Pre Lubing Patches?

[RANGER94]

I have 1 inch arch punch patches that I want to pre lube with mink oil  I was going to use a very small microwave container. Heat up mink oil in this container. Dip patches with tweezers  then gently squeeze out the excess then lay down on alum foil. Later put in old pill container. Will that technique work. Or are there better techniques?

[Bob McBride]

I have 1 inch arch punch patches that I want to pre lube with mink oil  I was going to use a very small microwave container. Heat up mink oil in this container. Dip patches with tweezers  then gently squeeze out the excess then lay down on alum foil. Later put in old pill container. Will that technique work. Or are there better techniques?

That will work fine. When I use precuts I have an old small pot full of lube and heat it up just to melting on the stove, dunk a whole stack long enough for the outside half or a bit more to get lube, press the stack to squeeze out the excess and set them on a paper plate for a few minutes. I leave all the extra lube in the pot and set the plate over the top of the pot and put it on a shelf until I need it for the next batch. The stack will stay stuck together so I just throw the stack into the bottom of my hunting pouch and peel one off at need.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I use that same technique for applying patch grease such as TOW's mink oil, except I melt the grease in a double boiler system with hot water, to avoid changing the grease which direct heat almost always does.  And I put a wad of patches into the melted grease, and squeeze out a bunch at a time.  Squeezing them singularly will, I think, remove too much of the lubricant.  I like my patches slimy wet with grease, soaked completely through and all over the patches.  I don't care if some ends up on the muzzle when I patch a ball, and send it into the bore with my starter.  this way, a coating of grease follows the patched ball down to the charge, which helps to soften the fouling left when I shoot it out of the rifle.  The same applies with liquid patches, such as the 10:1 water/cutting oil lube I use.  I see a milking film in my bore when I seat the ball, and this makes shooting all day without cleaning possible, and final cleanup very quick and easy.

[RANGER94]

I would have thought a stack at time would not efficiently soak the patches?  I.E the first couple on top and bottom would be soaked but the ones in the middle would not get enough?  The stack at a time would be quicker.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I suppose there are around ten patches in each stack when I place them into the molten grease, and they take up the lube thoroughly and completely.  I don't squeeze them too hard either, when I remove the stack.  I lift out the stack with tweezers or hymostats, let them cool enough so I don't scald my fingers, squeeze the stack between my thumb and index finger, and put them on a plastic board to get cold and solid again. 

[MuskratMike]

It depends on how many I am going to do at a time. If I am only going to do 25-30 I set the tin of mink oil in front of the fireplace and let it get warm but not melted to a liquid. I take the tin out to my bench and do the by hand 1 at a time. Sounds like a lot of work but takes like 5-7 minutes. I feel I get more control and consistency this way. If I am going to do a lot at one time I do like the others heat the mink oil over VERY LOW heat until almost completely liquified. I dip 10 or 15 at a time in the oil take out squeeze out the extra, lay them out on a paper towel and repeat until done.
If I am going to only shoot up to 25 rounds I put the pre-greased patches in this leather strap that is attached to my bag strap. Faster than digging in the bag and faster that cutting at the muzzle (I actually timed this).

[RichG]

I melt my lube and just dip one in and set it on a dry one. Alternating dry with dipped allows the dry to soak up excess lube and all come out soaked through.

[RANGER94]

This is Exactly what I needed to know!  I cannot thank you all enuff.

[flinchrocket]

An empty Altoids tin is handy to carry your prelubed patches. It will look better if you throw it in the campfire and burn the paint off. After it cools buff it with a piece of steel wool just enough to get the loose black stuff.

[Daryl]

Pre-cuts can also be strung on a thread with a needle through the middle of each. A double or single knot at the bottom will hold them on the thread.
To remove, just pull the bottom one off the stack. This is for spit-patching while on a trail walk.
A stack on this thread can also be dunked into the melted lube, then squeezed to get the excess out, then stored in a tin.
MMikes system with the slotted leather strip is rather a good idea too, for bunny hunts, or trail walks alike.

I believe you are overly complicating this, Renger94 - think about it a bit, then simply do something & see what works for you. This is all we did
and these "things" are what we do. All different - but similar.

I use Altoids tins, as well as Sucrets tins for lubed or dry pre-cuts and -
these also work very well as lubed or dry pre-cut patch containers.
With water based lubed patches, they will rust a bit over time and need wiping out with 000 steel wool
to remove the rust. Some mink oil or other, will help the cleaned surface.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/23/2

I use # 1790-B for my .36 cal patches, # Snuff box B for .50's, .62's and .69's, # Tinder Box B for all 4 calibres.

[Marcruger]

One suggestion would be to not make a huge lot of lubed patches at one time. 

If I prelube patches, I only do enough for a day's activities. 

I have found that certain lube and patch cloth combinations will weaken the patch cloth over time.  Many prelubed commercial patches end up very weak before it is time to use them.  They just blow apart.

Just a suggestion meant to be helpful, based upon my past experience. 

God Bless,   Marc

[smylee grouch]

I agree with mark, over time the patch material will just get weak and dome times they will not hold up during the loading process much less the shooting.

[alacran]

I take my patches put them in a prescription pill container of adequate diameter and fill with lube about 1/2 way.
In the summer I cap the tube and put it in the sun for about half hour. In the winter I put it near the stove. The dry patches absorb the bear oil. If there is any excess I put it back into the main container.  I put them stacked in a baggie and press out excess in my vise.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

alacran:  squeezing in your vise isn't necessary, and if I may say, removes far too much of the lubricant.  However, your targets tell me your system is working well for you, and I have nothing but respect for your shooting ability.

[alacran]

Taylor thank you for your kind words.
You are correct you can overdo the squeezing. It is a matter of trial and error.   Don't want it so wet that it drips on my boots. Needs to be wet enough to do the job. To quote Frank Zappa " you've got to keep it greasy so it will go down easy". Happy New Years!

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

My patches are so wet they squirt sideways when I seat the ball with my starter.  Cannot be too wet.  I squeeze out some of the liquid when I put the patches into the container for my bag, simply to help prevent the fluid from staining the bag if it leaks out of the container.

[Daryl]

Mine are wet, too. They don't drip, but do squirt if I smack the ball into the muzzle with the end of the starter (flat).  If I punch them in with the little peg
they leave a ring of lube on the muzzle's surface around the hole.  As I seat the ball, the end of the rod, more or less puts more lube from the excess material
onto the - I assume.  I just thought of that as being a result of the well-lubed, excess material, as the lube in the patch around and under the ball will be wicked
up around the ball and onto the bore as the ball is shoved down the tube. If you look into the bore (from the side) after the ball is seated, you can see the bore
 is damp.

[Mike from OK]

I typically leave a small ring of mink grease on the muzzle when I start a ball... Sounds like I'm using the right amount of lube then.

Mike

[Pukka Bundook]

Re age of pre-lubed patches;

When I tried my rifle at the "Snowman" target, those patches had been lubed in melted deer tallow probably 20 years ago, and when I picked the fired ones  up, they had the odd tare in them.
This never happened decades ago when I used them, so can only think that they had weakened considerably over time.
The patch  material was torn into lengths the right width, dumped into the melted lube, fished out and left to cool then rolled like hospital bandage.
Normally, I'd just cut nearly through making square patches, and attach a few to bag strap.  Tear one off as required. They shot as well as round patches.
Time to do a few more, but not as many!

[Daryl]

Good point, Richard.  I have shot pre-lubed patches that were just a few month's old and they were already too weak.  I've also shot pre-lubed patches that were
a couple years old and they were OK, even though lubed with the same Neetsfoot Oil. Thus, I must assume, the longevity of pre-lubed patches depends mostly on
 the material itself - and, perhaps the type of lube as well.

[Mike from OK]

Is there an additional contributing factor besides the lube that could weaken patches? UV light... Leaching zinc from the galvanized coating of a metal tin... Dampness...

No scientific basis for this. Just thinking out loud.

Mike

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I'm thinking it is just bacterial breakdown of the natural fibre, ie:  rot!

[tennjed]

Introduced myself over on the "Builders" thread, now have a question on patch lube:

16 or so years ago, when I last shot a muzzle loader, I did not worry to much about lubricating patches. After reading a bit here, I am giving it more thought. Yesterday, I cleaned out my smoker and took a new view of the pork and chicken fat that had accumulated in the water tray of my smoker, a big gelatinous mass of the stuff......would this fat work OK as a patch lube? I mean, it was slick. I don't think I would pre lube a bunch of patches and let them stand stored, but for lubing patches one at a time while at the range?

Best,

Wayne

[MuskratMike]

Tennjed: No, No and No. It is probably already ranci and it not will soon be and probably is saturated with salt. All bad for your rifle. Everyone has their favorite but you can't go wrong with 100% pure Neatsfoot oil (not the compounds) or Track of the Wolf Mink oil.

[Daryl]

I'm with Mike on the "smoker" fat. A can of Neetsfoot oil, if used for hunting only, will last for many seasons & not go rancid
or "bad". Same with Track's Mink Oil. I have a tin of it, some used, that's 3 or 4 years old now and it's just fine.  For winter
target shooting, tennjed (Tennessee Jed?) we use a mixture of winter windshield washer fluid with a bit of Neetsfoot oil added.
The Neetsfoot oil slows the evapouration in the summer time when at rendezvous. It gets hot there.  Too, I find my rifles shoot
well with less powder, than they demand be used with the slipperier lubes.
There are almost as many concoctions of lubricants for patches, as there are shooters. For me, a can (1 US Gallon) of WWWF lasts
a full year of shooting & then some.  Lately, I've been using a lot of spit for lube - I find it is every bit as accurate as any other
concoction and it's free. As I shoot within a few minutes of loading, it is never in the bore long enough to rust the bore. Spit or any
water based lube is a NO/NO for hunting. That will make a rust ring for sure, where the ball sits.