Tallow lube question

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Dsiwy

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I am going to be making my own grease wads next week, the recipe calls for 50% Bee's wax and 50% mutton tallow. Do I really need to use Tallow or would crisco work just as good?
 
Dsiwy said:
I am going to be making my own grease wads next week, the recipe calls for 50% Bee's wax and 50% mutton tallow. Do I really need to use Tallow or would crisco work just as good?
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I believe that if Crisco had been available back then, nobody would have used mutton tallow. I rendered some mutton fat once, never again. Terrible stink.
 
I found some candles at Sherbrooke Village made with Beesway and beef tallow, melted them down and added some vegetable oil (soybean) to soften it up, and an ounce of Murphy's oil soap. Has a bit of a lemony smell. Once cooled, it has a thick buttery consistency. I should probably freeze some for future use, as I have about a pound in a large jar.
I plan to melt it again and pour over my Minies in a pan , then let it cool to lube them.
 
Most people I know use Crisco. Never seen it go rancid.
The Murphy oil soap is a common addition too. Can be found cheap at dollar stores. I plan to use some in my next batch.

Use a double boiler setup so you don't overheat anything. Doesn't need to be fancy. I just have a small stainless bowl on a pot of boiling water.
 
sail32 said:
What are you going to use the lube for ?
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Personal stuff ;)

I'm melting it down and soaking 1/8" sheets of felt in it, than once it cools I use a 45 cal hole punch to make revolver wads.

Its a very cheap way of making wonder wads :)
 
Crisco or lard have a much softer texture than tallow at room temperature, as they are closer to their melting point. Compared to tallow, either is more likely to become messy when warm if used for things like patch lube.

As an aside, I wish you could find beef tallow in supermarkets. When I cook a roast in the slow cooker, I like to save the fat for frying; eggs fried in beef tallow are a real treat!
 
Beeswax and olive oil works for me. I make the mix pretty stiff for cap & ball use. It doesn't get runny on a hot day.
 
Could be wrong but I thought all tallow had quite a bit of salt in it and as such shouldn't be used. I know they used it a long time ago but that was before the advent of superior stuff. I agree, beeswax and Murphs oil soap being a good lube.
 
Back in the day, they would have rendered any available fat regardless from where it came from. I have rendered tallow to use a few times in the past but I most often use Tenderflake Pure Lard for my lube requirements. Pure Lard from your local purveyor will be sufficient enough.
 
Mike's an old hand so it makes me wonder why he doesn't use a loading stand to charge his revolver. It's a lot more efficient during a match and you're less likely to dry ball a chamber by charging a chamber and seating a ball, leaving the rammer down while you charge the next chamber. I'll be doing exactly that next week end at the first annual CAS match in Williams Lake.
The folding loading stand I made can handle Remingtons and Colt '51s, '60s, but my Dragoon needs a larger unit. I carry all the necessary paraphernalia for cap & ball in an antique Dr.'s bag, ideal for the purpose.
 
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