Lube won't stick to boolit...

[torker32]

Hello folks, I just recently began casting, and having a great time with it. I'm starting to create a nice looking boolits. Good mold fillout, weights vary at times, but not by much. My real issue is with lubing the boolits. I've tried the
50/50 of parrafin wax and vaseline with 2 tbls of STP. I attempted several practices which have yielded no good results. I've warmed the boolits, no good results there. Ran them through the sizer and tumbled for 20 mins to remove the alox, still no good results. I was searching the web and have concluded that i am missing an important step somewhere in my process. After i pour the mixture in a flex pan, I let sit for 3 hours to room temp, Then remove the slab of boolits. I have attempted to remove from the back and front with no good results. The dang lube wont stick for some reason. Is there another way to make the lube stick? Please help. Thanks for any assitance. Have a safe shooting day.

 

[rcmodel]

50/50 of parrafin wax and vaseline with 2 tbls of STP.

Buy some commercial alox bullet lube.

What you got there might work on a wagon axle, but it ain't bullet lube.

If you are melting lube in a pan full of bullets, (not boolits) and letting it harden, you have to cut them out of the cake with a cut-off shell casing "cookie cutter", or properly sized metal tube of some sort.

rc

 

[zxcvbob]

Ran them through the sizer and tumbled for 20 mins to remove the alox, still no good results

What alox?

Is the mix sticky? If so, it just might work if you cut them out. Generally paraffin doesn't work well because it's not sticky enough, but with the vaseline added it might be OK. Beeswax, or microcrystaline wax (from the art supply store) will work a lot better. They are also more expensive.

Try sloshing the bullets in a margarine tub with a little Rooster Jacket or Lee Liquid Alox -- don't use too much -- then set them on some waxed paper to dry. They shouldn't need any more lube than that.

It kind of sounds like you might be using a Lee sizing die. If so, the bullets are good to go after sizing. Give them another thin coat of Alox after sizing only if they are for "magnum" loads or for a rifle.

 

[torker32]

I appreciate the advice on the issue i'm having. Would it matter if the bullets have a lube groove, to tumble lube them? Like i said i'm new to this. Also another question. If the bullet design is made for a gas check, Do you have to put them on? these would be for a 44 spl load. Thanks again. Sorry for the mundane questions, but would rather learn the proper way to do this.

 

[rcmodel]

Lee tumble-lube molds have a bunch of tiny grooves in the bullet to hold the liquid lube.

Bullets with deep grease grooves use stick type lube in a Lubrisizer.

No need to use a gas check on a gas check bullet unless high pressure & velocity makes it desirable.

Sounds like you are a prime cantidate for a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook - 3rd. edition.

It's a crash course in everything you need to know to be successful with casting & shooting your own bullets.

rc

 

[zxcvbob]

Bullets with deep grease grooves use stick type lube in a Lubrisizer.

At low velocities, they also work surprisingly well with just LLA or Rooster Jacket.

 

[LAR V]

When pan lubing I set the unsized bullets in the pan and melt the wax into the bullets. When the wax sets up, but before it gets to hard I cut the bullets out of the wax with a case that is just slightly larger than the bullets. Just drill out the primer hole of an appropriate case end place a hail into the case with the head on the inside then bend the other end over at the right length. After all the bullets are cut out I run them through the sizer. Forget the alox step. They turn out great using paraffin, Vaseline and stp. It is a very quick and easy process.

 

[bullseye308]

Ran them through the sizer and tumbled for 20 mins to remove the alox

This has me puzzled. Why are you trying to remove the lube? Just throw on another light coat and be done with it. If you want to use a different lube, don't use the alox first. I size my bullets 24 hours after casting them with no lube. I lube after sizing. No problems so far. If you already have alox, you should be fine.

 

[Nate1778]

Confused as well but you start out talking like your pan lining with a darrs lube. Of so add anothe stick of parrafin to harden your lube a bit. Put the silicone pad with bullets and lube on a cookie sheer. Put the whole kitten in an oven and cook at 310 for 20 minutes or so. Pull them and let them cool. This heats the bullets and the lube gets and sticks in that groove. I get 100% fill out this way.

 

[Sagebrush]

Torker32
There are a lot of home made lube formulas out there that are not a good lubes and that is one of them. The good commercial lubes that work has been tested extensivley by top shooters. For a great lube for BPCR go to www.sageoutfitters.com which contains beeswax and alox among other natural oils. One more thing, there are many formulas of alox and you need the right one for the correct melting point.

Just Shoot...Exercise Your Rights!
www.sageoutfitters.com
www.sagebrushproducts.com

 

[qajaq59]

Sounds like you are a prime cantidate for a Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook - 3rd. edition.

I'd definitely go along on this suggestion. It'd be well worth the money.

 

[snuffy]

It's simply not worth my time, and the mess associated with making my own lube. As well as a chance for a fire! Home brewed lube seldom works as good as something that can be bought. There's such a tiny amount of lube used for each bullet, the expense is almost nil. I use the lee liquid alox,LLA, and tamarack 50%-50% NRA formula for my lubrisizer.

The conventional lube groove boolits can be lubed with LLA, as long as you're not pushing them to top velocity. Putting a heavy coat on them, then pushing through a lee sizer will put/push the LLA into the grooves.

 

[qajaq59]

For the smokeless powder I use commercial lube. For the BP I make my own.

 

[torker32]

Thanks for all the advice on these issues. I've ordered the Lyman casting book as advised. I tried the tumble method with the supplied LLA with my sizer. It seems to work fine, Kinda put to much on the first batch,just added more bullets. They are drying now. Then I put bullets on the flex cooking sheet placed them in the oven with the 50/50 mix. Removed and let harden.Then i used a 7mm brass casing that i opened up the neck with a drill bit. Just a smidge over .358 cut the base off and used as a cookie cutter. Seems to be working fine. So the lube is sticking in the groove lube. The tumble style method leaves just a trace of lube on the bullets. Seems both styles work when applied right.

Thanks for all the great advice.