Do you have to wash patch material?

[Lampro]

Recently I bought some patch material from Wal Mart. Some red stripe, blue stripe and a plain beige. I didn't know you're supposed to wash it first and I made up a bunch of patches lubed with lamb fat and beeswax. I have used a few, probably around 30 shots. Accuracy does seem a little bit off. Will these patches damage my bore?

[MuskratMike]

ABSOLUTLY, YES YOU DO! The commercially made fabrics come with sizing on them. You must wash that out of the material. Yes after you dry the material it will have shrunk and be wrinkled. I have known some who tried to cut the patches first then wash and dry the material. The edges were so frayed they had to be recut or tossed.

[EC121]

The patches won't hurt the barrel, but the sizing keeps the cloth from soaking up the lube.  It is used in the manufacturing process and to make the cloth look better on the bolt.  Wash what you haven't cut to tighten the weave and remove the sizing.

Look up "textile sizing".

[Lampro]

Good info. I will wash the stuff I haven't lubed and the stuff that's already lubed I guess I can use for plinking. Thanks.

[TommyG]

Speaking of plinking, or pinking.  I run a pinking shears down the edges of my fabric before I wash it.  It does a nice job of keeping it from becoming a frayed mess from washing.

[longcruise]

Another factor is that much of the cloth that comes from China is treated with pesticides.  Especially important for spit patchers. !

[Carl Young]

Yep EC121 (Brice) is spot on as usual, though I have heard a rumor that he is so compulsive he takes a bath every month or so whether he need to or not 

[Marcruger]

Also, make dead sure that the patching is 100% cotton.  If it does not say that, don't buy it.  You don't want to clean burn-on polymer out of your bore.  Ick. 

In my experience, the sizing in the patching prevents the lube from getting into the fabric, and it is stiffer at the muzzle and so makes loading harder.  So yes.  Wash it before use. 

I buy the 100% cotton canvas (untreated, NOT teflon) from The Minute-Men patching.  Only call.  In the evening.  I don't think he uses email and the website doesn't work.  Best patching material in the world, and the price is not bad compared to Joann Fabrics.  This stuff never burns through. 

[Dphariss]

Another factor is that much of the cloth that comes from China is treated with pesticides.  Especially important for spit patchers. !

And it’s generally poor quality. Pretty much the same from Pakistan. I am using linen from Fabric-store.com. It natural color linen canvas comes in 8 and 10 ounce versions.
Don’t know where it come from
Last Pakistani cotton denim I bought from JoAnns looked perfect in the store, good thickness seems strong enough. But useless as shooting patches in two rifles.

[Mike from OK]

Speaking of plinking, or pinking.  I run a pinking shears down the edges of my fabric before I wash it.  It does a nice job of keeping it from becoming a frayed mess from washing.

Ditto.

Mike

[smylee grouch]

Dan, can you tell us the thickness of that 8 and 10 oz linen?

[longcruise]

Another factor is that much of the cloth that comes from China is treated with pesticides.  Especially important for spit patchers. !

And it’s generally poor quality. Pretty much the same from Pakistan. I am using linen from Fabric-store.com. It natural color linen canvas comes in 8 and 10 ounce versions.
Don’t know where it come from
Last Pakistani cotton denim I bought from JoAnns looked perfect in the store, good thickness seems strong enough. But useless as shooting patches in two rifles.

Good tip. 👍

[Ezra]

Another factor is that much of the cloth that comes from China is treated with pesticides.

What the…?

Ez

[Daryl]

When I purchase cloth for patching, I wash it twice with double rinses both times. The first time is with soap/detergent, the second is without soap.
The denims I use, usually gain a .001" or .002" after washing and drying in the dryer.

[longcruise]

Another factor is that much of the cloth that comes from China is treated with pesticides.

What the…?

Ez

Don't know for sure if it's still done but some years ago I was able to smell it on the bolts at Wal-Mart.

[doubleset]

It depends on the material.  I've used some pillow ticking that I got from JoAnn's that I had to wash because it was very stiff with sizing.  But the ticking that I'm using now, I got from Walmart, and it seems to be sizing-free.  I have not washed it and have not had any problems with it.  FYI, I'm using a mixture of olive oil and Simple Green as a lube.