn't look like the last strips I made so I was concerned.

THEY DON'T LOOK LUBRICATED AT ALL. THE MOST POPULAR 7 OR 8 TO ONE ONLY SMELL LUBRICATED..

DUTCH

Oregononeshot said:

Yes Dutch I have the thickness down I am just trying different lube ratios now. They just didn't look like the last strips I made so I was concerned.

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