Cut some patches today.

I ground off the teeth from an 1 1/4" hole saw. Then sharpened the edge, chucked it in a drill and cut out patches. Worked slicker than a handful of slobbers.

Looks good , I want to try that ...
Did you fold the cloth and cut multiples at once , or do them one at a time?
I thought it may work well in a drill press ..
What caliber do you figure the 1 1/4 patches fit ?

BIGBEAR said:

Looks good , I want to try that ...
Did you fold the cloth and cut multiples at once , or do them one at a time?
I thought it may work well in a drill press ..
What caliber do you figure the 1 1/4 patches fit ?

Click to expand...

I tried it both ways, but one at time let me get them closer together with less waste. I imagine a press would work really well. This size seems to fit well for .440 RB's.

Neat!

Guys, I can’t help but say something here,

I know we’re all Adults here so I’m not wanting this too sound like a lecture by any means.

Just as a word of Caution , when using a drill or drill press if the material gets snagged in the drill chuck/ cutter you most likely can’t get away from it without becoming twisted up.

Just a Friendly reminder..

Nice work on the patches

I have done this for years. I have five different sizes of hole saws modified like this. From .32 patches to .62. I fold five or six times, making LOTS of patches fast. I also do the same with flannel sheet discards for cleaning patches.

I haven't bought a shooting patch or cleaning patch for more than five years.

ADK Bigfoot

Yep - just sharpened up a 1 1/4 and tried it over a block of wood in the drill press ...
That works slick , and great idea with the flannel for cleaning patches ..

smo said:

Guys, I can’t help but say something here,

I know we’re all Adults here so I’m not wanting this too sound like a lecture by any means.

Just as a word of Caution , when using a drill or drill press if the material gets snagged in the drill chuck/ cutter you most likely can’t get away from it without becoming twisted up.

Just a Friendly reminder..

Nice work on the patches

Click to expand...

Yep, I ran the drill real slow and put lots of downward pressure. I had no adult supervision and didn't loose a finger.

ADK Bigfoot said:

I have done this for years. I have five different sizes of hole saws modified like this. From .32 patches to .62. I fold five or six times, making LOTS of patches fast. I also do the same with flannel sheet discards for cleaning patches.

I haven't bought a shooting patch or cleaning patch for more than five years.

ADK Bigfoot

Click to expand...

What size do you use for the 62?

Yah....be careful...someone could lose an Eye !

I’m glad things worked out well for you.
A rechargeable drill a single layers wouldn’t be much of an issue, the drill press could get nasty.

Here’s what I use , I had much rather just smash my hand than getting twisted up in a drill.lol

And no I haven’t smashed my hand.... yet.

But I have had my arms twisted by a drill before more than once... I feel like I got lucky each time still having all my fingers




The 1 1/4” works well for my .54

shane a gress said:

What size do you use for the 62?

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According to the little formula I use to calculate patch size, an ideal patch for a .62 caliber bore would be 1.59 inches in diameter.
This would totally cover the lower half of the ball plus it would extend upward to a place where it would end at the muzzle.

That said, anything larger than 1 inch would cover the lower half of the ball but you would need to make sure it was exactly centered under the ball or there would probably be an area where the patch didn't seal the bore.

For a common size hole saw for the .62, a 1 1/2 inch saw would cut a patch that would seal the bore and it would be easy to see so you could keep it centered before you start pressing the patched ball into the muzzle.

Zonie said:

According to the little formula I use to calculate patch size, an ideal patch for a .62 caliber bore would be 1.59 inches in diameter.
This would totally cover the lower half of the ball plus it would extend upward to a place where it would end at the muzzle.

That said, anything larger than 1 inch would cover the lower half of the ball but you would need to make sure it was exactly centered under the ball or there would probably be an area where the patch didn't seal the bore.

For a common size hole saw for the .62, a 1 1/2 inch saw would cut a patch that would seal the bore and it would be easy to see so you could keep it centered before you start pressing the patched ball into the muzzle.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Zonie. I will look in my tool box in the company truck. I have a few hole saws I use for ceiling tile that are really dull. One of them might be 1 1/2".

When it comes to making my own patches, which I do...shooting or cleaning...looks like I'm at the other end of the spectrum. My tool of choice is SCISSORS. Specifically: good quality Left-Hand scissors. Best Christmas present I ever got.
It might seem odd, but given the fact that by choosing a flintlock rather then the latest whizz-bang black plastic rifle I've already taken production volume and speed off the table, I decided to try scissors to make my own patches. I know it's not for everyone but I gotta tell you...sitting in my Gun Room, radio quietly playing in the background...cutting through fabric, one layer... one patch at a time...square or round..is very relaxing. At this point in my life...being that "Crazy-Old-Guy" sitting in a corner with scissors..AND A SMILE on his face...ain't all bad.

I do something similar. I use one of those rolling cutters and a cutting board to cut squares on the kitchen table. Then I use a good pair of scissors to trim the corners making an octagonal patch.

I cut at the muzz and use tow for cleaning.

No need for any drills, punches, scissors, or any other newfangled cantankerous gadgetry!

"I decided to try scissors to make my own patches. I know it's not for everyone but I gotta tell you...sitting in my Gun Room, radio quietly playing in the background...cutting through fabric, one layer... one patch at a time...square or round..is very relaxing. At this point in my life...being that "Crazy-Old-Guy" sitting in a corner with scissors..AND A SMILE on his face...ain't all ba"

I do the same except I do it during the winter, sitting by the fire place. The wife even helps at times.

I have NO waste. I cut a strip of tickin' as wide as the bolt of cloth about 1 1/4 inches wide. Then I cut each strip at 1 1/4 and do not cut them completely into. When I use them I just tear off a square of 1 1/4 inches and lube 'em up and place over the muzzle. Then start the round ball. That way I have NO waste!

For most of my shooting I spit patch.... soooooo…. I cut strips and also cut some round patches. Normal range stuff I just spit the end of the strip. More active shooting and hunting I keep about three patches between cheek and gum like dip so they are ready. In cold weather I lube the first shot (cut patch) with my fave patch lube but keep 3 wet ones between cheek and gum for follow up shot if needed.

For a number of years I used Ox Yoke dry lubed (Teflon, I think) for my first shot hunting. This was in a very clean barrel. They shot to the same POI as my spit patches. Unfortunately they are no longer on the market from what I understand.

ADK Bigfoot said:

I have done this for years. I have five different sizes of hole saws modified like this. From .32 patches to .62. I fold five or six times, making LOTS of patches fast. I also do the same with flannel sheet discards for cleaning patches.

I haven't bought a shooting patch or cleaning patch for more than five years.

ADK Bigfoot

Click to expand...

ADK Bigfoot what size do you use for a .32 cal.?