One more tumble-lubing question...

[Airweight38]

I've seen that some people will stand their bullets up on end after tumble-lubing, presumably to make the coats as even as possible on their bullets... I've tried this and found it to be a) time-consuming and b) really messy.

How many people actually *do* this? Is it okay if I'm lubing both before and after sizing to let them just dry on their sides?

Just curious as to what everyone else is doing...

Specifically, I am using Lee Liquid Alox and letting them cure on a cookie sheet lined w/ waxed paper.

Thanks for any input!

[cabezaverde]

I think standing them up just satisfies the OCD in us.

[KY_Camper]

I did at first, but don't anymore. I just spread them out so they aren't piled up on top of each other. I do roll them around 3 or 4 times while they are drying to avoid a real thick line of lube on the "bottom" side. I have only done this for mild 45ACP loads, so rifles and high power loads may require different treatment.

[HeavyMetal]

Think cabezverde hit the nail on the head!

But seriously the"ease" of LLA was always offset for me by dealing with the mess and trying to get a "clean" even coating.

I had also played around with some moly coatings that, when dry, were fairly hard and then created "high spots" on the boolits and subsequint jams.

The mess your dealing with is the major reason I moved to a Star and hard lubes, after all was said and done I felt I was handling the boolits less with the Star set up.

[timkelley]

I don't worry about an even coating. If the 1st boolit has the thick coat side on the top, the 2d has the thick down, the 3d right and so on....... Seems to me it will all even out in the end, any way it works for me, I let the boolits lay on their side.

[Shiloh]

I've seen that some people will stand their bullets up on end after tumble-lubing, presumably to make the coats as even as possible on their bullets... I've tried this and found it to be a) time-consuming and b) really messy.

How many people actually *do* this? Is it okay if I'm lubing both before and after sizing to let them just dry on their sides?

Just curious as to what everyone else is doing...

Specifically, I am using Lee Liquid Alox and letting them cure on a cookie sheet lined w/ waxed paper.

Thanks for any input!

No Kidding!! What a nasty un-nesessary thing to do!:???:

Listen, TL them, and spread on some wax paper or foil and be done with it. After several hours or more (Your Choice) stir them around to expose the sides and bottoms to the air.

I have a small fan set on the table turned to low to keep the air moving. This may or may not be necessary.

LEE alox can be thick. I cut this stuff with several table spoons of mineral spirits to thin. It helps with the distribution around the boolits. This also helps in not getting it on too thick. From my own experience and from reading posts on this and other casting forums, problems occur when putting alox on too thick. A thin light coat is plenty. The other thing this does is that it seems to dry harder and is not gummy in humid weather. Hope this helps
:-D
Shiloh

[pls1911]

OCBD (Obsessive Compulsive Behavior Disorder)... set LLA lubed slugs on their hineys... they're prettier.

One thing which will really impress folks at the range is pretty bullets, ...especially when you outshoot their factory .30 cal fodder with an open sight Buffalo gun at half the cost.... everybody wants to know your "secret". HAHAHAHAHA.
After loading, I clean the exposed lead and polish with JPW over all .. (EXTREME OCBD)
I laugh at how folks fall all over themselves when they see your home brew bullets, AND th results.

Also when shooting plain based 45-70 rounds, I wash the normal sized/lubed rounds with thinned LLA, and dry standing on the bases. The resulting heavier lube ring on the base may contribute to the lack of leading, along with the manditory dacron tuft.... I have no leading... NONE.... up to 525 gr. @1550 fps in a 34" Sharps barrel.
good luck
Pablo.

[Bloodman14]

Hi, all! Gunnerd, here,
Never had a problem with LLA being uneven or too thick. Anyway, my 1911 can't tell, nor my No.4 Mk. 1 Lee- Enfield in .303. 3/4 " groups at 100 yds. using 200 gr. boolits, GC'd, on top of 2.25 cc's of H4895 ( I load by volume). Just use LLA as is, or cut with thinner slightly.

[putteral]

Funny thing I just finished tumble lubing 100 boolits when I got on the forum and saw this post, yes I stood them On their base. I use the disposable latex gloves to do this so my fingers do not get to sticky. They just come out looking better and yes I have OCBD

[shepherddogs]

I had problems with LLA going on too thick. It was a real mess and standing them on end just made a gooey puddle at the base. I cut the LLA with mineral spirits so it was real thin and left a varnish like coating. At low velocity it works well and is not near as messy. I did end up getting the RCBS Lube sizer though.

[Ugly Dwarf]

I tumble lubed some bullets last night for the first time. I stood the first batch on their ends (in rows of 10 to count how many I'd done), and then decided to just shake the second batch out on wax paper.

When I went to size them today, I didn't notice much difference in the two batches.

[Bret4207]

I tumble 'em in a baggie, dump out, wait a couple hours and dust them with motor mica, load and shoot or store away. No muss, no fuss. Corn starch, talcum powder, even flour I suppose will work for dusting them. Just cuts the stickiness.

[Wayne Smith]

OCBD (Obsessive Compulsive Behavior Disorder)...
Pablo.

Not quite, Pablo. OCD - Obsessive is thought disorder, Compulsive is Behavior disorder, combined they are OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 300.3 DSM IVTR under Anxiety Disorders.

Yeah, I really am a psychologist.

[cabezaverde]

Wayne,

Did I actually have that close to right?

Lining up little boolits on their butts shows OCD? Most of us handloaders seem to have it.

[pdawg_shooter]

Think you boys have OCD bad? Wait till you start paper patching !

[pls1911]

Been away in my corrected OCD diversions awhile...
Thanks for the correction Wayne.
Now what's the cure for this nagging itch on my trigger finger??

See my post this morning in the cast bullets for hunting section, a"Short Story"
My final step in bullet was a light wash of LLA.

Wish I could have a shoot like that 60 seconds/6 shots/6 pigs more often.

[10 Spot Terminator]

If we all didnt have a touch of OCD we wouldnt be reloaders now would we ???

As for the tumble lube method I just do the shake coat method as per Lees' instuctions and then spread them on the wax paper and let dry for about 2 days making then easy to handle and not all sticky. I then run them through a Lee sizing die with minimal contact just to dress them up . Then is when the OCD kicks in as I take the bullets individually holding them by the nose and using a small parts cleaning brush I wet with more Alox and brush just the driving bands and lube grooves and then stand them up on wax paper and let dry again for 2 or more days . this tends to increase the amount of lube held in the grooves. I cant say if is better or worse than than just the one time tumble and dry method as I have done this from the start. They look better and make me feel better and results have all been good ... "MONK" would understand ,,,[smilie=1:
10 Spot

[bruce drake]

Stand them on end most every time. I've even learned to use needlenose pliers to stand up my 55gr BATORs since I can't grip the little buggers when the LLA is wet!

Bruce

[lylejb]

Recluse has a very good post on tumble lube, stickied in the lube section

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=67654

If you look throught the thread, I asked that very same question. He said it doesn't really matter.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Do I have enough on mine?

Too thick? Thin?
My first batch today:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Lube003.jpg

Another shot of them . . .
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Lube004.jpg

Second batch, a tad thicker:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Lube005.jpg

Another shot of them . . .
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Lube006.jpg

Next time I won't waste my time standing them all up!

[geargnasher]

Recluse has a very good post on tumble lube, stickied in the lube section

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=67654

If you look throught the thread, I asked that very same question. He said it doesn't really matter.

Yes, and there is a poll on the stand up/let lie subject, too, more of a reflection of personality than function.

Gear

[Tazman1602]

I've seen that some people will stand their bullets up on end after tumble-lubing, presumably to make the coats as even as possible on their bullets... I've tried this and found it to be a) time-consuming and b) really messy.

How many people actually *do* this? Is it okay if I'm lubing both before and after sizing to let them just dry on their sides?

Just curious as to what everyone else is doing...

Specifically, I am using Lee Liquid Alox and letting them cure on a cookie sheet lined w/ waxed paper.

Thanks for any input!

Dude to a certain extent I think all of us should have the username "Monk" (TV show about a guy who's obsessive/compulsive...) when it comes to our bullet casting and reloading. If it works for your then go for it.

I'm kinda new to TL so I'm still in the "well lets try this and see if it works stage"...........

Art

[Tazman1602]

Yeah, I really am a psychologist.

You gotta be havin a field day here Pal...........<GRIN>

Art

[John Guedry]

I'm almost embarresed to post this but I paint the stuff on the grooves with an artists brush. Keeps it off the noses so it don't build up in the seating die.

[d_striker]

I'm almost embarresed to post this but I paint the stuff on the grooves with an artists brush. Keeps it off the noses so it don't build up in the seating die.

I do this too after having problems with lube gradually building in my seating die. Was I using too much lube? Probably.

I paint on the lube with a 1/4" brush. It takes about 2 seconds per 9mm boolit and 4 seconds for a .40 bullet. I like how all of the grooves are full of lube. It looks especially neat if you pull a boolit after seating. All of the lube is perfectly packed in the grooves. The way I look at it is that it's still faster than pan lubing and I don't size my boolits.

But yeah, I was too embarassed to admit it until you just did. Glad I'm not the only one.

[Jumping Frog]

This is great. I finally get a good diagnosis on the Internet (even from a real psychologist!) without having to file an insurance claim or pay a co-pay.

Time for me to go stand in the OCD line!

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg126/Jumping_Frog/DSCF1948.jpg

[lwknight]

LOL, I resemble that. I recently got a 6 banger 358-158 FN and had trouble getting good boolits. Then I finally was getting 100% beutiful keepers. I did not stop till I had filled a (roughly) 6X12X8 ammo can. I think its about 90 pounds of 38 boolits.

[1stSkink]

I TL lube with as mix of 50/50 Alox and JPW in a plastic coffee container. I shake (the boolits)in the container and let then sit. Every few hrs, shake. Next day, re-apply Alox and JPW. repeat shakeing and let sit. Load after dry. I used to pour them on wax paper, but they would pool up.

YMMV,
skink

[snuffy]

I'll go ya one better. These were DIPPED holding them with a tweezers, then set on a piece of cardboard.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P2220036.JPG

Then moved once before letting them completely air dry.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P2220037.JPG

Then they were shoved through a .308 lee sizer, loaded in 7.62 X 25 tok.

I'm not a neat freak, or the yuppie term OCD, just my approach to a way to get them done.

[Tazman1602]

This is great. I finally get a good diagnosis on the Internet (even from a real psychologist!) without having to file an insurance claim or pay a co-pay.

Time for me to go stand in the OCD line!




You're not even CLOSE to OCD. Those bullets are a MESS! They are NOT in straight rows and the rows they are in are not even uniform in quantity!!!!

LMAO!

You guys are awful. Butt deep snow on a long legged indian here and I spent a half hour last night standing my bullets up after TL them.....................

Art

[armyrat1970]

You're not even CLOSE to OCD. Those bullets are a MESS! They are NOT in straight rows and the rows they are in are not even uniform in quantity!!!!

LMAO!

You guys are awful. Butt deep snow on a long legged indian here and I spent a half hour last night standing my bullets up after TL them.....................

Art

It probably took him more time to stand 'em all up than it did to cast and lube 'em. No wonder he didn't get them in straight and uniform rows. He was wore out.:smile: