Patch and Lube question

[NJS]

I hope I’m not beating a dead horse. I searched past posts and found a lot of info about patches and lubes but, nothing that seemed to answer these questions. What is the best way to precut 10 oz denim patches and how would be the best way to prelube them with TOW mink oil? I’m asking because, when squirrel hunting I’d rather not have to lube the patch and then cut at the muzzle for each shot. Also, how much lube is enough and what is too much? Thank y’all very much for your help.

[smylee grouch]

There seems to be a lot of different ways to cut the pre cuts, some use a hole saw, some a arch punch, some just cut squares and shoot them that way. I use that lube and melt it and dip a patch in it then put a dry patch between it and another dipped one and so on. Don,t make up a years supply as I have had them go bad if unused for long periouds of time.

[NJS]

Thanks for the help! What’s happens to make them unusable?

[smylee grouch]

What I think the lube did over time was to deteriate (sp) the fabric and when I did shoot them they did not hold up butt blew/tore and my groups with the old lubed patches were 5-6 times larger.

[Maven]

Many use a rotary cutter and self-healing mat (with grid markings) to cut large quantities of patches quickly.  As for pre-lubing them, don't lube more patches than you need as was already mentioned, it does weaken the fabric and hasten deterioration.  (Don't ask....!)

[Daryl]

2- methods.
For lubing, I put the pre-cuts in a container, either commercial or something like a plastic bullet box(ueable) or Sucrets Tin and squirt
lube onto them.
For a cutting surface I use a 10" almost square piece of UHMW (HDPE) that is over 1 1/2" thick - ie: self healing-sealing material.

[Leatherbark]

Take your thumb and wipe it in a circular motion in the TOW mink oil just on one side.  Lay it greasy side down.  Do another and lay it greasy side down on the preceding one.  When you have a stack squeeze them together really tight in a rag and put them in a tin for a few days.  The friction of wiping in a circular motion melts the lube into the weave.

Bob

[MuskratMike]

What Maven said is exactly what I do with good results.

[NJS]

Thanks for the information fellas!

[walks with gun]

     I've always cut square patches and hold a few together, add a drop or two of olive oil, rub and squeeze them together adding patches among them if oil gets excessive.  I keep maybe 20 patches and about 5 balls together in a burnt secrets tin.   Keeps them handy, fast and clean.   I kind of doubt 200 years ago our forefathers brought round patch cutting saws with them if square cut shoot just as good.

[Daryl]

   I kind of doubt 200 years ago our forefathers brought round patch cutting saws with them if square cut shoot just as good.

If that matters to you, that's nice.
For me, it's faster to cut them than to tear or use sissors.
That's important to me. Tearing denim leaves a lot of loose threads
and I shoot more denim than anything else.

[Greg s]

I cut two inch long strips submerge  in balistol and water remove and let dry cut squares or leave long

[Tilefish]

I take a bottle cap of the size I want the patch to be and trace out each one with a fine tip pen on the denim.Then take a sharp pair of scissors and cut out each one. Do the same with cleaning patches. Takes a little more time but it works well.

[Hungry Horse]

 Unless you just want to waste all your precious range time fooling around cutting patches, repurpose a wornout  or broken hole saw of the correct size, and make a butt load of patches in a jiffy. One of these cutters, and a cheap drill press will cut five or six patches per pass with the material folded properly.
 You can make one of these in no time. Take your old hole saw, and remove the pilot bit, chuck the hole saw up in your electric drill, and take it over to your bench grinder and grind the teeth off. Now you need to grind a cutting edge where the teeth were. I start with the bench grinder, running the saw held in the electric drill at low speed until I start to get a sharp edge. From there on I use sharpening stones on the outside edge, and a ceramic rod to debur and sharpen the inside of the cutter. That’s it. Good luck.

 Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

Unless you just want to waste all your precious range time fooling around cutting patches, repurpose a wornout  or broken hole saw of the correct size, and make a butt load of patches in a jiffy. One of these cutters, and a cheap drill press will cut five or six patches per pass with the material folded properly.
 You can make one of these in no time. Take your old hole saw, and remove the pilot bit, chuck the hole saw up in your electric drill, and take it over to your bench grinder and grind the teeth off. Now you need to grind a cutting edge where the teeth were. I start with the bench grinder, running the saw held in the electric drill at low speed until I start to get a sharp edge. From there on I use sharpening stones on the outside edge, and a ceramic rod to debur and sharpen the inside of the cutter. That’s it. Good luck.

 Hungry Horse

Spot-on. I usually cut 8 layers with the arch punches.  But even when cutting one at a time with a bearing race and large ball bearing, it does quite quickly.

[Mike from OK]

Right now I'm using pillow ticking... I started out cutting a square piece about the size of a standard sheet of notebook paper and lubed it with Track's Mink tallow... Folded it up and stuck it in my shooting bag. After I drop my powder down the bore I grab a ball and the patching material, press the ball and cut at the muzzle. Stuff the patch material back in the bag, seat the ball on the powder, etc...

I can use a good portion of the material this way... The leftover pieces too small for patching get repurposed into char cloth.

I'm going to try strips of ticking next just to see if there are any advantages to it.

Mike

[Daryl]

I used to rip strips and hang then over the knife handle on my possible's bag. I kinda got away from that when I started cutting them with an arch punch
then Taylor got me into using a bearing race. Now, I switch back and forth, depending on what size I'm cutting.  I much prefer pre-lubed patches in a tin.
A long time back, a fellow mentioned as seemed to be running out of spit. At that time, I thought that strange. Now, I am there.

[coupe]

I'm with Daryl, I use the hole saw sharpened but I fold the material quite thickly and put it in my press and use an oak backer board to cut 12 to 13 patches at a time. In an older post ( I don't remember if it was this forum) a gent said "his time was worth more than any savings why waste it". Ok by me I just enjoy the job and all it has to offer when shooting the side lock. 

[Mike from OK]

I used to rip strips and hang then over the knife handle on my possible's bag. I kinda got away from that when I started cutting them with an arch punch
then Taylor got me into using a bearing race. Now, I switch back and forth, depending on what size I'm cutting.  I much prefer pre-lubed patches in a tin.
A long time back, a fellow mentioned as seemed to be running out of spit. At that time, I thought that strange. Now, I am there.

I haven't run out of spit yet... But my experience with my 45 is showing that my accuracy isn't as good with spit patches. As soon as I switched to patches lubed with mink tallow my groups started to improve... Recovered patches weren't shredded or scorched and could be reused.

I had tried the mink tallow on patches for my .32 at one point and had a hard time with it... The fouling was thick and viscous and I had a difficult time loading them... You may recall my post about that a while back... I may try it again with thicker patches to see if they help wipe the bore upon loading so I won't fight the fouling. But since I bought my smoothbore I am starting to look at my .32 in a little different light... It's days in my gun rack may be numbered. I may sell it and use the smoothie as my small game better... Or I might just get a Kibler SMR kit in .36 to replace it. Time will tell.

Mike

[Daryl]

When I tried Track's Mink oil for a lube in my .32, I first tried .311" (Lee Dc mould) pure lead balls with 35gr. 3f GOEX and a .020" patch.
Loading was easier the second through 50th, than the first one. - no wiping. All my loading was with the hickory slimmed 5/16" rod.

[Daryl]

Here's the 1 1/2" arch punch for my .69 and the UHMW cutting board I use.
The "board" is 2" thick and well over 1000 patches of all sizes from 7/8" upwards have been cut on it.
Still going strong, 15 years later.