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View Full Version : New to casting and need pan lubing advice



RugerDan
03-11-2014, 04:09 PM
Hey guys like the title says I want to get into casting boolits. I have reloaded both commercially cast and jacketed bullets for a few years now. I got my first bucket of wheel weights and I will be ordering my furnace and goodies here in a couple days. My main question is I am trying to figure out a good lube for pan lubing 45 acp. I will be shooting these out of a 16" rifle and I plan on expanding to cast for my 5 1/2 inch Super Blackhawk 44 mag. I have been going through the forum and haven't seen any lube recommendations for what I'm looking for. I would prefer to just buy a commercial lube for now and get into mixing my own once I get the hang of casting unless you guys know of a simple recipe using ingredients I can get at walmart etc. I thought about tumble lubing but I'm not sold on the idea. Oh and if the lube was a good year round lube that would be great. The temperature only varies in oklahoma from about 110 in the summer to single digits in the winter. Hope that's not too much to ask for. Thanks

bangerjim
03-11-2014, 04:16 PM
Powder coating will solve ALL the above problems and questions.
No grease
No smoke
All-temp function
All cals and styles
Inexpensive (Harbor Freight)

PM me if you need more info! Check out the stickies on PC'ing.

banger

Boolseye
03-11-2014, 04:32 PM
I use WWVA lube for all my pan-lubing, rifle and pistol.
WWVA lube;
4 oz. paraffin
4 oz petroleum jelly
2 oz. Lee Liquid Alox
2 heaping tablespoons Johnsons Paste Wax [carnuba wax]
Heat components until all melted, then pan or dip lube. May require a heater for the Lyman or RCBS lubrisizers.

YOu can also add crisco, beeswax, canola oil and a few other things to the mix! Exact measurements are not part of my process in lube making.

Wasalmonslayer
03-11-2014, 11:45 PM
Pan lubing is simple. The mix I use is
1 part bees wax
1 part paraffin
1 part Vaseline
4 tablespoons of 2 stroke oil
My parts are 6 oz

Melt all in a double boiler stir well.
The procedure I do is set all my bullets in oven safe silicone loaf pan warm them in the oven to 175 and then pour in lube till it comes up to the top grease grove. Let them rest until the wax solidifies but is still warm not hot. Then take the wax block out of the silicone tray and push the bullets out of the wax block. They should break loose clean with the groves completely full. If not then you let the block get to cool.
The reason I heat the bullets is to help adhere the wax in the groves. I had a ton of trouble with groves having the lube come out before I started warming them. Now it is very rare to have the lube not stick.
Good luck it will take a couple try's to perfect it but once you get the hang of it you can do a bunch of bullets really quick. I use 4 silicone trays at a time and can lube 500 bullets in less than an hour.

Feel free to pm me with any questions I would be more than happy to help out.
Randyrat is the man to see for bees wax. Look him up on here is super easy to deal with. He also makes lubes.

WallyM3
03-12-2014, 12:01 AM
I'm with bangerjim on this, but it doesn't hurt to learn the basics as well. I've only made 45/45/10, so I'm no help. I've just melted commercially available sticks in a shallow pan for my exercises in pan lubing.

RugerDan
03-12-2014, 12:49 PM
Thanks for all the help so far!! I think I will give the wwva lube a shot and may just order a couple of commercial sticks to start out with. I'm interested in powder coating but I think that may be further down the road as I don't have a spare oven or a place to put one at the moment. I figure if I can just get started I can pick up a lubesizer or start powder coating later on once I catch the bug I just don't want to get too invested in this just starting out

Boolseye
03-12-2014, 01:54 PM
One other thing–I use the plier method for removing the bullets, since the cakes never wanted to come out of my pans, and I didn't want to go the "cake cutter" method of bullet removal.
With a cheap, small pair of grippy pliers, i remove the bullets one at a time from the still-slightly-warm (let cool for 15-20 min) pan. They should pull out with a satisfying 'pop', leaving nice holes for the next batch of bullets. They should also be perfectly lubed, if you do this properly-ready for sizing, or to load as-cast. THey will not be damaged, with only the slightest mark where the pliers grip. Also, leave at least 3/8" between each bullet–too close together and they won't lube well.

Wasalmonslayer
03-12-2014, 11:32 PM
I wish I would have found this sight when I started this 10 years ago.
Boolseye your method looks really simple. I was not trying to write over you just giving him another option.
This forum is a huge gift to casters I still learn things here on a weekly basis.
Wasalmonslayer

sthwestvictoria
03-13-2014, 05:18 AM
I don't load for pistol, rifle only and I panlube. For low velocity pistol where you are shooting a lot I think pan lubing could be a pain, I think this is where people use tumble lube with plain alox or 45/45/10.

For my pan lubing i use bee wax/vaseline/lanolin/crayon. I tried the cake-cutter method as set out here:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?119056-So-you-can-t-afford-one

but too much smearing and mess. I now use the silicone bake tray method and just as the lube/bullet cake is cooling to a plastic but fairly firm temperature I pop it out of the silicone mold and push the bullets out backwards with finger pressure - beautiful:
99431

Boolseye
03-13-2014, 08:59 AM
Boolseye your method looks really simple. I was not trying to write over you just giving him another option.
Not at all! I learn new stuff everyday too. In fact, I'm looking at the methods you and sthwestvictoria use and liking them a lot.

Another vote for 45-45-10 as a viable option for many applications. I think it works as well as traditional lube for pistol bullets. It is also very fast and clean.

Wasalmonslayer
03-13-2014, 09:15 AM
That picture explains it perfect. Once you get in the grove you can lube a bunch real fast.

mdi
03-13-2014, 12:10 PM
Don't get the impression you must make your own lube for pan lubing, but I do and it's part of the fun. But, a lot of the time I just use some White Label Lubes 2500 or Caranuba Red. The C Red works great for my cast 125 gr. 9mm bullets...

RugerDan
03-13-2014, 12:17 PM
Well I probably won't shoot much more than 100 rounds at a time out of the 45 acp rifle and about 50 rounds per trip is usually my maximum I shoot of 44 mag each trip to the range. I mostly shoot 9mm and 40 and 38 special. I still have quite a few 38 cast bullets left to load that I got from Missouri bullet. I just figured I'd start casting the big expensive bullets first and move onto the smaller calibers later

dilly
03-13-2014, 05:37 PM
Sounds like you know what you want to do and that's cool but just so you know it cost me about $13 to get into powder coating. Makes me feel like every second or penny I ever spent on pan lubing is wasted.

There are a number of people who feel the act of pan lubing is all it takes to convince one that a lube sizer is a worthwhile investment.

Garyb
03-13-2014, 09:07 PM
I have to say that since I started using the 45-45-10 tumble lube I don't pan lube any more. You can read about it here (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?67654-Tumble-Lubing-Made-Easy-amp-Mess-Free). It's also available through one of the vendors here (http://lsstuff.com/store/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=45-45-10).
You may have an aversion to tumble lube but a lot of guys like the 45-45-10.

mdi
03-15-2014, 12:51 PM
Casting for 38 cal. is very easy, I have 5 molds for my 38s and 357s. But, nuttin' wrong starting with bigger bullets. I started with one mold, Lee 240 gr. SWC T/L, .44 cal. and cast/shot mebbe 1500 rounds before I got another mold. I didn't want to get into a lubersizer (still don't) so I tumble lubed, pan lubed, and now I powder coat. Pan lubing is easy, not any messier than you are, you can use any wax based lube, and I do a lot of my bullets that way. Since I read about 45-45-10 a year or so ago, I have been using that in my magnums, .44 cal. 240 gr. and 265 gr. RNFP bullets; Ranch Dog design...