Lanolin as Patch Lube

[Richard Konish]

Use it mixed with isopropyl alcohol as a case lube when reloading CF ammo, was wondering if anyone has tried it as a patch lube. Stuff is really slippery and should not stiffen in cold weather. Can be had as an oil or as a cream although it may not be practical from a cost standpoint.

 

[Gene L]

I resize CF cases with Wire Aid, a commercial product for lubing wires to be pulled through conduit. It dries and seems to work as well dry as moist and can be wiped off and it's not sticky. And it's cheap. So I don't see why it wouldn't work for a patch lube, dampened. Worth a try.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure it's lanolin based.

 

[arcticap]

A search shows some folks using it as part of their bullet lube, others as part of their wad lube mixture.
But not very many reports about using it alone as a patch lube.
Here's one thread about it.--->>> https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/lanolin-for-patch-lube.107284/

 

[Rat]

Doesn't "Wonder Lube" have a large percentage of lanolin?

 

[arcticap]

Doesn't "Wonder Lube" have a large percentage of lanolin?

No, not that I've ever heard or read about.

 

[hawkeye2]

Neither Young Country or Oxe Yoke lubes contain any lanolin.

 

[Captjoel]

I always have on hand a can of stuff called "Bag Balm" made in Vermont that I use for dry skin issues. It is lanolin based and I have wondered about using it for muzzle loader patching.

I may have to do some experimenting and see how well it would work along with any fowling clean up issues. It seems cheap enough at about 8 bucks for a good sized can at my farm fleet store.

 

[Zonie]

Well, if the Bag Balm doesn't work very well as a patch lube don't forget. You can still use it on the udder end.

(Baa, haw, haw ha. )

 

[shane a gress]

Well, if the Bag Balm doesn't work very well as a patch lube don't forget. You can still use it on the udder end.

(Baa, haw, haw ha. )

That's hysterical.

 

[Captjoel]

Worked good when ole Bossy was bitten in the udder by an adder!

signed: Homer & Jethro

 

[nkbj]

Plain lanolin makes a great addition to lead projectiles lube but:
1. Has a tendency to make too tacky of a bond from patch to ball to get as clean of a release as will usually be wanted.
2. Doesn't want to clean out well when you swab.

 

[Kansas Jake]

So how should I use the tallow I rendered from the Easter leg of lamb fat? I know it is useful for something other than cooking.

 

[45man]

Lanolin does work but not with alcohol. It has an affinity to take moisture. It also makes a lube sticky to hold onto a bullet. I never used it as a patch lube.

 

[45man]

Neither Young Country or Oxe Yoke lubes contain any lanolin.

True, but I use a lot for other lubes and it can be bought from Nature with Love or Majestic Mountain sage in pure form for soap making. I have much of it for bullet lubes. Last 2# jug was $8.

 

[nkbj]

I got a bucket of it cheap from a chemical supply house back before leaving the Gulf Coast.
Use it to make LOOB (lanolin-oliveoil-beeswax) for most everything (minies, long bullets, revolver bullets, grease in front of the ball, threads, dry skin...).

I've read that it's real soluble in ether but not having any starting fluid have never found out.

 

[Irish lad]

Bag Balm and Black salve have been used by my wife’s family on the farm for ever.
The tins we have here are ancient but still work on sore hands or infected cuts.
Don’t know about lube qualities
Irish

 

[Zonie]

My mom must have brought a whole case of "UdderAid" with us when we moved out to Arizona from Iowa because throughout my childhood, any time I'd get a scratch, scrape or cut, out would come the UdderAid" and she would smear it all over the wounded area.

It's a good thing that I was a young stupid kid because I just thought it was something with a weird name and took her treatment as SOP. Little did I guess what it was really used for.
No self respecting young boy back in my days would allow ANYTHING that had anything to do with a female would let his mom put it on his "battle wounds", let alone something that was made to be used on the udder end of the cow.

I guess the company who made UdderAid must have gone out of business because checking the web doesn't show that UdderAid even (or ever) exists.

 

[Juice Jaws]

[QUOTE="Zonie, post: 1564649, member: 174"

I guess the company who made UdderAid must have gone out of business because checking the web doesn't show that UdderAid even (or ever) exists.[/QUOTE]

Don't feel alone, I grew up with it too. Now they have some that's made for people. I bet it doesn't work as good.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

For target work and with the musket, I use "Uddrly Smoothe" (Black and white tub like a Holstein cow!....Walmart)
Works brilliantly , but is water based so no good for hunting where loaded for a long period.

I did try lanolin once. It took Forever to get the rifle clean. Real sticky and couldn't get rid of it.
For hunting and such I use deer tallow. No bothers cleaning up with that.

 

[45man]

I love lanolin and buy pounds of pure for my bullet lubes for revolvers. I want the "sticky" to hold lube in bullet grooves. The worst is a hard lube that breaks out in chunks or leaves the bullet at RPM's in chunks to throw a bullet out of balance in flight.
Even though my lube is sticky it spins off the bullets at muzzle exit so there is none left at all. I use a soft lube even in rifles. ALL have lanolin.