
Samples of 18 different oils, including FireClean and Crisco, for a second round of infrared spectroscopy tests in October 2015. (Photo: Granite State Guns)
Ever since the chemical composition of FireClean gun oil was juxtaposed with multiple types of Crisco cooking oil, the lube maker said it has lost more than $25,000 a month in revenue.
The company blames Andrew Tuohy and Everett Baker for perpetuating the characterization that FireClean is equivalent to cooking oil, and George Fennell, who owns a competing lubricant company, for spreading the rumor that FireClean is Crisco. Although both are damning conclusions, it was the Crisco aspect that started the proverbial kitchen fire.
In court documents, FireClean states as fact: âFireClean is not made from a single type of oil;â âFireClean is not Crisco Canola Oil nor is it otherwise common canola oil;â and âFireClean is not Crisco Vegetable Oil ⌠nor is it common soybean oil.â
The issue gained notoriety in September when Tuohy published test results on his website Vuurwapen Blog of an infrared spectroscopy, a test used to identify chemicals, to compare FireClean to two different types of Crisco oil. He said he did so because he had heard the rumor circulating that âFireClean is nothing more than Criscoâ and wanted to investigate it further.
Tuohy, who lives in Arizona, said he had a chemistry professor at the University of Arizona perform the test. He described the professor as a Ph.D in organic chemistry, but not by name.
Test results showed very similar plot points for Crisco canola oil, Crisco vegetable oil, and FireClean. âI did not â and still do not â believe that FireClean is Crisco,â he said in the initial post and that the test showed: âFireClean is probably a modern unsaturated vegetable oil virtually the same as many oils used for cooking.â
Those details were quickly aggregated by other websites â one headline even read âYes, Itâs True: FireClean is Crisco,â according to court documents. The connection was also shared in thousands of social media posts and expressed as criticisms in reviews on retail websites.
Tuohy maintained his statements in follow up posts. Then, in October, a second round of spectroscopy tests were performed at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute by Baker, who attends the school and had taken an interest in the issue. Although Bakerâs tests had similar â but not identical â results, he detailed his methodology by including steps of the process, equipment used and scientists involved.
âI feel confident when I say that the FireClean I tested is canola oil without the addition of any corrosion inhibitors, stabilizers, or other enhancement materials,â he said in a post on his blog, Granite State Guns. He added that his advisor, who is a professor of chemistry, and other chemists agreed with his findings. In turn, Tuohy shared the results on his website.
By November, FireClean issued a statement to dispel rumors that its product was re-packaged Crisco oil, canola oil or simple vegetable oil. âThese claims are false and dangerous,â the company said and urged patrons ânot to consume or use FireClean in the preparation of food.â
Although many readers inferred that FireClean was cooking oil because of the tests results, neither Tuohy nor Baker explicitly called it Crisco. Both declined to be interviewed for this article and instead pointed to the materials they published on the matter.
On the other hand, Fennell was identified as the first to compare FireClean to cooking oil in a video he posted on social media on June 10, according to court documents. The video shows him applying FireClean to a metal object and pressing it against a machine designed to test the lubricationâs resistance to friction.
Fennell often makes videos to demonstrate the quality of his product, Weapon Shield, made by the Pennsylvania-based Steel Shield Technologies, by comparing it with other gun lubricants. He then bolsters his messages by sharing them on Facebook.
In the June video, he expressed his professional opinion after reviewing FireCleanâs material safety data sheet and noting an expiration date printed on the bottle. âThis is about the equivalent of Wesson oil. Maybe some Pam anti-stick stuff that you get in the vegetable oil category for spraying on your frying pans,â he said, one minute and 45 seconds into the video.
Looking at the document he referenced and comparing it to Criscoâs material safety data sheet, itâs unclear how the two are related since FireCleanâs ingredients are not listed. Fennell did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
On June 11, he posted an image of FireClean next to a bottle of Crisco and warned, âI can see no difference in basic composition and performance.â He supported the statement by saying, âEvery claim we make is backed by hard proof and evidence both in lab testing and field usage.â
Details about his test results are unclear as they were not immediately made available, but the image was presumably the first time FireClean was directly linked to Crisco.
In a Facebook post dated July 31, he called FireClean the âPam for gunsâ and said that FireClean doesnât have âanything over Crisco Oil.â
His comments escalated in July and August, according to court documents. In separate posts, he stated: âCrisco oil (FireClean);â âskillet nâ egg veggie no-stick Crisco;â âveggie oil;â and ââŚFireClean being Crisco vegetable oil. Thatâs the truthâŚ.not bashing.â
In a Facebook post dated Aug. 1, Fennell said he âspectra-analyzedâ FireClean to verify his hypothesis was correct and that when he looked up the companyâs patent, he found vegetable oil. âBuy a big bottle of Crisco oil and save big time,â he said.
In the abstract of a 2013 patent application for FireClean, inventors David Sugg and Edward Sugg described the lubricant as âan oil composition including at least three vegetable oilsâ that could be used on firearms and other items.
Last week, the company filed two lawsuits â one against Tuohy and Baker, and the other against Fennell â for libel. The case against Tuohy and Baker alleged the two conspired to âdefame and damageâ FireClean with their work, and in the other, Fennell allegedly planned to âsteal market share by spreading false rumors that FireClean is Crisco cooking oil.â