MOOSE MILK???

[ONEYEDIK]

im new here....dumb question???????how is it made whats in it..... also what is moose snot?????

 

[jimeckersley]

The only dumb question is one that isn't asked. Sometimes we see dumb answers, never dumb questions.

Moose Milk is a name given to a solution of water soluble machine oil or Ballistol and water. For a patch lube the mix is usually 1 part oil to 7 parts water. This mix can also be used for wiping between shots and for cleaning the bore after shooting.

Some people prefer a “dry patch” system in which patches or strips of patching material are soaked in the solution. After drying completely, a uniformly distributed amount of oil remains.

 

[Matt B]

I found it using the search feature. I downloaded it to my PDA so I wouldn't loose it. I'll try and paste the recipe. This is not my recipe but another poster on the forum. My recipe is a little different.

Moose snot

A premium multi-shot between wiping (10+) patch lube stable over a wide temperature range.
SPECIFICALLY designed for use of patched round balls in a loading block

Beeswax 2 oz.
Castor Oil 8 oz.
Murphy's Oil Soap 1 oz.


Heat beeswax in a soup can set a pot of water. ( A double-boiler. I keep my beeswax in a one pound coffee can and measure out what I need by melting it and pouring it into measuring cups). Add just enough water to the pot so that the inner can does not begin to float (should be just short of the lube level in the can). Heat the water to a low boil. In a separate can, add the castor oil and Murphy's oil soap (cold). Once the beeswax is melted, swap the castor oil can in the pot of water for the beeswax. Add the beeswax to the oils. It will clump up. Stir with an ice tea spoon as the mixture heats up. When it fully melts there will often be a scum that floats to the top and just won't mix in. Be patient. DO NOT COOK THE MIXTURE. Once the solids are dissolved there is no need to heat further. Skim the scum off. Remove the mix from the heat and wipe the water off the outside (so it won't drip into the container when you pour it out). FINAL TOP SECRET STEP: Add a generous teaspoon of Murphy's Oil Soap and stir vigorously. This last step makes the lube frothy, smooth and more smearable - really adds to the appearance; though it doesn't seem to matter to the function of the lube. Clamp the can in the jaws of a vice-grip pliers and pour into the waiting tins. Allow to cool a half hour.

Note: it if is a hinged tin - line the edge that has the hinges with a strip of aluminum foil so it doesn't ooze out before it cools.

Moose milk

A general purpose blackpowder solvent and liquid patch lube. Shake well before using. Can be allowed to dry on dipped patching for a dry lube dry flat on waxed paper & dip twice for best saturation). Add ingredients in the following order and shake well after each is added.

Isopropyl Alcohol (91%) 8 oz.
Castor Oil 3 oz.
Murphys Oil Soap 1 oz.
Witch Hazel 4 oz.
Water (non-chlorinated) 16 oz.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

This is the moose milk recipe I use for swabing the barrel between shots and then for making up my dry-lubed patches, from "Mama FLinter", see her site here.

Ingredients:
* NAPA water soluble cutting oil (if your local NAPA store doesn't have it in stock, the part# is 765-1526 for 1 pint)
* Murphy's oil soap
* Empty 1-liter water bottle
* Water
* Rubbing alcohol (optional)

Instructions:
Fill water bottle 1/2-full with WARM water. Add 2 ounces each of the NAPA water soluble oil and the Murphy's oil soap. Shake well and watch it turn white. This means it is mixed. Once mixed it won't unmix. Fill bottle up with water.

If you live in or hunt in an area that has alot of sub-zero temperatues, you can replace the water with rubbing alcohol to prevent it from freezing.

This is a fine lube for patches and keeps fouling soft.

FYI - I lubed up a whole bunch of patches last winter that I use as my dry patches for winter shooting and I store them in ziplok bags (not PC :shocked2: ). But ... I'm still shooting some up this winter and I have never had a patch breakdown, as some proclaim the oil can do to a patch. I have shot the same patch up to 7 times in a 50cal over 70grs of triple-F powder.

Works WELL for me :thumbsup: !

 

[ONEYEDIK]

THANKS .......ILL HAVE TO BREW SOME UP

 

[davy]

im new here....dumb question???????how is it made whats in it..... also what is moose snot?????

Heres what it looks like when mixed and put in a handy container. :thumbsup:

Davy

 

[Stumpkiller]

Moose milk is a generic term for any of dozens of homemade brews for a blackpowder solvent and patch lube.

The Moose Snot is something I came up with that is a thicker, wax/grease style lube specifically for use in ball blocks.

You own saliva works almost as well as anything, and tap water is an excellent blackpowder solvent, so how hard can it be to find a suitable lube or solvent? :haha:

Some say they ain't authentic. Until I see the evidence of olive groves in Connecticut I guess the castor oil is as likely as olive oil was in the Colonies. It was available as a medicinal ~ right on up from the time of the Greeks, and the Romans brought it to England before the Dark Ages. The castor plant WAS introduced to the Americas in the 16th century. It was also the preferred lamp oil before whale oil became common.

And soft soap, like Murphy's, has been around longer than bar soap. Bar soap is soft soap with salt added.

 

[jimeckersley]

What's the purpose of the Murphy's Oil Soap? I've not used it in my moose milk. Have you mixed this solution with and without the Murphy's?

 

[Swampman]

Olive oil was used by gunsmiths in Williamsburg, and imported in large quanities by the English and French. You will see it listed as "sweet oil" on trade list. It's normally listed near the flints and firearm related materials.

 

[Stumpkiller]

What's the purpose of the Murphy's Oil Soap? I've not used it in my moose milk. Have you mixed this solution with and without the Murphy's?

It's a vegetable oil and a detergent. Detergents encapsulate fouling, and also act as a surficant so the water and alcohol smear better, carrying the oils evenly anyd preventing them from beading on the bare metal. When the alcohol and water evaporate the oil is left as a film.

Tried without and with Joy as a different detergent. Seemed to work best for me with the Murphy's.

Do a search on "+Lube +Wars" for some of the rust and fouling prevention tests I ran.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Olive oil was used by gunsmiths in Williamsburg, and imported in large quanities by the English and French. You will see it listed as "sweet oil" on trade list. It's normally listed near the flints and firearm related materials.

I'd heard olive oil called "Sweet Oil". Also the oils of almond, orange extract, fennel and marjoram all called "Sweet Oils". I've seen barrels of nails listed next to firearms and salt pork in manifests. Only circumstantial and not proof that they nailed salt pork to firearms in use. I have no doubt olive oil was used. But doubt it was the only oil or grease used. I'm more inclined to believe lard, bear oil or any rendered animal fat was more commonly used. Folks that could hardly afford candles probably didn't buy a lube ingredient when natural products were on hand. I tried that, too, but it goes rancid at the rate I produce and consume it.

 

[Swampman]

If properly rendered, it will last for 30-40 years without going rancid. I read the will/testement of a Williamsburg gunsmith that included 6 gallons of "sweet oil."

 

[musketshooter]

Every "moose milk" recipet is different depending how that person fared in 8th grade chemistry. I think most persons have a repressed gene that dictates that they experiment with chemicals. ML shooters manifest that gene the most. :hmm:

 

[mike alexandre]

Talking of colonies and lubes, I understand that coconut oil was used mixed with beeswax in Madras by the East India company. Ever tried it?

 

[AZ-Robert]

I'd heard olive oil called "Sweet Oil". Also the oils of almond, orange extract, fennel and marjoram all called "Sweet Oils".

... and sesame seed oil (called benne by the colonists). The British promoted sesame cultivation hoping to end their dependence on imported olive oil.

 

[Slake]

I'm new here too, We use what we call moose juice it is made from Murphey's and windsheild solvent, we put it in a small water bottle with a pull up nipple on it so you can control how much comes out at once

 

[PAlongrifle]

When I made my first batch of moose milk, I remember one poster saying that he double-dips his patches. Dip them once in the moose milk, let them dry overnight, then dip them again. Works much better this way!