Deer Tallow Patch Lube?

[Old Sarge]

Does anybody use deer tallow for patch lube? I saved some from a deer that my friend got with a bow. How do you render or purify it for use? I know somebody here uses it!

 

[rice1817]

Deer fat is a lot like beef fat in that it is hard when at room temperature. Don't expect a crisco or oil like consistency from it...more waxy than anything else.

The way I do it is to fill a coffee can about half full of water and set it on the grill. I bring it to a boil then add the deer fat. This melts the fat, and also dissolves any salts that are still in the fat. After all is melted, I remove the can to let it cool. When cool you can either leave it outside or put it in the fridge. The fat will congeal and rise to the top, the water, salts, and other impurities will settle to the bottom. Punch a hole in the tallow to drain the water out, then remove the tallow ring from the can. There will be a brown gritty substance stuck to the bottom of the tallow. Scrape this off and you are left with pure tallow. You can repeat the process if you want but I don't find it necessary.

I then remelt the tallow rings and pour it into an old muffin tin to make cakes for long term storage.

I use my to treat and waterproof leather. You can use it as a summer patch lube, but around here in the winter it is a little too hard for that unless you cut it with olive oil or the like.

 

[Old Sarge]

Thank you very much. I'll give it a try. I was wondering about the salt content...Don't need another way to rust up my bore. Again thanks. By the way, I'm from Armstrong County PA..Howdy neighbor! :hatsoff:

 

[Bountyhunter]

I render mine in a large dutch oven. I also put in about half a pot of water and then fill with back fat. I find the backfat to be more solid. Internal fat is more oily. I just bring it up to a simmer and put the lid on to keep the water from evaporating, and let it go till it has melted out all the fat. There will be a bunch of greasy cracklins in the bottom. I just pour off the liquid in the dutch oven in a can and let it cool. I skim the tallow off after it has set up and then remelt it over water twice. Each time the water gets somewhat gunky and the tallow gets whiter and firmer.

I mix the tallow with beeswax for lube.

 

[BrownBear]

By itself, the tallow is definitely too hard for patch lube.

I've been sperimenting with it in mixes and really like the results so far. Half and half with olive oil produces a paste that resembles soft vaseline at room temp, but turns back to oil almost instantly with the touch of your hand. Really does well on patches though. I keep the prelubed patches in my contemporary patch box (Copenhagen can) and all is rosy. Could just as well carry dry patches while keeping the lube in a container.

Next on the list to try is two parts tallow to one part olive oil. I'm guessing it will be a little stiffer than my current brew, making it just a little less messy to handle and store. Don't know how it will be in cold weather though. Could be I'll end up with the current mix for cold, and the new one for warm.

In the interest of using local products, I'm going to sub seal oil for the olive oil next time I get my hands on some. Aint gonna smell purdy, but I bet it will work.

 

[jim_mountainman]

what part of armstrong county are ya from i two bears lived there logensport pa

 

[Bountyhunter]

Ooooops, I forgot to mention that I add some Olive Oil to soften it up. The tallow and wax gets stiffer than all get out if you dont.

 

[buttonbuck]

so what ratio will work so it is like bore butter and another ratio like a patch lube. I tried rendering a pot of just fat from butchering a couple of deer including a really fat doe. I poured it over bird seed and made some really hard suet cakes only the woodpecker would eat. So in the pot goes 1part water to one part fat, skim the good when cool and give the cracklins to the chickens.

 

[gmww]

Here is the post I did on my attempt to render deer tallow. Pictures included. :thumbsup:
Deer Tallow Rendering.

 

[Runner]

Boil fat. Cool. Break out the hardened material. Scrape gooey nasty gelatinous mess off the bottom/water side of the cake. New water and do it again. Do it three times and the resulting rendered tallow should be very white and should not sour.

 

[Old Sarge]

Thanks a million for all the tips and advice. I always enjoy one more way to use another portion of my deer harvest. I figure I will get enough tallow lube for quite some time. Today I will try to see if I can get the same results you all did. Again...Thanks!

 

[Old Sarge]

I live between Kittanning and Slatelick off of "Old Freeport Road". Other side of the Alleghenny from where you were. If you get back this way, look me up. We'll head to Ford City Sportsmans Club to "make smoke".

 

[gmww]

Your welcome. I found it to be time consuming but very satisfying to do. The final product is quite hard at room temp. I haven't mixed it yet but I'm going to do the 50/50 mix with olive oil and another experiment using coconut oil.

The coconut oil has a melting temp. of 74 degrees. I'm hoping it will keep the lube solid but also easy to use. :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

I just mixed up a batch of 2:1. Texture at room temperature is somewhere between moose snot and bore butter bullet lube (the harder stuff in the tub, rather than the soft stuff in a tube).

The interesting thing is what happens when you touch it. Body temp softens it almost instantly, making it really easy to smear on a patch, and it kind of soaks into the patch rather than sitting on top of it.

I gotta shoot the stuff today to make sure, but here's my guess: It may be a little too hard for application to patches in cold weather, while too soft for hot weather. Kind of an all around fall/early winter lube.

The 1:1 mix is soft as vaseline at room temp, but stiffer in cold weather. It will probably be my cold winter lube.

I wouldn't use either one on a hot summer day. It will be interesting to see if a 3:1 mix would work in hot weather, but it's a long ways till summer when I'll need to test that.

I'll try to remember to post back after shooting today.

 

[gmww]

I'll be looking forward to read about your results. I have a line on Bear fat this next season. I'm thinking I may end up with a whole lot of bear fat to render down. I'll need to bug the wife about making room in the freezer.

 

[BrownBear]

Finally got out and tested my two batches of deer tallow/olive oil lube (1:1 and 2:1, tallow to olive oil).

Lots to think about now, as usual. :surrender:

I was shooting .530 Hornady swaged balls and 90 grains of Pyrodex P out of my GPR 54 at 50 yards.

First off, both were really different for seating down the bore than with Bore Butter or its kin. It wasn't smooth pushing the rod down, rather I kinda had to do it in "jerks." Can't figure out why, but I sure miss that smooth push I usually can use.

You don't even want to get this stuff on your ramrod! Talk about making that sucker slick!!!!

After 20 rounds, there was absolutely no buildup of a crud ring in the bore, plenty to build one up in my experience. I've always blamed the crud ring on the Pyrodex, but now I'm going to blame the Wonder Lube in combo with the Pyrodex.

The 2:1 mix was put on dry patching cut at the muzzle, while I had prelubed some patches with the 1:1 since it was so much softer and messy to work with. The 2:1 is pretty stiff to the touch, but turns soft almost instantly when you touch it.

For whatever reason the 2:1 landed right where I had the gun sighted in with the same charge and .015 commercial prelubes. The 1:1 hit an inch or two lower, meanwhile giving me a bigger group. That 2:1 group is also about what I expect with commercial prelubes in size, as well as location. I'm not claiming I didn't wiggle the sights and open the group with the 1:1, but along with the change in POI, I kinda wonder what's going on. More shooting required, I guess. Isn't that why we love muzzleloading, anyway?

I've also included photos of the patches. One of the 1:1 patches is flipped for the photo, the kind of thing you only notice when you get home.

Don't know what to think about that one torn patch in the 1:1 set. Maybe indicating that the patch just gets softer sitting around saturated with lube for a couple of weeks. In spite of the mess I need to try lubing a dry patch at the muzzle.

Anyone have any ideas or inspirations?

Here's the photos:

This is the target.

Here's the 1:1 prelube.

Here's the 2:1 prelubes.

 

[gmww]

Thanks for the update. I'm wondering if the 2:1 even in cold weather melts and lubes as it slides down and when fired back up the barrel. Looks like it has the best promise thus far.

Just to clarify the 2:1 is 2 parts tallow 1 part olive oil?

 

[BrownBear]

I'm with you. I forgot to say in my post, but it was 34 degrees while I was shooting, calm air but fairly humid. I'm surprised that the mix wasn't any stiffer than it was at room temp. Come to think of it, that soft 1:1 didn't stiffen up either.

If the weather holds, I'll be shooting more tomorrow with Smokehouseman. He's going to try some of the 2:1 on his conicals.

 

[BrownBear]

Just reread your post GMMW, and yeah, the 2:1 is two parts tallow to one part olive oil.

I spoon the hard tallow into a clear dish, guessing how much is there, then melt it in the microwave. Then I eyeball how deep it is and add the right amount of olive oil and stir. Nothing scientific or precise. Beats cleaning up measuring cups and spoons.

BTW- If you know anybody that chews Copenhagen, Skoll or whatever, snag their empty cans. Cleaned up, those little suckers are perfect for stowing patches or lube.

 

[gmww]

Another container that's great is the musket cap tins. About the same size as a chew tin. :thumbsup: