Beeswax and Alox 350

[BABore]

Since I'm just getting into casting and want to do it all, I've been doing some nosing around for ingredients. Most of the beeswax seems to run around $8.00/lb. Not being satisfied, I contacted a honey supplier that I've dealt with for my beer & mead making supplies. Here's the reply I got back

Bruce
Yes we do carry beeswax. Our raw yellow wax sells for $1.95 a pound. Dark raw sells for $1.85 a pound. Our processed yellow sells for $2.85 a pound and our dark processed sells for $2.50 a pound. However before coming give us a call to make sure we have it on hand. If we can be of further help let us know. Phone # 517-467-2065

Thank you
Groeb Farms

This place is in Michigan and has a web site. I originally got their address from the National Honey Board. Don't know if this is a great price or not. It is compared to a lot of the internet retail sites. Hope this isn't old news.

I've read some old posts, both here and on other sites, that Lee Liquid lube is Alox 350. I've seen somewhere that Lubrizol uses Alox 350 in some of their products. Looking in the McMaster-Carr catalog, I've found they carry a Lubrizol LPS #3 Heavy Duty Rust Inhibitor for $34.49 per gallon. Based on the description it appears it may be Alox 350. I've signed up on Lubrizol's web site, through my company, and hope to nail it down. Have a couple of business contacts trying to do the same. Has anybody else been able to verify this or know of another source?

Again, I hope I'm not drudging up old stuff already well hashed over.

[Junior1942]

The $2.85 per lb for processed yellow sounds like a good price to me.

[Greg5278]

I believe that Lubrizol's price on a 5 gallon Pail of Alox 350 is about $75 plus shipping. A 5 gallon pail is their minimum order, they don't pack it any smaller. The Rust inhibitor is some type of formulation, and you can't be sure what is in it, ot the melting point. The Beeswax sounds pretty good for the money. Greg

[buck1]

Look at this thread, and he also sells the lube pre made , cheep too.....Buck

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=1470

[alamogunr]

I believe that Lubrizol's price on a 5 gallon Pail of Alox 350 is about $75 plus shipping. A 5 gallon pail is their minimum order, they don't pack it any smaller. The Rust inhibitor is some type of formulation, and you can't be sure what is in it, ot the melting point. The Beeswax sounds pretty good for the money. Greg

I don't have the information with me (I'm at work), but about a month ago I bought a 5 gallon pail of Alox 350 and it ran approx $75+ including shipping from northern Ohio to Tennessee. Unless you are under 21, it will probably be a lifetime supply.

[StarMetal]

alamogunr

I live in TN and I'm over 21, you want to share some of your alox?

Joe

[utk]

BABore,

Lee Liquid Alox is Alox 606-55, made by Lubrizol. It is a rust preventative, also an excellent (liquid) bullet lubricant.

I have seen post that say it can be melted with beeswax to make a soft lube. In fact I've done so myself but haven't tested it yet (my luber is full of javelina which will last me a long time).

Alox 350 is another product, not sure what it is used for, but together with beeswax is another good (soft) lube. I have read that Alox 350 replaces Alox 2138F, no longer made, in the "famous" NRA 50/50 mix.

Urban

[lar45]

Hi. I talked with the folks at Lubrizol and they said that Alox 350 was the replacement for 2138F. My finished product of 50-50 looks, feels, smells and shoots the same as Javalina which says it has 2138F.
I just reordered my 350 and also got some samples of 606-55 and 606-70. The -70 is supposed to be a concentrate of the -55. I haven't opened it yet, but will try some. I think the Lee liquid alox is the 606-55???

Be sure to call and ask about the raw wax. The guy I was dealing with in Texas said that raw usually has dirt, bee's and all sorts of stuff in it. I may call them to see for myself as that is an attractive price per pound.

I can send you some wax for $2 per pound, but it may be cheaper to get some locally after shipping is thrown in.

The wife stopped in a local craft store and their beeswax was $14 a pound!!
The local bee keepers here want $4.50 for the caps( I think the stuff they cut off to get to the inside?)

I was talking with an older guy the other day(he saw me going to the post office with my Cherokee loaded with wax) and he told me how he used to clean bees wax. He melted it, then poured into a large pot of warm water with a small dab of dish soap added. The soap is to lower the surface tension on the water. He said the heavy impurities would settle on the bottom and the wax would float to the top.
I will probably give this a try as I have about 100lbs that is nasty looking stuff.(the top of the pallet that was sitting in the desert sun).

If you want a free sample of my 50-50 lube, email me your address to idahobronco@aol.com

[porkchop bob]

Back in May 2003, I had an interesting phone talk with Joe Purnhagen of Lubrizol.

They stopped making Alox 2138F because of low demand and orders were labor intensive as the typical order was for 5 gallons and they had to repackage from the smallest container they carried in inventory - 55 gallon drum.

Alox 2138F is 97% Alox 350 ($1.06 a pound, about $400 a drum) and 3% C700 - perrolite (spelling) a hard wax. Alox 350 and C700 are available. The amount of C700 at 3% is so small, for our use, we can do without it.

By the way, David Thompson of Thompson Lube is a regular customer of Alox 350 by the 55 gallon drum. He uses it to make '2138F' for sale to casters like you and me.

The Lee ALOX product is Alox 606-55. Alox 606 is a solid. Melts at 245 degrees centigrade. Requires careful handling when mineral spirits are added to avoid fire. 606 is 0.77 per pound, 606-55 is 0.67 a pound. Joe recommends we get the pre-mix of 606-55 to be on the safe side. Afterwards, one could just add more mineral spirits to make 606-75.

The repackaging cost for both products is $1.25 a pound

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I think the approach I would take is to cast and cull out the defective bullets and then give then a bath/shower with 606-75. Set aside until dry and not so tacky. Then box and put aside in storage until needed. Then do the regular sizing, afixing gas check and applying the regular lube. This keep the stored bullets from getting that white blume and increases the speed the bullet can be shot before leading occurs. Kind of a belt and suppendars approach. If I had a pail of 606-55, I would take part of it and blend it to 606-75 by adding minerial spirits. This approach also reduces the rub-off of lead during the handling and loading process. Useful when you have youngesters around.

---------------

Shipping a 5 gal pail of Alox 606-55 and a 5 gal pail of Alox 350 at the same time would be just a little more than shipping one 5 gal pail.

Hope this proves useful. Bob [edited to fix my typo of 660 instead of 606]

[StarMetal]

The wax is called Petrolite. Petrolite as the preeminent supplier of hydrocarbon and polyethylene waxes. The Baker Petrolite team Baker Petrolite has consolidated operations of the Bareco® Products joint venture into our Polymers Division. Direct supply of microcrystalline wax and wax blends using micro wax.

Joe

[lar45]

I opened my 606-55. It looks, smells and feels the same as Lee liquid Alox. The 606-70 is a concentrated version of the 606-55 and looks like a very thick tary paste.

I wish I would have know about the 2 pail shipping. Next time I guess.

Does anyone know if the 606-55 or 70 has similar ingredients as the 350?

I dropped your sample in the mail on Friday.

[porkchop bob]

I checked my earlier files and find my mind was twisted around. Alox 606-55 is 55% Alox 606 and 45% minerial spirits. 606-75 is 75% 606 and 25% minerial spirits.

One can dilute 606-75 with minerial spirits to make 606-55.

In my earlier post, I should have entered 606-25 (25% 606 and 75% minerial spirits) for a bath/shower for long term storage to prevent that white blume and to reduce lead rub-off during handling. Best done outdoors and away from open flame.

[Ricochet]

Looking at Lubrizol's site, Alox 606 (which is cut down with solvent to make 606-55 or 606-70, the last number indicating the percentage of active ingredient) is a hard, high melting point calcium soap. It's a rust inhibitor for long term outdoor exposure. Here's the page it's listed on: http://www.lubrizol.com/Metalworking/AmericasProducts/preventives_barium_free.asp

Alox 350 is not to be found anywhere on Lubrizol's site at present. I think it's gone the way of 2138F.

[StarMetal]

John,

I have both you mentioned and made 50/50 out of both. The 350 smells and feels like, well, Javelina. The one made with the 606-55 smells different and consistancy is different. Both shoot good.

Joe