Imperial Luger Lubrication~
 

Years before modern lube, we have tools but no reference to what they used to clean and protect their guns~ Example tools but what was some lubricant?

Whale oil??? :confused:

(It will not fetch thee much in our Nantucket market.) :p

Oh, god no! My father had some whale oil when I was a kid in junior high school and tuning up my tuba one evening before a concert he said "Hey, I've got just the thing for it. It'll never freeze up."

So he coated the number three valve with the gunk, I reassembled it and pressed down on the valve. Where it stayed. I had to pull it back up by hand.

I removed the valve and cleaned everything up as best I could before using the proper lube. But that valve never worked the same again.

Whale oil, like petroleum oil, came in many grades and weights.
If we are talking about the early 20th century many grades of mineral oil, aka petroleum oil, were available. Whale oil and refined fish oil were used for some special applications.

Not certain it's strictly true, but I've heard that whale oil is used for clocks and watches. The claim was that it doesn't dry/gum up as quickly as other lubricants. I'll bet by now that there are modern petroleum based oils/formulations that mimic this property. Not so hard on the whales...

sperm oil
 

i use it sparingly so i still have almost a full can left -
old Luger pamphlet recommended using vaseline petroleum jelly on page #26 -

Oddly enough, I came across another oil for watches while reading a Lee Child book, Without Fail. It's oil from shark's livers - Squalene. C-thirty H-fifty. A minor character in the book states it's good for watches. The character was in the Red Army and was now a watch repairman. :rolleyes:

Ezra Kelley (1798-1895) was a watch maker from New Bedford, Massachusetts. He is credited with the discovery that oil from the jaw and head of porpoises and blackfish (or pilot whales) was the best known lubricant for the delicate workings of watches and chronometers.

It was the 'go to' oil for many years because it stayed put ... in other words a tiny drop placed on a critical point stayed there and didn't 'flow' away from its placement.

These days watches are literally a 'dime a dozen' and an attractive watch is a convenience store away.

This Early Makes Sense
 

It hold the oil and pointed tool! 1906 French Contract~

Is it actually a 'tool' or just a dauber??? :confused:

I like sewing machine oil for my pistols.
Put it on a cotton patch and wipe to apply a really thin coat - all it needs

Only use a gun oil for the bore - formulated for hot gasses

over many years (~50) it seems to work

Swords use pure mineral oil - with a tiny splash of clove oil for historical relevance
(Choji oil)

Hi,

The German Army's Choice was Ballistol created in 1905.

I still use it today for an outstanding CLP.


Sieger

It's identical to the cleaning rod/oiler issued with the model 1906 Portuguese Lugers.

https://i.imgur.com/y73C66V.jpg

What does the 'tool' (inside the oil bottle) look like it is intended to do??? Eric's pic isn't clear... :confused:

Makes it easy to put just a drop of oil in a certain spot.

Hi!

Who here knows what German Soldaten were to use for pistol patches originally?


Sierger

I am sure it was an important part of training! How to maintain their firearms!!

It's as if the post was made into a diamond shape but the point blunted. I'm sure it was designed to pick up oil and deposit it precisely.

I gave the entire rig to my youngest son as a present. I've since replaced the pistol with one not quite as nice but still better than the average Portuguese.

Hence the term 'dauber'. :D

It looks like (to me, from Eric's pic) a thick blunt screwdriver shape. I know the grips use slotted screws, but the firing pin spring guide uses a slot too. No one else has given an opinion besides oil dauber so I'll go back to downloading pr0n and shut up... :rolleyes: