Patch Grease

[knapper]

As I am new to shooting flintlock rifles,I was wondering how to make my own patch grease. I have a friend that raises bison and I ask him if I could purchase some of the fat and I told him what I was going to do with it,so he gave me a gallon container full.Know I was wondering on how to cook it down and also should I need to add any bee wax to it, then how much wax needed if any. I greatly appreciate any information I can get, thank you fellow brothers

[Daryl]

If too much heat is applied, it will convert it to a shortening-type grease & also negatively change it's molecular structure, somewhat (I'm told).

The best method I've seen is to boil it in water, then allow the water to cool and skim off the hardened grease.

You may use is as-is, or if wanting to make a bullet lube, add BW to make whatever consistency you want or need. I'd not add anything for a patch lube, myself, as Neetsfoot oil and Track's Mink Oil work just fine, as they are.

[knapper]

Hey Daryl thanks for the information, that is greatly appreciated. As soon as I get some time I will try making a small batch and I will let you know how it turned out, again thanks for everything

[Scout]

After you get thru with your experiments try Hoppes#9 PLUS. Works great !

[T*O*F]

The best stuff for making patch lube is the hard, suet-like fat, not the soft stuff that you cut off your steak (or that some people eat....YUCK).  It will re-harden once you clarify it by boiling.  I pour it into salve tins or empty cap boxes.  Usually adding beeswax is not required when using it, but you would have to wait for hot weather to determine that.

[Hungry Horse]

Buy, or beg, some buffalo ribs from your friend. Parboil them, before you BBQ them and eat them. Then, let the water stand until cold, and skim the white grease off the top. this will be pretty stiff for patch lube, so cut it with bear grease. I never use bees wax in my lube. unless bees wax is nearly pure, it caused no end of problems.

                  Hungry Horse

[Daryl]

I guess my beeswax is pure, then- as I use it mixed with Vaseline 60:40 as a bullet lube in my RB and now the Sharps - wonderful lube.

[David R. Pennington]

I used half and half mutton tallow and beeswax for years then all of a sudden I couldn't hit the side of a barn. I started spit patching and my groups came back. I recently started using bear oil for cold weather shooting with good results. I think the wax I used was the problem. I don't think it was pure beeswax. I recently bought some more beeswax that looks a lot better but haven't had the nerve to try the tallow and wax again.

[lobogunleather]

My rifle is an original half-stock Pennsylvania .40 caliber percussion (Golcher lock). I've used patches soaked in spit, vegetable oil, and white lithium grease. They all work, but the vegetable oil is easiest and provides very consistent accuracy. Cut my patches, put them into a zip-lock baggy, add a tablespoon or so of regular old cooking (vegetable) oil. From the bench, 45 grains FFFg or 40 grains Pyrodex P, balls patched as described, will shoot 10 shots on a pie plate easily. Bore fouling remains soft, cleaning is easy.

[Long John]

I've been using a lube made of about 75% bear oil and 25% bees wax in my .54s as well as .36 for close to 20 years.  I've NEVER had problems with it.  Its the best lube I have ever used with one caveat.  In very dry weather I'll lay the patch on my tongue while fetching a ball so there is just a smidgon of saliva on the patch to help it slide down a fouled bore.  I don't understand the idea that bees wax is a source of problems.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[Daryl]

Much depends on the climate you shoot in and whether you use your rifle for hunting as well.  I mention that, as much of the time, a hunting lube & hunting load does not shoot to the same point of impact as a target-type load with a water based lube.  Only my BIG rifle hits the same, no matter the lube or load, that is, a water based lube shoots to the same poi as an oil or grease, when using the same powder charges.

[David R. Pennington]

I think the problem I had was that the wax wasn't pure beeswax.

[sloe bear]

 I have used many different patch lubes over the years , from bear grease mixture to moose milk but the handiest of all is always with you  can't beat a spit patch when the weathers warm, cold weather a Hoppes #9 . experiment, the old KISS formula works best keep it simple stupid . find one that work and stick with it.

[Daryl]

As far as waxes added to stiffen the lube - paraffin did not work for me - at all, nor did the addition of Olive Oil to any mix I treid. I would have thought the Olive Oil would have been good, but it wasn't - was hoping it would work because I don't have to buy it, just pilfer it from the cupboard.

If the beeswax's honey odour is so strong it makes you want to take a bite, it's probably pure and good for lube.

The 20 pounds I purchased a number of years ago was the first press - wonderful stuff for lube or for my long bow's string.

[mikeo]

If bear grease is not available to you, and you are a trapper or know someone who is, oil rendered from the fat from a big raccoon makes real good patch lube.  You can get about a pint of nice clean oil from a big coon.

Mike

[Daryl]

Do not discount Mike's suggestion. I've used Marmot oil and it is the best animal oil I've used- better than bear's oil.  My bear oil was more of a shortening/grease. The Marmot oil was oil- from inside the cavity around the organs - supurb +, as well as being an excellent waterproofer for my boots.

[Bible Totin Gun Slinger]

I like reading what everybody and the dog uses.
I'd bet there is quite a bit of stuff that works. Man made and not, animal or from a plant oil.
I've only had bad luck with one item and nobody mentions it here. That yellow stuff in a tube,,
I can buy Bear Grease from October Country in Idaho, but it costs more than I want to pay.
Anybody heard of using Olive Oil?

I gave a wanna be Hawken to my friend, I told him how to clean it. He refused, got out the Nytro Solvent and hasn't been able to get a ramrod down the barrel since.

[Daryl]

As far as waxes added to stiffen the lube - paraffin did not work for me - at all, nor did the addition of Olive Oil to any mix I treid. I would have thought the Olive Oil would have been good, but it wasn't - was hoping it would work because I don't have to buy it, just pilfer it from the cupboard.

If the beeswax's honey odour is so strong it makes you want to take a bite, it's probably pure and good for lube.

The 20 pounds I purchased a number of years ago was the first press - wonderful stuff for lube or for my long bow's string.

[Dphariss]

As I am new to shooting flintlock rifles,I was wondering how to make my own patch grease. I have a friend that raises bison and I ask him if I could purchase some of the fat and I told him what I was going to do with it,so he gave me a gallon container full.Know I was wondering on how to cook it down and also should I need to add any bee wax to it, then how much wax needed if any. I greatly appreciate any information I can get, thank you fellow brothers

Find a web site on soap making and make the tallow in that manner. Never use direct heat. Boil it in water and use a double boiler to reheat it if needed.
DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO THE FAT especially NO SALT. We are not making soap.
I boil the fat in a large pot of water 3-4 times letting it cool overnight between boiling removing the hardened fat after its cooled (might have to refrigerate in warm weather) and changing the water. Makes a completely non-corrosive patch lube that works really well (I made mine from Beef fat). I would recommend the kidney fat if you can get it. I would filter if needed to remove any debris after the last boil. Reheat in a double boiler and pour through a double or triple old T shirt.

Dan

[Ron T.]

I've found that a mixture of bee's wax and Crisco Cooking Oil (liquid) work pretty well.  

I melt the bee's wax, then add the cooking oil to it and mix it up thoroughly... and let it sit until it's "cold".  Then if it's still mostly "liquid" or "too solid", I re-melt the mixture and either add a little more bee's wax or Crisco Oil and, again... mix it well and let it sit until it's cold, but don't put it into the refrigerator or freezer.  Just let it sit on the kitchen counter-top until totally room temperature.

When it is completely "cold" and appears to be soft, but with a slight "crust" on the top of the mixture when at room temperature, I "test" it by breaking through the "crust" and getting some of the semi-solid mixture on my finger-tip and spreading it on a piece of clean cotton patch material like the patches I use in my rifle.  If it spreads well and goes into the cloth easily, that's usually the "right" mixture.

When it remains mostly a semi-solid mixture with a slight "crust" on it's top, but easily melts from the warmth of your finger, you have about the "right" percentage of bee's wax to liquid Crisco Vegetable Oil.  Make a note of approximately the amount of bee's wax and Crisco Oil you used so the next time you make it, it will be close to the correct mixture.

The last time I made it, I made so much that it's lasted for over 2 years and I've still got half of it left... so I can't remember what % of each I used... and I can't find the paper I wrote down the % of mixture on, so I'll have to start all over again the next time I make it.  But... no "biggie"... I'm retired and have all kinds of time to mess around with things, so no problem.  


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[rfd]

imho, and far better than a "greased" patch, i would recommend a "dutch" dry lube patch strip, made with a 6:1 mix of water:ballistol. 

ballistol is water soluble oil.  i mix up a pint or two.  cut patch strips about 1.5" x 12" to 18" - do NOT make individual patches, you want to use a patch strip that you'll cut off after sinking the ball down just slightly past the muzzle.  this will insure that the patch is uniform in all directions, which is something that can never be consistently accomplished with a round or square precut patch because it's near impossible to center over the muzzle.

after soaking the patch strip in the dutch lube, squeeze out any excess lube back into the pan.  now here's the important part - lay down each patch strip on a FLAT and LEVEL surface and allow to fully dry.  the level surface will insure that while drying the lube will not wick down more to one side of the patch strip than any other side.  save the dutch lube in a closed container, and use it again! 

when dry, it's ready to use.  roll up a few strips for yer possibles bag, tote a small patch knife and yer good to go.

as with any and all muzzleloaders, experimenting with ball diameter and patch thickness are important.  the same is sorta true with the dutch dry lube - 6:1 is a good starting point but you can go with less lube at 7:1 or more lube at 5:1 - or any variation thereof.

while the dutch lube does a yeoman job of lubing the ball AND is helpful in cleaning out the tube after firing, it is advisable to run a MOIST (not wet) moose milk patch up/down the barrel ONCE, between shots.  along with the dutch dry lube patch strips, i have a small plastic flip top bottle with moose milk, and some precut cleaning patches.

using the above process with all my muzzleloaders has made my shooting experience far more enjoyable and easier - AND more ACCURATE, to boot. 

[Daryl]

Problem with dry patches is that the fowling cakes in the bore & must be wiped between shots - I'd rather be continuously shooting that cleaning my rifle or smoothbore - thus, I use a wet patch - WWWF + Neetsfoot oil, LHV (same as Mr Flintlock's lube) or Shenendoa lube for target, or Neetsfoot Oil or Tracks' Mink oil for hunting - none of these needs to be wiped between shots nor during the day's shooting - no matter how many shots are fired - BECAUSE the fouling does not build in the bore which is what makes loading difficult.

[rfd]

i did the testing with 4 different rocklock rifles and found that the consistency and accuracy of the shot is best with a LUBED "dry" patch, NOT a totally dry patch, that's always followed by a single in-out moose milk moist patch.  this was not true for wet patches as the accuracy was just too inconsistent from patch to patch.  the dutch schoultz system is still best for me.  it's all good and ymmv. 

[jamesthomas]

Problem with dry patches is that the fowling cakes in the bore & must be wiped between shots - I'd rather be continuously shooting that cleaning my rifle or smoothbore - thus, I use a wet patch - WWWF + Neetsfoot oil, LHV (same as Mr Flintlock's lube) or Shenendoa lube for target, or Neetsfoot Oil or Tracks' Mink oil for hunting - none of these needs to be wiped between shots nor during the day's shooting - no matter how many shots are fired - BECAUSE the fouling does not build in the bore which is what makes loading difficult.

 After struggling to find a combination that would let me shoot 20 or more times with out wiping I found out that it can be what kind of powder your using that will preventing you from doing his. Example, previously I was using 3fff KIK in my .40 cal. and getting a hard crust ring develop after 3 or 4 shots. This all went away when I started using 2ff Olde Ensford. I went to the range yesterday and at one point had shot around 25 times without wiping. I used a .020 pillow Ticking patch with Hoppe's #9 Plus as my lube. So if you need to wipe after 3 to 5 shots see if changing the type of powder you use. Also try 2ff if you've been using 3fff.

[rfd]

Problem with dry patches is that the fowling cakes in the bore & must be wiped between shots - I'd rather be continuously shooting that cleaning my rifle or smoothbore - thus, I use a wet patch - WWWF + Neetsfoot oil, LHV (same as Mr Flintlock's lube) or Shenendoa lube for target, or Neetsfoot Oil or Tracks' Mink oil for hunting - none of these needs to be wiped between shots nor during the day's shooting - no matter how many shots are fired - BECAUSE the fouling does not build in the bore which is what makes loading difficult.

 After struggling to find a combination that would let me shoot 20 or more times with out wiping I found out that it can be what kind of powder your using that will preventing you from doing his. Example, previously I was using 3fff KIK in my .40 cal. and getting a hard crust ring develop after 3 or 4 shots. This all went away when I started using 2ff Olde Ensford. I went to the range yesterday and at one point had shot around 25 times without wiping. I used a .020 pillow Ticking patch with Hoppe's #9 Plus as my lube. So if you need to wipe after 3 to 5 shots see if changing the type of powder you use. Also try 2ff if you've been using 3fff.

what size ball?