Has anyone ever heard of wiping sperm oil on brass stoves as a protective coating? I know sperm oil was used to protect firearms in the past because it doesn't dry out. According to Wikipedia sperm oil isn't really oil at all but rather a liquid wax. It was once an ingredient in Rust-Oleum but no longer. Ben
Where would one even get sperm oil? Mac's chain and cable lubricant would seem to be similar? Available at NAPA in a spray can.
I doubt the “sperm oil” you get on eBay would be whale oil. If in the off-chance it was it is probably illegal to possess in many countries. Tony Edit: Sperm oil is from the spermaceti of a Sperm whale, not from whale blubber (of any whale) Edit 2: FINALLY ... a substitute for sperm whale oil - Shiloh Rifle Forums
No, there is still some pre-ban whale oil out there like this unopened can I bought a couple of days ago. Ben
ah Brownell’s from that we’ll known whaling community of Montezuma, Iowa! I’ve fished the Iowa River and even a baby sperm whale could only be described as hopelessly lost if it ended up in Iowa city let alone Lake Ponderosa. I guess they shipped in bulk quantities of sperm oil and re-packaged it rather than processing locally. Was there a candle factory in the vicinity? Regards John
my grandmother ,bless her,was a forelady at the Temple rug factory in Glasgow in the late 1800's.she said sperm oil was used on the machines.
The original replacement for sperm whale oil was (and is) jojoba oil, from a desert plant. It's not cheap either, but it's available on the Internet and is legal. ....Arch
20 years ago I worked as a projectionist in an oldtime movie theater in Maine. There was a local wizard who worked there maintained all of the pre war projection machines in the area. He had a strategic sperm whale oil reserve for keeping everything running. As I recall Sperm whale oil running out was the reason ATF fluid was developed, and one of the remaining sources of the good stuff was barn find vehicles.
Looked it up. Might be good for the burn on my leg. 6 years now and it is still prone to easy damage.
Very Interesting subject. Many years ago the water quality measurement for clarity/turbidity was performed with a Jackson Candle device. Anyway for proper calibration the candle was specified to be one from the spermaceti. Apparently a specific length of wick at a set distance from the graduated cylinder was needed for accuracy.
Morning, All, Interesting thread about sperm oil. Many years ago, and old friend, who was a Trader and gunsmith, gifted me a small bottle of sperm oil. I've not been able to bring myself to actually USE it for anything, due to it's rarity. It is exceedingly viscus, though, and feels different than any other oil I've yet used. The Vietnamese watchmaker, who maintains my small collection of 18th century pocket watches, and also Sweet Bride's Grandmother's kitchen clock, once told me that they used to use sperm oil in lubricating watches and clocks. I can't recall what he said about whether sperm oil left a waxy deposit, or not. I'll have to look that up. Interesting stuff, eh?! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
