Removing Lube from large number of bullets

[Rich22]

So I did a search on remove lube but found zero results on exactly how to remove the stuff, million how to put it on which is just about what I would expect. I have about 750 bullets that O bought from a caster that have a very sticky gooey lube on it that I would like to remove, great bullets so I do not want to damage them and want to reuse them but the lube has got to go. What would be the most efficient and effective method?

Thank you

[Doc_Stihl]

If it were me, I'd try setting one on a wire rack in a toaster oven and see if the lube will melt off if set at say 175 - 200 degrees.

If it melts off cleanly. Toast em up.

Disclaimer
DO NOT USE SWMBO TOASTER OVEN, or wire rack, or any other kitchen utensils.....

[Blammer]

I'd get an old pot you don't care about, toss in about 10 and add boiling water and see what happens. If it rises to the top and comes off, well, there's your answer.

[Jailer]

Get a cookie sheet and cover it with a layer of tin foil. Place some paper towels down on it and lay all your bullets on it. Put in the oven at about 185 to 200 and melt it out. The lube will soak into the paper towels and the tin foil keeps the cookie sheet from getting damaged by the lube.

[theperfessor]

+1 for boiling water and then skim off the lube.

[Doc_Stihl]

I'm betting that the water trick would work better than the pan/oven.

I have 250 boolits lubed with 50/50 on my shelf that arent' going to be used now. I think I'll toss em in a pot of water before I melt em down to see how it works.

[fcvan]

I did the boiling soapy water thing once, had some lube that wasn't up to snuff. Afterwards, I let the water cool and the lube harden. That really made it easier to pick the lube off of the top. A slow rolling boil helps 'bubble' the lube off the boolits.

[ShooterAZ]

I have done 500 at a time of some old commercial 45 boolits I had with the awful "hard as a rock" blue lube. The pot of boiling water truly is the answer. Let it cool and you can pick the lube off the top all in one piece.

[D Crockett]

guys if you are going to remelt the lubed bullets just put them in a pot of melted lead 1 you melt the bullets 2 you can flux your lead at the same time but do it slowly a few at a time so not to get a lot of wax/lube on top of your mix it can and probly will catch on fire so do not get excited it will go out ask me how I know he he he he D Crockett

[deltaenterprizes]

Hair dryer or heat gun, the hot water sounds good also.

[Gohon]

Just put the bullets in a large mason jar and fill to about one inch above the bullets with gasoline. Let it stand for thirty minutes to one hour, swish them around a little and pour into a large strainer and spread them out to air dry. Lube is all gone..........

[Alan in Vermont]

I just cleaned up a couple hundred 311440s that had been sitting for probably 25 years. 50/50 lube was all dried up and shrunken, I didn't want to remelt tham as I no longer have the mold. I did the boil out but, since it was cold outside I put the pot outside until it started to ice over on top. Broke the ice and skimmed it off, taking the old lube with it. Did a batch of something else last winter with the same process. These latest were GCed so I put them in the oven at 225° for about 45 minutes to cook out any water that might have gotten under the checks.

[Rich22]

I knew you guys would know how to do this. Much appreciated guys, gonna rehab these babies tomorrow. Guy who made them did an excellent casting job I mean really great but the lube is total junk I really did not want to remelt the bullets since they are perfectly usable. I am going to powder coat these things and see how that works

[Larry Gibson]

Just put the bullets in a large mason jar and fill to about one inch above the bullets with gasoline. Let it stand for thirty minutes to one hour, swish them around a little and pour into a large strainer and spread them out to air dry. Lube is all gone..........

I use Coleman fuel and large Coffee cans, done thousands that way.........

Larry Gibson

[sandman228]

use mineral spirits , theres been times ive decided that i had to many of a certain bullet or have gotten rid of a gun and had no other use for the bullets i had casted just for that gun . if i throw them in the pot with alox lube on them they smoke to bad so i would throw them in an old coffee can with some mineral spirits shake them around a little and most of the lube came off.

[Gliden07]

You should send them to me and I'll take care off it!! LOL!!

[mdi]

Get a cookie sheet and cover it with a layer of tin foil. Place some paper towels down on it and lay all your bullets on it. Put in the oven at about 185 to 200 and melt it out. The lube will soak into the paper towels and the tin foil keeps the cookie sheet from getting damaged by the lube.

I bought 1K bullets with mystery lube that had been storeed in a shed in Arizona. Some had lube, some didn't. I used the same method as Jailer and safely removed the lube from all the bullets. I only did 150 or so at a time, but it worked great...

[**oneshot**]

+1 for the boiling water. I put my boolits in a bucket and soak with boiling water for a few minutes, then add water to get the lube over the lip of the bucket. Dump boolits in a strainer, then pour more boiling water over them while in the strainer. Dry them off and your ready to relube.
I use a similar method to clean out a lubrisizer and it works realy good.

[Rich22]

The boiling worked perfectly. Appreciate the help guys

[Finarfin]

I've used the oven method. Worked great and was very easy.

[joec]

I too put a baking pan with paper towels on the bottom. Spreed the bullets around and set in a preheated oven to 180 to 220 deg. They are usually clean inside of about 10 to 15 minutes and no damage to the bullets at all as the temps are too low to burn the paper much less affect the bullets temper.

[Finarfin]

Unless you already have a lead pot, boiling sounds like a really bad idea. If you do have a lead pot it just sounds like a regularly bad idea. Too much hassle.

[MT Gianni]

I would make sure that i wasn't throwing out the baby with the bath water first. How do they shoot? To me, sticky implies soft lube which generally shoots alot better in my guns than hard, easy to handle does.

[zuke]

Just put the bullets in a large mason jar and fill to about one inch above the bullets with gasoline. Let it stand for thirty minutes to one hour, swish them around a little and pour into a large strainer and spread them out to air dry. Lube is all gone..........

That's what I do, but I prefer a metal/plastic container. They don't break so easy

[Bisbee]

I just tried the boiling water method and it worked great!! Thanks for the information..

[Freischütz]

Boiling water worked for me. Just remember to let it cool so the lube can solidify and be removed from the water's surface. Then remove the bullets.

[Alan in Vermont]

Unless you already have a lead pot, boiling sounds like a really bad idea. If you do have a lead pot it just sounds like a regularly bad idea. Too much hassle.

So don't do it then. I'd rather boil water than mess with a bucket of flammable solvent that has to be disposed of afterwards.

[zuke]

So don't do it then. I'd rather boil water than mess with a bucket of flammable solvent that has to be disposed of afterwards.

I keep that bucket around all the time.And no, I don't have kid's.