Animal-based hydrocarbon firearm lubricant

Abstract

A lubricant for firearms includes a base and nanoparticles dispersed throughout the base. The base may include a hydrocarbon or a mixture of hydrocarbons. The base may be in a liquid form or in a semisolid form. Fat from an animal source, such as porcine fat or, more specifically, bacon fat, may be employed as a hydrocarbon of the base. Fat from an animal source may be rendered or otherwise clarified. The nanoparticles may include nanospheres, which may have an average diameter of about 100 nm or less. The lubricant may also include a hydrocarbon from a vegetable source (e.g., a vegetable oil, etc.), a hydrocarbon from a petrochemical source, and/or a synthetic petrochemical lubricant. The lubricant may include a fragrance to impart it with a desired scent (e.g., a bacon scent, etc.). Methods for lubricating and cleaning metallic surfaces of firearms are also disclosed. In such a method, nanoparticles from a lubricant may be introduced into and retained within microscopic crevices in the metallic surfaces.

Claims

1. A lubricant for use with firearms, comprising: a base comprising bacon fat, vegetable oil, and a carrier for nanospheres, with the bacon fat comprising about 60% of the volume of the lubricant and the vegetable oil comprising about 20% of the volume of the lubricant; and the nanospheres having an average diameter of about 100 nm or less dispersed throughout the bacon fat, the vegetable oil, and the carrier for nanospheres, the nanospheres and the carrier for nanospheres together comprising at least about 10% of the volume of the lubricant.

2. The lubricant of claim 1, wherein the nanospheres are capable of adhering to metallic surfaces of the firearm.

3. A lubricant for use with firearms, consisting of: porcine fat; a blend of vegetable oil and a petrochemical lubricant or a synthetic petrochemical lubricant; nanoparticles dispersed throughout the porcine fat and the blend; and fragrance.

4. The lubricant of claim 3, wherein the fragrance is a bacon scent.

5. The lubricant of claim 3, wherein the nanoparticles are nanospheres.

6. The lubricant of claim 5, wherein the nanospheres have an average diameter of about 100 nm or less.

7. The lubricant of claim 6, wherein the nanospheres are capable of adhering to metallic surfaces of the firearm.

8. The lubricant of claim 3, wherein: the porcine fat makes up about 60% of a volume of the lubricant; and the vegetable oil makes up about 20% of the volume of the lubricant.

9. The lubricant of claim 8, wherein: a portion of the blend is provided by a source of the nanoparticles; and the nanoparticles and the portion of the blend make up about 10% of the volume of the lubricant.

10. A method for lubricating a firearm, comprising: applying a lubricant consisting of porcine fat and a blend of oils with nanoparticles dispersed therethrough and a bacon fragrance to a metal feature of the firearm; and moving at least one of the metal feature and another metal feature against one another to spread the lubricant onto the metal feature and to force the nanoparticles of the lubricant into microscopic recesses in a surface of the metal feature.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein moving at least one of the metal feature and the another metal feature against one another comprise moving adjacent metal features of the firearm against each other.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: discharging the firearm.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: cleaning the metal feature of the firearm, with the nanoparticles in the microscopic recesses in the metal feature remaining in the microscopic recesses after cleaning the metal feature of the firearm.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein cleaning the metal feature of the firearm comprises applying the lubricant to the metal feature and wiping the metal feature with a cleaning element.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(1) A specific embodiment of a lubricant according to this disclosure includes a base with nanoparticles dispersed throughout the base. The lubricant may also include other components, such as a fragrance, a colorant, or the like.

(2) The base of a lubricant according to this disclosure may comprise a hydrocarbon obtained from an animal source, such as porcine fat. Such a hydrocarbon may be rendered to remove salts, sugars, and other substances, including contaminants, from the hydrocarbon. Such a hydrocarbon may be included in the lubricant in a liquid form or in a semisolid form. A hydrocarbon from an animal source may comprise about 40% of a volume of a lubricant according to this disclosure to just under 100% of the volume of the lubricant (at least some of the remainder of the volume of such an embodiment would be occupied by the nanoparticles). In a specific embodiment, liquefied, rendered bacon fat may be used as at least a portion of the base of the lubricant, and define at least 50% of a volume of the lubricant (e.g., about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, about 65%, about 70%, about 75%, about 80%, etc., of a volume of the lubricant).

(3) In addition to including a hydrocarbon from an animal source, the base of the lubricant may include a hydrocarbon from a plant source. Such a hydrocarbon may be included in the lubricant in any desired viscosity (e.g., as a liquid, as a semisolid substance, etc.). A plant-based hydrocarbon may make up less than half of the volume of the lubricant (e.g., less than 50%, about 45%, about 40%, about 35%, about 30%, about 25%, about 20%, about 15%, about 10%, about 5%, etc.). Vegetable oils, such as canola oil, may be included as part of the hydrocarbon of the base of a lubricant according to this disclosure.

(4) The base of the lubricant may also include one or more other types of hydrocarbons, including, without limitation, one or more petrochemical lubricants and/or one or more synthetic petrochemical lubricants.

(5) Some of the hydrocarbons of the base may be included part of another component. As an example, the nanoparticles may be carried by a hydrocarbon or by a mixture of hydrocarbons. Any fragrance and/or colorant may also be carried by a hydrocarbon or by a mixture of hydrocarbons. In a specific embodiment, the nanoparticles may be carried by a petrochemical lubricant or by a synthetic petrochemical lubricant.

(6) The nanoparticles may be dispersed throughout the base of the lubricant, or throughout at least a portion of the base of the lubricant. The nanoparticles may have shapes that enable them to roll or slide past one another in a manner that reduces friction as an object contacts and moves across a surface to which the lubricant has been applied. A few examples of such shapes include spheres (i.e., nanospheres, including solid nanospheres and hollow nanospheres), ellipsoids, and tori (the plural form of torus). The nanoparticles may have sizes that enable them to fill microscopic crevices or other microscopic recesses that are present in the surfaces to which the lubricant may be applied (e.g., a surface of a metallic feature of a firearm, etc.). As an example, the microparticles may have an average particle size (e.g., diameter, etc.) of about 100 nm or less. By way of example, the nanospheres of NANO LUBE Multi-Purpose Lubricant available from Nano Lube Corporation of Naples, Fla., may be used in a lubricant according to this disclosure. According to Nano Lube Corporation, the nanospheres in that product can magnetically adhere to the surfaces of metallic features to which they are applied.

(7) In a more specific embodiment, a lubricant according to this disclosure consists essentially of or consists of porcine fat, oil, and nanospheres. Such a lubricant may include fragrance as an essential component or as a non-essential component. Such a lubricant may include a colorant as a non-essential component.

(8) The porcine fat of the lubricant may be bacon fat. The bacon fat may be rendered bacon fat, and it may be liquefied. The porcine fat may make up about 60% of a volume of the lubricant.

(9) At least a portion of the oil of the lubricant may be an oil from a plant source. Such an oil may be a vegetable oil or a combination of vegetable oils. An example of a vegetable oil that may be included in the lubricant is canola oil. Vegetable oil may make up about 20% of the volume of the lubricant.

(10) A carrier for the nanospheres and/or a carrier for the fragrance may make up a portion of the oil of the lubricant (e.g., NANO-LUBE Multi-Purpose Lubricant, etc.). The carrier for the nanospheres may be a petrochemical lubricant or a synthetic petrochemical lubricant (e.g., an engine lubricant, such as engine oil, transmission oil, etc.).

(11) The nanospheres may be the nanospheres that are included in NANO-LUBE Multi-Purpose Lubricant. The NANO-LUBE Multi-Purpose Lubricant, including the nanospheres and the carrier for the nanospheres, may make up about 10% of the volume of the lubricant.

(12) The fragrance may impart the lubricant with a desired scent. In embodiments where porcine fat is a component of the lubricant, the fragrance may be a bacon scented fragrance. The fragrance may make up about 10% of the volume of the lubricant.

(13) When a lubricant according to this disclosure is used to lubricate a firearm, the firearm may be cleaned, and then the lubricant applied in a conventional manner. The firearm may then be used in a conventional manner, and then re-cleaned and re-lubricated, if desired.

(14) Although the foregoing disclosure provides many specifics, these specifics should not be construed as limiting the scope of any of the claims, but merely as providing illustrations of some embodiments and variations of elements and/or features of the disclosed subject matter. Features from different embodiments may be employed in combination. Other embodiments of the disclosed subject matter may be devised. Accordingly, the scope of each claim is limited only by its plain language and the legal equivalents thereto.