Sealing Chambers with Melted Beeswax

[gtrgy888]

My latest experiment was with melted beeswax over ball to seal chambers longer term after loading. Beeswax seems to work better than Bore Butter, which for whatever reason is prone to fouling the powder UNDER the ball over a month loaded. My one concern with using beeswax is that it must be melted, and the idea of igniting chambers during pouring was causing me some anxiety, so I tested the safety of the melted wax by dripping it directly onto both Triple 7 and Old Eynsford powder on a steel jeweler’s block. The result? No ignition on either. The grains just stuck to the wax. I sealed the chambers carefully after being reasonably certain the hazard was minimal, keeping the cylinder well away from the heat source and pointed up and away.

Some conclusions: Comparing the size of Triple 7 3fg, it is much closer to 4fg size. The Old E 3fg grains are massive by comparison. This likely contributes to the higher chamber pressures caused by T7.

With a burner, a small chunk of beeswax, and a stainless steel 1/4 measuring cup it’s easy to melt wax in 30 seconds. The vessel retains the heat well enough that reheating is not usually needed.

Dried beeswax is a chore to clean. Make sure to pour over old newspaper or a paper towel. When done, I find pouring the extra directly onto a bunched paper towel and wiping the residue off the cup while liquid saves a bunch of headache.

Once poured, the wax will shrink and create a gap around the chamber sides and a round hump will protrude above the cylinder face. Use a knife to shave the wax flat and a dowel to press the wax down into the chamber sides after cooling to fully seal them. Periodically reinspect and repeat the dowel press until no more gaps remain.

This method allows for roundball over a full chamber to be sealed and lubed without compromising the powder, since the wax will stay solid at all temperatures below 145 degrees F. I might also experiment with using it as a dip to lube conicals, since I feel it is less likely to contaminate powder than lower viscosity bore lubricants.

At the range, I would want to shoot a few Crisco lubed bullets LAST to fully burn out any trace of beeswax in the bore for an easier cleanup.

 

[.38 Special]

Well, okay. I kind of doubt that it seals the chamber as well as a shaved ball or bullet, but it's unlikely to hurt anything, anyway.

I do like to dip conicals in a mixture of beeswax and lamb tallow, finding it an excellent lube that stays put with minimal mess.

 

[rodwha]

View attachment 1016165 View attachment 1016166 My latest experiment was with melted beeswax over ball to seal chambers longer term after loading. Beeswax seems to work better than Bore Butter, which for whatever reason is prone to fouling the powder UNDER the ball over a month loaded. My one concern with using beeswax is that it must be melted, and the idea of igniting chambers during pouring was causing me some anxiety, so I tested the safety of the melted wax by dripping it directly onto both Triple 7 and Old Eynsford powder on a steel jeweler’s block. The result? No ignition on either. The grains just stuck to the wax. I sealed the chambers carefully after being reasonably certain the hazard was minimal, keeping the cylinder well away from the heat source and pointed up and away.

Some conclusions: Comparing the size of Triple 7 3fg, it is much closer to 4fg size. The Old E 3fg grains are massive by comparison. This likely contributes to the higher chamber pressures caused by T7.

With a burner, a small chunk of beeswax, and a stainless steel 1/4 measuring cup it’s easy to melt wax in 30 seconds. The vessel retains the heat well enough that reheating is not usually needed.

Dried beeswax is a chore to clean. Make sure to pour over old newspaper or a paper towel. When done, I find pouring the extra directly onto a bunched paper towel and wiping the residue off the cup while liquid saves a bunch of headache.

Once poured, the wax will shrink and create a gap around the chamber sides and a round hump will protrude above the cylinder face. Use a knife to shave the wax flat and a dowel to press the wax down into the chamber sides after cooling to fully seal them. Periodically reinspect and repeat the dowel press until no more gaps remain.

This method allows for roundball over a full chamber to be sealed and lubed without compromising the powder, since the wax will stay solid at all temperatures below 145 degrees F. I might also experiment with using it as a dip to lube conicals, since I feel it is less likely to contaminate powder than lower viscosity bore lubricants.

At the range, I would want to shoot a few Crisco lubed bullets LAST to fully burn out any trace of beeswax in the bore for an easier cleanup.

I’d love to see pressure data that shows Triple 7 creates more than a sporting grade black powder. I highly doubt it does, and if so not by much as we’d see different warnings from Hodgdon.

 

[gtrgy888]

Well, okay. I kind of doubt that it seals the chamber as well as a shaved ball or bullet, but it's unlikely to hurt anything, anyway.

I do like to dip conicals in a mixture of beeswax and lamb tallow, finding it an excellent lube that stays put with minimal mess.

Another reason for the beeswax is to have a non-drip bore lubricant that spares the powder. I was considering just loading the ball over powder with a thin layer of cornmeal between ball and powder to prevent chainfires, but the possibility of leading the bore gave me pause.

 

[gtrgy888]

I’d love to see pressure data that shows Triple 7 creates more than a sporting grade black powder. I highly doubt it does, and if so not by much as we’d see different warnings from Hodgdon.

I too would be interested to see the pressure curve. Anecdotally, T7 shakes my gun, unscrews the screws, and drops the loading lever (one time it even threw my loading lever latch out into the sagebrush), even with as little as 21 grains! On the other hand, 25 grains of Old Eynsford 3fg does none of those things, despite pushing the ball with more force. I would guess the T7 ignites faster at any given projectile velocity. As much as I disdain the stuff, I’ll be shooting it awhile, since I stockpiled 3 pounds. And the .36 uses it up so slow I could swear the bottle is getting refilled between range trips.

 

[.38 Special]

Another reason for the beeswax is to have a non-drip bore lubricant that spares the powder. I was considering just loading the ball over powder with a thin layer of cornmeal between ball and powder to prevent chainfires, but the possibility of leading the bore gave me pause.

I'm firmly in the camp which holds that the shaved ball/bullet seals the bore far better than does any kind of lube or filler, and that chainfires are caused almost entirely by sparks entering through the cones. I've also proven to myself that a percussion revolver can be fired six times in a row with no lube whatsoever, so if I really wanted to keep one loaded with loose powder and a roundball, I'd just do it, either with a plain wad or no wad at all, and nothing over the bullet.

These days, though, I am so happy with paper cartridges, dip lubed in beeswax/lamb tallow, that if I ever was to keep one loaded it would be with those.

 

[Jimster]

Agree with .38 spcl but I dip in SPG.

 

[J-Bar]

I'm eager to see your range report on accuracy. I suspect that much hard wax in front of the ball will open up your group size on targets more distant than 10 yards. You might compare group sizes with and without the wax plug.

I like lube over the ball when shooting a percussion revolver in Cowboy Action matches, but our large steel targets are handshake distance. I use 50/50 beeswax and crisco smeared over the ball, no attempt to completely cover the ball or seal the chamber, just some in there to keep the face of the cylinder lubed. The mix is softer than pure beeswax. I predict you will find some solid wax discs stuck to the target. The advantage to that is, you may be able to recycle the beeswax.

But, as I have said previously, do what provides the most fun to you with these guns! Good luck.

 

[gtrgy888]

I'm eager to see your range report on accuracy. I suspect that much hard wax in front of the ball will open up your group size on targets more distant than 10 yards. You might compare group sizes with and without the wax plug.

I like lube over the ball when shooting a percussion revolver in Cowboy Action matches, but our large steel targets are handshake distance. I use 50/50 beeswax and crisco smeared over the ball, no attempt to completely cover the ball or seal the chamber, just some in there to keep the face of the cylinder lubed. The mix is softer than pure beeswax. I predict you will find some solid wax discs stuck to the target. The advantage to that is, you may be able to recycle the beeswax.

But, as I have said previously, do what provides the most fun to you with these guns! Good luck.

For parlor loads it appears safe to just melt the wax directly onto a card over the powder for cheap plinking too. I have doubts that the wax stays solid at the high temperatures though. Blackpowder burns way above the flashpoint of beeswax.

 

[ThomasT]

Whats the point? I thought it was pretty well established that chain fires were from sparks entering around the nipples just like .38 Special posted. If your caps properly fit the nipples that shouldn't be a problem. My bud left his 36 Colt loaded for over a year and then we tested it. Five shots sounded normal and one chamber sounded just a little weaker but was still in the group.

I just got a Pietta NMA and the first thing I did was order new nipples from TOW that are made for #11 caps. And they tight fitting. Perfect as far as I'm concerned. I can't see any way how a spark or moisture could get past them. The factory nipples are sized for #10 caps and I don't have any of those. I do have 8,000+ #11 caps.

Hopefully when you test it the firing of the rounds will blow some of that extra lube off like it does when you use crisco or bore butter.

 

[gtrgy888]

Whats the point? I thought it was pretty well established that chain fires were from sparks entering around the nipples just like .38 Special posted. If your caps properly fit the nipples that shouldn't be a problem. My bud left his 36 Colt loaded for over a year and then we tested it. Five shots sounded normal and one chamber sounded just a little weaker but was still in the group.

I just got a Pietta NMA and the first thing I did was order new nipples from TOW that are made for #11 caps. And they tight fitting. Perfect as far as I'm concerned. I can't see any way how a spark or moisture could get past them. The factory nipples are sized for #10 caps and I don't have any of those. I do have 8,000+ #11 caps.

Hopefully when you test it the firing of the rounds will blow some of that extra lube off like it does when you use crisco or bore butter.

Lubricating the bore without lubricating the powder. I’ll need to see if this works. I can’t recall where I read it, but I got the idea from researching what was done in the 1800’s to load pocket guns for long term carry.

 

[mnrivrat]

This method allows for roundball over a full chamber to be sealed and lubed without compromising the powder, since the wax will stay solid at all temperatures below 145 degrees F.

Maybe a dumb question but after firing a couple rounds would the cylinder heat up and possibly start melting the wax in the other chambers before you get all 6 cylinders fired ?

 

[J-Bar]

For parlor loads it appears safe to just melt the wax directly onto a card over the powder for cheap plinking too. I have doubts that the wax stays solid at the high temperatures though. Blackpowder burns way above the flashpoint of beeswax.

But your over-the-ball plug never gets above the flashpoint of beeswax. The ball is an insulator.

In the past I have used the beeswax/crisco mix to completely seal the chambers in the same way you have, and frequently the plugs stick to the metal target 5 to 8 yards away.

I still think it will be an instructive exercise to investigate the influence of the plug on accuracy at ranges 10 yards and beyond.

 

[gtrgy888]

Maybe a dumb question but after firing a couple rounds would the cylinder heat up and possibly start melting the wax in the other chambers before you get all 6 cylinders fired ?

That’s possible. This is all untested on my part. I’ll certainly check it out.

 

[gtrgy888]

But your over-the-ball plug never gets above the flashpoint of beeswax. The ball is an insulator.

In the past I have used the beeswax/crisco mix to completely seal the chambers in the same way you have, and frequently the plugs stick to the metal target 5 to 8 yards away.

I still think it will be an instructive exercise to investigate the influence of the plug on accuracy at ranges 10 yards and beyond.

If you have direct experience, that counts a lot more than my hunch. I will check whether the wax plug effect is an issue for my purposes (0-20 yards bottle punching).

 

[whughett]

It’s a moot thread for me in regards to stored charged revolvers. I have no reason to do that. However I did experiment with loaded black powder cartridges in 45 C. I loaded 100 cartridges with 3F a milk carton card a 1/8 wool felt wad saturated with 50/50 crisco beeswax and a 250 grain bullet. These were boxed nose down and stored in a garage in Florida thru the summer months. That garage can get up to 105 degrees or so. The following winter they all fired.

 

[ThomasT]

If I did this I would just use enough bees wax to make a ring around the seated bullet. That should seal it just and provide all the lube the ball/bullet should need for the short ride down the barrel.

 

[Ironhand54]

To clean the wax start by melting it and pouring it into a paper cup. As it cools the grunge will settle to the bottom. When cool you can peel off the cup and cut away the bottom portion to remove most of the junk. If it is really dirty you may want to repeat.

Ironhand

 

[44 Dave]

When I shoot my "cap guns" I often run enough rounds through them fast enough the barrel gets to hot to hang on to.
Be to hot for a bee!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I think that a lubed bullet/conical seals the chamber very well, as long as the base of the bullet has no lube on it. I've experimented with felt wads dipped in pure bee's wax quite a bit. Thin carboard wad over the powder and under the waxed wad. Then the ball over that. That seems to keep the powder dry very well, and provide some lube. And sometimes the waxed wads are found downrange, or stuck to the ball. These days I really prefer just to throw a charge, then drop in a lubed bullet, ram, cap, and be done.

My revolvers sometimes go a long time loaded, and for sure during a long hunting trip, and a lubed bullet load always pops off fine with no loss of power. I think that between the lube, the longer bearing surface of the bullet, and the bullet getting "bumped up" when ramming seals the chamber.

 

[Bill M.]

It sure looks nice.

 

[gtrgy888]

If I did this I would just use enough bees wax to make a ring around the seated bullet. That should seal it just and provide all the lube the ball/bullet should need for the short ride down the barrel.

That was my original plan. Unfortunately, the wax starts hardening before it can form the ring. The wax also shrinks, so it would leave significant gaps, thus defeating the purpose of sealing/lubricating. I opted to overfill then compress down after cooling. I’m still loaded with 25 grains, so the projectiles are only a couple mm short of the top.

 

[4v50 Gary]

It sure looks nice.

My first thought; and it's a lot of work.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I bought my first Cap & Ball revolver in 1968.

In those days the SOP was to goop some Crisco over the ball.

It really did not work very well, the heat of a chamber firing tended to melt the Crisco in the chamber next to the one being fired.

Once felt Wonder Wads became available I never gooped anything over the ball again.

It really does not matter that there is not much lubrication, the wad tends to scrape most of the fouling out of the bore anyway.

Good luck with your experiments, but it looks like way too much work to me.

So much simpler to pour in the powder, shove in a felt wad, and then seat the ball.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

However I did experiment with loaded black powder cartridges in 45 C. I loaded 100 cartridges with 3F a milk carton card a 1/8 wool felt wad saturated with 50/50 crisco beeswax and a 250 grain bullet. These were boxed nose down and stored in a garage in Florida thru the summer months. That garage can get up to 105 degrees or so. The following winter they all fired.

Again, much more work than necessary. I load 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, 44-40, 44 Russian, and 38-40 with Black Powder all the time. I pour in the powder, then seat and crimp the bullet on top of the powder, compressing the powder by about 1/10" when it is seated. Of course I have been using the Big Lube series of bullets for many years. These carry plenty of BP compatible lube so no wads or extra lube is needed.

Some of my boxes of ammo have sat waiting to be fired for years. They always go boom.

Just so you know, I did accuracy experiments years ago. I loaded some 44-40 with Black Powder for one of my Winchester rifles.

One set of ammo was loaded just as I described, with a Big Lube bullet sitting right on top of the powder.

The other set was loaded with powder, and a wad between the bullet and powder.

I could find no difference in accuracy between either sets of ammo, so I stopped putting anything other than powder and a bullet in my BP ammo a long time ago.