Patch lubes

[spottedpony]

Having gotten away from black powder shooting many years ago (about the time pyrodex came out) i'm getting back into it now & while i'm still using the same patch lube i used way back when (though changing it a little) i'm just curious, what does everyone use? Now as memory serves, one important function of a lubed patch (or greased slug) was help keep fouling soft for easier removal.
Being close to a small town, the local sporting goods store has a very small inventory of any bp supplys hence prime interest is in mix it yerself.
for many years ive used crisco, beeswax mix & just recently started adding a bit of olive oil all heated in a dbl boiler & allowed to cool. at room temps 75 to 80 (love our wood stove lol) its solid but soft enough to be worked with fingers if necessary.

4 oz crisco by weight
1/4 oz beeswax
1 or 2 tsp olive oil

Then to lube patch's i lay out a piece of plexiglas i use, & smear enough of the lube on a hunk of my patch material with a plastic scraper, to penetrate the material well yet not be messy. fold the material in several layers and smooth it with said scraper and lay it in the freezer for a few minutes before using my patch cutting punch to punch out my patch's. 4 or 5 raps on 6 layers laid on a hardwood scrap and the patch's come out clean as a whistle.



Being the cheap errr uhhhhh frugal person that i am, ive come up with a nifty patch cutter too, found a piece of hard steel, thin wall pipe 1 1/8 id, laying around in the shop, cut off about 6 inches, beveled one end at about 45, & sharpened it with a dremel & welded a plug in the other end, to add some weight and give a hammer surface to strike without mushrooming the pipe end. it works like a charm.


Anyway, back to the initial topic of my post i'm curious about what everyone else makes for both patches and lead slugs & how they work.

[Slamfire]

I use Sno Seal straight out of the can.

[Dale53]

I am going to address preparing patch material. I "borrow" my wife's rotary cutter (designed for precision cutting of cloth for quilts, etc). It looks kind of like a pizza cutter but is literally razor sharp. I buy a yard of proper patch material (100% cotton and I prefer sail cloth or pocket drill). You really need to take a micrometer to the fabric shop to get the proper thickness. Then I lay out the material on a cutting board and cut strips clear across the material. Their width will vary depending on which caliber they are intended for (make a trial run of small pieces before you commit to the whole yard).

After you have the strips cut, take a putty knife and press on the semi solid lube. It is desirable to coat the entire surface with as thin a coat as possible. After you have the strips completely finished, roll them up, put a small number of them in a zip lock bag (be sure and leave the bag open so any moisture can escape). Put them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds (start slow and experiment). The microwave will melt the lube and it will be distributed perfectly through the cloth strip rolls. Be carefull as you do not want to overheat the lube, nor start a fire, etc.

After they come out of the oven, store them in zip lock bags to keep them clean and so they will not dry out. Use as you would any patching material (lay over the muzzle, push the ball in flush with muzzle and use a patch knife to remove excess).

I currently use Wonderlube or Bore Butter for lube.

Use just enough lube to saturate the cloth - you don't want any lube to "stand proud" of the cloth.

One more thing - you cannot depend on the manufacturer's label to guarantee that it is 100% cotton. There is a simple test. Ask the clerk to cut a sliver off the bolt of cloth that you are interested in. Tell them you are going to take the sliver outside to test if it is 100% cotton. Go outside, light the sliver of cloth with a match or lighter. If it melts at all, it is not 100% cotton. It should all burn leaving no or very little residue. THAT is 100% cotton. Then go back inside and buy the cloth.

FWIW
Dale53

[joeb33050]

I am going to address preparing patch material. I "borrow" my wife's rotary cutter (designed for precision cutting of cloth for quilts, etc). It looks kind of like a pizza cutter but is literally razor sharp. I buy a yard of proper patch material (100% cotton and I prefer sail cloth or pocket drill). You really need to take a micrometer to the fabric shop to get the proper thickness. Then I lay out the material on a cutting board and cut strips clear across the material. Their width will vary depending on which caliber they are intended for (make a trial run of small pieces before you commit to the whole yard).

After you have the strips cut, take a putty knife and press on the semi solid lube. It is desirable to coat the entire surface with as thin a coat as possible. After you have the strips completely finished, roll them up, put a small number of them in a zip lock bag (be sure and leave the bag open so any moisture can escape). Put them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds (start slow and experiment). The microwave will melt the lube and it will be distributed perfectly through the cloth strip rolls. Be carefull as you do not want to overheat the lube, nor start a fire, etc.

After they come out of the oven, store them in zip lock bags to keep them clean and so they will not dry out. Use as you would any patching material (lay over the muzzle, push the ball in flush with muzzle and use a patch knife to remove excess).

I currently use Wonderlube or Bore Butter for lube.

Use just enough lube to saturate the cloth - you don't want any lube to "stand proud" of the cloth.

One more thing - you cannot depend on the manufacturer's label to guarantee that it is 100% cotton. There is a simple test. Ask the clerk to cut a sliver off the bolt of cloth that you are interested in. Tell them you are going to take the sliver outside to test if it is 100% cotton. Go outside, light the sliver of cloth with a match or lighter. If it melts at all, it is not 100% cotton. It should all burn leaving no or very little residue. THAT is 100% cotton. Then go back inside and buy the cloth.

FWIW
Dale53

1. Do you then use the strip, push the ball in and then cut the patch material across the muzzle? Or do you then make round patches?
2. Ned Roberts suggests Ball Dia. + 1 thickness patch material = bore dia. Then my .50 Renegade and .490 ball should have a .010" patch, maybe that's why I have trouble with the .015" patches getting the ball in the gun. Is this the right patch thickness, Ned's formula?
3. Dale, may I use this post in the book?
Thanks;
joe brennan

[joeb33050]

Dear Spotted;
May I use what you've written here in the book? I'd like your name for proper attribution if you agree. joeb33050@yahoo.com
Thanks;
joe brennan

Having gotten away from black powder shooting many years ago (about the time pyrodex came out) i'm getting back into it now & while i'm still using the same patch lube i used way back when (though changing it a little) i'm just curious, what does everyone use? Now as memory serves, one important function of a lubed patch (or greased slug) was help keep fouling soft for easier removal.
Being close to a small town, the local sporting goods store has a very small inventory of any bp supplys hence prime interest is in mix it yerself.
for many years ive used crisco, beeswax mix & just recently started adding a bit of olive oil all heated in a dbl boiler & allowed to cool. at room temps 75 to 80 (love our wood stove lol) its solid but soft enough to be worked with fingers if necessary.

4 oz crisco by weight
1/4 oz beeswax
1 or 2 tsp olive oil

Then to lube patch's i lay out a piece of plexiglas i use, & smear enough of the lube on a hunk of my patch material with a plastic scraper, to penetrate the material well yet not be messy. fold the material in several layers and smooth it with said scraper and lay it in the freezer for a few minutes before using my patch cutting punch to punch out my patch's. 4 or 5 raps on 6 layers laid on a hardwood scrap and the patch's come out clean as a whistle.



Being the cheap errr uhhhhh frugal person that i am, ive come up with a nifty patch cutter too, found a piece of hard steel, thin wall pipe 1 1/8 id, laying around in the shop, cut off about 6 inches, beveled one end at about 45, & sharpened it with a dremel & welded a plug in the other end, to add some weight and give a hammer surface to strike without mushrooming the pipe end. it works like a charm.


Anyway, back to the initial topic of my post i'm curious about what everyone else makes for both patches and lead slugs & how they work.

[twotoescharlie]

I have been using "moose snot" for about two years and is my lube of choice,especially for target shooting.
you can shoot a long string without cleaning between shots. also use it with hunting loads with a dry felt wad between the powder and patched ball.

50/50 murphys oil soap and neatsfoot oil (not neatsfoot compound as it has mineral spirits in it)
you can get pure neatsfoot oil at most any tack shop and it is cheaper than the compound at wally world.
measure and shake well, I use my own precut patches and put them in a ziplok bag,pour some of the moose snot in the bag and work it through the patches. works very well for myself. I have been shooting blackpowder for almost 50 years and tried many different lubes, but this one works for me.


TTC

[Dale53]

Joe;
I just use the strip, cutting the patch at the muzzle of the gun when I load. If I were hunting, I would consider a round patch, pre-lubed, to speed the process. However, it you use my method with a loading block, you don't need to carry extra patches or fool with round patches for hunting. So, thats what I do.

Yes, you may use this in the book - permission granted. I appreciate being asked, however (just want to know what goes in under my name for posterity.

I use a tight ball and patch combination for matches. This requires a short starter, a long starter, and then the ram rod. When hunting, I use a "looser" ball/patch combination that does not require a starter.

A lot of original rifles used coned muzzles that allowed easy loading without a starter. A number of people mistakenly thought that the muzzles were "worn" that way. It was deliberate and some modern hunters have found that this works well. They use a tapered insert with emery cloth of varying grits to "cone" the muzzle. If it is done properly, the proponents claim that it works VERY well. I have a .54 Renegade that I may try that out. For a proper test, it really needs a before and after with pictures, etc. Maybe I'll do that for one of the magazines.

Dale53

[spottedpony]

Dear Spotted;
May I use what you've written here in the book? I'd like your name for proper attribution if you agree. joeb33050@yahoo.com
Thanks;
joe brennan

Feel free to joe

[NickSS]

I shoot a lot of 50 cal .490 ball loads during the year at various rendevoze my patches are cut with a pair of scisors into squares about 1 inch on a side and I lube them with spit. I have shot up to 100 balls without cleaning over a two or three day period. When I hunt I lube my patches by diping them in melted crisco then let then dry on wax paper. I have been doing it this way for over 45 years and never saw any reason to change.
the square patches shoot the same as round or cut as you go patches and are easier to make. I generally use 15 thousadths patches in my 50's but I have a 54 and a 58 rifle that they are too thick so I use 10 thousandths in them.

[44man]

I guess I am the exception here. I use a .445 ball and .015 to .020" patch, also a .450 ball and .010" patch. In the .50 I had I used .495 balls and .015 to .020" patches. Also .500 balls and .010" patch. In my .54 I use .535 balls and a .022" patch. I can't get a .540 ball in even with a thin patch.
It takes ONE hard smack on the short starter, beat on it and it gets very hard to get a ball in. I use a starter with a big ball on it.
My criteria is when a ball is punched in hard with a strip of patching, then pulled out, the weave of the cloth must be engraved on the ball where the ball is down in the grooves of the rifling. I belong to the OLD school on ball fit.
I use Young country lube or soak patch material in a mix of water and Ballistol, then let the water dry away by letting the strips lay on the bench.
Most of the lubes listed here are pretty good too.
My 50 yard groups are one ragged hole and I have cleanly taken many deer past 120 yd's. I have never lost a deer with a muzzle loader and must have around 150 kills with them. I have shot over 200 shots in a day in competition and never wiped the bore. I hauled home tons of groceries too.
There are as many opinions on fit as there are bugs in the world. I use what works for me.

[44man]

Ball starters that WORK!

[Old Ironsights]

Another good, if odd, patch lube is GOJO waterless hand cleaner (Lanolin & alcoholbase IIRC) NOT the Pumice type...(duh)

Seems to cut the fouling well and is fairly broad-temp stable.

I also like patches soaked in Ballistol.

[Nueces]

44man, nice looking ball starters. I like the muzzle protecters, believe I'll mod mine that way. Thanks.

Mark