Patch material

[Don Steele]

Well,
Since you asked...I'm not concerned about "Quick", and not terribly worried about "Easy".
My Lady bought me LEFT-Hand Scissors a while back.
When I want to make pre-cut patches I start by cutting a strip of appropriate width from the 2-3 yd. piece of material I picked up at Wally-World or JoAnn's. I have different "templates" chosen for different patch sizes (a plastic pill bottle works great btw)...and use one to draw circles on the strip of material. Once the whole strip is covered with a long line of circles, I cut between them to separate the strip into small squares. Now the fun starts :shake: ...Using those really sharp Left-hand scissors...I cut along the ink line and create each round patch individually. :wink:
Crazy as it sounds. :youcrazy: ..I find it quite relaxing to sit in my Gun Room with the radio providing some quiet background music calmly cutting out a pile of little cotton patches, one at a time. :thumbsup:

 

[dledinger]

There should be a small section with what they call "utility fabrics" - canvas and etc. In my local store it's separate from the ticking.

It can be tough shopping for fabrics blindly since there are so many synthetics that won't work.

If you can find a helpful person it'll be very useful to you. I'm lucky to have such lady working in our local walmart.

 

[coloradoclyde]

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!!

A few tips about using punches....
Use a wood that is very dense and has tight grain...also, do not use a flat board, they are cut following the grain. You want to use the end grain, where you can see all of the growth rings.
A pine board is about the worst possible choice.

Also, you can sharpen the punch.

When using punches, I find a really heavy hammer works better than a small hammer...A claw hammer might weigh between 10-20 ounces....All you really do is hit the punch with those....but when you use a 3 pound sledge or cross pein hammer you transfer a lot of kinetic energy with a single blow.

If you are still having trouble, try placing a thin piece of cardboard like a cracker box between the fabric and the wood.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I take prelubed stripes and cut at the muzzle cuz I think its cooler. But there are a few who believe me :youcrazy:

I do it that way because it is handier. Not necessarily "cool". Fussing cutting square or round ball patches seems a waste of time to me. But, this a 'do yer own thang' game. Do wat floats yer stick.

 

[hanshi]

I cut mine the same way; with scissors. I tried using a punch but it just didn't work. I put the cloth on the end grain of a hickory block and then tried a plastic cutting board; no dice. I used a very heavy "dead blow" hammer that wouldn't damage the punch; it was coated with a thick plastic layer.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Well, .....Now you know why I made a rotating punch.... it works good.... :grin:

 

[Kansas Jake]

I generally take my patch material (pillow or mattress ticking) and rip it into long strips. It tears pretty easily if you aren't trying to rip it cross ways. For my larger calibers (50 cal) I rip it about 1-1 1/2 inches wide. For small calibers (32 or 36) about 3/4 of an inch. Then I either cut at the barrel or cut into squares.

 

[Bent Sight]

It seems like the consensus is that square patches shoot the same as round ones.

Cutting squares is a whole lot easier than cutting circles for me. I like to keep things stone axe simple.

 

[azmntman]

If ya dont cut at muzzle then square is likely better....cuz its alot easier to center the ball as you start it. :idunno:

 

[smo]

Well, .....Now you know why I made a rotating punch.... it works good.... :grin:

While I agree a rotating punch is faster at cutting round patches than a hammer, it’s also potentially dangerous.

I’ve been twisted up in a 1/2” drill motor before and it ain’t no fun.

If your lucky you can get off the trigger before it breaks something.


Even if using a drill press the potential of becoming entangled is there.

A low torque motor has tremendous power and can be very unforgiving .

I use what I call the “Boilermaker approach” , Just get a bigger hammer!

And don’t forget to use a pair of channel locks or vice grips to hold the punch with.... it smarts a little when you make a miss hit with a 4 pound beater.

Don’t even ask me how I know....

But to each their own , just a few thoughts I felt the need to bring up on the Safety aspect of things. :v

 

[coloradoclyde]

Just loosen the belt on the drill press.. I also use a small bench model on the slowest speed..I can grab it with my hand and stop it....Not much danger...

Let the tool do the work....don't force it.
And don't try cutting multiple layers at one time...only one patch at a time.