What lube are you making?

[archeryrob]

Not new to Blackpowder shooting but new to making my own bullets and want to make lube for my Real's.

I read a bit on here and made a small batch of Emmert's lube. 113 grams bees wax 50%, 88 grams Crisco 40% and 22 grams canola oil 10%. It made enough to fill half a little tub of an empty butter container. It all looked good making it, it was a PITA trying to get it out of the Tupperware container. It also has the consistency of half frozen butter. It seems a bit stiff for me for even pan lubing and is it supposed to be this hard? I was figuring after using bore butter it would be stiffer but spreadable somewhat. Its not any kind of spreadable. I just got that darn, did somethign wrong or don't understand what I am doing thoughts. :???:

After cleaning that Tupperware dish I was thinking any pan I use is probably going to make my life easier if that is all the pan is used for. I don't shoot all the time, mainly practice late summer to be good for winter hunting. So a pan with lube all over it is not going to get used much after I make 300 bullets.

Should I have used a different recipe?
What are lube sticks and do you rub them in the groove like a chap stick?
Suggestions this rookie should learn to do?

[rfd]

GATOFEO LUBE
******************

by weight ...

1 part mutton tallow (dixie gun works)
1 part canning wax (gulf)
1/2 part beeswax

increasing the amount of the waxes will make it harder, but at the above ratios that i prefer it's soft enuf to take a chunk of it a rub it into the REAL grooves, or any bullet grooves for that matter. it's my fave lube for everything from bpcr bullets to muzzleloader patch material (rubbed on and then heat gun melted into the fabric).

[Outpost75]

Emmerts is great. If it seems a bit stiff to pan lube in your climate, increase the canola oil again by half.

[toallmy]

I use Emmerts 50/50 with a little olive oil in a lot of hand guns ran through a lube sizer , you can ( dip lube ) with it as well as pan lube .

[Good Cheer]

My version is LOOB... Lanolin, olive oil, beeswax.
The beeswax tries to separate out in cooling so a cookie sheet is pretty good for pouring up the melted stuff.

[archeryrob]

I made another batch in a small cast iron pan and melted the first batch back into it. In a larger cast iron pan I laid the 76 bullets I cast and poured the lube over them. It cooled off rather quickly and I think I should have had the pan on low to heat the bullets some. I made a punch from 1/2" CPVC and used it to punch them out of the lube. I made them while having a beer, or two, before diner and let them cool during diner. I punched a few out congealed and warm and they punched better than cold. The cake tended to crack or sometimes pull from the grooves. Anyone have any opinions on punching them cold vs. warm? They seem to work much better warm for me.

The lube worked when pan lubing, its just not going to be like bore butter as I have bought form the store.

[Omnivore]

I've been mixing up GF1 (Gatofeo #1) and it's been working nicely for keeping the fouling soft in percussion revolvers. It has no liquid components and I like that idea for those loads that have lube in contact with the powder, for carrying loaded for a length of time. The mutton tallow is known for its ability to store for long periods without going rancid. Otherwise any tallow would probably be just as good. I have a bunch of deer tallow in the freezer, for such time as I ever get around to using it. The deer tallow can run harder than the mutton I got from Track. I've used it in the past, mixed with BW and OO, but since I tried GF1 I've been using it almost exclusively in the revolvers.

Any of the previously mentioned recipes will work fine though. Experiment. Mix for the weather as needed.

For a muzzleloading rifle I've so far just used the pre-lubed patches, but when it comes to it I'll melt some of my GF1, or maybe something a little softer, and soak the cloth, in batches.

I got some SPG recently (a commercial black powder lube, widely used in BPCR) both in bricks and in the hollow tube for lube-sizers, but I haven't had time to do much with it.

[jjarrell]

I mix my patch lube by getting a 7oz. tub of Angelus Mink Oil. Turning it upside down 3 times, or sideways which ever you prefer. I scratch my left hand twice. Stick it in my possibles bag and choot um!

Seriously though, it works better than any lube I've used. Bar none. Have a great weekend my friends :-)

[tomme boy]

Mink oil works good for a patch lube not for a conical

[rodwha]

I, too, use Gatofeo's #1 lube for most everything including REALs. After soaking wads I poured the remainder into a soap mold. I cut those into 6 chunks and hand lube my boolits. It's a bit tedious when you have a bunch and it warms a bit and becomes tacky in your fingers. I've been considering trying pan lubing them next time just to see.

[rfd]

love the gato feo! dip lubing is faster and no muss or fuss and can be done with any bullet or even ball.

[mooman76]

I make spit.

[Edward]

I just dip the real in a coffee can of melted lube and set it on a paper plate to cool and call it done!

[waarp8nt]

I make 50/50 beeswax and Crisco, it does get stiff in the coldest of Illinois weather.

[rodwha]

Are you really using spit as a conical lube mooman???

[mooman76]

Are you really using spit as a conical lube mooman???

No, I was just going by the title. I don't shoot conicals much but been using BB when I do.

[BlackPowderBen]

I've been using a 2:1 mix of Lambs tallow/Beeswax. Recently used a 50/50 Lard/Beeswax for lubing wads, and it was a little to soft during a warm (ish) day, but works fine when it's cold though

[swathdiver]

In 1855 the US Army specified a conical lube as 3 Parts Mutton Tallow and 1 Parts Beeswax. Fairly soft and good for pan lubing.

In 1861 the US Army specified a conical lube as 1 Parts Mutton Tallow and 8 Parts Beeswax. Very Hard and probably done to conserve Tallow.

For Greasing over the chambers of a sixgun, lubing a patch or hand lubing your conicals, 6 Parts Mutton Tallow and 1 Parts Beeswax and 2 Parts Olive Oil works great.

Bore Butter can foul a charge if you leave it in too long and depending on how you used it. I prefer to use Bore Butter for lubrication and cleaning and use the others for the boolits. Bore Butter's recipe is 1 Parts Beeswax and 5 Parts Olive Oil.

I have found that Goya brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil works great in these recipes, does not cause them to turn blue, nor has it gone rancid after 4 years.

[swamp]

I have used beef tallow/beeswax, olive oil/ beeswax. I plan to try coconut oil/ beeswax and lanolin/ beeswax. Use for both patch and conicals. Pan lube the conicals and presoak the patches. So far they have worked well. Got a pail of coconut oil for soap making. Figured I would give it a try/
swamp