[stumpstalker]

If the use of BALLISTOL risks marital discord, you might try MINK OIL LUBE -- for gun cleaning, loosening parts, and protection. (The product has nothing to do with the substance that comes in a plastic container you slather onto your shoes for waterproofing).

MINK OIL LUBE is reputed to be the go-to penetrant for the petroleum industry in the Gulf of Mexico “Oil Patch”, being unexcelled for loosening frozen, corroded, rusted bolts, nuts, and parts. I have seen it work in the marine environment, and my brother, who was in trucking, was stunned with how fast it loosened undercarriage bolts that had been subjected to New England's salted Winter roads.

Characteristics: Non-corrosive; non electrical conducting; smells good; not sold to the retail public, but only to businesses.

Aerosol 16-ounce cans only; minimum order is for one case which is one dozen cans.

I have conducted my own test on steel to determine if there is any element in the “recipe” that harms metal, and there appears to be none; rather it protects, and supposedly does not evaporate.

If you don’t like the anise fragrance of BALLISTOL, you could try MINK OIL LUBE, which has a pleasant smell.

What percentage of the product is constituted of mink oil I have no idea, but I find it interesting that some of the best lubricants are derived at least in part from fauna: fish oil (WD-40), whale oil, or as here, small mammals.

Source: Hill Manufacturing Company, Inc., 1500 Jonesboro Road, SE, Atlanta, Georgia 30315

Telephone: 1-800-445-5123