Wax Question?

[Motor]

Has anyone ever used Carbowax to make boolit lube?

This is a white wax used by drilling rigs. As with many industrial things there is quite a bit of left over when the tank is "empty".

Before I go through the trouble of finding out all the details to having the stuff I would like to know if it is worth it.

Motor

[btroj]

Carbowax is a trade name for polyethylene glycol. Not sure how well it mixes with oils. It is pretty water soluble and most of what we use isn't. I haven't tried any but it was discussed at some point, I think.

What molecular weight are you talking?

Gear? Run? Anyone?

[geargnasher]

That's Run's dept. He knows PEG and MCC or whatever it was that he said will put you on the shower floor the instant water hits it if you got dusted with it during the day.

Gear

[btroj]

PEG isn't what he walking talking about, least I doubt it. I have used it for making suppositories. It is also the primary ingredient in the various bowel preps for colonoscopies. Look at Miralax, PEG 3350.

[geargnasher]

Is that the lemon-flavored barf in the gallon jugs?

We use PEG to keep engine blocks from cracking when it gets below freezing. Useful stuff.

Gear

[btroj]

That is the stuff! I love the brand name Golytely. Ain't no lightly about it.

And what do you know about freezing engine blocks? You park in freezer by accident?

Gear, when I think of Texas in the summer I feel like this..

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/sleep/being-tired.gif (http://www.sherv.net/)

[geargnasher]

When I think of NE in the winter I feel like this:

http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/no/fat-white-cat-shaking-no-smiley-emoticon.gif (http://www.sherv.net/)

[btroj]

Well done. You got it figured out.

I did try some PEG decades ago as a lube on Minies in a rifled musket. It didn't work out so well.

Good thing is that they come in huge range of melt points. Bad thing is the water solubility. I would worry about hygroscopic residue and potential for rust.

[geargnasher]

Well, I couldn't let you keep "neenering" me forever, now could I? http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/embarrassed/embarrassed.gif (http://www.sherv.net/)



Seriously though, thanks for the nudges, I learned something. Now WHERE is Run??? There are some things a pharmacist and mechanic just don't know.

Gear

[btroj]

He is probably off somewhere pumping stuff into the ground.

He does get some good knowledge from work. Weird stuff too.

[geargnasher]

Let's hope so, he's on the endangered species list these days. I even started driving my 8MPG truck again as a show of support.

Gear

[btroj]

Yep, there is a very real downside to the low gas prices. Sorta different when it is someone you know.

If you ever decide to try this stuff I can order it at work pretty easily. It does have the advantage of being about as safe as anything we have used.

[Motor]

Guys IIRC, it is PEG 600. Yes I believe I saw glycol polyerhylene on one of the containers.

It does seem to have a low melting point.

Motor

[btroj]

PEG 600 would be a liquid at room temp.

http://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDOWCOM/dh_0887/0901b80380887904.pdf?filepath=polyglycols/pdfs/noreg/118-01800.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc

[Motor]

PEG 600 would be a liquid at room temp.

http://msdssearch.dow.com/PublishedLiteratureDOWCOM/dh_0887/0901b80380887904.pdf?filepath=polyglycols/pdfs/noreg/118-01800.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc

I was going to say that I think it would be (liquid at room temp) in my last post. LOL

You guys surly know your Stuff. !!!! :)

Motor

[btroj]

Sadly, yes. PEG is something I'm familiar with as a pharmacist. Gear has different knowledge as a wrench jockey. Run works the oil fields on a fracking unit.

Totally different knowledge bases but they give us a wide range of info.

[Motor]

OK. I'll wait until the thread runs its corse but it seems so far that as a base for boolit lube its a no go. Is this correct?

Motor

[btroj]

Most likely yes. Run is the guy who has, I think, messed with something like this.

[geargnasher]

Run was messing with some sort of acid-resistant PEG-based block lubricant, valve packing grease in J-stick form or something. We thought it might have some advantages in that it didn't really have a melt point back when we were going the non-melt route in lube development. In the process of modifying it for bullet lube he discovered, as I recall, that it did have a flash point.

Gear

[geargnasher]

I was going to say that I think it would be (liquid at room temp) in my last post. LOL

You guys surly know your Stuff. !!!! :)

Motor

Yeah, lots of stuff that's kinda difficult to work into a conversation at office cocktail parties, or anywhere, really.

Gear

[btroj]

Ah, the 3 am barefoot run into the snow. That was the stuff? Interesting.

I sure wish he had a video camera some days.