bullet lube

[686]

does any one buy the 2x6 in sticks of hard lube ,remelt it and pour in a 1 in. pipe to mould thers 1x4 in. solid sticks for a star sizer?? i think you would get 4-6 sticks out of 1 . it would be a big savings.

[Dale53]

I melt lube for all of my sizers, whether commercial lube or home made.

Just put it in a Pyrex cup, heat on a coffee warmer and pour in the luber when you run out. No need for moulds, etc. Just a lot of extra work for nothing. The coffee warmer barely has the lube above melting (takes a good bit of time to melt) and will not degrade the lube while holding it melted.

I typically leave my sizer full of lube. When next I start sizing, I turn on the coffee warmer and when I need lube it is melted. I then just screw off the top of the sizer and add melted lube. Be careful and do not over fill.

The one cup coffee warmer can be bought most anywhere from Walmart to a hardware store. They only cost five or six dollars.

Dale53

Dale53

[ron brooks]

Is there a reason I don't know, besides less lube that you couldn't use the commerical lubes with the hollow centers in a Star? I would be less lube, but aside from that?

[686]

i use comm lube now with solid sticks. solid is better than holow because of less air in the cylinder. my question was has any one bought the comm 2 in x 6 in. sticks abd melted them down and made the reg 1 in x 4 in sticks for the star sizer. i think it would be about 1/5 the cost of reg 1x4 sticks.

[454PB]

My wife bought some candle melters at Wal*Mart recently, and I figured they would work good for melting (or warming) lube. They are about the size of your hand, and have a switch, pilot light and thermostat. They are designed to melt those smelly candles for the odor without having a flame. They are rated at 17 watts, and cost less than $5.

[felix]

Several folks converted lube to stick form, usually with an endcaped pipe. Take off the endcap when solid, and push the lube out. PVC was used. Place in hot water to loosen the lube within the PVC. It is just more simple to melt the lube to barely liquid anyway you see fit, like in a microwave, and then pour the liquid into the luber machine of any brand. ... felix

[ron brooks]

686,

Does the air really do any harm though except taking up space that could be used for lube. Does it cause gaps in the lube on the bullet?

Thanks,

Ron

[slughammer]

I use 2 x 6 sticks of Thompson Blue Angel and pour them into my star. The volume of a 2 x 6 cylinder is 6x the volume of a 1 x4 solid cylinder. I don't bother making sticks.

Like Dale53, I think the best idea is to use the Star and then top it off as it needs it and then always at the end of the session so its ready to go next time.

[357maximum]

I melt and dump, sticks are a serious waste of time/energy. I do make an occassional set of sticks up for samples/and/or trading stock, but I try not to make sticks...it is a seriously innefficient method of storing lube, and a pain in my keister.....I store all my lube in mini loafs, and melt and dump using a little "stinkies" crock pot I stole from my wife when she was not looking[smilie=1: I plug it in when I start lubin a batch and by the time i am done the lube is melted, and I just dump it in, ready to ge next time....

[Lloyd Smale]

I make mine by the coffee can full and melt and pour. Air in a star is a royal pain in the but

[686]

slughamer where do you get the blueangel 2x6 stick lube? i guess the bigest thing you have to be carful of when pouring in to the star luber is to not put to much in it. i thought by having the sticks already made it would be easer. you couls make 10-20 sticks at one time and not have to have the pot on every time tou need to lube. i made my own lube back in 75 when i had a reloading business. it mat have been before its time. i made hard lube and had no heater for the sizer. had to put a light bulb by it. i some how came up with the forumaler. bees wax, wheel bearing grees, and blavk grafit. melted, poured in steel pipe. next day i heated the out side of the pipe and pushed out the stick.

[Springfield]

I buy SPG by the pound and remelt it into sticks. I can't pour melted lube into my Star 'cause then it is too soft to use for awhile. With some Big Lube(tm) bullets you can only get 200 bullets done to the stick, so when I am sizing 2000 bullets I recharge the lube often, much more than most of you guys, especially you smokeless shooters. Plus I must be sloppy or something 'cause the couple of times I put melted lube in it made a mess. Sticks are very clean. Using sticks with the holes in them isn't that big a deal but you do get more air in the mix.