Author Topic: Homemade Patch Lube Recipes (Read 43469 times)

Hungry Horse · « **Reply #50 on:** June 21, 2021, 05:33:19 PM »

Beeswax and Crisco is a great combination if your building a flamethrower. Both have a low flash point, and burn like maypom. Bear grease, and venison tallow is the best.

Hungry Horse

smylee grouch · « **Reply #51 on:** June 21, 2021, 05:50:11 PM »

Hungry Horse makes a good point, the Crisco is a real fire accelerator and I would stay away from it in any dry conditions

hanshi · « **Reply #52 on:** June 21, 2021, 10:11:15 PM »

I haven't used Crisco in decades; it is lousy now and was lousy even back then. I've tried Vaseline/Crisco/bees wax/paraffin/spit and others in a staggering number of combinations with "acceptable" (sometimes) results. I finally found it easier and more productive to trade $$ for what I now use.

577SXS · « **Reply #53 on:** June 21, 2021, 10:42:04 PM »

Yeah I've tried about every concoction mentioned. If I'm shooting soon after loading spit works good. I actually now use the TC Bore butter with a little paraffin added to stiffen it. I do not like bees wax because it's sticky and I've had patches stick to balls and cause flyers with beeswax. The greases like lard and bear grease are probably as good a lube as you can get. Coon grease will work too. Whale oil would be even better but it's not available. I bought some of that oil that's supposed to be like whale oil but haven't tried it yet. If you have to beat the patch and ball down the barrel with a hammer you're not using a lube.

Bsharp · « **Reply #54 on:** June 22, 2021, 02:38:19 AM »

Just mixed up a batch of 50/50, water soluble oil and dawn.
It stiffens up into a paste.
It may not work worth a $#@*, but it is fun to make.
I lubed up some pre-cut and some strips. They have a greasy texture.
Will try to shoot them tomorrow.

Prairie dog shooter · « **Reply #55 on:** June 22, 2021, 05:16:36 AM »

I've tried it all. Water soluble oil makes the smallest groups for any weather or conditions if you get the water / oil ratio right for your local humidity. Bear oil has been next best.

WadePatton · « **Reply #56 on:** June 22, 2021, 03:02:07 PM »

Quote from: Trooper on June 19, 2021, 09:53:01 PM

I'm going to try 50% beeswax and a crisco mix to see how that works on my 50. Up to now, I've been using Mink oil purchased from Track what works great so far.

Happy to see new guys finding old threads. There are many more like this one. Check them all out for more ideas and opinions on lubes. There will never be a perfect for everyone lube, but one can find what he/she likes best for their own set of circumstances. And it's great to have plenty of options in case circumstances change. Enjoy the process.

Bsharp · « **Reply #57 on:** June 22, 2021, 07:28:48 PM »

I shot the 50/50 mix of Oil and Soap.

It works!

Cleans and Lubes!

One of the easier loading 'Tight Loads'.

Next I am going to mix up some 1/4 and 1/8 Water Soluble Oil and Dawn.

walks with gun · « **Reply #58 on:** June 23, 2021, 04:05:47 AM »

Place square cut patches on tray several thick, dribble virgin olive oil on patches, squeeze and stir patches till coated and squeeze out extra. Cheap, traditional. no harmful $#@* and very efficient.

Scota4570 · « **Reply #59 on:** June 23, 2021, 06:57:44 AM »

Patch lube thread seem to take on a life of their own. That tells me almost anything works.

For the range I use something with water, I wet several patches and wring them out. Right now the lube bottle has old moose milk GI bore cleaner in it. I also use Murphy's oil soap straight.

I have had substandard results with oils and greases. They seem too slick and possibly are prone to velocity variations.

One exception is beef tallow. I mix it with charcoal lighter about 4:1. Melt the tallow and add the solvent. I wet the patches and wring them out. I let them dry over night. The result is a nearly dry patch. If you rub them between your fingers you can feel a little tallow. They look dry. They do not smolder. They ram harder than wet patches but do not stick in the bore. I wipe between shots. They are very clean to handle. The accuracy is the best I have done so far in a couple of guns.

WadePatton · « **Reply #60 on:** June 23, 2021, 09:29:56 PM »

Quote from: Scota4570 on June 23, 2021, 06:57:44 AM

Patch lube thread seem to take on a life of their own. That tells me almost anything works...

One exception is beef tallow. I mix it with charcoal lighter about 4:1...

This may well be the first time, but I won't guarantee it

, that I've read of naphtha being used in a lube. Interesting.

Scota4570 · « **Reply #61 on:** June 23, 2021, 11:20:47 PM »

Not in the lube, as a dilution-carrier for the tallow. It is a way to use less grease and still get even coverage.

Basically the same as the old Ballistol and water trick to make a dry patch. Ballistol reeks. I don't have any ballistol. I don't want any.

OldMtnMan · « **Reply #62 on:** June 23, 2021, 11:28:58 PM »

For those who say a slippery tallow isn't accurate. I don't take videos or pictures but here's my friend shooting. He only uses a slippery paste lube he sells.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m30lvtYCy4U&ab_channel=Muzzle-Loaders.com

WadePatton · « **Reply #63 on:** June 27, 2021, 04:02:51 PM »

Quote from: Scota4570 on June 23, 2021, 11:20:47 PM

Not in the lube, as a dilution-carrier for the tallow. It is a way to use less grease and still get even coverage.

Basically the same as the old Ballistol and water trick to make a dry patch. Ballistol reeks. I don't have any ballistol. I don't want any.

noted. Solvent to get the patches greasy.

Marcruger · « **Reply #64 on:** June 27, 2021, 07:06:11 PM »

This may start a firestorm, but here goes.....

Make sure when you home-brew up a patch lube, consider whether your cleaner of choice can actually clean the bore down to metal.

I was using the Hoppe's BP lube for a while, and it is SLIPPERY. Easier to load than other choices. Shot well.

I was fanatically cleaning with room temperature water. I'd clean until the patches came out white. Clean, right? Nope.

Occasionally I'd get a very thin black/grey line radiating out on a cleaning patch that wouldn't go away. Puzzling. What that was, was an indicator something wasn't right.

I switched the cheap blue windshield washer fluid at the advice of a good friend, after finding it does clean up faster with less patches. Still, the black line occasionally appeared.

I asked one of our esteemed repositories of knowledge here on ALR for advice. He said it was graphite in the bore. I had never considered that the bore was not completely clean, as the used cleaning patches were white when I was done. He suggested a deep cleaning with Lehigh Valley Lube or Mr Flintlock. I broke out the LVL, and WOW, the patches came out black. Really black. Took a while to get patches to come out white.

What I am getting at is that you can use something for a lube that may get heat ironed into your bore, that your normal cleaner may not be able to remove. Just something to think about when experimenting.

I am using Mr Flintlock now for patch lube. I am cleaning to around 90% with blue washer fluid, then switching to Mr Flinklock to finish. I have no doubt that Mr Flintlock as a lube will be removed by Mr Flintlock as a cleaner. It will also cut graphite. Of course, folks in 1770 didn't have to deal with heavy graphite, so their experience was different than ours. They also freshed out their wrought iron barrels, while we expect a barrel to last a lifetime.

As I said, just something to think about when you are experimenting with patch lubes. "Am I using a cleaner that will actually cut through my heat applied lube?" Look at the contents of Ballistol for instance, and consider what cleaner will pull out those ingredients.

Best wishes, and God Bless, Marc

WadePatton · « **Reply #65 on:** June 28, 2021, 04:03:37 PM »

Marc, I could be wrong here, but I'm thinking that graphite is coming from the powder coating and not any lube product. You may know this as well, but it's unclear from your post. But also I have zero experience with store-bought patch lubes.

I agree that various lubes have the potential to complicate the cleaning process.

Marcruger · « **Reply #66 on:** June 28, 2021, 05:10:41 PM »

You are entirely correct Wade. I was referring to two different things.

Yes, the graphite comes from the powder.

I was trying to point out that not all cleaners will take out what is in a bore, be it graphite from powder or residue from the patch lube.

Thank you for pointing out where I was unclear Wade.

God Bless, Marc

Scota4570 · « **Reply #67 on:** June 28, 2021, 10:04:18 PM »

Does the graphite bother anything? Wouldn't it be like moly coating the bore? ... "Seasoned" ?

IF something with water is used to clean, the hydroscopic residues are removed. IF dried and oiled, rust should not be an issue. Is stripping the bore to bare metal every time important?

P.Bigham · « **Reply #68 on:** June 29, 2021, 02:55:09 AM »

I’ve heard a very good shooter once remark that a barrel should be treated as a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Cleaned and oiled or greased but not scrubbed to bare metal.

OldMtnMan · « **Reply #69 on:** June 29, 2021, 03:24:26 PM »

New guns shoot pretty good.

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Author Topic: Homemade Patch Lube Recipes (Read 43469 times)