Cleaning and Reusing Patches?

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Panzerschwein

Panzerschwein

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Anyone ever heard of cleaning and reusing cotton cleaning patches, at least for muzzleloaders? I have a flintlock book here where the author says to put the dirty cleaning patches in an old sock and wash and dry them in the machine. Good as new.

Anyone ever tried this? I use a lot of cotton patches cleaning my black powder guns and am looking for a more economical way.
 
I save my old t-shirts, and cut patches from them, to clean my front-stuffer. At 2x2, I wear shirts out quicker than I run out of patches.
 
Same here. I washed some used cleaning patches once before but I always have a fresh supply of t-shirt material ready for use. I do re-use the oil patches for a while. This thread makes me realize that I need to shoot my flinter more often.
 
I don't go through the T-shirts so fast, but do find myself eating a burrito at times and look down to find some Tabasco has fallen onto my shirt. Then it's patch time, that stuff don't come out. :)

I think I may just try what that author was saying, see if it work. I'll probably wash by hand then dry in the machine.
 
I know black powder shooters are cheap, myself included...but washing patches?

I'm guessing that advice was given by one of those fellers what don't have a wife....
Mrs armored would not like the rotten egg fragrance.
She still hasn't forgiven me for washing my rifle in her bathtub about 35years ago.

BTW waffle knit longjohn material makes prime cleaning patches.
 
Armored farmer said:
I know black powder shooters are cheap, myself included...but washing patches?

I'm guessing that advice was given by one of those fellers what don't have a wife....
Mrs armored would not like the rotten egg fragrance.
She still hasn't forgiven me for washing my rifle in her bathtub about 35years ago.

BTW waffle knit longjohn material makes prime cleaning patches.
Click to expand...

It was given by Eric A. Bye in his masterpiece:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GR60EYI/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

So that's why I was interested. Seems if this god among men recommended the practice...
 
No. And I'm sure you could even buy old t shirts, bedsheets, etc. at goodwill for pennies if you don't want to buy patches.
 
I can't imagine things getting that bad.....HAHA. I have found that folding pieces of "Bounty" or "Brawny" paper towels works almost as well as patches.
 
I can't see washing them is worth the effort. Also don't want the chemicals in the washing machine. I too save old t-shirts for this job.
 
I'd be most worried about getting lead into my machine, and passing it along to my other clothes. I prefer to isolate anything exposed to lead as much as possible.

Larry
 
I am always amazed at some of the things people will place in their dishwasher or washing machine (like their Glock LOL). The other day I had worked on my Jeep and gotten gasoline and oil all over my clothes. I intend to take them to a laundromat. Ican not see washing bore patches - I always have enough old T shirts to make into patches. I also use pieces of paper towels most of the time to get the majority of the nasty stuff out of the bore.
 
Drail said:
I am always amazed at some of the things people will place in their dishwasher or washing machine (like their Glock LOL). The other day I had worked on my Jeep and gotten gasoline and oil all over my clothes. I intend to take them to a laundromat. Ican not see washing bore patches - I always have enough old T shirts to make into patches. I also use pieces of paper towels most of the time to get the majority of the nasty stuff out of the bore.
Click to expand...
As nasty as it sounds, I have "special" jeans for working on trucks, harleys, etc. I'm sort of a "messy marvin". so they also double as a hand towel when I'm doing that kind of work. Guess what? I don't wash them. Once they become unbearable or fall apart, I toss them and another pair jumps into the rotation.
 
And I thought I was the only one....... I have a few old Carhartts that I treat just like that for the bike and the Jeep or crawling around under the house.
 
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