FINALLY ... a substitute for sperm whale oil
- Plenty_Guns
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:58 pm
- Location: Big Bend of the Yellowstone River
FINALLY ... a substitute for sperm whale oil
I'm sure some of you are by now running out of sperm whale oil for making that secret bullet lube. And buying oil off the internet will now cost you a $2,000 fine.
http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/relea ... -r150.html
.. .
Fortunately, Jojoba oil - available at your local health foods store - is the next best thing, and easier to get now that the Japanese are no longer harpooning sperm whales.
http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/relea ... -r150.html
.. .
Fortunately, Jojoba oil - available at your local health foods store - is the next best thing, and easier to get now that the Japanese are no longer harpooning sperm whales.
Shoot'em and eat'em ... !
-
- Posts: 2935
- Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2005 5:01 pm
- Location: 25 miles west of Great Falls, Montana
To keep the terminology clear, whale oil is (was) made from cooking down whale blubber. Spermaceti (the stuff we are talking about) is found inside the head of the sperm whale.
In addition to jojoba...
Meadowfoam oil can be chemically transformed into a liquid wax ester that is a substitute for sperm whale oil and jojoba oil. Meadowfoam oil can also be converted to a light colored premium grade solid wax, a sulfur polymer factice potentially valuable to the rubber industry, or used as a lubricant, detergent or plasticizer.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/meadowfoam.html
This is the spermaceti substitute that Dan T recommends.
CM
In addition to jojoba...
Meadowfoam oil can be chemically transformed into a liquid wax ester that is a substitute for sperm whale oil and jojoba oil. Meadowfoam oil can also be converted to a light colored premium grade solid wax, a sulfur polymer factice potentially valuable to the rubber industry, or used as a lubricant, detergent or plasticizer.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/meadowfoam.html
This is the spermaceti substitute that Dan T recommends.
CM
Retired...twice. Now, raisin' cows and livin' on borrowed time...
-
- Posts: 2935
- Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2005 5:01 pm
- Location: 25 miles west of Great Falls, Montana
-
- Posts: 548
- Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:37 am
- boge
- Posts: 5493
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2005 7:01 pm
- Location: I can pee in the Rio Grande
Dan, what do you know about tall oil? It's a by product of paper man'fg. and was the magic ingredient in Lehigh Valley Patch Lube invented by two chemists and which took the BP ML'er world by storm before the co. shut down.
http://www.chemicalland21.com/arokorhi/ ... %20OIL.htm
http://www.chemicalland21.com/arokorhi/ ... %20OIL.htm
- boge
- Posts: 5493
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2005 7:01 pm
- Location: I can pee in the Rio Grande
According to the "Mad Monk" Lehigh used tall oil within a certain Ph spectrum. That is probably why.hpguy420 wrote:Boge,boge wrote:Dan, what do you know about tall oil? It's a by product of paper man'fg. and was the magic ingredient in Lehigh Valley Patch Lube invented by two chemists and which took the BP ML'er world by storm before the co. shut down.
http://www.chemicalland21.com/arokorhi/ ... %20OIL.htm
Tall Oil (pine oil) was tested and shown to not work well as a BPCR lube component. The residue from Tall Oil is butt ugly...
-
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:25 pm
- Location: Ft lauderdale FL
Whale Oil Substitutes
I have used sperm whale oil, bear oil, synthetic motor oil (horrible results) and various other compounds in slug picket and BPC rifles, and found bear, sperm and neatsfoot oil to produce the same results in terms of accuracy and fouling. I have used neatsfoot oil exclusively for the past 14 years, and probably shoot as well as the next guy, even winning some medals at Friendship and Camp Perry with it. I use neatsfoot oil and beeswax to make my own bullet lube, tempered according to the weather in which it will be used, with most satisfactory results.
A long time ago a writer said to use pure neatsfoot oil only, never anything labeled "neatsfoot compund". One day I travelled to a shoot far away, left some of my things at home, and could only find an oil labeled "Neatsfoot Compound". It worked vey well, and I won the match; again my rifle could not tell the difference.
I am pretty much a hard-line traditionalist, and don't like to use anything that wasn't used back in the olden days. Please forget my mention of synthetic motor oil, which I have used in all my cars since 1986; I just HAD to try it!
I think a lot of folks search for the holy grail when it comes to lubes and such; it either works, or it doesn't. A fellow named John Gammutto did an article in Precision Shooting 10 or so years back where he tested all forms of compounds to lube bullets with for shooting BP and concluded beeswax and tallow (in whatever form you choose) was the best lubricant.
Hope this helps.
A long time ago a writer said to use pure neatsfoot oil only, never anything labeled "neatsfoot compund". One day I travelled to a shoot far away, left some of my things at home, and could only find an oil labeled "Neatsfoot Compound". It worked vey well, and I won the match; again my rifle could not tell the difference.
I am pretty much a hard-line traditionalist, and don't like to use anything that wasn't used back in the olden days. Please forget my mention of synthetic motor oil, which I have used in all my cars since 1986; I just HAD to try it!
I think a lot of folks search for the holy grail when it comes to lubes and such; it either works, or it doesn't. A fellow named John Gammutto did an article in Precision Shooting 10 or so years back where he tested all forms of compounds to lube bullets with for shooting BP and concluded beeswax and tallow (in whatever form you choose) was the best lubricant.
Hope this helps.
- Plenty_Guns
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:58 pm
- Location: Big Bend of the Yellowstone River
Good enough
Uncle Miltie... if Neatsfoot oil and beeswax can win at Friendship and Camp Perry, not only is the shooter on target, but the lube as well. I happen to have a can of Neatsfoot on the shelf in thethe garage where my boots get cleaned and greased up. I'll give it a try. Thanks.
Shoot'em and eat'em ... !
-
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:25 pm
- Location: Ft lauderdale FL
Neatsfoot Oil
Plenty Guns:
Please remember to use Neatsfoot oil in liquid form, not the paste. I have never tried the paste, but the oil works well for me. Good luck!
Please remember to use Neatsfoot oil in liquid form, not the paste. I have never tried the paste, but the oil works well for me. Good luck!
-
- Posts: 179
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 4:15 pm
- Location: asheville
I've been using a mixture of beeswax and neatsfoot oil for years to lube BP bullets and muzzle loader patches.
Has anyone tried it with smokeless in handgun and rifle loads?
What is the max FPS it will work? I'd like to fill my lub sizer with one lube and use it for everything I shoot.
Thanks
Steve K
Has anyone tried it with smokeless in handgun and rifle loads?
What is the max FPS it will work? I'd like to fill my lub sizer with one lube and use it for everything I shoot.
Thanks
Steve K
If at first you don't secede, try, try again.
-
- Posts: 3818
- Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2002 1:22 pm
- Location: between No Where & No Place, WA
- boge
- Posts: 5493
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2005 7:01 pm
- Location: I can pee in the Rio Grande