Replacement for mink oil

[HighUintas]

I picked up some beef tallow from Walmart today. I happen to see it and thought it might play around with it to see if something similar to TOW mink oil could be made. It is Fatworks brand beef tallow.

I also have some Fiebings pure neatsfoot oil.

I figured I'd try mixing a little neatsfoot into the tallow after melted since neatsfoot is liquid even when cold.

Well, even at 5% by weight neatsfoot, it is more of a thick slurry at room temperature.

I knew this would not become similar to mink oil since the tallow seems to become oily a little easier than mink, but I thought maybe I could get the beef tallow to be a little less brittle at freezer temps while still being solid enough at 90-95F.

I don't know how much I'll experiment with this but thought I'd put all my efforts here.

I only tried this because the ingredients were here locally and my curiosity won.

[rich pierce]

Grease holes in buttstocks suggest the grease they used was pretty stiff. That aside, many things will work to help seat the ball more easily. I think that is a major original purpose of patch lubes.

[Hungry Horse]

 I found beef tallow a non-starter when it comes to patch lube. I have found it usable for bullet grease on mini’s but even then it tends to want to harden and come off in cold weather. Bear grease, mutton tallow, venison tallow, and I would suppose sheep tallow would be my go to lube for patches. When a patch is saturated with hot tallow and left to cool down and dry a bit it becomes my favorite bullet patch. No other ingredients needed just melted tallow on a good tightly woven piece of cotton, or better yet linen, and you can shoot all day without swabbing.

Hungry Horse

[recurve]

try mutton tallow (does not spoil like beef)
neats oil (not the boot silicone)

whatever you use make sure it's salt free (lard sometimes has salt added)

[HighUintas]

I found beef tallow a non-starter when it comes to patch lube. I have found it usable for bullet grease on mini’s but even then it tends to want to harden and come off in cold weather. Bear grease, mutton tallow, venison tallow, and I would suppose sheep tallow would be my go to lube for patches. When a patch is saturated with hot tallow and left to cool down and dry a bit it becomes my favorite bullet patch. No other ingredients needed just melted tallow on a good tightly woven piece of cotton, or better yet linen, and you can shoot all day without swabbing.

Hungry Horse

I soaked some of the 5% neatsfoot blend into a patch and put it in the freezer... It's still very flexible and not crumbly. It might work! We will find out at some point

[HighUintas]

The 5/95 mix is much too loose at room temp. Very sloppy. I don't think I'd want to use it on a regular basis.

So, I made a couple mixes.

Neatsfoot/tallow/beeswax
50/30/20
60/25/15

I am excited to try them. The consistency feels great and melt point is good. Maybe around 95 it gets really soft and spreadable.

[HighUintas]

The 5/95 mix is much too loose at room temp. Very sloppy. I don't think I'd want to use it on a regular basis.

So, I made a couple mixes.

Neatsfoot/tallow/beeswax
50/30/20
60/25/15

I am excited to try them. The consistency feels great and melt point is good. Maybe around 95 it gets really soft and spreadable.

Darn. Now I after making these mixes I see a good number of reports of beeswax making a hard crusty ring at the bottom. I guess we'll see what happens with these and hopefully I don't need to toss them or dilute out the wax.

Experimenting is fun though

[Daryl]

Beeswax is a stiffened for bullet lubes. It has been for over 150 years. It is not actually a lubricant, but a stiffened for the liquid lubes so the lube stays in the grooves of the bullet.

[HighUintas]

Beeswax is a stiffened for bullet lubes. It has been for over 150 years. It is not actually a lubricant, but a stiffened for the liquid lubes so the lube stays in the grooves of the bullet.

Yup. I was only using it for a stiffener or to keep the mix more solid at warm temperatures. I figured the generous amount of neatsfoot would make up for the lack of lubrication from beeswax, but hadn't realized that it can cause  a crusty fouling ring issue.

[Daryl]

I fail to see a need to "stiffen" a liquid lube. Why?
I've actually been using a chronograph since 1976 (Oehler model 12) and have never observed anything but consistently even velocities from my MLS, whether when using spit or an oil lube or a grease like bear grease ot Tracks mink oil.
Today, I have 3 chronograph, just to check their accuracy.

[HighUintas]

I fail to see a need to "stiffen" a liquid lube. Why?
I've actually been using a chronograph since 1976 (Oehler model 12) and have never observed anything but consistently even velocities from my MLS, whether when using spit or an oil lube or a grease like bear grease ot Tracks mink oil.
Today, I have 3 chronograph, just to check their accuracy.

Because my mixture of 95/5 tallow/neatsfoot was liquid at 90F.

[HighUintas]

I took some of the 40/30/30 mix I had, since I decided I wasn't going to use it, and blended it down to 65/28/7, neatsfoot/tallow/wax. It is sitting outside in 90-93F and the consistency is almost exactly like Vaseline but maybe a little thinner. It doesn't have any liquid apparent so that is good.

Hopefully I get to try it this weekend. I think it will be a winner as long as the wax doesn't cause fouling problems.

[Daryl]

I prefer liquid lubes, whether it's hot or cold.
Liquid lubes penetrate the patch evenly so every patch is identical.
When I used mink oil,  I melted it and dipped stacks of patches in it then squeezed out the excess from the stack, back into the tin. Thus, all patches were identical.
Consistency, though art a jewel. THIS is vital to good shooting. IMHO, if not using at least a .020" patch (compressed measurement) with a .010" undersized ball, you will not have an accurate load. If needing to wipe the bore at any time during a day's shooting (aside from long delays between groups) the patches are too thin or balls too small.
Here in Northern B.C. we use .005" undersized (under bore dia)balls and .021" or even thicker patches. No one here needs to wipe their bores at any time while shooting during the day, whether it's only 25 shots, or over 100.
Muzzle crown "shape & condition" are vitally important to being able to shoot a combination that seals the black powder flame and pressure behind it. That allows unlimited shooting without any accuracy change. The bore's condition never changes.

[Jakob]

I had bought some of the Fiebings Neatsfoot Oil for leather work and figured I'd give it a shot (hah!) yesterday. On the 3rd shot, the ball become significantly harder to load and I returned to my 'old' mix of dawn, water and cutting oil and had no issues for the rest of the session.

[recurve]

100 % neats oil or silicone added?

[MuskratMike]

It had to be a neatsfoot compound. I use the 100% pure on everything from .32 to .58 and don't experience any hard loading. I seldom if ever wipe between shots either.

[smylee grouch]

In the ,60s people told me " use Crisco " and I did. Later some one told me " rendered Deer tallow " and I liked that better. Some time in the ,70s a buddy gave me some Bear Lard and that rendered oil has been my favorite when not using Teflon.

[HighUintas]

I tried my 65/28/7, neatsfoot/tallow/wax blend and it works well. It is very similar to frontiers bear lube in loading behavior and the same POI as far as I can tell. The consistency is very similar as well but mine is more of a Vaseline texture when in the 90s in comparison to the frontiers. I think I like it. I may see if I can work the wax % down further to below 5%. However, I think it might be a winner as is.

[Birddog6]

I think this is gonna turn out to be a "My Dog's better than Your Dog" saga. 
This never has & never will end, as there are way too many variable's in the
equation.
State, temp outside Summer & then Winter. Bore, load, patch, powder, ball size,
swab or not to swab,  works good with this patch material but not that one, & likes
small bores but not big bores, works in Canada but not in Tx, it never ends.

Can you imagine how much $ has been spent trying to come up with a good grease
or lube to satisfy fellers ? 

Can't even get Spit Lube the same because some spit more than others   

[whetrock]

Can't even get Spit Lube the same because some spit more than others   

 

[bluenoser]

  Been using spit lube for as long as I can remember and had a bummer of an experience on a woods walk last winter.  Short started the ball and, for the life of me, could not get it to move with the ramrod.  Luckily, my short starter is indeed SHORT.  Borrowed a friends longer short starter to get things moving (with difficulty) and finished the loading and firing sequence.  Conclusion - the wet patch froze to the barrel wall.  Guess I will have to start using bear grease on cold winter days, as I do when hunting.  Over the hill and still learning.

[Birddog6]

Naaaaaaa....  Just take a flask of olive oil with ya, take a swig of that, then patch in the mouth 
 
Call it  Bluenose Olive Oil Spit Lube     

[bluenoser]

  Think I might have to decline that one.
If I wasn't shooting, I might consider something with a little alcohol on it

[Daryl]

For winter trail walks, we've used -35 to -40 winter windshield washer fluid with a bit of Neetsfoot Oil (not compound)added.
As when making up the jug or container of "lube",  since the quart or liter or gallon may out-last the winter, the added oil slows the evaporation during the heat of summer.
About 2 ounces of oil per quart of WWWF.
The oil also adds a bit of lubricate to the concoction.
It's cheap and by the sound of things, might last many guys years.
Before adding to the precuts or strip of cloth, shake well then lube the patches.