Patch lube?

[Stumpkiller]

:winking:

I have use Natural Lube 1000 and Lehigh Lube in the past. Both are excellent (though the "new" Lehigh lube isn't what the old was for rust protection IMHO). Both are also too messy for pre-lubing and carrying in ball blocks, which is my primary method anymore for hunting and any informal shooting or shoots that don't require loading "from the bag".

That's where these come from:

Stumpy's Moose Milk

A general purpose blackpowder solvent and liquid patch lube. Shake well before using

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

I dip my patching in this twice and let it dry between. Makes a semi-dry patch material that's easy to carry & use. If you don't mind carrying a little bottle it's a GREAT liquid lube as is.


Stumpy's 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 so 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 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 teaspoon of Murphy's Oil Soap and stir vigorously. This last step makes the lube frothy and smooth - 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.

 

[flaming canvas]

Well, there are such things as water soluble oils, like water pump oil that you dump in the radiator.


I clean with hot water and dish soap, and I mean steaming hot. The barrel gets hot enough to be unpleasant to hold. Dry patch till they come out clean and then use a moisture displacing oil like Rust Prevent from shooters choice.

I used to use some stuff that came in a camouflage can that I can't remember the name of, but it would foul the charge if I left the first shot in the barrel for an hour or so like when I was hunting.

 

[Swampman]

Hot soapy water is corrosive, and makes a barrel rust. Plain tepid water works great. Over cleaning ruins more guns, than neglect. We don't need all kinds of witch's brews to shoot these guns. Bear oil and water worked great for those who shot them 150+ years ago.

Olive oil works as well as anything.

If you must brew something up, 1/3 each bee's wax, olive oil, and lard is hard to beat.

I have some commerical lube that a friend gave me. You can smell the olive oil in it.

I'm thinking about making up little bottles of windshield washer fluid and olive oil to sell for $5.00 a piece. I'll call it "Grumpy's Super Slick Snake Snot and Screen Door Lube." The grocery store is your friend. :winking:

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Well I don't think we really know how well bear oil and water worked 150 years ago. I sure can't recall ever examining a 150 year old gun with a bright shinny bore, unless it had just been rebored in recent times.
I think any cleaning product with ammonia or peroxide is just asking for rust and I can't see any need for them. Water desolves all the powder residue and a bit of soap will remove the grease and oil of patch lube, where heat also helps.
I very much doubt that any guns have been damaged by "over-cleaning". Nearly every used muzzleloader bore I have examined has shown pitting to some degree and I don't believe that was the result of excessive cleaning.
For a couple of years I trusted Bore Butter for the final rust preventive in a couple of rifles but found that the dry patch I ran before shooting would come out with red streaks. I now rely on CLP Breakfree for the final oiling of the bore and have no more rust. Not saying CLP is the only answer or even the best but it works.
I like doing things the old time way. I use spit for my patch lube 99%, and deer tallow for hunting. But I do belive there are modern products which are better rust preventives than any animal or vegetable product.

 

Hot soapy water is corrosive, and makes a barrel rust. Plain tepid water works great.

I did not realize that changing the tenperature of water would modify its P-H balance!!

All those chemistry classes and they never told me about that!!! I'm very disipointed!

They did tell me that changing the temperature of water would speed its evaporation rate, shortening the time it has to cause oxidation of the metal it contacts.

I wish someone had told my drill sgt. in boot that you could get a gun too clean. He just did not grasp that concept! :rotf: :rotf:

 

[roundball]

Hot soapy water is corrosive, and makes a barrel rust. Plain tepid water works great.

I did not realize that changing the tenperature of water would modify its P-H balance!!

All those chemistry classes and they never told me about that!!! I'm very disipointed!

They did tell me that changing the temperature of water would speed its evaporation rate, shortening the time it has to cause oxidation of the metal it contacts.

I wish someone had told my drill sgt. in boot that you could get a gun too clean. He just did not grasp that concept! :rotf: :rotf:

Amazing...I've been cleaning 10-15 muzzleloaders for 15+ years with nothing but steaming hot soapy[url] water...in[/url] fact, I plunge the breech end in a tall bucket that's got at least 2 feet of 140 degree water in it and let it sit there for 20-30 minutes while I completely clean & lube the tang & lock...then I clean the barrel, rinse it with clean hot water, get it bone dry, plaster it heavily with NL1000...all bores are still in showroom condition today.

It really hardly matters what products are used as long as the basic steps are completed:
100% cleaned
100% dried
100% lubed

If #1 or #2 are less than 100%, doesn't matter what lube is used, something is going to start forming under the lube.

Conversely, if #1 and #2 are done 100%, any lube will do as long as it stays in place on the surfaces on the bore to insulate it from the air.

IMO, this is a weakness when using bore butter...we're all so accustomed to "running a lubed patch" up & down the bore of a .30-30 or a .12ga, our first thoughts are to do the same thing when running a store bought NL1000 lube patch made for that purpose.

But, also IMO, the problem is that those patches have nowhere near enough lube on them and cannot "plaster" lube over every square inch of the bore...the manufacturers should do a better job of explaining that to people.

For me, I spread more bore butter on a big lube patch like putting peanut butter on a slice of bread...repeat that 2-3 times until I'm convinced every square inch of bore surface is gobbed with bore butter, then I know it can't rust...and they don't.

 

[musketman]

Hot soapy water is corrosive, and makes a barrel rust. Plain tepid water works great.

Amazing...I've been cleaning 10-15 muzzleloaders for 15+ years with nothing but steaming hot soapy water...

Not all water is the same, some have more minerals in it, other water is chlorinated, well water is different than city water, this could be why sone would have a rust problem with plain water while others do not... :hmm:

 

[roundball]

Could be...but I understood the point to be hot & soapy vs. plain & tepid water...source of water assumed to be the same since there was no mention of it

 

[Toomuch_36]

Plant oils attract water? So much for the old adage: "Oil and water don't mix". :winking:

I didn't say the oil and water mixed, what I said was, the moisture was attracted by the plant oil and trapped beneath it.

Toomuch
..............
Shoot Flint