transmission fluid as a prepared patch lube?

[Whiterabbit]

Hello,

I'm running out of my tester patches (TC pre-lubed patches) and will need to go solo. I'll be using .010 pillow ticking as soon as I find some, and will need to lube it. If this were my cheap inline, i'd just do something simple like case lube (it really does work, I'm amazed) but want to keep things a little nicer for the traditional.

I've been told to use ATF as a patch lube. Soak the ticking in it, let it dry completely, use it.

Works fine? reasonable dry patch lube? should I look for a certain kind if ATF? synthetic? non synthetic? avoid like the plague?

again, ill stick anything down the bore of my inline and give it a shot, but I want to keep my traditional nice. For the next 50 years.

[Coffeecup]

Tried it, had no luck with it. YMMV, of course.

My thought was that whale oil was a good patch lube, and since whale oil was used in early ATFs, then ATF might be worth a shot as a patch lube. I ran into fouling problems early on and gave up on that idea.

I did try jojoba oil as a lube; it is supposed to have similar long-chain wax molecules (or some such). It worked well, and if I had a convenient local source I might use it more. Supply being a factor, I mostly use neatsfoot oil (not neatsfoot oil compound). Ran out of that this year, so I've been using olive oil until I remember to pick up more neatsfoot oil. I should probably just give up and stick with olive oil, since I keep it on hand for cooking anyhow.

[waksupi]

Get some water soluble oil, or Ballistol. Mix about one part of the slickum, to 7-10 parts water. Moose Milk!

[Shooter]

I use olive oil. I have also lightly sauted patches in Crisco. Both work well.

[Whiterabbit]

olive oil and cristco would remain greasy, wouldnt it? not really "dry"? or do they?

as for moosemilk, you let it dry on the patch then go for it? if so, why so much water? I currently swab as needed with moosemilk. (ballistol)

[Mike Brooks]

Spit works, cheap too.

[Whiterabbit]

looking for dry lube. cut ticking into strips, soak, let dry, then take to the range, short start the round ball, and cut the patch with a patchknife.

I think spit is the wrong product for this application.

I don't know if ballistol is the right product either, is it? if so, why so much water?
I worry that olive oil or cristco is the wrong product. does it stay greasy?

[Coffeecup]

Olive oil doesn't dry out (at least, not in any reasonable period of time). Neither will ATF.

While I played with them a bit, I never got into "dry" patching. The current load I'm using in my .54 is a .538" ball, .017" patch lubed with olive oil, on top of a healthy charge of FFg. I've never seen a dry patch that would work with that ball diameter and patch thickness.

[Whiterabbit]

scratch using ATF then.

I'm using pre-cut .010 TC patches right now, thin cloth (not ticking). That source is drying up so its time to make my own. I just want to duplicate what they did once I get my fabric, really. Their patches are not greasy. So oilve oil and ATF aren't the answer, then does anyone know what TC uses on their pre lubed patches?

[Shooter]

I don't know if you will find a dry lube. A spit patch is dry 'till you load it. Dirty greasy is kind of of a buckskinner thing.
have been disapointed with Ballistol.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I think you would be happier with a animal fat and bees wax , like 3 parts venison tallow 1 part bees wax you can put a stack of patches in a snuff can and pour some in hot from mixing

venison tallow has a fairly high melting temp so it is a solid at room temp at 95 degrees the mix gets soft but still not runny

and it works great on cracked hands

I have also heard of olive oil and bees wax but it gets softer sooner and needs more bees was like 1 to 1

doesn't TC use some variation of bore butter like soak patches in hot bore butter then wring them out

[GMW]

I think you would be happier with a animal fat and bees wax , like 3 parts venison tallow 1 part bees wax you can put a stack of patches in a snuff can and pour some in hot from mixing

venison tallow has a fairly high melting temp so it is a solid at room temp at 95 degrees the mix gets soft but still not runny

and it works great on cracked hands

I have also heard of olive oil and bees wax but it gets softer sooner and needs more bees was like 1 to 1

doesn't TC use some variation of bore butter like soak patches in hot bore butter then wring them out

I agree with the animal fat and beeswax. I use rendered bear fat mixed with beeswax. Many of my patches, .018 pillow ticking or .015 blue denim can be used twice if you are in a match and didn't bring enough patches along.

[10 ga]

Deer tallow and bees wax. If ya can't find deer tallow get some mutton or lamb fat and render into tallow. The mutton and deer tallow stay solid at higher temps than beef tallow. I pre cut all my patches and loob what I'll need before a range or hunting trip. 10 ga

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

the deer this year all had a very heavy layer of fat so when i was skinning them i filled a gallon zip lock bag with good size chunks of fat it is in the freezer when i get to rendering it down i should make a quart or so of tallow


but , i believe dixi sells mutton tallow already rendered if they don't any more October country sells bumbling boar grease that is bear tallow and bees wax and is what gave me the idea to try the venison

[Boerrancher]

I have got to go with the animal fat bees wax combo. I use bear fat and bees wax myself when I am not using a spit patch. Never could get a dry patch to work, as after a couple shots the guns I tried it in became too difficult to load. I never have that issue with grease and spit patches. Nothing like walking down the firing line with a 2ft strip of pillow ticking hanging out of your mouth so you can keep shooting.

Best wishes,

Joe

[Mike Brooks]

You probably don't need any lube at all if you wipe between shots. Greasy lubes are used to keep fowling soft so you can shoot multiple shots. I use several lubes. Deer tallow and bear oil, and the yellow 'wonder lube" products. I can shoot all day with out cleaning when i use these lubes.

[nekshot]

I soak patches in crisco-olive oil and stack them in a medicine bottle for a couple months and they get dry but still do the lube deal for loading . Some of the concoction falls out of cloth patch when handling but never stopped me from loading. Using these cured patches I would not be hesitant to leave the gun loaded forever if I was forced to do that.

[John Taylor]

I'm not a hunter anymore and I don't shoot competition anymore. When I was into a lot of shooting I used Hoppe's black powder solvent as a patch lube. Used a cap tin and filled it with patches and Hoppe's and ran the patches wet. Wiped the bore with each shot that way, did not have to clean the bore all day.

[rhbrink]

I have a friend that says that he uses Johnson Paste Wax for a patch lube and has used it for years. I have shot and tried a lot of stuff over the years and have never heard of JPW as a patch lube. So after reading all the above I got out my new can of JPW and rubbed some on both sides of some pillow ticking and let dry over night. It was washed ticking and after drying it has become a bit stiffer and dry but with a waxy feeling. As soon as the weather becomes decent at least more enjoyable I'm going to give it a try. Might work might not one way to find out.

RB

[iron brigade]

Get some water soluble oil, or Ballistol. Mix about one part of the slickum, to 7-10 parts water. Moose Milk!

this works! when i shoot my cap n ball revolvers i use this method for my over powder wads. soak 'em and let dry. pistol will shoot 1" groups. i also tested it with BP rifles and shot many one hole groups. thanks to Dutch schoultz

[Fly]

Well now you know whats best.Everyone has there faverite.I have tryed most of the above & all has worked
very well.But let me add another, my favorite.Mink oil.You can get a can at Tandey leather or TOTW.

My two cents Fly

[Rattus58]

Spit works, cheap too.Spit works when you're going to shoot the shot and then I'm not convinced after the first shot. Again as was once said to me, some of us will just accept whatever accuracy we get, and some of us want more. There are also times when we shoot just because we love to shoot.

I'll use anything that lets me shoot, but soluable oil gives you the opportunity to shoot well. The various "formulations" gives you oil to water from really slick to almost dry. Your gun has a lot to do with what you need. I have a barrel from Invest Arms, for example, that requires very little in the way of oil with its chrome barrel and what I found interesting was in that case (58 caliber) the more oil I used the slower the bullet was going.... seemed counter-intuitive... but that is what it was.

A few hours on the range by yourself, a can of powder and a pencil and paper really can pay dividends for accuracy, but again, is 3" or 4" good enough.... for many shooters yup... but keep in mind, a muzzleloader is no less accurate than the most accurate centerfire... generically, and consistency in loading sequence is crucial to achieve that accuracy and with a round ball, along with the powder, pressure on the powder, the patch (assuming a well dropped ball) is the catch.

The forgoing is an opinion of the the three of us sitting at this computer after having been awakened this sunday morning by three dogs upset that some stray sat outside their window preening itself while they beat themselves against the bars.... so take it for what its worth....