Quick Question about Liquid Alox

[MeestaSparkle]

Hello,
Just starting out in casting and I was reading up on the LLA, since I want to start cheap and work my way up. I hear people complaining about LLA collecting dust and being really sticky. Is this only before it dries? I basically want to know, if I use this will my bullets collect dirt or be sticky (after drying) if I don't shoot them for a few weeks? I have never seen the stuff in person, so I don't know. What's it like after it dries, is it just like a laquer coating or what?

THanks, any help is appreciated :)

[Wayne Smith]

Unless it is coated with motor mica it does remain somewhat tacky even after it 'dries'. It is thus inappropriate for ammo to be carried in a pocket, for instance.

[leftiye]

You might be fine if you keep it in covered containers. Also, if you seat the boolits so that the lube is inside the case neck, the part of the lube that counts will be covered, wipe the rest off with solvent. Just as cheep is pan lubing, and the lubes that can be used this way are better. Pour melted lube in pan where boolits are standing on their bases. Pour to shoulder, allow to cool (maybe in freezer), cut out with "kookie kutter" or equivalent. Size with lee sizing die in your press.

[cohutt]

i thin it a little with mineral spirits and make sure it is warm before i tumble them. After i load i'l dampen a towel with mineral spirits and roll the finished rounds back and forth in it as a "hammock" sack. This helps a lot and gets most sizing lube off the case as well (if any was used).
I size with the cheap lee die setup at the time i tumble lube, again using a very thin light coat. once sized i dump the boolits back into the tupperware they just came fromwithout adding anymore loob, roll them around again a couple times and then dump onto wax paper. i roll them around once on the paper after about 30 minutes- i decided pretty early on that i didn't like trying to stand slippery boolits on their base in any quantity. The thinnned lube seems to keep the aloz from clumping on a nose or getting too heavy along a side - ie a sticky glob
one time i tried tumbiling in cobb with a little mineral sprits. ONCE i tried this- bad idea, they were fuzzy little suckers when i was done.

I am a novice newbie neophyte thoough, take it as it is....( i know you guys didn't know that with all the expensive lee sizing equipment and all:roll: )

[versifier]

I dip longer rifle boolits to the crimp groove in LLA solution with mineral spirits, but the amount of mineral spirits varies with the temperture. More LLA in hotter weather, more mineral spirits in colder. Shorter boolits I tumble in the same mixture and let dry for a day or two on foil or wax paper, then just wipe the noses of the loaded rounds with a mineral spirit soaked cloth. Simple, easy, and inexpensive, as are the Lee sizers. Give it a try.

[Newtire]

i decided pretty early on that i didn't like trying to stand slippery boolits on their base in any quantity. The thinnned lube seems to keep the aloz from clumping on a nose or getting too heavy along a side - ie a sticky glob...( i know you guys didn't know that with all the expensive lee sizing equipment and all:roll: )

I do the same thing with the LLA. If I spent all that time standing them up, my better half maybe wouldn't be so tolerant of all the time I already spend in "the reloading haven".

They are really sticky and messy but so is the Carnauba red & the Felix Lube I have used. I invested in a bunch of cartridge boxes and keep the loaded ones in those or even sandwich bags. The mica is another story.

[mag_01]

Meesta-----Lubing boolits is not difficult generally I tumble lube only TL boolits----Set TL bottle in warm water to soften then using a plastic container like butter comes in ---A handful or two of boolits and 6 to 10 drops of LLA- shake well and then lay out on wax paper--Let sit overnight---Next morning they will feel somewhat sticky to the touch---I then put them in plastic open containers and let em harden---May use them a month or two later and they are fine and also feel dry---It is like A varnish coating---Sometimes it seems like a pain in the A__ and other times it seems easy and little work at that. Also if I feel the need for speed I will double coat them---I would recommend starting out with this process its inexpensive. Take them to the range in paper or plastic boxes.--- Welcome to the board--Lot of good people here so ask questions...------Mag

[mag_01]

Meesta-----Shoot tumble lube boolits as cast if they fit the chamber---Gun will be happy to size them for you.

[Freightman]

Meesta-----Shoot tumble lube boolits as cast if they fit the chamber---Gun will be happy to size them for you.
What Mag said saves sizing and works better.

[Joey]

What Cohutt says works for me.:-D

[Cloudpeak]

Just to stir things up a bit----

I like to size the bullets that come out of my Lee 6 cavity molds. I like uniformity in as many variables as possible. All bullets are not the same diameter out of each cavity. I think there can be several reasons for this. Naturally, different machining tolerances account for the main reason. But, type of alloy, alloy temp and whether the bullets are air cooled or water dropped are some other possible reasons. Sometimes, the mold halves may not be together all of the way which can also lead to oversized bullets.

My 45 bullets out of my Lee 6 cavity will measure .452-.458. For folks trying to work up an accurate load in a rifle, I don't think they'd want that kind of spread in diameter. Even though I'm loading pistol ammo, I don't want that kind of variance, either. If a person is loading at the top end of the pressure curve, I really don't think they'd want that much of a spread in diameters.

added on edit: I like LLA. I cut it with some low-oder mineral spirits. After drying, I don't think they are sticky at all. But, I don't carry them in my pocket. The Lee push through sizer works very well and is fast. I have not used LLA in full power loads, just mid range loads in .45 and .40 cal. The Lee system is fast, low cost and seems to do the job for me.

Cloudpeak