Murphy's Oil Soap

[Tar Heel]

Having made a bullet lubricant for BPCR use following the recipe specified in the Paul Matthews book “What You Should Know About Bullet Lubricants For The Black Powder Cartridge Rifle”, I am wondering if the Murphy’s Oil Soap I used is the same formulation he used in the recipe he specified.

Murphy’s Oil Soap (MOS) can be purchased in several configurations. Obviously the sprays and scented versions are not going to work. Pictured on his book cover is a bottle of MOS that does NOT have the word “concentrated” on its label. Having performed an online search, it seems that both the “concentrated” version is available as well as the bottles without the word “concentrated” on their labels.

Can anyone definitively inform me if there is a difference between these two bottles, one with the “concentrated” word on the label and the other without it? Obviously this would have a major impact on the formula if the incorrect one were to be used. It may be the use of the word “concentrated” is a simple marketing tool which informs the purchaser that they can dilute the product to extend its use and/or make it safer to use on some surfaces. Does the bottle pictured on Paul’s book contain the same product (same viscosity) as the product in the bottles with “concentrated” on their labels?

Know that when I made the lubricant with the “concentrated” version of the product, I did not get the “violent reaction” I had been warned about when adding the MOS to the mixture. I had seen a post somewhere explaining that this “violent reaction” was caused by the water boiling off in the heated mixture although the mixture is not hot enough to boil water. It may be a reaction of the soap however to froth up. Regardless, I did not experience this reaction which further concerns me that the “concentrated” version of MOS is incorrect.

If the “concentrated” version is in fact concentrated and they are not simply using the word as a marketing angle, then what, pray tell, is the dilution ratio with water to get the original version that is not “concentrated”? I am not referring to the cleaning mixture dilution ratios spelled out on the back of the bottle whereby you add either a ¼ cup or a ½ cup of MOS to 1 gallon of water to use on delicate wood or fabrics.

The lubricant formula specified by Paul Matthews is 50% beeswax, 25% Pure Neatsfoot Oil, and 25% Murphy’s Oil Soap. I made the lubricant with the “concentrated” version of MOS to see what happens. The end product has a cookie dough consistency, spreads like softened butter, seems spongy, smells great, and sticks to the knife used to cut it. It sure doesn’t have that NRA 50/50 look or feel to it and man, it seems soft. Did I mention it smells good?

I have attached a few photos of the lubricant for your perusal and hopefully you can confirm or deny that your lubricant looks, feels, and smells the same way – or not. One person reported that theirs was green in color. Hmmmm.

Main questions are:
1. Are there actually two versions of Murphy’s Oil Soap? One concentrated and the other not.
2. If there are two versions of MOS, do you know what the dilution ratio is to make regular soap from the concentrated version? And no, the dilution ratios on the back of the label do not answer this question.
3. If you have made the Paul Matthews lubricant specified above as per his book, which version of MOS did you use?
4. If you used concentrated MOS, does your lube look and feel like mine does?


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[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I believe it's the same stuff. It appears they came out with a watered down version in a spray bottle (so it would spray, I guess?), and they figured they better label the original stuff as concentrated, as compared to the new spray bottle product.

[country gent]

I add a very small amount to my emmerts improved to help blend the ingredients. basically just a drop or 2.

[Tar Heel]

I made the Paul Matthews recipe today with the concentrated version but did not get the "violent reaction" he mentioned when adding MOS. The bullet lube looks and feels spongy to the touch. I am wondering if this is the normal texture of his lube. Has anyone else made his formula of 50% beeswax and 25% each of Neatsfoot oil and Oil Soap? If so, is yours spongy looking?

[country gent]

When I made a similar version that was used as a bullet dip it was a light green color and softer than most. but this was "dip that you lubed the nose of a loaded bullet before chambering

[Tar Heel]

When I made a similar version that was used as a bullet dip it was a light green color and softer than most. but this was "dip that you lubed the nose of a loaded bullet before chambering

I clarified the OP and added pictures. Does yours look like this?

[country gent]

Yes mine was the light "lime" green color. it was on the soft side but lightly dipping the nose in really kept BP fouling soft

[GregLaROCHE]

I don’t know the date of the recipe, but when I was a kid in the sixties, my mother used Murphy’s and it came in a tub, not a bottle. I am pretty sure it was a much thicker consistency than the liquid in bottles today. More like that of axel grease.

[Tar Heel]

I received an email from the Colgate-Palmolive Company regarding the two apparent versions of the Oil Soap. Here is their reply to me (emphasis mine):

"We apologize for any confusion caused by updates to our product labeling. Murphy Oil Soap has always been a concentrated all purpose cleaner that needed to be diluted before use. This product was reformulated in 2012 and again more recently, but the concentrated formula has been the case across all of these reformulations."

So there you have it. The word "Concentrated" has just been added to the label and the viscosity has been the same all these years.

[country gent]

Removing or not adding water to a product is a benefit in many ways. Smaller packaging for the same amount lowered shipping rates, A usually better product that is easier to use. More convenient storage of it. Think about what cupboards would look like if condensed soups had all the extra water in them.
Some take this to the point where making smaller batches can be hard, the newer water soluble cutting fluids are one. When mixing in big batches they arnt bad but for a gallon or so they are hard to get a small enough amount of the concentrates for the correct ratios.