What is Moosemilk

[Smokey Plainsman]

Ballistic oil? Guess that’s what the ballistic missile manufacturers use. Got to love auto correct.

Ballistic oil, or as the Germans call it, Der Ballistol, is a water-soluble all purpose cleaning oil that excels in the black powders.

 

[Carbon 6]

Der Ballistol, is a water-soluble

Are you sure about that ?

 

[SDSmlf]

Ballistic oil, or as the Germans call it, Der Ballistol, is a water-soluble all purpose cleaning oil that excels in the black powders.

Tongue in cheek comment. Knew you meant Ballistol, which emulsifies in water. Was just commenting on the auto correct to ballistic.

 

[Carbon 6]

Ballistol, which emulsifies in water.

Ah, you are correct, but Ballistol is an emulsion, adding water just dilutes the emulsion. It is not water soluble.

 

[shorthair]

I've used it for years water soluble machinists oil and water 1 to 4.

 

[toot]

it is a rely chore to get a GIRL MOOSE too stand still while you pull her TI$S!!

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Prior to Ballistol being available in my area, in the 1990's I was taught the M.A.P. recipe for Moose Milk, (Murphy's, Alcohol, Peroxide) and it was a cleaning for black powder muskets that had been shooting blanks all day.

Later, when the stuff appeared after 2000, I started using the Ballistol product, and saw how it went milky when mixed with water. This stuff I was taught to use in a mixture with water and patches, and then allow the patches to dry, as a form of lube on the patches. I also found out folks used other stuff like cutting oils for the same thing.

Ballistol was adopted by the German Army in 1905 for use on their rifles... which was 17 years after the German army switched to smokeless powder. So maybe the stuff was available to civilians before that and they used it on black powder cartridge guns and muzzle loaders ???

LD

 

[William A Harland]

14 oz water, 2 oz Ballistol, 1 oz Murphy's Oil Soap. Some put slightly different amounts of Ballistol or Murphy's in the 16 oz batch. No harsh chemicals, safe to handle, destroys BP fouling!

Thank You

 

[William A Harland]

1/3 Ballistol
1/3 Murphys Oil soap
1/3 Isopropyl alcohol
i use it for patch lube and cleaning. works great for both.

Thank You

 

[William A Harland]

thompson center 1000 plus..you can make your own also water soluble oil and distilled water.add some murphys oil..hydro peroxide

Thank You

 

[William A Harland]

Thank You

Thank You

Prior to Ballistol being available in my area, in the 1990's I was taught the M.A.P. recipe for Moose Milk, (Murphy's, Alcohol, Peroxide) and it was a cleaning for black powder muskets that had been shooting blanks all day.

Later, when the stuff appeared after 2000, I started using the Ballistol product, and saw how it went milky when mixed with water. This stuff I was taught to use in a mixture with water and patches, and then allow the patches to dry, as a form of lube on the patches. I also found out folks used other stuff like cutting oils for the same thing.

Ballistol was adopted by the German Army in 1905 for use on their rifles... which was 17 years after the German army switched to smokeless powder. So maybe the stuff was available to civilians before that and they used it on black powder cartridge guns and muzzle loaders ???

LD

Thank You

 

[William A Harland]

Prior to Ballistol being available in my area, in the 1990's I was taught the M.A.P. recipe for Moose Milk, (Murphy's, Alcohol, Peroxide) and it was a cleaning for black powder muskets that had been shooting blanks all day.

Later, when the stuff appeared after 2000, I started using the Ballistol product, and saw how it went milky when mixed with water. This stuff I was taught to use in a mixture with water and patches, and then allow the patches to dry, as a form of lube on the patches. I also found out folks used other stuff like cutting oils for the same thing.

Ballistol was adopted by the German Army in 1905 for use on their rifles... which was 17 years after the German army switched to smokeless powder. So maybe the stuff was available to civilians before that and they used it on black powder cartridge guns and muzzle loaders ???

LD

Thank You

1/3 Ballistol
1/3 Murphys Oil soap
1/3 Isopropyl alcohol
i use it for patch lube and cleaning. works great for both.

Thank You

 

[hunter thompson]

Thank You

very welcome hope it works

 

[toot]

it it the same thing as a solution called MOOSE SNOT? if not how do you make MOOSE SNOT?

 

[Grenadier1758]

Well @toot, there are similarities between Stumpy's Moose Milk and Stumpy's Moose Snot, the major difference is addition of bee's wax and removal of the alcohol and water.

A simple search located Stumpy's recipe from 2005.

Ask, and you'll get a lot of grumblin . . .

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.

I do think Stumpy's Moose milk is overly complex, but it works. A mix of water soluble oils and water provide a milky emulsion. Almost all ratios will work fine as a patch lubricant. I still use the old formula of NAPA cutting oil (1 part) and water (7 parts). That's all that is needed for a good patch lube.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Can't disagree. Spit works just as well. But does it over-winter in your ball-block. ;-)

 

[Stumpkiller]

it it the same thing as a solution called MOOSE SNOT? if not how do you make MOOSE SNOT?

Here are the basics.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/stumpkillers-lube-recipes.26771/

 

[toot]

thanks' to all of you guys that came back to me with an explanation on the difference between MOOSE MILK & MOOSE SNOT.

 

[N.Y. Yankee]

Moose Milk is just so much nicer for a name. Moose Snot is crude and disgusting. I'd never name anything "snot". Except snot.

 

[Zonie]

A number of years ago, I renamed Stumpkillers patch lube to "Moose Juice", on the forum.

I did this because there are a lot of Moose Milk formulas, most of them requiring machine coolant oil instead of castor oil.
Caster oil has long been used in model airplane engine fuel as a lubricant and it is an excellent protection against rust. (Hanging above me in my room are two model airplanes that haven't flown for 35 years and there isn't a speck of rust on their steel engine parts.)
Machine coolant oils and the water they are mixed into are primarily used to provide cooling and lubrication for the cutting tools and is usually just a short term protection against rust.