bullet lube

[686]

i have been melting lube in the macrowayve then poring it it to my star luber, works good. tride to make sticks in plastic tubes. melted the tubes. my friend does the same tube but uses the double bowler methoid and workd god. is there that much cooler when melted his way. what have some of you done? thanks

[dubber123]

Double boiler usually won't go over 200 degrees or so, at least for me. They don't make the prettiest sticks, but that styrofoam tube type insulation you buy for water pipes works well. I drilled a block of 2X4 with a hole that snugly held the styrofoam, and cut some into 5" tubes. A couple rubber bands keeps the slit in the side closed. When cool, remove the bands, and open the foam tube. I used the same tubes over and over. A small square of plastic wrap over the end in the blocks kept that end from sticking to the blocks. I even re-used the plasic wrap.

[mroliver77]

Good heavens!! Melted the plastic tubes? What kind of plastic did you use? You dont want to get your lube too hot! Most guys use pvc or copper pipe. I too just warm up a dollop of lube and pour into sizer.
J

[DLCTEX]

I have used PVC pipe to make sticks, push it out before it gets too hard or you'll have to heat the pipe with a blow drier to get it out. I currently just keep it in a canning jar and heat it in the mic. and pour it in. Less air bubble problems this way. Dale

[cbrick]

The microwave clearly got the lube too hot. Try the double boiler, you only need just enough heat to get it to melt. I did a lot of lube testing so instead of just pouring it into the lubrizier I made sticks so that I could label and store the various recipes for future testing. To make the sticks I made this lube mould.

http://www.lasc.us/DSCN1676-5.jpg

Its a 2x8 slit down the middle with a smooth rubber 1/16" thick sheet of rubber between the blocks. The tubes are 1" I.D. After the lube cools and solidifies just slip the aluminum tubes out and use a 1" wood dowel to push the lube sticks out. Works great.

Rick

[jonk]

I don't make molds, I just melt in a double boiler (sometimes the microwave) and pour in. I personally have an RCBS Lubri-sizer. Works much better than sticks anyhow- no air bubbles to squeeze out, longer between refills, etc.

[cbrick]

jonk, when you are making up several different lubes for testing what are you going to do with them, pour them all in the lubrisizer together? Maybe you would make sticks for storing them.

hhmmm . . . maybe not huh.

Rick

[DLCTEX]

cbrick: just pour it into canning jar and label it. I like the glass as it lets me see the color clearly, which tells me something about it's composition. I also color the lube with candle dye so that the color alone will identify the lube. If I am experimenting, I only pour a small amount of lube into the sizer, which can be emptied with heat applied to the inverted over a bowl.Not much different than a stick that has been compressed. Dale

[cbrick]

cbrick: just pour it into canning jar and label it. I like the glass as it lets me see the color clearly, which tells me something about it's composition. I also color the lube with candle dye so that the color alone will identify the lube. Dale

Dale,

I wasn't trying to tell anyone else to do it my my way, simply passing along info on how I do it that I thought others may find interesting.

I don't need to use a jar, I've got great little stick mould and it was nearly free, cheaper than enough canning jars anyway, just a bit of time. Plus the sticks wrapped in clear plastic Saran Wrap and stored in a single box takes up a lot less room than many jars would. Holding the stick in my hand I can see the color and the label easily. I do use candle dyes along with notes as detailed as I can make them.

Rick