Well, the Gatofeo No. 1 lube (as it's been dubbed) works fine for me, of course.
I use it to lubricate precut felt wads that are placed between ball and powder. I also lubricate conical bullets with it, if they have grease rings.
I agree that its original recipe is rather stiff for placing over a seated ball, if you prefer to avoid wads.
For this application, I use CVA Patch Grease. It has the consistency of a thickened suntan lotion. I also like that the tube has a long narrow neck, for easy application. This is particularly useful when getting into tight spaces.
I also use CVA Patch Grease to lubricate the base pin on my revolvers, as well as light dabs of it on the interior mechanism of my revolvers to help shrug off fouling.
I learned years ago that regular oil is burned or blown off the interior workings of a cap and ball revolver within a couple of cylilnderfuls. You need a grease in there that will remain to provide lubrication.
The sides of the hammer, and the hammer channel in the frame, are also given a light coat of this grease. This keeps my revolvers shooting long after conventional oils would have been overwhelmed by the fouling.
When I do use oil, such as on the threads of screws to make removal easier for later cleaning, I use olive oil.
I don't allow petroleum derivatives to touch my cap and ball revolvers -- with one exception: anti-seizing compound on the threads of the nipples. This makes nipple removal much easier, especially after a day of heavy shooting.
For exterior and interior rust preventative, I still use olive oil. But then, I live in the desert and high humidities are not so common.
Just plain ol' Crisco or any vegetable shortening is a good substitute if you can't find the CVA Patch Grease, which is somtimes difficult to find.
Great-great-great Grampa Gatofeo used to swear by a home-brew lubricant made of Dodo bird grease, Passenger Pigeon drippings and Unicorn fat. Never tried it myself; the ingredients are kinda hard to come by.