Lube and allergies

[rbstern]

Thankfully, I have no allergies, but sure seems like lots of folks do. One friend has a bad eyes/nose/threat reaction to shooting my reloads. He's fine while we are at the range, but afterwards, he gets itchy and puffy eyes, irritation in the nose and throat. And yes, the ventilation at the indoor range we shoot at is not ideal.

Suspect it could be the Lee Alox lube, because he doesn't have that reaction when shooting factory jacketed stuff. Obviously, it could be any of the ingredients, but wondering if I switched to something like Emmet's or DGL, which have natural ingredients, if that might help him.

Looking for comments from people who have experienced or witnessed allergic reactions to handloads, lubes, powders, etc.

[redneckdan]

my girlfriend can't be around gun powder for very long, she will get a headache, I think it has to do with the nitroglycerine in the powder. I shoot beeswax base lube, I don't have a problem with it but my room mate grumbles when I pan lube, could be the wax smell or the fact the counter gets covered in wax...[smilie=1:

[Lloyd Smale]

The better half cant stand me making lube either but it could be because a tend to dissapear when its time to clean up afterward!
my girlfriend can't be around gun powder for very long, she will get a headache, I think it has to do with the nitroglycerine in the powder. I shoot beeswax base lube, I don't have a problem with it but my room mate grumbles when I pan lube, could be the wax smell or the fact the counter gets covered in wax...[smilie=1:

[Maven]

Veral Smith developed his line of lubes in part because when fired, the NRA 50-50 blend irritated his sinuses and allergies (hay fever). Both Emmert's and Felix Lube are "natural" and have little odor by themselves or when fired, but I don't know whether the former was designed for smokeless powder fouling or velocity. Emmert's does indeed keep leading and fouling in check with BP or Pyrodex loads up to ~1,400fps (i.e., the limit my shoulder can stand from the bench rest)) in my .45-70 levergun though.

[carpetman]

I previously had severe sinus problems. It didnt seem a matter of being allergic to anything. The ENT Dr said I needed surgery. Too late I learned,all his patients seem to need it. A visit or two AFTER the surgery he said BTW do you irrigate your sinuses? No. Well you should do it twice a day the rest of your life. Take hot water and add a little salt---I don't measure--you soon learn when you get it right but I'd say 1/2 teaspoon or so to cup of water. Get a nasal squeeze bulb from the pharmacy area of a Wal Mart or some such and squirt each nostril several times--and blow it back out. No sinus problems since I started doing it several years ago and no medication whatsoever. Before I had to keep a supply of stuff handy. Take 2 asprins and send the check.

[buck1]

Alox loads leave me slightly bothered, but nothing else has done that to me.
I also vote for FWFL, or if you tumble lube johnsons paste wax or rooster jacket. ...Buck

[Blackwater]

I have severe allergies - alergic to most anything that blooms, it seems - but have never noted any alergy to lubes. Allergies can vary quite a bit, though, and only thing I can add is if you remove the alox and that doesn't do it, it may (???) possibly be the beeswax? Lots of pollens in there, I'd suspect. You may be able to substitute white canning wax from the grocery store in beeswax's place in your lube, just for a try, if leaving out the alox doesn't help.

Allergy diagnosis is, as best I understand it, a try and see process, and you eliminate the allergens one at a time until the symptoms stop.

Is your buddy sure it's the lube? Did the alergic reactions occur on a single day? If so, it may not have been the lube, and may have been an allergen in the air on that particular day. Might not be, too, of course.

Allergies are perplexin' things!

[rbstern]

Is your buddy sure it's the lube? Did the alergic reactions occur on a single day? If so, it may not have been the lube, and may have been an allergen in the air on that particular day. Might not be, too, of course.

He has experienced it when he's shot my reloads on more than one occasion, and says he hasn't had the problem when shooting the stuff he buys at the store (Remington/UMC and Winchester white box), all jacketed.

Johnsons Paste Wax? How well does it work as a lube? Seems like it would be awful sticky.

[redneckdan]

i'm working on a parafin (canning wax) based lube right now, when I get it made I'll send you a sample, see if it makes a differnece.

[Dale53]

Earlier in this thread, a comment or question was asked regarding Emmert's with smokeless powder. Bud Emmert developed his lube for use with smokeless schuetzen loads. I have used it exclusively with my .32/.357 Schuetzen rifle. The velocities do not exceed 1500 fps but I am restricted by rules to a plain base lead bullet. I also average 1/2 minute of angle (off the bench, of course).

I do not shoot high velocity rifle loads (so much to do, so little time...) so cannot comment on Emmerts with high velocity.

Emmert's is also a terrific black powder cartridge lube. That was not Emmert's original intention, it just happened that way.

Dale53

[44man]

I can't resist this! Inject some lube under the skin to get immune. Well hey, my allergy shots work. Can you picture the big black blobs under the skin, or green if you are Irish. What would red look like?

[Newtire]

Yup Redneck,
When they shoot that spray of nitro under your tongue in the ER, you know what a headache is!

[Char-Gar]

I agree with Newtire...nothing like a Nitro headach.

[Leftoverdj]

Johnson's is very similar to the lubes used on .22 lr, and works well at .22 lr velocities. You don't fill the grooves, just heat the bullets slightly and tumble for an even coat. It's far less tacky than Liquid Alox.

[steveb]

Since I started casting my own a couple months ago, I have been breaking out on the back of both my hands. I just havent figured out whats causing it yet. It could be because im washing my hands more I dont know???

[rbstern]

Since I started casting my own a couple months ago, I have been breaking out on the back of both my hands. I just havent figured out whats causing it yet. It could be because im washing my hands more I dont know???

Funny you mention that, I get something similar, but I've been attributing it to some of the cleaning chemicals I use. Brake cleaner, in particular. The skin on the back of my hands, across the knuckles, gets dry and cracked. I'll have to watch more carefully after I cast to see if there is any contribution from something in the casting process.

You might want to think about your entire casting regimen, from setup to cleanup, and see what your hands come in contact with.

[lovedogs]

The allergy specialists really have a racket going. It's a multi-billion dollar rip-off. I had allergies long ago... until I visited a friend of mine who is a Naturopathic
Physician. He knows what allergies are about and he can cure them almost instantly. And they usually don't come back. If you seriously want rid of your allergies let me know and I can give you his address. But you will have to travel to Idaho to get fixed. I have several friends and one sister who made the trip and are really glad they did 'cuz now they know what caused their allergies and don't suffer from them anymore.

That nose flush that was mentioned can do wonders for all sorts of things. You can even avoid colds or shorten them by doing that. I, too, had nose problems. Mine were brought on by six years of boxing and several years of martial arts training. Nose had been broken countless times so it finally got impossible to breathe through and I had to have nose and sinus surgery to correct. The solution is made a lot more pleasant by adding soda so it doesn't burn so bad. Try using 1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda and 1 1/2 tsp. salt into a quart of warm water and shooting up with the bulb syringe. It ain't fun to snort and spit and sputter... but it works really good.

[steveb]

rbstern, yep thats excatly the way the back of my hands are doing! When I figure it out I will let you know.

[rbstern]

Steve, thanks for keeping me posted on this topic.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Get a pair of red chemical gloves from the hardware shop for when you are doing a clean up with chemicals. Use disposable gloveswhen lubing, they are available cheap. You can get cheap cotton gloves from the pharmacy and wear these under the plastic if you are really sensitive.

My wife has all sorts of allergy problems and her naturopath recommended epsom salt baths. They are great. You could bathe your hands in one.

PS, When I was in the Army, a few guys used to get nitroand wipe it aound inside your hat on the band. Big Hairy, Kick A$$ headache!! I hate it when the doc gives you those nitro pills t test for angina. Boy I can get my own headaches without him helping!

[44man]

The strange thing about allergies is the things that cause the worst problems. I can wade in poison ivy and poison oak, even eat it. Bees and wasps sting and it goes away in minutes. I work with all kinds of chemicals with guns and casting with no trouble. But pollen was killing me. I would stop breathing at the moment I would fall asleep. Talk about panic! Found out I was getting hives in the back of my throat and nasal passages. At first, it only happened a few days in the real hot weather when honeysuckle bloomed but it got worse until I had it all year. I knew it was an allergy and Nyquil (Spelling?) would stop it. I had the tests and everything made huge hives on my arms, they looked like ground meat. I started the shots and after the first ones, the problem went away and I have not had it happen in the last 4 years. It takes 5 years of shots.
Some people will be allergic to beeswax, don't know if it is the pollen in it though. It never bothered me. A touch of a peanut can kill some people.
You will have to isolate whatever is causing the problem, one at a time until you find it.
I have two little dogs, sisters, and if a flea bites one of them, she will tear herself up for weeks. The other is not bothered.
Every person is different and different things will affect them so I will be the last to name what it is that is bothering any of you.