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Mud patterns


tlennox
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I've been told to get hold of some snow shoes to use to cross the soft mud but I can't find any and my local army surplus shop has said he can't get hold of them. Does anyone know where I can get hold of some or know a good DIY idea for mud patterns?

 

 

I know someone is going to come up with a couple of tennis rackets.

Edited by tlennox
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Have a look on here.

 

Scroll along the picture banner until you see a picture of waders with rope tied around them.

 

I've been told to get hold of some snow shoes to use to cross the soft mud but I can't find any and my local army surplus shop has said he can't get hold of them. Does anyone know where I can get hold of some or know a good DIY idea for mud patterns?


I know someone is going to come up with a couple of tennis rackets.

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what you need for mud patterns

1.1/4 ply about 2ft sqaure

2.1nch batton about 4ft long

3.4ft 1/4 rope for making the loops on the boards

 

20131022_133327_zps4e847532.jpg

 

1 cut your ply into two squares 12inch wide at top 12inch long 10inch at bottom

2. place your foot in the middle of the board so your toes are just over the edge drill 4x holes 2 on each side

20131022_135751_zps4a0b10b4.jpg

3. place your rope through the holes and tye to the correct size this is importent to get right else you wont be able to tye them to your boots tight

4 i have placed a small block of ply on mine just in front of my heel so i get my foot in the right place every time(you dont have to do this but it helps to stop your boot moveing when you walk)

5.put your battern on the bottom

20131022_133345_zps1278a2b3.jpg

6.put a couple of coats of yacht varnish on them to help them not rot and makes the mud wash of easy

7.all done hope this has given you a basic idea how to make them

p.s be carefull you can still sink in them

thanks anthony

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Hello tlennox mate,

 

I hope you find my video clip, above, from the BASC website of some use to you.

 

if you need more written information about pattens, visit the Langstone Wildfowlers website where there are a couple of my previously published written articles detailing the history and mechanics of mudpattens.

 

I`ve been making and selling them for 30 years and have 2 pairs from this years production run still left at £25 per pair plus £5 p and p. They are square in shape, to maximise the surface area and weight distribution and are made to a different standard of finish to those shown in the photo`s above.

 

If you don`t fancy that, go to pm and I`ll give you my address. Send me a self addresses envelope and I`ll send you a set of plans and instructions for their use.

 

Your life might depend upon your pattens so they need to be properly designed and constructed.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. One thing is certain, if your `fowling involves large expanses of mud, once tried and mastered, you`ll wonder how you ever did without them!

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I`ve been making and selling them for 30 years and have 2 pairs from this years production run still left at £25 per pair plus £5 p and p. They are square in shape, to maximise the surface area and weight distribution and are made to a different standard of finish to those shown in the photo`s above.

 

nick are you saying my mud patterns are sht :no: :no: :no: they didn't cost me £30 and they work just fine have done for the last 5 seasson's.

Thats what i like about pw allways some one willing to kick you in the ******** for trying to help someone

Edited by fireboy
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I`ve been making and selling them for 30 years and have 2 pairs from this years production run still left at £25 per pair plus £5 p and p. They are square in shape, to maximise the surface area and weight distribution and are made to a different standard of finish to those shown in the photo`s above.

 

nick are you saying my mud patterns are sht :no: :no: :no: they didn't cost me £30 and they work just fine have done for the last 5 seasson's.

Thats what i like about pw allways some one willing to kick you in the ******** for trying to help someone

I can't see where he is saying yours are **** just that his are better :yes:

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I`m very sorry Fireboy if I`ve inadvertantly struck a nerve.

 

I absolutely did not criticise the quality of construction of your pattens and nor am I trying to kick you in the teeth.

 

I`m not calling them sht but we can all plainly see that the construction materials of your pattens did not cost £25 and neither are they precision built.

 

I`ve spent a lifetime fowling in an area where the ability to cope with large expanses of deep mud is vital and, as a consequence I`ve done a great deal of research into the mechanics and history of the mud patten. The use of the patten was all but lost in many coastal areas, your`s included, where only a tiny handful of your club members originally knew how to make and use them. I like to think that I may have played some small part in rescuing them from the dustbin of history, and, as such, I feel no need to apologise for speaking authorititively about them. I first joined your club in 1972.

 

I`m never quite sure why some patten makers insist on losing valuable surface area, and therefore weight distribution, by making them the tapered oblong that you do. I`d be interested to know why you do that.

 

And since I`m not feeling apologetic, I`m always slightly amused to see that for the want of a few clicks of a mouse whereupon some of the secrets of the mysteries of mud pattens will be revealed(The LADWACA website)that some are still talking about using snow shoes or those comedy mud shoes sold by Bushwear.

 

You can lead a horse to the water of knowledge, but you can`t make it drink.

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mudpatten i built them that way as that was the way i was shown when i first started fowling before i was aware how soft the mud was in chi harbour.i do agree they are not £25 worth and yes they are not cut very well but when you are shooting on a budget every penny counts.I have yet to sink up to my nuts while wearing them so have not seen the need to make them eny diffrent.I do understand by what you mean about more surfice area the better.

thanks anthony

p.s

I Apologize for getting shirty i spent 1 hour doing that post to help someone out so yes it did hit a nerve

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There you go Nick. Despite my increasing interest in the "comedy mud shoes" here's proof that I did this evening do my bit for tradition by dusting off my 10 year old pattens for the first time this season and putting them to good use :good: As you can see by the state of the birds, it was muddy and no way I would have made it bare foot so to speak.



Sorry about the **** picture, was taken back at the seawall with a camera phone.





005.jpg

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Always good to see a simple, low tech, three hundred year old plus, traditional solution to a problem still working well.

 

The failings with the comedy mud shoes are many and various. The fastenings are those plastic clip things. When one of those breaks two miles out on the mud with an incoming tide - you`re stuffed. Theres no way to repair it.

 

The actual shoe thing is made of plastic and I wonder how much flexing it will withstand before it too breaks.

 

The real problem with them is the mechanics of the way in which they "work". With wooden pattens one actually stands on the surface of the mud with minimal sinkage. In consequence, walking is relatively easy, the patten does not have to be pulled out of the mud at each step. With the clowns mud shoes, the whole shoe section has to sink in the mud, and be bodily wrenched out with each step, before the "wings" actually deploy and serve any purpose whatsoever.

 

Mud pattens stop you from sinking. For the slapstick mud shoes to work, you HAVE to sink in the mud, and then pull the shoe out with each step. Exhausting!

 

And if anyone thought £25 for the 3 hours of carpentry and rope work that goes into a pair of traditional pattens was a bit steep,who in their right mind would fork out over £100 for something that has dangerous design shortcomings.

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  • 1 month later...

I`ve been making and selling them for 30 years and have 2 pairs from this years production run still left at £25 per pair plus £5 p and p. They are square in shape, to maximise the surface area and weight distribution and are made to a different standard of finish to those shown in the photo`s above.

 

nick are you saying my mud patterns are sht :no: :no: :no: they didn't cost me £30 and they work just fine have done for the last 5 seasson's.

Thats what i like about pw allways some one willing to kick you in the ******** for trying to help someone

:lol::lol::lol: same as me oldman used t were back in the 70's.. :good:

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You should always ensure that you carry a couple of spare ties and a sharp knife. If you really do get stuck in very, very soft mud you have no option but to cut the tie, pull the patten out of the mud and then tie it on again.

 

I only ever had to do this once in over 40 years of using pattens. Developing an eye for the likely liquidity of the mud upon which you are walking is one of the skill that it helps to acquire. If it looks too soft, don`t walk on it!

Edited by mudpatten
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