Bullet Lube that melts higher than 85 degrees

[hellgate]

PMs sent to Wildman and Black River Smith.

[Black River Smith]

Hellgate,

Reply to PM sent back.

[Montana Slim]

I've estimated the melting temps for some simple BP lubes below.
Percentages are liquid (melted) volumes of each ingredient.

Beeswax 60%
Olive oil  40%
Melt @ approx. 96 F

Beeswax 65%
Olive oil  35%
Melts @ approx. 102 F

Beeswax            50%
Animal Tallow    50%  (Mutton or Deer)
Melts @ approx. 125 F

Beeswax            25%
Animal Tallow    75%  (Mutton or Deer)
Melts @ approx. 115 F

Looked at my data sheet for my last beeswax + tallow batch in use....the ratio was actually 25/75 given in the above estimate.
No guarantee of the precise accuracy of these melting temps, but I'd bet these estimates are fairly close. Mileage will vary based on purity of your ingredients. For the curious, i'm using a weighted value of the melting temperatures of each ingredient.

Most lube recipes are a variation of animal fats or vegetable oils. A few other ingredients are occasionally added including paraffin and graphite. But I like the KISS principle - at least when desired results are achieved.

Slim

Edit to add.....
Appreciate the offer to play with casting wax...although it was likely intended to BRS.
Coincidentally, I have a nearby investment casting center which I can likely tap for a sample when I get the urge.

[Black River Smith]

DD,
Your new formula with micro-crystalline wax provides an interesting mixture.  Yes, I finally found a pound of wax and made the mixture.  My resultant temp was 100 to 110 before any material change started then the material never really melted in a water bath.  To completely melt the pan had to be on direct heat.  Verrry Verry interesting solid to fluid charateristics between 110 to 127 for the wax I obtained.  Thanks for devulging this ingredient.

Montana Slim,
I am really interested in how you estimated the melting temp points of a mixture of ingredients. You are definitely better than I am.

Here I am, weighing the ingredients in a stainless sauce pan on a triple beam lab balance.  Then melt and mix the material three times before even attempting a melting point measurement.  This lets off the volatile material and makes for good combination of materials and would detect thermal degrading.  Then I use a thermometer inserted in the lube and immerse the sauce pan into a water bath heated on a hotplate.  All this and I could never get past the 85 - 90 mark on the lube formulas that I reproduced from the commonest forum mixtures, I was interested in.  I know that there are variances between material each use but....

I could only come up with a 100 - 136 melting range for a 50 - 50 Beeswax and Mutton (Dixie product) Tallow.  My 1:1 beeswax - mineral oil only went to 82 to 130 and 1:1 beeswax and solid coconut oil was only 84 to 122.

How did you come up with your estimates?