Balisol works great

M

m1ghtysauc3

Joined
Feb 10, 2011
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211
I've always used Balistol for guns, knives, hinges, and anything else that needs lubed (not that :D). For anyone who is wondering how well it works with the Sebenza....outstanding. The action is much smoother now. The blade almost completely closed on it's own when the lock is released. I may start putting this stuff on my Cheerios.
On a side note, I've decided to lose the lanyard. It kept getting in my way and I like the clean look of a naked Sebenza. I was able to do a minor mod to keep the lanyard pin from falling out. My darling is now perfect.
 
It has a semi strong licorice smell when you are applying but the smell goes away very quickly. It smells a lot better than tuff glide thats for sure!
 
I would say it has more of an intense odor of a wet and dirty dog. To my nose, its very nasty. For those who care, the MSDS says "Ballistol contains medicinal grade mineral oil, alkaline salts of oleic acid, several alcohols, Benzyl Acetate and an oil from vegetal seeds." I like the stuff fine, but it sure does stink.
 
Ballistol is well known for reacting with (i.e. dissolving) metals like lead, brass and copper. Part of its strengths in barrel/chamber cleaning as it cleans up bullet smearing, albeit slowly and not as aggressively as Hoppes.

Always wondered if there might be longer term consequences for the CRK bronze washers?!
 
DanG said:
Ballistol is well known for reacting with (i.e. dissolving) metals like lead, brass and copper. Part of its strengths in barrel/chamber cleaning as it cleans up bullet smearing, albeit slowly and not as aggressively as Hoppes.

Always wondered if there might be longer term consequences for the CRK bronze washers?!
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Are you suggesting that Balistol may eat through the washer? CRK isn't the only manufacturer that uses bronze washers and I've been using it for years with zero problems.
 
Not suggesting, more guessing. And a semi-educated guess at that, as I am not a chemist. Take it as a heads-up and do your own research.

Quoting directly from the us-american website: "Cleans & dissolves traces of copper, lead, brass, zinc, & tombac." The german product documentation states the same and warns of storing Ballistol in brass bottles.

I know for a fact that brass and copper develop a green tint from Ballistol and get "eaten" over the course of several years. I have also seen german hunting rifles with compromised soldering of the scope mounts due to excessive use of Ballistol. As to the consequences for CRK bronze washers, I have no idea. Personally though, I won't use it on Sebenzas or other knives with bronze washers.
 
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The smell comes from denaturing it, so people won't drink it.
Some love it, some hate it.

I used to use it on Sebies too, but stopped, because the washers turned dark.
A bit of Flitz made it good again, but now I use a different lubricant.
That's a pitty, because it was food safe, readily avaliable and not expensive.

Hope this helps.
red mag
 
Well, I didn't wanna risk it, so I cleaned the Balistol off and lubed it up with some of the lube that comes with Sig Sauers.
 
m1ghtysauc3 said:
Well, I didn't wanna risk it, so I cleaned the Balistol off and lubed it up with some of the lube that comes with Sig Sauers.
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As I recall, my Wife's Sig came with Milcom TW25. Not sure how well that works on knives, but it's exceptional for firearms.
 
Thanks for the link, rycen. An interesting read.

As an aside, I had a lengthy talk with a top-notch german gunsmith over a cup of coffee last winter. Now, as everyone knows, Ballistol has quite a following among german hunters to the point of being a hunting tradition. This gunsmith, however, was almost sick of his customers using it because Ballistol dissolves the glue (epoxy) that is used for installing today's scope mounts. So frankly, I wouldn't even recommend its use on plastics. It's good stuff for bowel irritations (some drops in a glass of water or neat from a teaspoon if you're desperate enough) and dry skin (think cracked hands in winter), though. I witnessed a friend of mine (a physician by trade) treating his bout of food poisoning in a remote hunting cabin in the alps with a swig straight from the bottle. Personally, I would rather have a dram of Lagavulin.

The Sig Sauer OEM lube is good stuff, indeed. Not sure though if the viscosity is right for Sebenzas.

After years of experimenting with different greases and lubes on Sebenzas, I finally broke down and bought the CRK grease three years ago. Should have done so early on. No complaints.
 
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"bought the CRK grease three years ago. Should have done so early on. No complaints. " That's the ticket.
 
Just used ballistol a week ago,just a few drops...should I clean it off,or just don't use it any more...kind of getting scare of this stuff!
 
rolexkid said:
Just used ballistol a week ago,just a few drops...should I clean it off,or just don't use it any more...kind of getting scare of this stuff!
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I personally don't think it will hurt anything. I don't think Ballistol is the sulfuric acid people like to make it out to be. I've used it on other bronze washers for years. I just don't feel like taking the risk with my one and only CRK.
 
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