ballistol - The World's Most Use-ful & Environmentally Friendly Lubricant

Marine Applications of Ballistol

Chart of Mix Ratios for Ballistol

Ballistol and the Preservation of Natural Resources Everybody who uses our waterways for boating, recreation, fishing or transportation should be concerned about their increased contamination. Most general lubricants are marked "Harmful or Fatal if Swallowed". This means that they are toxic for humans and most animals. Others contain known carcinogens such as Teflon, Silicone, tar, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane or 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethylene. Others are "Skin and Eye Irritants". Many combine all of these dangerous characteristics. Very few, if any, are biodegradable.

Regardless of what lubricant you may use, it will sooner or later end up in the air or in the water of our planet. If you like the outdoors, if you love nature, do not destroy it through the use of harmful lubricants and corrosion inhibitors! Since there is a better choice: BALLISTOL.

BALLISTOL consists of natural ingredients or their chemical equivalents. BALLISTOL is non-toxic for humans, warm-blooded animals, snakes and other cold-blooded land animals and for most aquatic life forms. BALLISTOL is free of known carcinogens. As an aerosol BALLISTOL is free from CFCs. It meets the criteria of the Federal Trade Commission for the claim of biodegradability. BALLISTOL will biodegrade or photodegrade in aerobic decomposition to nearly 100% in no more than two years. It decomposes into substances which normally occur in nature.

Our research shows that the American households and industrial consumers use approximately six million gallons of toxic lubricants every year. The Exxon-Valdez Information Office informs that the Exxon-Valdez spilled 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean. That was considered a major environmental disaster. Think of it: every two years this disaster is repeated by the use of toxic lubricants.

Whenever you use a lubricant or cleaner or corrosion inhibitor inside your motor compartment, part of these substances will end up in your boat's bilge,and whatever is in the bilge will eventually get into the water. If it is BALLISTOL, you have nothing to worry about.

Ballistol and Corrosion Prevention Most lubricating oils and corrosion inhibitors are pH-neutral. Their pH is 7 (as that of water) and they are thus neither acidic or alkaline. These "neutral" oils can protect against one type of corrosion only: oxidation. However, there are other types of corrosion such as galvanic corrosion and acidic corrosion. And in a marine environment there is, of course, salt water corrosion, which is a combination of all of the above. Most common lubricants and corrosion inhibitors are completely useless against acidic, galvanic corrosion or any combination of the two. Not so with BALLISTOL.

BALLISTOL is mildly alkaline. Its pH varies between 8 and 9.5, depending on its concentration in an emulsion (the pH cannot be measured unless in a watery solution or in an emulsion with water). It is therefore capable of neutralizing acids and acidic residues and of inhibiting not only oxidation but also acidic and galvanic corrosion. This means better corrosion prevention in a marine environment.

It also means better protection when winterizing a boat motor. There is air trapped in every motor and the air contains water. When the temperature drops, the water, contained in the air trapped inside the motor, condensates inside the cylinders. There it begins to dissolve the acidic residues from fuel combustion forming acids, which will destroy any motor faster than even the roughest use. To counteract the effects of these acids a corrosion inhibitor must have two capabilities: (1) it must emulsify with the water and (2) it must be alkaline and capable of neutralizing the acids inside the cylinders. BALLISTOL does that. Not much else will.

Spraying BALLISTOL on battery terminals and connecting cables, as well as on exposed contacts in the motor compartment helps inhibit corrosion from battery acid and salt water.

Ballistol and Metals BALLISTOL has the unusual (for a lubricant) capability to clean brass, silver, and bronze and to dissolve traces of copper, zinc, lead and tombac. This means that you can use BALLISTOL to clean and shine your brass bell and to prevent corrosion of brass contacts. Try this: put a mildly corroded dispensed brass gun shell in a cup and fill it with BALLISTOL so as to immerse half the shell in BALLISTOL. Allow to sit there for approx. one hour. Then take a dry cotton cloth and rub the part of the shell that has been in contact with BALLISTOL. You will see it become shiny. BALLISTOL has dissolved the layer of corrosion on the shell. Chrome plated metal, stainless steel and even aluminum can be treated with Ballistol to clean them and to protect them against corrosion. BALLISTOL does a nice job in cleaning and shining your galley, too. We recommend spraying BALLISTOL inside your boat's position and anchor lights to inhibit corrosion of contacts.

You can also use BALLISTOL on your boat trailer, on the winch, the tongue, wire pulls, brake cables and inside the tail lights to slow down corrosion of the electrical contacts inside. Due to its low surface tension Ballistol creeps. It will actively penetrate to areas which you cannot reach directly. In doing so BALLISTOL even defies gravity: it will creep upward on wires, screws and other threaded or braided pieces of equipment.

Ballistol and Wood and Plastics In pure form or in emulsion with water (not salt water, of course) BALLISTOL will clean vinyl seat covers or plastic dash boards. If your boat has one of those old faded gel coats - try BALLISTOL. Spray pure BALLISTOL on the faded gel coat and wipe the excess off with a cotton cloth. Your gel coat will look 10 years younger! No hard rubbing or buffing necessary. The effect may last several days or several months - depending on exposure and use of your boat. It will make an enormous difference, if you're trying to sell your boat.

Teak oil does a good job on teak. But only if the wood is dry. If the teak has been exposed for years and the surface has turned gray, neither teak oil nor BALLISTOL will bring the original looks back. But BALLISTOL can be applied to the wet wood and it does have the capability to prevent fungus and mildew from further deteriorating the wood.

Inside the cabin BALLISTOL maintains the wood everywhere. It makes it look great and prevents it from absorbing too much moisture and from developing mildew. Being alkaline BALLISTOL slows down the growth of fungi in wood, if reapplied in regular intervals.

Ballistol, Electrical Applications and the Risk of Explosion BALLISTOL has an electrical conductivity of 0.05 Micro-Siemens per centimeter (1/60 the conductivity of water) which makes it practically a liquid insulator. This means that it can be used safely in electrical installations. BALLISTOL will not interfere with the flow of electricity in electrical and electronic devises. It will not normally build electrical bridges or cause short circuits or creeping currents inside networks. If you have water in the distributor of your boat motor (or car motor, for that matter), spraying the inside with BALLISTOL destroys the capability of the water to short-circuit the device. BALLISTOL, being a non-conductor, will restore the proper flow of power inside your distributor and put you back in business.

Warning: When emulsified with water BALLISTOL's electrical conductivity increases. In the presence of water, the Ohmic resistence of BALLISTOL may drop to 10% of the Ohmic resistance it has when not emulsified. This can cause short circuits in electrical networks.

While the use of a pump sprayer certainly increases safety on board any vessel, even the BALLISTOL aerosols can be used safely in confined spaces, despite the fact that they contain butane and propane as propellants. The lower explosion limit for butane is 37 gr./cm3, for propane 39 gr./cm3. The upper explosion limit for butane is 210 gr./cm3 and for propane 180 gr./cm3.

In other words: in order to produce an explosive mix of butane or propane with air, one entire 7.3 oz. can of BALLISTOL would have to be emptied into one cubic meter of air and retained in this space. While there is a theoretical risk of explosion, it is really quite difficult to create the conditions under which the practical use of BALLISTOL might bear this risk.

Warning: Do not use BALLISTOL in the presence of an open flame.

Other Marine Uses of Ballistol If you use BALLISTOL to clean the bath room on your boat, you do not have to worry about contaminating the water when pumping it overboard. Crab fishermen on the Outer Banks of North Carolina have found that BALLISTOL removes copper paint from their hands. They use the copper paint on their crab pots. Regular treatment with BALLISTOL increases the life of rubber boots on water skies and of rubber hand pumps of portable outboard fuel tanks.

The Navy's SEAL Team 6 uses BALLISTOL for the maintenance of their submerged equipment and for weapon maintenance.

Scuba divers use BALLISTOL for the maintenance of diving equipment and to keep goggles from fogging up.

Surf Board makers use BALLISTOL to attain a cleaner cut when shaving blanks.

Some boaters have reported that spraying the hull of a boat with BALLISTOL makes it difficult for barnacles to attach themselves to it. We tested the claim and found that BALLISTOL will delay the growth of Barnacles considerably, if the vessel remains docked. If the vessel is regularly operated, especially at high speeds, the BALLISTOL will be washed off soon by the mechanical action of the water.

Lubrication in a Marine Environment Most lubricants/corrosion inhibitors claim to be so called "water displacement oils". The underlying idea is that the lubricant will displace the water and thus restore lubrication. However, the concept of water displacement works only under two conditions: the surface must be flat or convex and smooth and there must be an area whereto the water can be displaced. In a concave, bowl-shaped or cylindrical space the water displacement oil can't do it's job.

You can easily try this out for yourself: put some water on a smooth, flat surface and pour (do not spray) some water displacer next to it. You will see that the water displacer pushes the water to the side. Now put some water displacer in a test tube or in a glass and add water to it. You will see that the water displaces the water displacer and not the other way around. Finally, place some BALLISTOL in a test tube and add water. You will see the BALLISTOL turns a milky white. It mixes with the water without shaking or stirring but retains its lubricity nonetheless.

Most lubricants do not mix with water. They separate from water and thus lose their capability to lubricate in the presence of water. Not so with BALLISTOL. BALLISTOL emulsifies with water and is, therefore, capable of lubricating in the presence of water, like a boring or cutting oil. BALLISTOL can also be applied to things that are already wet, even soaked, including plastics, wood and leather.

Many lubricants lubricate quite well - initially. Before long they begin to gum up and harden and finally turn themselves into some sort of glue, making the problem worse. BALLISTOL will never gum up or harden. This is why you can safely use it on wire pulls or on the disconnector mechanism of Mercruiser I/O outdrives.

BALLISTOL can be used to lubricate anything around boats that moves - electrical switches, pulleys, wire pulls, zippers out of metal or plastic on awnings, canvas tops and wind breakers, push button and other metallic and plastic connectors for canvas pieces and side curtains, sliding windows and doors, hinges and locks, including the ignition lock.

Chart of Mix-Ratios for Ballistol

For More Information:

Material Safety Data Sheet and Technical Data Sheet available by Autoresponder.