Lanolin……..did the originals use it?

[kens]

Lanolin,,,did the olde timers use it?
I heard of old time loadings with balls patched with beef tallow, bear tallow, various other greases, but did the old timers use lanolin?
Im just wondering?

[JSnover]

The ancient Greeks used it for a few different things, so it certainly has been around long enough. Commercial extraction/production started in the late 1800s.

[dromia]

A lot of what was was used then was down to availability and what was to hand.

[rfd]

yes, they surely did - sheep/mutton tallow, along with other kinds of animal fat and veggie lubes. i use mutton tallow for ml patching and as an ingredient in bpcr bullet lubing, and get it from dixie gun works. good stuff!

[Tatume]

Lanolin and tallow are chemically different. Tallow is animal fat, and lanolin is more of a soft wax produced by glands in the skin of sheep.

[GoexBlackhorn]

Yes, some did use it.

[kens]

Lanolin and tallow are chemically different. Tallow is animal fat, and lanolin is more of a soft wax produced by glands in the skin of sheep.

I was wondering about that exactly. I heard that lanolin is a base ingredient in Lee case lube, and ingredient in hand lotion. I got some lanolin at the pharmacy and it is indeed good case lube.
I just wondering if the old timers were tuned in to lanolin back in muzzle loading days. Maybe it was a good machine shop lube back then as well??

[OverMax]

If anyone is interested in a pure lanolin purchase. Randy Rat sells it on this site. a Trusted vendor whom I've done business with.

Since you asked. I suspect back in the day for those who raised sheep used their lanolin for/on their milking cows teats. What lanolin wasn't used was probably marketed. Those pioneer folks who own little other than the clothes on their backs simply spit patched their balls. I'm pretty sure not everyone was privy to having a patching lube in their Possibles bag. Lead__ on the other hand was indeed the most prized commodity.

[country gent]

Lanolin has been used for many years as a swaging lube, high pressure lube and where lubes had to maintain a consistant lube film. While they may not have known what it was they new the substance and what it did. As a bullet or patch lube lanolin only needs a small percentage in a base or carrier to do what is needed.

[kens]

Muzzle loaders do not require any sort of high tech lube, beef tallow, lard, or any other grease is very well good enough.
I just recently realized that lanolin is a base in case lube, and as such, a very high quality lube.
I was wondering if the pioneers knew of the quality of the lube that was lanolin.