Bear Fat

[FireMaker]

Finally finished canning bear fat. 2 batches of half pints, 24 cans of bearfat/beeswax lube, bear soap, bear oil.
Hopefully done for a while. Need to take some out of freezer and render for the next round.

 

[olgreenhead]

I flesh a few bears every spring what do i do with all the fat .

 

[IronCrickett]

Olgreenhead,
If you are trying to get rid of bearfat in the spring, please e-mail me.

Thanks
I.C.

 

[FireMaker]

Now that you asked. Get a large pot to put on the stove. Put 1/4 water in the bottom. Cut fat/blubber into small cubes. (its more like blubber at this stage) Start heating stuff. Water minimizes stuff burning on the bottom and will cook away. Get the fat melted and boiled. The flesh in the mix will cook and turn into cracklins which we put in corn bread/grits/whatever. When all/most of the stuff has cooked into cracklins, I ladle the mix through a filter to take out the cracklins.

Bear fat is both a fat and and oil. If you let this mix or part of it sit at room temp they will seperate. Use a turkey baster and suck the oil off the top. I use the oil as my gun oil. Also makes great buscuits. We also use as lamp oil in our little stone wick type lamp.

The fat part I use for making soap. You can use most any recipe for that. There is a good starter recipe in "Back to Basic" by readers digest. The fat can be mixed with beeswax 2:1 for patch/bullet lube. Works year round, little stiffer this time of year.

I can the unseperated fats in pints for half pints. This can be used for all of the above. Anymore, this is all I use on my blackpowder guns. The lube works great on my 1858 over the balls, as well as rubing my patches in. The oil is used like anyother gun oil. Have been very pleased when I finally got a hold of some bear fat.

 

[Ohio Rusty]

Spring is coming and I'd be happy to take a 10 or 20 pound chunk of bear fat too !!! Hang on to my e-mail at [email protected], and when you get some fat, give me an e-hollar and tell how much you need to ship it to me overnite express. Just wrap it well and freeze it ...
Ohio Rusty

 

[rmg]

Hello
I'm new to this forum, been shooting patched round balls for 20 years or more. I started using bear fat last year, I rendered it by cooking it down in a double boiler, kinda came out like a soft lard. I just use it straight for my patches. Why do you mix it with bees wax? What is the advantage? Just seems to me that the wax would cause more fouling....Just wondering.
Rich G

 

[FireMaker]

The beeswax makes it more stiff and easier to deal with at all temps. Still cleans great.

 

[rmg]

Sorry for a late reply.
Guess I'll try the beeswax, see if effects accuracy. The straight bear works really good, but is kinda messy todeal with. 2 parts fat to 1 of wax, according to your post on another thread. Thanks
Rich G

 

[rabjr]

I use a mix of 40% bear oil and 60% beeswax that works quite well for me.