Whats a tumble lube boolit

[Dframe]

OK. I've watched the videos and easily understand the concept of tumble lubing. But I constantly see references to a TL boolit. What exactly is different about a TL boolit? Can't a regular boolit be lubed in this fashion? Is there some boolit profile that is more ammendable to tumble lubing?

[HATCH]

I am not an expert on this matter, but most tumble lube boolits have multiple small lube grooves compared to one or two large lube grooves.

Example
Tumble lube (thanks Carolina Cast Bullets for the pic)
http://www.carolinacastbullets.com/images/15962807_wnpk.png

Same design in a standard boolit (thanks www.friendswoodbullet.com for the pic)
http://images.shoppit.co.uk/sizeimage.aspx?client=13642&image=45230RN.jpg&height=220&width=200&colour=FFFFFF&offer=0

[onondaga]

Bullets with conventional deep pressure lube grooves can certainly be tumble lubed also. I only tumble lube cast bullets and I use many designs, TL and deep groove.

Lee Liquid Alox is suitable alone for the tumble method but I have switched to a formula from a member here that dries very fast, about 20 minutes, and is non sticky, it is called 45:45:10 and made with those percentages of Lee Liquid Alox: Johnson's Paste Wax: Mineral spirits.

I heat the Heat the Johnson's on low heat in a pan to melt, then add LLA and stir thoroughly. Remove from heat and add the Spirits. Cool completely and re-bottle.

gary

[mpmarty]

Gary I tried that and the "cool completely" made it impossible to get it back in the bottle.

[Doby45]

It still needs to be hot to bottle, but not melt the plastic hot. :)

[onondaga]

I wonder what caused that. I just mixed a batch with fresh LLA and some old JPW and fresh spirits two weeks ago and it was fine. I use volume measure, 4.5 Fl OZ each for the LLA and JPW and 1 Fl OZ for the spirits. I just went to the hobby room and shook the bottle and it is fluid in the bottle. Adding a little more spirits to make your mix fluid would be harmless. Just add enough to make it shakable and maintain fluidity.

I have gotten bottles of LLA from Lee that had a low volume and were too thick to pour. This is from evaporation of the spirits in their mix. So you may have to add more than 10% spirits if your LLA was very thick.

Gary

[onesonek]

Mine turns to a thick gel at room temperature also,,, Sets up about the consistancy of jello, I just warm it a bit to use.
Do you cook off some of the solvents in the JPW, when you make yours Gary?

[Doby45]

Recluse even says that he warms his up prior to applying.

[geargnasher]

I add enough MS to make it like 10w30 engine oil at room temperature. If 10% doesn't do it, I add more. When it gets like Karo I add more MS, since it flashes off each time I reheat the stuff. I don't warm it to apply unless it's cool in the shop, I heat the boolits instead (just warm to the touch), works great to leave them in the sun all afternoon or a few minutes with a heat gun on cookie sheet if doing it at night or on overcast days.

Gear

[Dframe]

[QUOTE=HATCH;1170305]I am not an expert on this matter, but most tumble lube boolits have multiple small lube grooves compared to one or two large lube grooves.

Example
Tumble lube (thanks Carolina Cast Bullets for the pic)

Same design in a standard boolit (thanks www.friendswoodbullet.com for the pic

OK. Thats what I was looking for. Thank you very much. I appreciate the information.

[onondaga]

The lowest heat possible to melt the JPW has been helpful for me, Then stirring in the LLA in cools it some. I get it right off the heat when I put the MS in and it is cooled enough to dip a finger at that point. If you are hot and smoking the stuff, the MS goes right off into the air and is lost, let alone the fire hazard.

Gear is right on about the MS evaporating right off and not hesitating to add more of it to control viscosity as needed. The MS is a thinner to make the lube useful for the tumble lube method. The same amount of LLA and JPW are there and thinning it with a solvent that vaporizes right off is a function process of tumble lube. The LLA itself is important in my opinion because of it's proprietary self polymerizing resin, plasticizers and petroleum distillates and the JPW for it's hard waxes and fast drying solvents.

The stuff sure goes together for me easily and has been very enjoyable to use. I'm completely impressed with it's performance in all my cast bullet applications.


Gary

[onesonek]

OK, and yes I can see more MS too thin it some. I cooked down the JPW some, then added the LLA while on the heat. ( I may be cooking off more JPW solvent,,, guess I reduced that by 15-20%) Pulling both off the heat shortly after, then I stirred that mix to cool some, added the MS just prior to pouring back into bottles. That could be why it gels, per how I read Recluse's instructions. Although I may be wrong there. And I also may have not got a 10% MS in the mix as well,, I didn't measure it, just a "cook's guess"
I have a heat gun that I heat the lube bottle back up with, takes about 30 secs. then too I hit the boolits in the bowl for about 30 secs also. Brings both up to fairly warm to the touch. After tumbling, they are tack free in 10 min. That is in 65-68 degree basement with the humidity running about 40% this time of year. Temp don't change much down there, but earlier, last fall, humidity was 70% and it 5-10 mins longer to dry.

[44man]

A TL boolit is a boolit that works twice as good with Felix lube! :mrgreen:

[Maven]

"A TL boolit is a boolit that works twice as good with Felix lube!"

Amen to that, 44 man!