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Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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Durability of Sambar Stag
- Thread starter jeffbird
- Start date
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- Jan 10, 2022
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- 131
> It is my understanding that Ballistol is predominantly mineral oil.
Ballistol, google-translated from Wikipedia:
The essential component of Ballistol is medical-grade white oil. This component serves as a lubricant and anti-corrosion agent. The alcohol components have a disinfecting and preserving effect. So that the two can be mixed, alkali salts of oleic acid are present as detergents. Together with the alcohols, they also enable a water-displacing and dirt-dissolving effect, but also make the oil film washable. Ballistol forms a milky emulsion with water and, according to the manufacturer, has a pH of 8 to 8.5 (alkaline).
As a weapon care product, the oil can be washed off the weapon parts by water and then loses its protective effect. The alkaline reaction of the oil has a good cleaning effect: Metallic deposits in the gun barrel (tombak [a copper alloy], lead) can be removed relatively easily. This also applies to the combustion residues of propellant charge powders. The reaction with copper and its alloys (such as brass) leads to deterioration of weapon parts and ammunition made of these metals, as it has a slightly oxidizing effect on their surface. It is not suitable for preserving these metals.
As a wood care product, Ballistol is questionable: under normal conditions of use, the component white oil cannot polymerize and/or oxidize and is stored unchanged in the wood. This makes the wood more difficult to access for specific wood care products (linseed oil, tung oil, balsamic turpentine and mixtures of these and similar substances, as well as waxes and varnishes) and becomes greasy if it is applied in excess. Since turpentine can dissolve the paraffin compounds it contains, treatment will probably at least be more difficult.
...
Ballistol is biodegradable, not hazardous to water and harmless in terms of foodstuff legislation. The characteristic smell comes from the essential oils used for perfuming.
Soldiers used it for disinfection. When one of my nieces fell into stinging nettles I sprayed it on. She stopped crying almost immediately. Hunters put it on their dogs' feet, as well.
Ballistol, google-translated from Wikipedia:
The essential component of Ballistol is medical-grade white oil. This component serves as a lubricant and anti-corrosion agent. The alcohol components have a disinfecting and preserving effect. So that the two can be mixed, alkali salts of oleic acid are present as detergents. Together with the alcohols, they also enable a water-displacing and dirt-dissolving effect, but also make the oil film washable. Ballistol forms a milky emulsion with water and, according to the manufacturer, has a pH of 8 to 8.5 (alkaline).
As a weapon care product, the oil can be washed off the weapon parts by water and then loses its protective effect. The alkaline reaction of the oil has a good cleaning effect: Metallic deposits in the gun barrel (tombak [a copper alloy], lead) can be removed relatively easily. This also applies to the combustion residues of propellant charge powders. The reaction with copper and its alloys (such as brass) leads to deterioration of weapon parts and ammunition made of these metals, as it has a slightly oxidizing effect on their surface. It is not suitable for preserving these metals.
As a wood care product, Ballistol is questionable: under normal conditions of use, the component white oil cannot polymerize and/or oxidize and is stored unchanged in the wood. This makes the wood more difficult to access for specific wood care products (linseed oil, tung oil, balsamic turpentine and mixtures of these and similar substances, as well as waxes and varnishes) and becomes greasy if it is applied in excess. Since turpentine can dissolve the paraffin compounds it contains, treatment will probably at least be more difficult.
...
Ballistol is biodegradable, not hazardous to water and harmless in terms of foodstuff legislation. The characteristic smell comes from the essential oils used for perfuming.
Soldiers used it for disinfection. When one of my nieces fell into stinging nettles I sprayed it on. She stopped crying almost immediately. Hunters put it on their dogs' feet, as well.
Last edited:
BJE
Basic Member
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2006
- Messages
- 3,079
I like and use Ballistol, though less than I did before reading that its primary ingredient is mineral oil. I don’t know how true that is, nor do I know the difference between white oil listed above and mineral oil.
While the internet is invaluable for information, it’s also the place in which a large portion of misinformation disseminates from as well.
I reserve judgment upon the old standby lubricant until I learn more.
While the internet is invaluable for information, it’s also the place in which a large portion of misinformation disseminates from as well.
I reserve judgment upon the old standby lubricant until I learn more.
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2022
- Messages
- 131
BJE
Basic Member
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2006
- Messages
- 3,079
I’m ok with food grade mineral oil myself, not sure if medical grade is a purer form or not, but if it’s ok to eat, it’s good enough for knife use IMO.
Horsewright
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- Oct 4, 2011
- Messages
- 13,340
Thats cool looking stuff. I’ve used goat horn before that looked like that.
Will Power
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2007
- Messages
- 33,363
Horn is a kind of roulette, but it depends on the species of animal, the proper curing and drying process. As
Horsewright
a man in the know, points out Himalayan Ram's Horn and Mufflon from Europe are safer bets than Bovine forms. Horn seems to be sensitive to massive changes in humidity, it prefers a moister environment so indoors here in the winter with say 20% humidity can be challenging. The problems I've had have been with Bovine variants not horntip and it's been on American & English knives.
L Luke_Chambers Thank you very much for the original source and for your thoughts on Ballistol. One of THE best 'management' methods for Stag is simply handling it and using it frequently, the oils in the hands, salts etc seem to really enhance the antler. Of course, when you have a number of Stag knives this becomes complicated....
Regards, Will
Horsewright
a man in the know, points out Himalayan Ram's Horn and Mufflon from Europe are safer bets than Bovine forms. Horn seems to be sensitive to massive changes in humidity, it prefers a moister environment so indoors here in the winter with say 20% humidity can be challenging. The problems I've had have been with Bovine variants not horntip and it's been on American & English knives.L Luke_Chambers Thank you very much for the original source and for your thoughts on Ballistol. One of THE best 'management' methods for Stag is simply handling it and using it frequently, the oils in the hands, salts etc seem to really enhance the antler. Of course, when you have a number of Stag knives this becomes complicated....
Regards, Will