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Oregononeshot

36 Cal.
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I hit Wal-Mart and the local fabric store with micrometer in hand, and was a little disappointed. I was hoping to get a wide variety of compressed thickness of ticking to start making patch material for when I get my gun. I only found 2 thicknesses of ticking, and 1 of denim that were close to what I was hoping for. The ticking was .013, and .006 compressed. The blue denim was .011 compressed. Per dutchs system, I'm gonna try .535 ball first, but I'm also gonna try a .530 so I was hoping to get a variety of thickness. What other material could I look at to try to find different thicknesses?
 
Robert,

Some Wal Marts have excellent sewing/material sections, but some to many do not. It seems to depend on how much business they do with that at each location.

I don't know if they have anything like "Jo Anne" Fabric stores or even Singer Sewing stores in Oregon, but if they do, you will find a much wider variety of material that will make good patching material and in different sizes. I like to go in with a micrometer to choose sizes and especially for compressed sizes, but a good precision caliper is fairly good as well.

Gus

Oh, I also always ask the sales people for pure cotton and/or pure linen with a tight weave. Some times I have found heavier thickness material in the section with upholstery fabric, as well.
 
Like Gus said...
Don't necessarily give up on Wal-Mart. If there's more than one in wasy driving distance from you. I have 4 of them within the area I travel and one has a fabric section FAR superior to the others. You might get lucky.
OTOH: JoAnn's is generally a better, albeit more expensive option. That said though...the first "blue-striped ticking type" material I ever measured at a JoAnn's outlet was considerably thinner than the Wal-Mart material I have been using. The message there is you gotta take a tool and do the measurements. You can't go by something that "looks like" what you've been using. :thumbsup:
 
Almost every week, Jo Anne's fabrics has 40% to 50% off coupons available in on line advertisement or through their website. That makes Jo Anne's fabrics a bit more affordable.

I use the number 40 cotton drill cloth. It can be found in the utility cloth section and may not be with the pillow and mattress ticking.
 
As an aside to this question if I may interject, how are you guys cutting your patches?

I've bought an arch punch 1 1/4" diameter off Amazon and it is dull and even with a pine wood backing is very hard to cut patches, that #40 drill is tough!!
 
Robert J. said:
I hit Wal-Mart and the local fabric store with micrometer in hand, and was a little disappointed. were close to what I was The ticking was .013, and .006 compressed.

This sounds like pillow ticking. Try mattress ticking, it's heavier than pillow ticking.
 
I got some duck cloth at "Wally-World" that mic'd .018. Being a machinist, I measure letting the cloth slip thru the mic's with a little friction.

Actually, no two people will likely get the same reading, on the same cloth. But, the proof is in the "pudding". Find a cloth that gives the best accuracy, with a given lube, and be consistent in the lube, of your choice, and the accuracy should remain. However, weather conditions, may have an effect.
 
I will look for the fabrics you guys have mentioned. Unfortunately the next closest fabric store or wal mart is 35 miles away, so I'll check into those other fabrics. My original statement sounded funny, so I'll clarify. The two different ticking I bought, (they both just said ticking) measured out at .013,compressed, and.006 compressed. The denim was .011 compressed. I used a micrometer to measure. I plan to cut at the muzzle. I'm just trying to get a variety of material and thickness to try, thanks
 
I also always ask the sales people

Not a good idea at Walmart. They move people around departments so much few of the associates get familiar with any one of them. I simply browse the racks of bolts of cloth and read the end labels until I find what I want in 100% cotton. However, Hobby Lobby does keep people in assigned departments and more expert assistance can be found there. Good prices too. BTW, I use a ratchet type micrometer. That gives me consistent readings. I don't sweat 'compressed' or not because my standards are the same every time.
 
I have noticed that with my micrometer also. I use the ratchet part to get tight, which I know is consistent. But when I'm compressing, how do I know I'm tightening the same every time? I'm not and it's obvious when I'm taking measurements. I'm getting better at trying to be consistent though
 
Smokey Plainsman said:
As an aside to this question if I may interject, how are you guys cutting your patches?

I've bought an arch punch 1 1/4" diameter off Amazon and it is dull and even with a pine wood backing is very hard to cut patches, that #40 drill is tough!!

I made a rotating cutter out of a pipe nipple...it mounts in a drill press.

ERG4Gzd.jpg
 
If you know a mechanic that works on older cars ask him for a GM condenser clamp. Or go to an auto parts store and buy an condenser and mounting clamp for a GM points type ignition distributor. You only need the clamp. Spread the clamp until the ends are about one eighth inch apart. Then find a screw that will fit through the mounting holes in the clamp and a self-locking nut to fit the screw.

Then find a piece of thin plastic tubing that will just fit between the barrel of your micrometer and the inside of the clamp. If it is a little too large cut it in a spiral from on end to the other or split the tubing lengthwise and take slivers off one side until it fits.

Slide the tubing over the micrometer barrel and slip the clamp over the tubing, put the screw through the hole, and tighten the nut down until the tubing is snug inside the clamp.

Tighten the screw and nut down until the clamp will just slip when the micrometer is closed and re-zero the mic.

You may have to retighten the nut a few times until the tubing stops compressing.

Take your micrometer and a pen to the fabric store and start measuring suitable fabrics that are on LARGE ROLLS. Begin with fabric that is about five thousands thick. Write the measurement in small numbers on the end of each bolt. Find at least five fabrics, preferably that are visibly different, are about three thousands apart, and buy one half yard of each.

When you get home snip each piece of fabric about an inch from the selvedge edge and tear off a stip. Re-measure the thickness of each piece of fabric and write that number on both pieces with a permanent marker. Wash the larger pieces of fabric to remove the sizing.

Pin each UNWASHED strip to its corresponding washed fabric. The strip will be your control sample when you need buy more fabric of that thickness.

Tear a one and one-half inch strip off each piece of washed material and write the original measurement on one end of each strip.

Go to the range early and prepare to stay and shoot most of the day. Lube each strip with your favorite patch lube, I use Stumpy's Moose Snot. Pick a brand, grade, and volume of powder and use that and the size ball throughout the tests. Starting with the thinnest patch shoot five shots groups at fifty yards from a good rest with each thickness of patch and measure the groups.

Decide which thickness resulted in the tightest group and go back to the fabric store, find the bolt with that number and buy a couple of yards.

That will be the starting point for developing the best load for that particular firearm. Try different lubes and volumes and grades of powder until you get the tightest groups. NEVER change more than one component at the time. Your patience will be rewarded.

Use the remaining materials from your original purchase to find the best patchs for you other firearms.
 
I buy all my patch material from either WalMart or Joanns. I take a caliper with me and measure by squeezing the jaws with thumb and forefinger as hard as I can. I use mattress ticking, .020" compressed and cotton canvas duck, .022" compressed. Both work well.
 
I think most guys here would agree that square patches work just as well as round.

I cut mine with a pair of scissors when I'm just sitting around with nothing important to do.
 

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