Just hit rock bottom (cutting my own patches)

General Gun Chat
1

So yeah… I much rather pay, than spend hours cutting shit like some sort of schizophrenic. I’m too lazy to cut things with scissors and I don’t think a guillotine is fast or big enough. But! I Watched some video on YouTube and some dude was using a roller cutter. I thought, yep, this is it!

Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld6eKL-R7Zw

So I went shopping:

Self-healing cutting mat (size: A1)
2018-09-16_21-05-13

eBay: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/A1-Thick-5-Ply-Self-Healing-Craft-Cutting-Mat-2-Side-Print-Scrapbooking-Quilting/142573694492
$26.99, free shipping

Rotary cutter + blades
2018-09-16_21-05-54

eBay: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/45mm-Rotary-Cutter-Quilters-Sewing-Quilting-Fabric-Cut-10-Rotary-Cutter-Blades/332592215448
$13.48, free shipping

Material:
Spotlight
Walked in (right next to Bunnings, lol) with intent to buy flannel material that’s pretty much the best material to make patches out of, I think. $9 per meter seemed to be the cheapest, but then I found the clearance section and picked up what I wanted there.

3m x 1m flannel material for $9 total

This brings us to a grand total of: $49.47

N.B.
I had a bunch of old shirts that I were destined for rags, sort of thick cotton with some textured feel to it (i.e. abrasive), which is also excellent for patches. So I started with that, to get a feel for the process.

IMG_20180916_204435
IMG_20180916_204435.jpg700×649 157 KB

Photo above:

  • Blue patches is what I have from old shirts
  • Pinata Mexican donkey pattern material… That’s the flannel
  • Cutter
  • White pacth with 45 - purchased
  • Colourful patch - mine
  • Two bags are 45 and 30 cal patches

Re: Spotlight material. This gives me roughly 833 patches (realistically 800 with mistakes, etc.), if I was to go with 45 calibre size for all of them. Although a mistake is just a smaller patch, which I will still use, just in a different bore.

Anyhow this is like 1c per patch. Less if I am cutting 30 calibre or something else. Compared to pre-cut purchased 45 cal. patches, that work out to about 7c per patch.

I know it doesn’t seem like much, but it is. First, 45 cal. patch is really versatile. Works well in a lot of rifles above 7.62, so I use them quite a bit. And it’s not uncommon to use 15 - 20 - heaps more! Patches for a very good clean on an old bore (or a very good clean on a new bore). That’s like $0.20 vs $1.40. Considering I use them a lot – winning!

Bonus round:
Old t-shirts and shirts are now becoming patches :slight_smile:

2

We want pics. Yeah, pics or it never happened!

3

yes some of us other low lifes who use lots of patches that cut them with scissors would like to see this new wizz bang tech stuff

4

I’ll update the main post. Give me few minutes.

5

@GUN-DMC @sungazer here ya go, main post updated.

6

By the way, in the video the guy is using a specific ruler to cut things. I tried using an aluminium strip I had, but it was too thick and offered too much resistance. I took a pencil, added grid lines and did it free hand at the end, takes a little to get used to doing it freehand, but I think I will get that ruler.

7

I’m too scabby to spend money on patches, old sheets and shirts and a pair of scissors. No need for guide lines, cut patch to suit job at the time, all just as quick and easy. I used to use round patches cut with a hole punch, for cleaning and muzzle loading, but even that has given way to just grabbing the scissors, Cheers.

8

Yeah, nah.

9

Takes me a few seconds to cut enough patches for a cleaning session.

10

Each to their own I guess.

11

I have never paid for patches. Too tight I guess. :wink:

12

Time vs Effort. I don’t have time. Although, now, I’m not paying either :slight_smile:

13

12g patches, scissors, any size patch I need. I couldn’t even tell you what a packet of patches cost. Lasts me a year or so.

14

I understand what you guys are saying. You’re all wrong, but I understand what you are saying.

15

There is enough donkey pinata material there for a snappy set of Jimmy jams. But you probably have a set already.

2 Likes
16

Damn straight I do.