Tips for Making Grease

[Big Al Mass]

Hello all.

I have begun saving the drippings from cooking bacon. I currently have a jar for pork bacon fat and a jar for beef bacon fat. If anyone has any recommendations on ratios/methods of preparation, I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

 

[wittzo]

Watch out for the salt and other chemicals they use to cure it. It might cause rust.

I use pure lard as the base for my lubes, sometimes you have to watch out for salt in it, too.

 

[swathdiver]

1 Part Fat, 1 Part Canning Wax, 1/2 Part Beeswax by weight. You can add a little olive oil in winter.

Think you'll find pig grease too mushy, cow grease too hard. Best I've heard is bear and lamb (mutton tallow).

I'm getting ready to make my own and have been playing with other fats as mutton tallow has been nigh impossible for me to get locally so far. Dixie Gun Works sells it though.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

One part melted beeswax, two parts olive oil or lard. DON'T use bacon grease as stated due to the salt. This is a good bullet lube. Not the best thing as a rust preventative.

LD

 

[loose noose]

I've used beeswax and Virgin olive oil for bullet lube in my 45-70 using milspec bp ammo with a 405 grn. handcast bullet with excellent results, no additional rusting noted, however using lard I could see the rust starting in the bore just as soon as I got the firearm home, and that was only about 60 miles drive from the shoot to my house.

 

[Big Al Mass]

Thanks guys. I was just wondering because I had read that the British used pork and beef fat to lubricate bullets for the Pattern '53 Enfield rifle.

 

[splattergun]

unsalted lard is easy to get, cheap (put it on your wife's grocery list) pork fat. I use 'snowcap' brand. don't use bacon grease.

 

[Zeke/PA]

I'll stick to the lube that we used in the toolroom called "Old Bull".
Easy to use. works great summer or winter and best of all, it's FREE!

 

[loose noose]

Zeke, what is "Old Bull" and where do ya get it? What is it designed to do? I'm allways looking for new ways to lube my bp loads.

 

[arcticap]

I found it by using Google. Prices are on the product page.

http://www.ppe.com/11cat/0625.pdf

OLD BULL® MOLD GREASE

IDEAL FOR USE ON GEARS, CABLES, ROLLER BEARINGS, PINS, CAMS, SLIDES, CHAINS, LATHES, ASSEMBLED PARTS, ETC.

PPE OLD BULL® PTFE Mold Grease is a non-silicone, synthetic lubricating grease, specifically formulated for use around the mold. It provides excellent lubrication in both high and low temperature conditions, and also is waterproof and non-melting. It uses a higher concentrated blend of inhibitors that resist rust, corrosion and oxidation. It provides high performance under loads due to its superior load bearing ability.
PPE OLD BULL® does not contain abrasive clay fillers like other immitations.

• Temp. Range: -75 to 500°F
• Color: Clear to Translucent
• Non-Staining
• Non-Melting
• Non-Silicone
• NSF/USDA H-1 Rating
• Kosher Approved
• Temp. Range: -40 to 500°F • Non-Melting • Rust Resistant
• Color: Translucent to Off White • Non-Silicone • Anti-Corrosive
• Waterproof

 

[Zeke/PA]

Articap has said it all.
The grease works well for lubing conicals and also dispensed from a large hypodermic device when loading/ shooting a BP revolver.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

PPE OLD BULL® PTFE Mold Grease is a non-silicone, synthetic lubricating grease, specifically formulated for use around the mold. It provides excellent lubrication in both high and low temperature conditions, and also is waterproof and non-melting. It uses a higher concentrated blend of inhibitors that resist rust, corrosion and oxidation. It provides high performance under loads due to its superior load bearing ability.

Now you tell me!

LD

 

[loose noose]

Thank ya arcticap, I'm gonna have to get out of here and order some asap.

 

[Hellgate]

I've used 50/50 beeswax/lard as a bullet lube. Lately I've been using 50/50 beeswax/deer tallow 'cause my brother shot a fat barren doe and I just couldn't see tossing the 2" layer of back fat. It is a stiffer lube but has been working fine in my lubrisizer and for my revolver wads. 50/50 beeswax/olive oil is a little softer but also a good one. I concur with the advice to avoid bacon grease. A pound of lard runs just a little over a buck. It is easy to blend a pound of beeswax and a pound of lard for a decent lube.

 

[Bwana John]

I was just wondering because I had read that the British used pork and beef fat to lubricate bullets for the Pattern '53 Enfield rifle.

And supposed to be one of the major problems during the Sepoy Revolt in India.

 

[Big Al Mass]

Well since I am Greek Orthodox, I have no qualms with touching the fat of any animal. If I did use the proposed grease mixture (which would be for my Pietta '60 Army), I don't see any problem if the gun is cleaned promptly after shooting.

 

[dagger dog]

I have always heard, read if you are using black powder you want to to stay with all natural lubes.

If you are shooting handgun grease groove cast boolits, you can mix the non-salted tallow,lard, Crisco,50-50 with beeswax, and it will usually stand up to handgun velocities,and keeps leading at a minium or non exsiting.

If it's for a cap and ball you can use straight Crisco-lard-to seal the charge.

BP cartridge rifle lube, depends on boolit lube groove design, if the boolit design can carry lots of lube (black powder designed) you can use beeswax,Crisco, vegatable oil.

Usually if the lube is sticky and a mess to handle, hangs in the grooves well, it will work.
well with BP.

Go over to the castboolits sight they have a forum dedicated to lubes only,

 

[Big Al Mass]

Thanks dagger dog. I'll check it out.

 

[Hellgate]

I agree with Dagger Dog except for the C&Bs: the crisco or lard is temperature dependent. In real hot weather it will melt either before you can use it or after you put it in the chambers where it will drip out into your holster (or down your new pants leg). In the winter it can be pretty stiff to apply like cold butter. I use rotgut automotive bearing grease on top of the balls using a curved tip irrigation syringe (with the tip cut off a bit to make a larger opening for it to squeeze out). The bearing grease seals well and does not change consistancy much from very cold to very hot. I also use under ball lube wads. Barrels stay clean. Soft fouling is everywhere though, so I keep a towel on my gun cart to wipe off with.

 

[damoc]

yep id use pure lard before bacon grease

i just use a mix of lard and pure beeswax i vary the percentages with
the season IE more beeswax in summer months to firm up the mix

but 60/40 is a good starting point.


if you are determined to use saved bacon drippings it will work just as well as
pure lard but does contain salts which can promote rust.

you could try a water float to desalt and clean the lard/bacon drippings

basically the saved bacon drippings are melted in pure water 30/70 would work well.after the drippings are melted the water/lard is allowed to cool
to just above water feezing the lard will float to the top and you should be
able to pull it off as a firm slab and scrape the bottom of any junk.most of the salts will be in the water and can be discarded.

now just reheat the lard to a high enough temp to remove any moisture
that may be left in the lard and you have a cleaner product to make bullet lube out of.

 

[dagger dog]

Hellgate,

I'd be po'd too if my new holster or pants were ruined ! Didn't even cross my mind ,all the C&B shooting I've done was at a bench.

 

[Noz]

Dick Dastardly's Pearl Lube works well for any black powder use
1 part container soy wax, 1 part toilet bowl wax ring, 1/2 part vegetable shortening.

 

[Jaymo]

You can remove the salts from bacon grease through clarification. In essence, you will put the bacon grease in a pot of water and boil the water. Let it cool, and remove the solidified grease from the surface of the water.
Repeat the process a few times to remove all the salts.

Nothing wrong with using the fat of the swine for this purpose. I just hate to waste good bacon lube on a non-cooking purpose. It's great for use in cooking green beans, corn, hominy (my personal favorite), or whatever you choose to flavor with it.

The Old Bull lube sure sounds like Super Lube Teflon grease, which I've used as a gun lube.

 

[Big Al Mass]

Thanks Jaymo. I was thinking I had to do some kind of boiling procedure to remove the salts but was not sure exactly how to go about it.

I know what you mean about cooking with bacon fat. I have cooked scrambled eggs and pancakes (called a flapjack in the recipe I found here: http://books.google.com/books?id=4W...#v=snippet&q=Suggestions for Handling&f=false You need to type 'Chapter IX Individual Cooking' in the search bar on the left and click on page 76 to get to the recipe) and they turned out extremely tasty.

 

[Jaymo]

Pancakes, flapjacks, I don't care what you call them, as long as they are good.
I like bacon grease for seasoning my cast iron skillets. Everyone tells me it'll rust them, but 'tain't happened yet.
I also like hog lube for my cornbread.