Thinning Ballistol?

Since your chemistry isn't all it could be, let me point you in the right direction.
The basic rule for solvents/solutes is that "like dissolves like." Polar solutes require a polar solvent. Non-polar solutes require a non-polar solvent. Water, due to its partially polar nature, is sometimes described as a universal solvent. Ballistol doesn't dissolve in water, though, it forms an emulsion thanks to some of the ingredients.
So, what you need to do on this pointless little quest of yours, is find an appropriate solvent for mineral oil. Mineral oil is a non-polar hydrocarbon. Benzene and carbon tetra-chloride are a couple examples of non-polar solvents.
You'd be much better served just to switch to a different product than to try to "thin" Ballistol with something other than water, Dr. Science.
 
OK just one question. I use B/ w/ springwater. You can buy case of sw in plastic bottes for next to nothing!Pour out a couple of ozs and refill w/ B. Now it works good cleaning firearms ,polishing furniture and etc and course vinyl and leather in your car. The problem is the smell w/ this. HEY my wife thinks if there was an essential oil/scent/ she would use it more. So -not worrin bout guns and sporting stuff. what would you scent a 6/1 ratio for the little lady. That is a good ques:) But gotta be universal smell for everyone.:)
 
Seriously, is there something you can put in a 6/1 ballestol mix that is smell friendly? When using it in close quarters etc
 
Tincture of wintergreen is what gives Bore Butter its Bengay aroma and that doesn't seem to hurt its effectiveness any. And a [few] dozen drops or so of wintergreen oil can be substituted in place of the tincture. But there are also plenty of other oils that can be added in different combinations to produce a more custom aroma.
Hmmmm....perhaps it could be made to smell like pepperment schnapps or spearmint gum? :D
 
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Thinning Ballistoil

Oly, have you found anything better than water yet? Like you, I'm hesitant cleaning metal with water and just started trying this product. If it cleans my BP with water and no rusting I would be happy, surprised, but happy.
 
Ballistol

I bought mine from the LGS. Nothing like it for muzzle loaders. It cleans those nasty little chambers cut into the GPR breech plug factory fresh. It greatly
reduces the number of patches to dry the bore. I never see flash rust with Ballistol. I use it cause it drys nice and flat, none of the Hershey bar look. Just don't use it for dessert topping.
 
Midway sells it... buy the liquid, not the spray.

Cleaning metal with water is easy... use it hot, let the metal heat up, and it'll dry in a minute once you wipe it down. Oil and forget about it.

I use Ballistol with great success. Water is the way you dilute it... <sorry to the OP, but it's true>


Willie

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Kind of Thick

I use distilled water with Ballistol also and agree it makes a thick concoction. But it works so well on my BP firearms it is worth the effort to wipe clean before firing after storing. Just checked my BP rifles and revolver that were fired last fall and cleaned with recommended distilled water and Ballisltol then stored under the bed last fall in one case and in rifle cases and a silicone sock in another area. None of the pieces showed any rust this month or during periodic checks during the winter.
 
I don't understand why someone hasn't come up with a homemade concoction equivalent that is much cheaper. Nearly every other cleaner on the market has it's counterpart homemade recipe.

So...what is "white pharmaceutical oil" exactly? Mineral oil??? I'm asking as I have no earthly idea.
What kind of alcohols???

I'm all for trying to mix up a batch.
 
Yes, basically pharmaceutical white oil is food grade mineral oil; food grade implies purity standards that ensure no toxic contaminants are included. And it's relatively expensive stuff for that reason.

However, you don't need food grade mineral oil. Machinist's cutting oil, used to cool metal cutting tools, will work just as well.
 
Oly, have you found anything better than water yet? Like you, I'm hesitant cleaning metal with water and just started trying this product. If it cleans my BP with water and no rusting I would be happy, surprised, but happy.
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Yes, "better" for some of my purposes at least. I found a truly odorless mineral spirit at an art shop. I guess it's used for thinning oil paints by arteests and since it's intended to not be foul smelling (and make your house stink like a jet fuel truck) it was reasonably close to what I was after all along. The "odorless" spirits or thinner that they sell at the hardware stores stinks just like kerosene or jet fuel to me and I have no idea how they get off calling that product "odorless".

At any rate, it thinned my Ballistol down very nicely, so I now have three spray bottles of the stuff on the bench. One is a water mixture ("moose milk" or whatever you guys call it) that I use whenever it's appropriate, another is straight Ballistol that I use mostly for lubrication and rust prevention, and the third is my thinned down mixture that I use for gun cleaning and flushing parts off etc., or when I don't want water getting into wood or involved in what I'm doing.

What I had hoped to find was a non-toxic alcohol or some chemical of that sort in order to keep the relatively non-toxic nature of Ballistol intact, and while that's probably easy for someone somewhere to do I got zero help here regarding it, no good suggestions elsewhere, so I just decided to give up on the non-toxic part and go with the mineral spirits route once I found one that was virtually odorless.

Oh and thanks again to Dr. Unhelpful for deciding for me what's "pointless" while engaged in being a jerk just for grins. After all, if you're gonna be useless, you might as well be an a-hole at it.

Cheers,
Oly
 
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I found a place in Oklahoma to get ballistol at a good price and with the 16 oz. can, you also get a sprayer with it at no cost. I only use the non aerosol version. The only draw back is that they will not accept a debit/credit card orders unless the order is over a certain amount. They ship first class mail so the expense is low. Cost of a 16 oz. can is only $10 with a sray nozzle. The owners are cowboy action shooters also and pleasant to deal with. Contact by e mail @ www.cowboyshooterssupply.com & take a look at their other products or call ph# (580) 873-2663. Best price I have found.
 
* C-5 alcohols: CAS RN 78-83-1; CAS RN 137-32-6; CAS RN 100-51-6
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Alcohol with five carbon atoms in the molecule is known as amyl alcohol and is not considered highly toxic. Small amounts of it occurs naturally in fermented beverages and it is one of the higher order alcohols that make up fusel oil.

The more carbon atoms in the molecule, the less water soluble and the more oily the alcohol tends to be, cholesterol, for example is a fat soluble alcohol.
 
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