I was intrigued recently to come across the following passage related to period gun-cleaning on a discussion board:

http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/hist_text-arch4/msg02445.html


"The closest thing that I have found to matching
whale oil is a lube called Ballistol,  in use it even feels a lot
like whale oil.  It is supposed to have been developed in
Germany around the turn of the century.  I  have not
concluded testing it as a patch lube,  but it does look
promising.  In the few months I have been using it as a
gun lube, it has not dried out  and no rust can be detected
inside or out.  Plus that, it is bio-degradeable."

Anyone else use Ballistol as repro ordnance grade sperm oil?  

I use Ballistol, but not because of it resembling something else.

I'm another happy Ballistol user; although, I don't use it in the barrels of my muzzle loaders. I'm a firm believer of non-petroleum lubricants, such as "Thompson's Bore Butter" to lube the bores of black-powder weapons.

Quote :

Bill wrote : I'm another happy Ballistol user; although, I don't use it in the barrels of my muzzle loaders. I'm a firm believer of non-petroleum lubricants, such as "Thompson's Bore Butter" to lube the bores of black-powder weapons.

I too am a faithful follower of Bore butter. I like it due to the fact it is a natural product and is very good for all of your musket.

I personally like the smell of bore butter.  Hard to refrain from spreading it on toast.

I too got into Ballistol because it works, but I'm intrigued by the variety of lubricants used at the time and I always wondered what whale oil would be like.  To think that it was once just "common lamp oil"!

Those who eschew petroleum based products might be amused by this ad from the Army and Navy Journal of December 3, 1864 (it ran in several other issues as well):

"Bailey and Eaton's Paraffine Gun Oil.  Prepared expressly for Army use.  It prevents rust on locks, barrels, swords, scabbards, etc.  Carefully put up in one gross packages.  Wholesale Depot, 28 and 30 Canal St., Boston, Mass."

But the latest substance I'd like to try is jojoba oil.  Other posts on the BP boards say that it's actually closer to sperm whale oil than anything else.  That may or may not be true, but to me the prospect of buying gun oil at Whole Foods is weirdly attractive.

When, my internet at home comes back to life, I'll post some interesting information reguarding Whale Oil and it's usage during the Civil War. Several years ago, I came into some lighting that was made in the in the 1850's. Wishing to use it for my battalion QM tent at McDowell; I began doing research into period fuels. I even went through the task of dying the clear wax lamp fuel to a color that would match refined Whale Oil, and found and reproduced period lables for the containers. And, issued it to the companies for their use. Anyway, my research wasn't complete at the time the event took place so, that's what I used. However, most likley it was incorrect to use Whale oil at all. But, here's the nuts and bolts off of the top of my head. By the early 1860's Whale oil had passed it's hey day. Kerosene was being widely used and the cost of a gallon of Whale oil would have made it's use by anyone but the "well to do" cost prohibitive. The government certianly would not have purchased whale oil. If you're looking for a period oil, I feel it's best to use mineral oil or a virgin olive oil; both were actually issued to the Federal Army under several different period names.  Not only do they keep your musket but, you can use them to cook your dinner too. If your looking for a perion fuel for a lamp or lantern, use fat or Kero. And for safety's sake, I wouldn't put Kerosene anywhere near a canvas tent or straw. Buy the clear wax lamp fuel and if you need the smell add a few drops of Kero. BTW, Coleman fuel is nothing more than well refined Kerosene.

I should clarify.  The manual for the '61 Springfield (reprinted entirely in Scott's, which you can get to through the Drill Network) mentions sperm oil a couple of times -- once for the lock screws and once for the stock (in lieu of linseed oil).  Other times it says just oil.  Olive oil is also mentioned a couple of times.  In any case, they're not talking about any great quantities.

The reference to "lamp oil" came from "Instructions to Young Marksmen or the New American Rifle" by John Ratcliffe Chapman.  But that's an earlier book (1848), when common lamp oil probably would be sperm.

But it would be great to see your notes on the subject.  Despite its cost, I believe the government did procure some whale oil and that it's listed under part II ordnance supplies.

I'll let you know how jojoba works <g>

Paraffin oil is readily available and quite inexpensive, as Grumpy points out; however, the real question is whether "paraffin" in that patent product is the British meaning or the US meaning of the word. One is kerosene, and one is wax.

Grumpy, did you ever try liquid lard in one of those lamps? IIRC, Hank found a source for it without sulfur a few years ago, but I don't recall the end results. It is essentially modern cutting oil.

Yes, we burned it in a period tin lard lamp (not a betty lamp) and it worked fine. I don't know whether it would work in anything with a narrower wick, since lard lamps of the period apparently needed the wider (1.5" plus) wick to draw the lard oil properly, but it did just fine in the period lamp.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

Hank,

Thanks. Cobbling together a couple of period lighting units between now and W64 has become one of those fun tasks. I'm thinking a pair of good suspended lamps should be able to reasonably illuminate a 12' x 18' building.  Gotta watch that camphene, though....  

Question for you, Grumpy -- page 72 of the "Instructions for Making Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores" lists a variety of oils -- more than I remembered.  They have clock, castor, kerosene, linseed, neatsfoot, petroleum, sperm, and whale.

And here I thought "sperm" and "whale" were the same kind of oil.  What gives?

Quote :

Michael Schaffner wrote : Question for you, Grumpy -- page 72 of the "Instructions for Making Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores" lists a variety of oils -- more than I remembered.  They have clock, castor, kerosene, linseed, neatsfoot, petroleum, sperm, and whale. And here I thought "sperm" and "whale" were the same kind of oil.  What gives?

If whale oil comes from whales, where does sperm oil come from?  

The answer from the 1851 Encyclopaedia Americana, is that whale oil (also called train oil) comes from blubber, principally of the Right Whale, while sperm oil comes only from cavities in the Sperm Whale, though some whale oil was sold as sperm oil and some sperm oil was adulterated, as one might expect, since sperm oil was more expensive and more desirable.

Whale oil "is rendered more fluid and combustible by adding to it a litle cold-drawn linseed oil; but it cannot, by any treatment, be made so fit for burning in lamps as spermaceti oil... [Sperm oil] is much purer than train oil, and burns away without leaving any charcoal on the wicks of lamps."

Clock-oil had me stumped. Near as I can tell, it comes from porpoises or blackfish and is, as one might expect, supposed not to get gummy or clog even in cold temperatures.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

Thanks, Hank.  The Ordnance "Instructions" also list "sperm candles" under the price list for miscellaneous items (p. 138 if anyone's curious):  5o cents per pound and twelve to the pound.

That doesn't sound cheap to me.

"Clock oil" struck me as odd, too.  What you just posted is more than I've been able to find out.

By the way, this jojoba stuff costs more than Ballistol.  Of course, Ballistol would cost more than Ballistol if they sold it at Whole Foods...

Found this link:

http://chestofbooks.com/reference/Henley-s-20th-Century-Formulas-Recipes-Processes-Vol2/Clock-Oil.html

Descrïption
This section is from the "Henley's Twentieth Century Formulas Recipes Processes" encyclopedia, by Norman W. Henley and others.

Clock Oil
Put 2,000 parts, by weight, of virgin oil in a decanting vessel, add a solution of 40 parts of ether tannin in 400 parts of water and shake until completely emulsified. Let stand for 8 days, with frequent shaking; next, add 100 parts of talcum and, when this has also been well shaken, 1,600 parts of water. Allow to settle for 24 hours, and then run off the lower water layer, repeating the washing as long as the wash water still shows a coloration with ferric chloride. Pour the contents of the decanting vessel into an evaporating dish; then add 200 parts of thoroughly dried and finely ground cooking salt; let stand for 24 hours and filter through paper. The clock oil is now ready, and should be filled in brown glass bottles, holding 20 to 25 parts (about 1 ounce), which must be corked up well and kept at a cool temperature.

Thanks, Bernie.  So dragons really just wanted those maidens for their oil?

To cover the next hurdle or two -- when period lubricants and cleaning supplies are provided to reenactors...well, you know the rest of that story. Sigh.

Quote :

Michael Schaffner wrote : Thanks, Bernie.  So dragons really just wanted those maidens for their oil?

That, and they taste just like chicken.

Deleted by poster.  

--Last edited by oldkingcrow on 2008-02-13 15:59:15 --