Emmert's Improved Lube
This is an organic non petroleum lube for use with Black Powder or smokeless.
This recipe is from a post on the Castboolits forum, posted by Hip's Ax:
“I've had better luck with my Emmert's with lanolin than I have with SPG.
The original Buck Emmert's lube is modified with the addition of anhydrous lanolin, it is still simple and easy to make”.
Formula by % & Ingredients by weight, use a digital kitchen scale
Beeswax - 50% 567.50 grams weighed on a kitchen digital scale
Crisco shortening - 40% 454.00 grams (unsalted variety an entire 1 lb. brick)
Olive oil - 5% 56.75 grams (Next time use Jojoba oil or no oil & increase the lanolin)
Anhydrous lanolin + 5% +56.75 grams
100% 1135.00 grams total weight of lube made (1.135 kg).
The gram quantities verified by mathematics:
50% of 1135g = 567.5g 40% of 1135g = 454g 5% of 1135g = 56.75g
Heat double boiler fashion and use a digital thermometer, immerse the probe to monitor melting temperatures.
High temp will scorch the lube ingredients which will ruin the lube for its intended purpose.
Use as little heat as you can to melt the ingredients in the double boiler.
Stir continuously until ingredients are well blended.
- Heat the Olive oil to 145 °F
- Add the Crisco in small pieces.
- Add the beeswax last, it melts about 144 °F to 147 °F (it scorches and discolours at 185°F)
Turn off the heat and let the mix cool down. Lanolin melts at ~100 °F and scorches at 150 °F.
- Add the lanolin when the temp has dropped below 145 °F
Pour hot liquid lube into the 1”x4” stick mold or soak patches. This quantity of lube made ~24 sticks.
Lanolin is a high temp, high pressure lube, it's very sticky which helps the lube to stick to the bullet and keeps the fouling softer than the SPG.
This Lanolin improved version of Emmerts lube also makes it better for pan lubing bullets.
This lube looks, feels, smells like SPG.
(It is rumoured that SPG may contain mutton fat, a mealy fat that is probably the cheapest to buy).
Next time I make this lube I’ll add a tsp. of pure carnauba wax and use Jojoba oil instead of EVOO.
Jojoba oil is a higher temperature vegetable seed oil.