Grease cookie

When I was shooting a 11 mm Mauser, the original cartridges had a paper patched bullet and a wax/lube wad under the bullet.

The wad was a disc of solid lube with a paper disc on each side, no felt at all.
And that sat on top of a compressed charge (77Gr.) of blackpowder.

Go to the sticky at the top of the BP area. Gary is the editor.

Read down the list until you get to an article on making felt wads.

I think it is like sixth down or so if that.

-kBob

Felt wads are not the same as grease cookies.

Grease cookies are small pieces of semi-solid lubricant often shaped or cut into small discs or pills. They are often used to seal the chamber OVER the ball.

Lubricated felt wads are just that. They are used to seal the chamber and are placed UNDER that ball.

This is the best and most cost effective felt for revolver wads IMHO: http://www.durofelt.com/image_26.html

For .36 caliber revolvers, buy a 3/8" hollow punch from Amazon or Harbor Freight etc. For a .44 caliber revolver, use a 7/16" hollow punch.

There are numerous recipes for lubricants. I use the traditional mutton tallow and beeswax combo. I but the mutton tallow from Dixie Gun Works, and buy beeswax pearls locally. I like to use the pearls as they melt easier. You can also use a solid block of beeswax and a cheese grater.

The ratio of tallow to beeswax varies with the ambient temp outside. In colder months, I add more tallow. In hotter months, I add more beeswax. More beeswax results in a firmer lube, which doesn't soften as much in hotter weather. I use about a 1:1 ration most of the time.

I melt the lube mixture, and use an old cake pan and put it in the oven with the lube. I wait till it's hot and runny. Then, I place squares of the felt into the lube and allow the excess to drip off back into the cake pan. Allow the now lubed felt sheet to cool and solidify. After that, use the hollow punch and a hammer, and punch the wads out. Done.

These works every bit as good as store bought, if not better. They make cleanup a breeze, they keep the fouling super soft and easy to remove at the end of the day. I can make them also for like 1/4 the cost of store bought as well.

I am going to do a video on making these one of these days.
Cooldill is right on with his information, buy felt from durofelt, I got my piece there.
bought the mutton tallow there also
went to michaels craft store and used a 50% coupon and bought a pound block of beeswax. the pearls will melt easier for you though as cooldill stated.

You can also make the grease cookie, would be cheaper because you dont need felt.
Cooldill, how much were the beeswax pearls? I'm wondering what the price difference is between those and a block

Blackpowdershooter44 said:

I am going to do a video on making these one of these days.
Cooldill is right on with his information, buy felt from durofelt, I got my piece there.
bought the mutton tallow there also
went to michaels craft store and used a 50% coupon and bought a pound block of beeswax. the pearls will melt easier for you though as cooldill stated.

You can also make the grease cookie, would be cheaper because you dont need felt.
Cooldill, how much were the beeswax pearls? I'm wondering what the price difference is between those and a block

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Haven't bought any in some time. I would just shop around for the cheapest natural beeswax. It doesn't need to be food grade, even the cheap kind with bee guts in it will work.

I use lard and candle wax in 1:1 ratio. I didn't have any beeswax on hand and had a few ordinary white candles, gave the kids knives to chop them to bits, melted it all down, and voilla, lubricating grease.

So far haven't been using felt wads, but rather a small amount of grease under the conical. Still looking for the most accurate kind of load though. However most people I know of use grit fullfillment if they are not going for a full chamber of powder instead of felt wad. It would be safe to put grease on top of grit and below the ball.

grit fullfillment

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I think I just found the new name for my rock band!!

To keep the mess to a minimum, punch your wads from dry felt then place in melted lube. I soak mine then wring them out with my hands. I use the same "pearl lube" I use for bullet lube.
My next batch will be tallow/soy wax.

I use Paraffin wax, Beeswax, and Olive Oil.

I use the cut-to-size felt pads for putting under furniture legs, etc. Since they've got a sticky back I put 'em on the bottoms of dry conicals, then lube the whole assembly. For lube I'm using SNO-SEAL, a beeswax waterproofer for boots/shoes. I let the lubed bullets, balls, or wads, air dry for a day. The volatiles evaporate leaving just the beeswax behind.

(Thread) "1) Source of felt and what thickness, etc., and your source of the aforementioned."

Do not remember the source but two years ago bought a bunch of 8" round by 1/4" thick 100% wool felt rounds. Most commercial wads are 1/8 or thinner I think.

I like the thicker ones, as IMO they are only for keeping the fouling soft, and the added thickness not only takes up a little more space but carries a bit more lube.

Lube is the standard 50/50 beeswax and Crisco. A little olive oil for cold weather use. Usually not needed in Southwest Florida.

RaceM said:

I use the cut-to-size felt pads for putting under furniture legs, etc. Since they've got a sticky back I put 'em on the bottoms of dry conicals, then lube the whole assembly. For lube I'm using SNO-SEAL, a beeswax waterproofer for boots/shoes. I let the lubed bullets, balls, or wads, air dry for a day. The volatiles evaporate leaving just the beeswax behind.

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Have you recovered any of these wads. Do they show any signs of melting. Just wondering if their composition is contains a synthetic fiber that would melt and coat the barrel

The wads stuck on the bullet base can cause some really interesting trajectories, not all of them good.


By the way I like the 11mm punch from a Harbor Freight set for 45 cal use.

http://www.durofelt.com/image_26.html

This is what commercial wads are made from

Blackpowdershooter44 said:

http://www.durofelt.com/image_26.html

This is what commercial wads are made from

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Beat ya to it! See my first post.

Sorry Cooldill, I didn't see that link
What I did see is that durofelts prices went up from 2 months ago

For beeswax just contact your local beekeeper or beekeeping club. usually much cheaper than a craft store.
Living in the city? Yes, there are beekeepers there, too.

@whughett I always inspect carefully during cleaning and maintenance and there is no sign of melted material or gunging up of the forcing cone or barrel. As to finding/recovering a wad, about the only way to do that would be to use a barrel of sand or water. Might try that at some point since you got me curious now.

@Noz <laughing> I shoot the conicals for plinking. None of my bp guns seem to like 'em for dead nuts accuracy so I shoot ball when it's for score. I don't think the wads actually stay put on the base during a shot (sometimes they come off when loading the cylinder), but it does work nicely for loading up my bullet box.

After you make the wads treat them with Gatofeo's #1 Lube!!