SL68 ...continued
- Thread starter JonB
- Start date
Barn
Active Member
I have made FWFL with both Ivory and stearic acid. I liked the stearic acid version better for some reason that I cannot remember. I cannot remember having any corrosion issues. But then I am not sure what a stale cookie tastes like. Same thing with cartridges - not sure how they shoot or look after a couple of weeks.
fiver
Well-Known Member
it very well could have been the stearic acid giving the green fuzzy.
if you get the PH too low on anything you have a caustic solution, I have checked many of my lube concoctions with ph test strips and they seem to stay pretty neutral for the most part.
ohhh.
recently we have been working with a polymer gel at work instead of guar gel it's interesting stuff.
but it's one main difference is that the ph cross-link is around 5 whereas the guar gels cross-link ph is more like 10.
I have been debating bringing home a pound or two of this stuff to work with as a lube filler.
if you get the PH too low on anything you have a caustic solution, I have checked many of my lube concoctions with ph test strips and they seem to stay pretty neutral for the most part.
ohhh.
recently we have been working with a polymer gel at work instead of guar gel it's interesting stuff.
but it's one main difference is that the ph cross-link is around 5 whereas the guar gels cross-link ph is more like 10.
I have been debating bringing home a pound or two of this stuff to work with as a lube filler.
fiver
Well-Known Member
well I probably left about 55 gallons of it floating on the Colorado wind.
this stuff gets slippery when wet, and if you wipe it off it's still there.
minimum amounts should be applied [seriously] but as a dry add/filler it would be interesting to work with.
i'll snag some if I get the chance next week.
this stuff gets slippery when wet, and if you wipe it off it's still there.
minimum amounts should be applied [seriously] but as a dry add/filler it would be interesting to work with.
i'll snag some if I get the chance next week.
Barn
Active Member
I made some BWFL today. That is Brads lube from post #43 today. It feels great.
I also made some SL-68.1 last week. I hope to be able to try it out tomorrow.
I also made some SL-68B.2 last week. It is a little harder than SL-68B.1 and softer than SL-68.1.
SL-68B.2:
3 ounces MW-180
1 ounce beeswax
5 tablespoons GL-1 gear oil
4 tablespoons vasoline
2 teaspoons castor oil
4 ounces Ivory
I now have quite a collection of lubes to try. Lube testing is going to slow down for the next couple of months. Hunting seasons are getting close and there is going to be a lot of guys at the range with their belted Bambi blasters in their lead sleds. Time for me to go to the pistol range..
I also made some SL-68.1 last week. I hope to be able to try it out tomorrow.
I also made some SL-68B.2 last week. It is a little harder than SL-68B.1 and softer than SL-68.1.
SL-68B.2:
3 ounces MW-180
1 ounce beeswax
5 tablespoons GL-1 gear oil
4 tablespoons vasoline
2 teaspoons castor oil
4 ounces Ivory
I now have quite a collection of lubes to try. Lube testing is going to slow down for the next couple of months. Hunting seasons are getting close and there is going to be a lot of guys at the range with their belted Bambi blasters in their lead sleds. Time for me to go to the pistol range..
Ian
Notorious member
Lots can be tested on the pistol range, too. I think you'll like how dry these various formulas are going to shoot. Brad's isn't quite as dry in a revolver as SL-68.whatever will be, but looks like a very decent formula.
As a note, the SL-68.0......
2 ounces fresh Ivory soap (soft, damp),
2 ounces 180F micro-crystalline wax from Blendedwaxes,
2 tablespoons 140-wt. mineral-based gear oil, GL-1 spec.,
2 tablespoons generic white petrolatum,
1 tablespoon heavy mineral oil (laxative grade from pharmacy),
1/2 tablespoon (1.5 tsp.) Castor bean oil (also from pharmacy)
.....didn't exhibit cold-barrel flyers, but SL-68.1...
2 ounces fresh Ivory soap (soft, damp),
2 ounces 180F micro-crystalline wax from Blendedwaxes,
3-1/2 tablespoons 140-wt. mineral-based gear oil, GL-1 spec.,
1/2 tablespoon (1.5 tsp.) Castor bean oil
....does, sometimes, in some guns. That was the .1 drawback I've mentioned a few times.
The only reason for the oil in .0 was to temper the dry, brittle wax. Basically I started out by modifying the wax to get what I wanted to work with for a wax by adding enough of the gear oil to make it about like beeswax (slightly pliable and bendable without cracking), then I used that as a SINGLE ingredient in my mind and added Vaseline, white mineral oil, and soap to build the lube.
I really like that SL-68B.2 recipe, very interested to see how greasy/smokey it is with the beewax ingredient
As a note, the SL-68.0......
2 ounces fresh Ivory soap (soft, damp),
2 ounces 180F micro-crystalline wax from Blendedwaxes,
2 tablespoons 140-wt. mineral-based gear oil, GL-1 spec.,
2 tablespoons generic white petrolatum,
1 tablespoon heavy mineral oil (laxative grade from pharmacy),
1/2 tablespoon (1.5 tsp.) Castor bean oil (also from pharmacy)
.....didn't exhibit cold-barrel flyers, but SL-68.1...
2 ounces fresh Ivory soap (soft, damp),
2 ounces 180F micro-crystalline wax from Blendedwaxes,
3-1/2 tablespoons 140-wt. mineral-based gear oil, GL-1 spec.,
1/2 tablespoon (1.5 tsp.) Castor bean oil
....does, sometimes, in some guns. That was the .1 drawback I've mentioned a few times.
The only reason for the oil in .0 was to temper the dry, brittle wax. Basically I started out by modifying the wax to get what I wanted to work with for a wax by adding enough of the gear oil to make it about like beeswax (slightly pliable and bendable without cracking), then I used that as a SINGLE ingredient in my mind and added Vaseline, white mineral oil, and soap to build the lube.
I really like that SL-68B.2 recipe, very interested to see how greasy/smokey it is with the beewax ingredient
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1 tablespoonful in considered to be 15 ml, a teaspoonful is 5 ml. Now Ian knows why I use the metric system, less confusion.
Wait, he uses a Texas sized tablespoon, his might just be bigger. Ever hear about the Texan that died? They gave him an enema and buried him in a shoebox.
Wait, he uses a Texas sized tablespoon, his might just be bigger. Ever hear about the Texan that died? They gave him an enema and buried him in a shoebox.
Ian
Notorious member
Boy, I screwed all that up, didn't I? I'll fix it. Part of the issue is I changed batch quantities from four ounces wax/four ounces soap to two ounces each and just checked the oil quantity in my four-ounce-each recipe.
Edit: It is now double-checked and fixed. In my defense, part of my ME education occurred at a branch of A&M university.
Edit: It is now double-checked and fixed. In my defense, part of my ME education occurred at a branch of A&M university.
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Barn
Active Member
I took the .30/30's to the range today. I was using SL-68.1 and SL-68B.2 lube. I had a mixed bag - some liked one of the lubes better than the other. The Martini loved the SL-68B.2 lube. Too small of sample to make any conclusions. I was shooting into the sun so it was not possible to see if either lube smoked.
The 50 yard range was empty so I stopped and pulled out the Merrill Sportsman. 3 different barrels 10 3/4" long. I was using SL-68B.1 lube.
The .270 Ren used 6 grains of 2400 under a SAECO #270 sized to 0.280". The Ren shot very well.
The .270 Max used 12.5 grains of 2400 under a SAECO #270 sized to 0.280". The .270 Max shot great. Maybe best ever.
The .30 Max used 12.5 grains of 2400 under a Eagan MX3-30AR sized to 0.312". The .30 Max shot about as good as it has ever shot for 4 shots but with one about 2" low. I have never seen it do this before. The 30 carries quite a bit more lube that the 270.
I did not see any smoke from any of the barrels. The fired cases were much cleaner that in the past.
I do not know if this report is of any value but I like what I am seeing with the SL-68 series lube. 6661 has been my lube of choice in the past. I believe that I will be using SL-68 something in the future.
The 50 yard range was empty so I stopped and pulled out the Merrill Sportsman. 3 different barrels 10 3/4" long. I was using SL-68B.1 lube.
The .270 Ren used 6 grains of 2400 under a SAECO #270 sized to 0.280". The Ren shot very well.
The .270 Max used 12.5 grains of 2400 under a SAECO #270 sized to 0.280". The .270 Max shot great. Maybe best ever.
The .30 Max used 12.5 grains of 2400 under a Eagan MX3-30AR sized to 0.312". The .30 Max shot about as good as it has ever shot for 4 shots but with one about 2" low. I have never seen it do this before. The 30 carries quite a bit more lube that the 270.
I did not see any smoke from any of the barrels. The fired cases were much cleaner that in the past.
I do not know if this report is of any value but I like what I am seeing with the SL-68 series lube. 6661 has been my lube of choice in the past. I believe that I will be using SL-68 something in the future.
Ian
Notorious member
That report is of exceptional value Barn, and much appreciated. It was my hope from the beginning that we could all work to find a basic recipe that would make life easier, not more complex, and I think we're finally getting to that point. If you don't mind me asking, what's the climate like where you are?
Ian
Notorious member
Well, I hope you find a version of this basic recipe useful, the concept of application is for those that have full-spectrum weather and a full-spectrum armory.
Again, beware too much castor or too much oil, period. SL-68.1 I think has just too much oil, your flyer could have been anything, but it would not surprise me in the least if you repeated that particular series and found the flyer to be recurring because in SOME guns I have experienced the same. More Vaseline, less oil will probably fix that.
Again, beware too much castor or too much oil, period. SL-68.1 I think has just too much oil, your flyer could have been anything, but it would not surprise me in the least if you repeated that particular series and found the flyer to be recurring because in SOME guns I have experienced the same. More Vaseline, less oil will probably fix that.