Thinning the "group buy Alox"

[Jack Stanley]

I just cracked open the gallon can of alox I got in the group buy . It's more than just a little gooey and skinned on the top but I'm sure it'll work fine .
I'm planning to use an old LEE alox bottle so I don't have to keep opening the can . Question is , about how much mineral spirits would you thin it with so it will work on bullets and come out of the bottle alright ?

Thanks , Jack

[IcerUSA]

If you warm it up a little it should come out of the bottle OK. To thin it a little I would use about half an ounce of mineral spirits to the 4oz bottle from Lee, then adjust as desired from there. DOn't want it too thin unless you want to lube/dry over night a few times to get enough on the boolits hehe:drinks:

[Baron von Trollwhack]

I've had good luck thinning with lighter fluid to the consistency of very thin pancake syrup. Still driving 257420 GC @ 1950 without leading and leaves a nice lube star. BvT

[Jack Stanley]

Thanks !:Fire:

Jack

[versifier]

Put a little less than 1oz mineral spirits in the LLA bottle and fill it about 90% - so there's still room to shake it up. Let it sit in a sunny window to soften up and then shake it again, or toss it in the microwave for 30sec at a time until it is warm enough to shake/mix well. I have better luck with a larger mouthed covered container that I tumble lube in for thinning/mixing, then I put it in a Lee bottle for storage and use. What's left in the larger container coats boolits nicely.

[wiljen]

I have a resealable Tupperware box that I dip lube in that I mixed about 1:10 paint thinner to GB Alox. The warnings about over-thinning should be heeded, I started out about 1:5 which was way too thin and added alox back until I arrived at the consistency I desired. While I do think the GB stuff was a little thicker than Lee to begin with it cuts very rapidly so you may want to start with small samples and find the ratio that works for you before mixing up a lot of it. I did one whole can by mixing about 1.25 Cups of paint thinner and it came out about where I wanted it. Remember, your mileage may vary as we all like it a little different.

Wiljen

[Jack Stanley]

Good info guys , thanks ! The loads I like to run lead is about thirteen hundred to about seventeen hundred feet per second . I also try to keep it thin enough on the bullet that it doesn't build up inside the seating die . With the cost of components going up I may start using it for low velocity ammo without gas checks .

Jack