Frog lube! (Too many threads!)

[larry8]

I wonder if my bike will run with FL in the crankcase?

[TMD]

Originally Posted by larry8

I wonder if my bike will run with FL in the crankcase?

At about $10 an ounce it would be like a $1200 oil change in my H-D.

[tedjack]

Originally Posted by larry8

I wonder if my bike will run with FL in the crankcase?

No...but it will hop!

[AmbroseLee]

I don't care who you are - that's funny!

[STUBHAWK]

I've got a buddy who swears by Frog Lube, but it seems a bit like snake oil to me. If it activates with heat, then the damage has already been done before it starts to work. If it is dry then it isn't separating the load-bearing surfaces. Essentially, it does the same thing Crisco does when you season a cast iron pan, which isn't what I want for my firearms. Any company that refuses to provide MSDS sheets, ingredients, or testing data is not on the up and up, as far as I'm concerned, and that's not just for firearms products. "It just works," is not scientific proof. I recommend reading Grant Cunningham's article, "Lubricants 101." Between Lubriplate's 105 (Brownell's carries it and it's easier to get in consumer quantities than Grant's recommended SFL), Lubriplate FMO-AW-350 oil, and some Ed's Red I made up, my firearms lubrication needs are satisfied at a pretty reasonable cost. I sure won't be using CLP, or any of the others I've tried before now, again in the desert.

GrantCunningham.com - Library

[larry8]

I like Frog Lube because:
1) smells nice
2) does not harm anything including your hands
3) smells nice
4) after a shooting match, recleaning seems easier with less carbon buildup
5) it seems to clean parts that appeared clean with solvent
6) and lastly, it smells nice

[tedjack]

Originally Posted by larry8

I like Frog Lube because:
1) smells nice
2) does not harm anything including your hands
3) smells nice
4) after a shooting match, recleaning seems easier with less carbon buildup
5) it seems to clean parts that appeared clean with solvent
6) and lastly, it smells nice

I swear by EEzox, but I did order Frog Lube to try it out. EEzox smells and is hard to wash of my hands. Frog Lube seems to wash right off.

[jrprich]

Originally Posted by tedjack

I swear by EEzox, but I did order Frog Lube to try it out. EEzox smells and is hard to wash of my hands. Frog Lube seems to wash right off.

Yeah, I tried EEzox but the smell is just nasty.
I will stick with Froglube.

[STUBHAWK]

Originally Posted by larry8

I like Frog Lube because:
1) smells nice
2) does not harm anything including your hands
3) smells nice
4) after a shooting match, recleaning seems easier with less carbon buildup
5) it seems to clean parts that appeared clean with solvent
6) and lastly, it smells nice

I don't choose my firearms lubricants based on smell, nor do I think I've ever given a firearm a sniff test at a gun shop before buying it, but I will try to address your points. Bacon fat smells (relatively) nice and seasons metal well, too. It is best applied to warm metal, to which it absorbs into the pours, leaving a dry, smooth surface until heated, when it liquefies providing lubricating/non-stick qualities. Sound like Frog Lube? Bacon fat doesn't harm my hands, cleaning a skillet seasoned properly is easier with less carbon buildup after being on a fire pit, and it cleans very easily since it just requires wiping and a light coat of oil. Despite having these same properties as Frog Lube, I wouldn't use bacon fat for firearms lubrication. Food grade oils and greases have no smell, do not harm my precious hands, have boundary properties to prevent metal to metal contact from the start, and have MSDS sheets available to the public to prove they are not hazardous to me or what they are applied to.

[larry8]

Bacon fat... Thats funny.
Never tried using it for lubricating anything.
I heard of others using ATF with good results, but I think the writer was wrong about it having "boundary lubricating" properties. It is basically a hydraulic fluid used for transmitting power and the lubrication properties are secondary and a minor property of the fluid. However it does work so I can't falut people that use it. To each his own.

[jlh820]

I don't know how I missed this thread, but I'm telling you, FrogLube is the best thing for guns since smokeless powder! I am 100% convinced that it will provide all my CLP needs for all my firearms. And clean up is now a snap with a wipe down and some minor bore cleaning.

I'll never go back to the old chemicals unless for some reason they stop making it.

American ingenuity strikes again!

[Seneca]

Ok I've lubed up several frogs with the stuff and other than one of them looking really ticked off, I'm not seeing any difference...they are dang near impossible to catch now...how long does it take for that stuff to wear off???

[jlh820]

Originally Posted by Seneca

Ok I've lubed up several frogs with the stuff and other than one of them looking really ticked off, I'm not seeing any difference...they are dang near impossible to catch now...how long does it take for that stuff to wear off???

You've got to read the instructions! Heat them up in a pot of boiling water first and they're much easier to catch!

[jlh820]

Originally Posted by STUBHAWK

I don't choose my firearms lubricants based on smell, nor do I think I've ever given a firearm a sniff test at a gun shop before buying it, but I will try to address your points. Bacon fat smells (relatively) nice and seasons metal well, too. It is best applied to warm metal, to which it absorbs into the pours, leaving a dry, smooth surface until heated, when it liquefies providing lubricating/non-stick qualities. Sound like Frog Lube? Bacon fat doesn't harm my hands, cleaning a skillet seasoned properly is easier with less carbon buildup after being on a fire pit, and it cleans very easily since it just requires wiping and a light coat of oil. Despite having these same properties as Frog Lube, I wouldn't use bacon fat for firearms lubrication. Food grade oils and greases have no smell, do not harm my precious hands, have boundary properties to prevent metal to metal contact from the start, and have MSDS sheets available to the public to prove they are not hazardous to me or what they are applied to.

If they came out with a bacon flavored FrogLube I'd switch to that! Might even spread a little on a sandwich!

[krwada]

Originally Posted by STUBHAWK

I don't choose my firearms lubricants based on smell, nor do I think I've ever given a firearm a sniff test at a gun shop before buying it, but I will try to address your points. Bacon fat smells (relatively) nice and seasons metal well, too. It is best applied to warm metal, to which it absorbs into the pours, leaving a dry, smooth surface until heated, when it liquefies providing lubricating/non-stick qualities. Sound like Frog Lube? Bacon fat doesn't harm my hands, cleaning a skillet seasoned properly is easier with less carbon buildup after being on a fire pit, and it cleans very easily since it just requires wiping and a light coat of oil. Despite having these same properties as Frog Lube, I wouldn't use bacon fat for firearms lubrication. Food grade oils and greases have no smell, do not harm my precious hands, have boundary properties to prevent metal to metal contact from the start, and have MSDS sheets available to the public to prove they are not hazardous to me or what they are applied to.

I would not use BACON to lube any thing metal. The Frog lube web site clearly states that their product is plant based, not animal based.

I tried to check on what Frog lube is. I know that instead of patenting the formulation, that it is kept as a trade secret. This is what I know about frog lube so far.

1. It appears to be a polyunsaturated plant based waxy ester.
2. The minty smell is some stuff that appears to be added to throw folks off as to what the stuff truly is
3. The color is also some additive that was put in to throw folks off as to what the stuff is.
4. Frog lube, in its natural state appears to be a white waxy grease like compound very much like Crisco in nature.
5. Since it is a waxy ester, it will stick and penetrate to metal very nicely.
6. Since it is a waxy ester, it will be much more resilient against heat and chemical degradation... unlike bacon grease, which is a fatty acid.
7. Dirt and grit will 'float' on frog lube. This is the nature of plant based waxes. They are very well known in the literature for doing this.
8. The two forms of frog lube, (liquid and paste), are almost the same thing. The natural state of frog lube appears to be a liquid. I am guessing that some form of partial hydrogenation is how the paste is made.

My best guess is that the active ingredient in frog lube is most likely the partially hydrogenated form of jojoba bean oil. Jojoba bean is chemically a plant based wax that naturally occurs as a liquid form at room temperature. It is a fully unsaturated ester and will form a Crisco like paste when partially hydrogenated. I am guessing that the liquid form of frog lube is the oil itself with some mint and coloring additives added.

Because of these properties, frog lube will not prevent rust like other CLP formulations. I am guessing this is why frog lube failed the Mil Spec test in miserable fashion.

Frog lube should work fairly well for the following uses:
1. General purpose lubricant for moving parts
2. Film lube to keep dirt and grit from adversely affecting machinery
3. Bore conditioner.

I personally use frog lube to lube those parts I do not wish to lube too often. The most common being magazine springs and parts that feed the ammunition in my firearms. I also use a thin film on all the slides and a very thin film on the springs and moving parts.

I also use frog lube as a bore conditioner. Using frog lube as a bore conditioner does help with the cleaning. However, if you shoot a ton of rounds then, it does not help much because the lube will degrade from the extreme heat of repeated firing.

How am I able to guess all this? I have friends in Chemical research. Since Frog lube is guarded as a Trade secret, this got me really curious as to what this stuff is. I then sent a sample to some of my friends so we could run it through some infrared spectrometers. I also wanted to to a GC, (gas chromatographic analyses), but I figured that the color and smell was most likely red herrings placed into the compound to attempt to fool any enterprising Chemist or Chemical engineer.

I am a Chemical Engineer; however, I am currently employed as an Electrical Engineer.