Patching is not as hard as some make it seem, it is mysterious and time consuming though. The trick is taking an undersized bullet and finding the right paper to make two wraps that butt end-to-end and come up to about 0.001" over bore diameter (smokeless) or under if loading BP. Cut the patch in a rhombus and moisten. I use spit, but a concoction of egg white and water also will work. Too much wetness and the patch will tear as you wrap it, too little and it won't stretch and subsequently tighten when it dries. The patch should go just over the ogvive and at the base, twisted into a tail. After drying, snip the tail off with nail clippers. I use to use Lyman moly lube on the patch before loading, now I use Lee Luquid Alox. Easier done and it provides some degree of water proofing. Bell the case mouth well, load with jacketed data. My bullet starts at 0.452" and patches up to 0.459" or just slightly over. Ppaer of choice for me is college ruled notebook paper (16 lb).
