Coal Oil??

[TANSTAAFL]

Ditto on the live stock rub, we did the same for dogs with the mange.

I can recall when for us kids the normal treatment for sore throat and the croup was coal oil (AKA kerosene) poured over a spoon full of sugar and down the hatch. We all survived fine, today they would freak out over such.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Six of one, half dozen of the other. Once applied, a name is just a name for another that is similar, as in, Monkey Wrench, Jeep, Coke, Crescent Wrench, Channel Locks, etc, etc, etc ad nauseum.

 

[Birddog6]

Kerosene was first refined from coal by Atlantic Canada's Abraham Gesner in 1846. Before that they used whale oil.

There are allot of discrepencies over Coal Oil or Kerosene. From what I have read & understand, it was developed by the Canadian guy in 1846 or so, but they fought over the name (legally) for about 10 years before they actually Named it.... However, actual Production of Kerosene to where it could be shipped all over the USA & affordable to do so, is a entirely dif. thing........

Allot of things were discovered hundreds of year ago, but getting them to where anyone can actually have access to it & afford the stuff, that is a entirely dif matter.

IMHO, if you told your gun builder you were gonna soak your ramrod in Kerosene in 1875, he would most likely ask ya what her Real name is & where she lives ! :rotf: :rotf:

 

[rebel727]

IMHO, if you told your gun builder you were gonna soak your ramrod in Kerosene in 1875, he would most likely ask ya what her Real name is & where she lives ! :rotf: :rotf:

Mebbeso. I wasn't around that far back and don't know anyone that was but the practice has still been around a long time.
:v

 

[rebel727]

Birddog6 if ya don't wanna take my word for it at least take the time and do a google search on soaking ramrods in kerosene and see what ya come up with.

 

[Birddog6]

Birddog6 if ya don't wanna take my word for it at least take the time and do a google search on soaking ramrods in kerosene and see what ya come up with.

Oh I already did that, have previously done so several times & did it again just for you...... Came up with several he said, she said, they said, grampa said... and it should work & it may work & yadda yadda yadda....... nothing of any documentation of any historical findings of anyone actually doing it or proving that it does actually have significant value at all......

What it boils down to is, if ya want ta soak it, do it... it is cheap & easy. This had been discussed over & over on every forum I think...

Does it need it ? Who knows......

IMHO, no, I don't think it is worth the time. But that is just me.... It is a wood ramrod, make a good one with straight grain from hickory & use it as it is supposed to be used & most likely it will outlast your lifetime......

I did try it about ? 1980 or 81. not really sure the year now, but I could see no difference as I seldome break one. I know every time they sat in the sun they would smell like kerosene & they would not stail or take a finish.

I have been shooting ML's for bout 35 years & have owned dozens of ML rifles. Of all of them I have owned I have broken 2 rods......... The first one was broken in 1978 while loading my 5th minnieball & it broke at the grain runout & I was rammin the H out of a minnie trying to get it down. WAY more rammin than any rod should be asked of.....
The last one I broke was in 1999 & it was a tapered rod that broke at the end where some hammerhead cut a ring around the rod with his knife to mark the load. (Not a good idea, by the way...) But of all of them I have used, the only two I have broken had flaws in them, either naturally or man made.

So personally after successfully using dozens of good straight grained rods that were treated correctly & not soaked, I really cannot see a reason for soaking one. But there again maybe I have been just plain lucky. I shoot 3000+ balls a year so my luck should be running out, don't ya think ?

But if that is what trips yer trigger, soak away ! :bow:

Hey, maybe that is why it took so long for the coal oil & kerosene to get distributed ? back in 1855 or so all the ML guys were buying up all the coal oil to soak their ramrods in ??

 

[rebel727]

Hey, maybe that is why it took so long for the coal oil & kerosene to get distributed ? back in 1855 or so all the ML guys were buying up all the coal oil to soak their ramrods in ??

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

 

[dlemaster]

Birddog6
You are absoultely right about motor oil. Our family was still plowing with horses until 1946 and they only had one automobile so they didn't have enough used oil for the hogs, but what they did have they used.
Maybe its just me but it sure seems like Americans were a pretty resourceful people before WW2, not that there wasn't any waste but I just think folks generally got more mileage out of what they did have than now.
Anyway I'm not sure what to think about oiling ramrods some people claim it works and others say all you get is a smelly ramrod. I've never soaked one in oil, just a couple of coats of boiled linseed oil.

Regards, Dave

 

[Claude Mathis]

Now think about it.......

Coal Oil or Kerosene was discovered in ? 1855 or so, but it was not really in Mass production til late 1800's or early 1900's, and then not affordable to the regular guy......

Correct. We've had this discussion before and the history of kerosene has been posted before, with the same results. When it was developed (invented) hasn't changed.

I think Mr. Turners referrence in the Dixie Catalog to the "Ol Timers", should have stated "Ol Timers from the 1950's" !!

I think this is a common occurrence. Someone you admire says something and it becomes gospel. You pass it on as being "fact", and before you know it, a tradition is born.

It's kind of like playing "telephone". It gets passed on without anyone questioning it's validity. Never mind that the product didn't even exist.

But, some old-timey practices just sound too good to not be true. We'd rather believe the "legend" than ruin a good story with research. :winking:

 

[TN.Frank]

I've been using dowels from the hardware store for years as ramrods without any problems at all. Of course I run a "loose" patch and ball combo by most peoples standards, swab between shots and rub on lots of lindseed oil into the ramrod wood. My current ramrods for my 40 cal poorboy are popular, not the best wood but they're working fine so far. You just have to make sure you look the dowels over real close before you buy em'. Check the grain for runouts and the rod for straightness. JMHO, YMMV.