Patch Lube...I know, its been talked about a lot.

[WVAED]

I am looking to make some patch lube. I have seen the moose milk with Murphys Oil Soap. Some people aren't crazy about putting Murphys in their rifles. I have never used it but some may have some experience with it. I am thinking of the following ingredients:

Windshield Washer Fluid (Winter type).
Mineral Oil or Castor Oil
91% Isopropyl Alcohol.

Also this seems like it would be a good brew for cleaning as well. What do you all think? Any suggestions on these ingredients?

 

[Stumpkiller]

I guess the windshield washer fluid is mostly water with alcohol or methanol and ethylene glycol. Don't see any advantage to adding glycol to a firearm.

 

[Eddie2002]

I have been using a dab of Bore Butter in the middle of the patch. Occasional the patch gets a little spit on it also. Been able to shoot about 45 shots with my .50 caliber Hawken without swabbing the bore and picked up a sixth place at a 100 yds free hand shoot last month so I would think the Bore Butter works for me. Haven't tried to make a soft lube for PRBs yet but just about anything that keeps the fouling soft is supposed to work.
I've made a hard lube olive oil/bees wax mix for my .58 caliber with minnie balls which is a totally different animal than PRB's.

 

[bang]

Wax and veggie oil melted together.
For sealing revolvers mix to consitancy that is thick but sticky.
For patches melt some and dip stacks of patches and press slightly to wring out.

 

[WVAED]

I guess the windshield washer fluid is mostly water with alcohol or methanol and ethylene glycol. Don't see any advantage to adding glycol to a firearm.

You got me to thinking about why someone would use WWF in a patch lube. After some more research, I believe the anti-freeze capability of the ethylene glycol is what makes it effective for a winter time patch lube. Although, the alcohol would do the same thing, i guess. Also there must be some cleaning value to the WWF? I'm not sold on it, just trying to work up some patch lube. Thanks for the good thoughts.

 

[Rattus58]

I am looking to make some patch lube. I have seen the moose milk with Murphys Oil Soap. Some people aren't crazy about putting Murphys in their rifles. I have never used it but some may have some experience with it. I am thinking of the following ingredients:

Windshield Washer Fluid (Winter type).
Mineral Oil or Castor Oil
91% Isopropyl Alcohol.

Also this seems like it would be a good brew for cleaning as well. What do you all think? Any suggestions on these ingredients?

So did you actually just start another thread on this... hahaha... I use a Dutch Shoultz method of patch lube which is Ballistol or water soluble cutting oil (for me more available than Ballistol) in ratio's of around 7:1 water to oil on average and let them evaporate out. I experimented to see what worked best for my needed accuracy and different guns require different...

I prefer this but it doesn't last so when I make them, they are generally for a couple of days shooting or a week maybe... you could possibly melt Crisco or even use your mineral oil mixture/solution in varying ratios or 50/50 even and see if the alcohol evaporates out and leaves you with a usable slickness... and now you brought it up... I'm actually going to try this... with both vegetable and Crisco and mix with alcohol... heet, but the way is a good source of almost 100% isopropyl alcohol.

 

[Black Hand]

You got me to thinking about why someone would use WWF in a patch lube. After some more research, I believe the anti-freeze capability of the ethylene glycol is what makes it effective for a winter time patch lube. Although, the alcohol would do the same thing, i guess. Also there must be some cleaning value to the WWF? I'm not sold on it, just trying to work up some patch lube. Thanks for the good thoughts.

WWF or anything else made in a chemical factory is unnecessary.
Clean with water (with an occasional drop of dish soap) and lube with olive oil, lard, tallow or grease. It really IS that simple....

 

[Carbon 6]

Spit, My #1 favorite lube, Beeswax/olive oil mix comes in at #2 .

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I use SPG with my BP cartridge guns and it works great. I recall something about its recipe involving the bees wax and transmission fluid. The viscosity seems a bit stiff for use as patch lube but perhaps it could be adjusted and made softer in a "home brew"...?

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

The thing about these magical concoctions with almost any and every type of chemical or oil you can think of is that almost everyone has their own special recipe, with so many parts of this and so many parts of that, and of course it’s the best concoction in the world, but ask anybody if they can prove why or prove what each chemical actually does, or how they came about that particular formula, and you’ll get blank stares.

It’s all a bunch of nonsense and modern snake oil BS.

 

[WVAED]

Spit, My #1 favorite lube, Beeswax/olive oil mix comes in at #2 .

I made up some bee wax / crisco 50 /50 mix for bullet lube. Is that about what you would use for patches on your #2 option?

 

[Juice Jaws]

The thing about these magical concoctions with almost any and every type of chemical or oil you can think of is that almost everyone has their own special recipe, with so many parts of this and so many parts of that, and of course it’s the best concoction in the world, but ask anybody if they can prove why or prove what each chemical actually does, or how they came about that particular formula, and you’ll get blank stares.

It’s all a bunch of nonsense and modern snake oil BS.

Very well said. And it also shows how forgiving these ML arms are. Almost any lube will work and all you have to do is believe in it. I get a kick out of some guys who have to know how much of this and how much of that, and does it help to mix it after midnight. If you believe it will work.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I get a kick out of some guys who have to know how much of this and how much of that, and does it help to mix it after midnight.

But...only in the light of a full moon...

 

[Rattus58]

The thing about these magical concoctions with almost any and every type of chemical or oil you can think of is that almost everyone has their own special recipe, with so many parts of this and so many parts of that, and of course it’s the best concoction in the world, but ask anybody if they can prove why or prove what each chemical actually does, or how they came about that particular formula, and you’ll get blank stares.

It’s all a bunch of nonsense and modern snake oil BS.

Well that may well be true, but somethings really don't need explanation do they... for example, mixing oil with alcohol... we know that they will mix in solution, the question is, will the oil remain when the alcohol is/has evaporated... Something I'm actually going to find out today... water soluble machine cutting oil... we know that this mixes in solution with water... and the water evaporates leaving a residue... we know this... in fact, I learned that from a gentleman who possibly is a member of this forum, Dutch Shoultz… Crisco... we know what that does to a patch, the question is, does it do better wiped on on soaked on... as we also know what Crisco/lard//beeswax does too... moosemilk… ballistol, cutting oil, Murphy's oil soap... we know what each ingredient does with that too... so tho you may get blank stares, it may not be because they don't know what the ingredient does, but because they might be thinking why is it maybe you don't...

 

[Rattus58]

I made up some bee wax / crisco 50 /50 mix for bullet lube. Is that about what you would use for patches on your #2 option?

 

[Carbon 6]

I made up some bee wax / crisco 50 /50 mix for bullet lube. Is that about what you would use for patches on your #2 option?

You could, but at that ratio it's probably going to be pretty stiff. The nice thing about using a lube with beeswax is that you can always re-melt and re-adjust the consistency to your liking.
I use different lubes for different reasons. I don't think there is one lube that does it all.

 

[WVAED]

A friend of mine just uses water as his patch lube. Of course that wouldn't be ideal for hunting but would be good for range shooting, about like spit.

 

[Juice Jaws]

But...only in the light of a full moon...

You are right I forgot that very importment part.

 

[Carbon 6]

A friend of mine just uses water as his patch lube. Of course that wouldn't be ideal for hunting but would be good for range shooting, about like spit.

Now you know why I have a #1 and a #2, each has a preferred use.

 

[bang]

Waz and veggie oil melted to desired consistency works on al bp needs. No evaporation of either. Stays pliable in all temps. Mix up a quart and it last for years. No degrade over time. In right mix can be used in baking syringe to seal cylinders on revolvers. Inexpensive to make.