Liquid Wonder Lube - Initial Testing

[BrownBear]

I'm kinda wondering what's left (and how it works) if you lube a patch and let it lay around long enough to dry out, along the lines of the various
"juice" and others that are allowed to dry before use.

 

[roundball]

Roundball, Thanks for taking the time to do this. Could you take a saturated patch and stick it in the freezer, maybe laying on a piece of scrap steel? I would be interested in its characteristics and reaction to sub-freezing temperatures, thanks.
Robby

Yes, I'll do that...and I'll also leave a saturated patch out in the open for a few days to see what happens to it as well.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Can you ship me your rifle so I can check the post-shot fouling myself?

I promise to return it cleaned . . . eventually. :grin:

 

[roundball]

Can you ship me your rifle so I can check the post-shot fouling myself?
I promise to return it cleaned . . . eventually. :grin:

That's the nice thing about some fellow muzzloading enthusiasts...volunteering like this to personally shoulder some workload just to help another guy out with his testing

 

[roundball]

OK...here's what I've done:

1) Saturated 4 Oxyoke .60-.69cal dry pillow ticking patches;
(and there's no question that the smell is exactly the same as a fresh bag of Wonder Lube precut/prelubed patches, or Natural Lube out of a tube).

2) Laid 2 patches flat on a plastic ziploc bag on a shelf in the attached garage...hottest it gets in their is 79-80 degrees...and will let them lay for a few days, eyeballing them daily as I walk past that shelf.
NOTE: I'll be surprised if there's any 'quick' change as though something evaporates from the patch...this stuff doesn't strike me as though it has anything in it that will evaporate...but it may eventually dry out over time...we'll see.

3) Cleaned off the bottom of a metal tuna can with Acetone, and laid 2 patches on the can's bottom...set it on a shelf in the freezer...after explainng to the Chief-of-Staff what I was doing.
Tomorrow I'll see if they've frozen/stuck to the metal, and/or if the patches themselves have frozen, gotten stiff, brittle, etc.

 

[roundball]

One hour update:

2) Laid 2 patches flat on a plastic ziploc bag on a shelf in the attached garage...hottest it gets in their is 79-80 degrees.

Decided to check the patches after the first full hour...no change at all...still visibly wet.

3) Cleaned off the bottom of a metal tuna can with Acetone, and laid 2 patches on the can's bottom...set it on a shelf in the freezer

After one hour in the freezer, no change at all...also still visibly wet, soft/ not stiff, and carefully lifting a tiny edge with a scribe, no sticking at all.

 

[playfarmers]

I used to use it and liked it. I have since switched to Hopps 9+ and like it better. I find clean up is quicker at the end of the day. I think trying new lubes, patches, powders or whatever is a good thing. It gets us shooting more.

 

[roundball]

THREE hour update:

2) Laid 2 patches flat on a plastic ziploc bag on a shelf in the attached garage...hottest it gets in their is 79-80 degrees.

AFTER THREE HOURS, no change at all...still visibly wet.

3) Cleaned off the bottom of a metal tuna can with Acetone, and laid 2 patches on the can's bottom...set it on a shelf in the freezer

INTERESTING...AFTER THREE HOURS IN THE FREEZER...no change at all...also still visibly wet, soft/ not stiff, and carefully lifting a tiny edge with a scribe again, no sticking at all.

 

[roundball]

I used to use it and liked it. I have since switched to Hopps 9+ and like it better. I find clean up is quicker at the end of the day. I think trying new lubes, patches, powders or whatever is a good thing. It gets us shooting more.

Do you recall the timeframe...I'd never seen any references to Liquid Wonder Lube before I stumbled an AD recently...curious how long its been available

 

[Macon Due]

Roundball
You are quite the 'Mad Scientist'.....HaHaHa.
We do appreciate the tests and reports though. Be nice to know what else works incase we couldn't get Hoppes for some reason.
Macon

 

[roundball]

SEVEN hour update:

2) Laid 2 patches flat on a plastic ziploc bag on a shelf in the attached garage...hottest it gets in their is 79-80 degrees.

AFTER SEVEN HOURS, no change at all...still visibly wet.

3) Cleaned off the bottom of a metal tuna can with Acetone, and laid 2 patches on the can's bottom...set it on a shelf in the freezer

AFTER SEVEN HOURS IN THE FREEZER...no change at all...also still visibly wet, soft/ not stiff, and carefully lifting a tiny edge with a scribe again, no sticking at all.

I guess this Liquid Wonder Lube would do the trick if you were out hunting in sub-freezing temps for hours on end.
[/quote]

 

[roundball]

SIXTEEN hour update:

Laid 2 patches flat on a plastic ziploc bag on a shelf in the attached garage...hottest it gets in their is 79-80 degrees.

AFTER SIXTEEN HOURS, no change at all...still visibly wet.

Cleaned off the bottom of a metal tuna can with Acetone, and laid 2 patches on the can's bottom...set it on a shelf in the freezer

AFTER SIXTEEN HOURS IN THE FREEZER
Still soft/ not stiff, no sticking to the metal can.


Very interesting for you real cold weather hunters. This concludes the test.

 

[Robby]

Thanks Roundball, for both tests. I think I'll give it a try, I'm always looking for another cold weather patch lube, not that I'm unhappy with Mink oil, I just like to know other things are out there. Another test I would be interested in would be, how much of the lube would be absorbed by the powder after a given period of time, say a day or two. I'm not sure how that would be done, maybe with a glass test tube(?) :idunno: Thanks again, as always, this is good information.
Robby

 

[roundball]

As much as I love Hoppes, I've never tried it for hunting as I'm skeptical about any wet lube on powder. Fortunately here in NC, I don't have temperature extremes that prevent me from using good old Oxyoke patches prelubed with bore butter.
I guess if I was going to try Hoppes or this Liquid Wonder Lube for hunting, I'd consider an Oxyoke wad over powder...

 

[BrownBear]

I guess if I was going to try Hoppes or this Liquid Wonder Lube for hunting, I'd consider an Oxyoke wad over powder...

I like your test procedure, and wonder if you've tried it with other lubes like the Hoppes. Lotsa useful insights.

 

[roundball]

"...wonder if you've tried it with other lubes like the Hoppes..."

Sure haven't... not living up at the "North Pole" like you do I don't have much incentive to 'test things in a freezer'
:grin:

 

[Larry Pletcher]

My complements on your work. I always appreciate an unbiased report supported by evidence, in this case your regular observation. You and I should live closer together.

Regards,
Pletch

 

[BrownBear]

Sure haven't... not living up at the "North Pole" like you do I don't have much incentive to 'test things in a freezer'
:grin:

Heck, if I lived any further north I'd try it myself! Around here it's more like living in a shower stall at 120 inches of rain a year and seldom as much as a foot of snow on the ground. I thoroughly soak the outside of my guns every year, but I get kinda twitchy about putting moisture inside. :grin:

 

[roundball]

I know I'd recently mentioned the tests were concluded, but forgot to take them out of the freezer last night....saw them this morning so I checked them and STILL found no change after FORTY HOURS !!

TEST 1:
Laid 2 patches flat on a plastic ziploc bag on a shelf in the attached garage...hottest it gets in their is 79-80 degrees.

AFTER FORTY HOURS, no change at all...still wet.

TEST 2:
Cleaned off the bottom of a metal tuna can with Acetone, and laid 2 patches on the can's bottom...set it on a shelf in the freezer

AFTER FORTY HOURS IN THE FREEZER
Still soft/ not stiff, not sticking to the metal can.

Kind of impressive...

 

[GreyWhiskers]

I guess if I was going to try Hoppes or this Liquid Wonder Lube for hunting, I'd consider an Oxyoke wad over powder...

Does Hoppes contain water?