What is most effective and how can we tell?
I have been reading over this thread and found myself overwhelmed by the number of lubes listed. So I decided I would need to take what I was seeing and organize it a bit, and list each different lube's ratios as best I could, total the list and see what sort of patterns I could find. I limited myself to just bpcr lubes, because that is my thing, and so that I could compare like with like.
There are 27 different black powder formulas that I could find. Any lube that was listing the same ingredients and ratios as another posting, I did not count, as I was more interested in seeing what people felt worked for them, not what they got from someone else. I did not include the amounts of each item in the count, only that the item was listed in the formula.
My thinking is that looking at a list this way, it would be possible to see what is used most often, and create a good starting point to develop my own own lube. If something is in nearly all lubes, it is probably effective, if it is used in very few lubes, it probably brings a bit less to the party.
So......
Bees wax 81%
Tallow 44%
Crisco 19%
Vegetable Oil 30%
Lanolin 26%
Soy Wax 11%
jojoba 7%
Lard 7%
Citronella wax 4%
Graphite 11%
Bayberry Wax 22%
Whale oil or other highly refined oils 22%
Dish Soap 4%
Neatsfoot Oil 4%
Murphy's Oil Soap 4%
(yes, I know I need a life)