Pan Lube Options?

[Mountain]

I’m curious to learn of the various options when pan lubing bullets. An obvious first choice is to use Lee’s liquid Alox and coat the entire bullet. I’ve seen comments where a thin layer of Alox is spread on a surface and the bullets rolled to only coat the sides avoiding the “sticky tip” problems.

Have shooters been using solid type lubed warmed and melted to coat their cast bullets? 50/50 bees wax/alox should melt easily…anyone pan lube with this? Or, dilute the lube in solvent, pan lube then allow it to dry?

[drinks]

I use several lubes, Liquid Alox works ok, but I am too impatient to wait overnight for it to dry.
I do not feel like spending on things that do not go bang, so I lube by putting some lube in a sardine can, placing it on a garage sale hotplate, get it hot enough to melt the lube, then turn it down so the lube stays liquid but does not smoke, using pliers or forceps, I place the bullets on their bases in the pan, after a few seconds, the lube will climb up the bullet,then using the pliers or forceps, remove the bullets and set them on their bases on a pie plate. They will cool shortly, just pop them off the pan and size or load.

[Ricochet]

Dutch posted this a few days ago in my thread on the 8mm Max & Karabiner:

If LLA doesn't work to your satisfaction I have another method you can try that does not involve a lube-sizer. All that is needed is a small glass bowl, a hotplate, and a can of Johnson's Paste Wax. Fill the bowl with JPW and set it on the hotplate. Set the hotplate on a low setting like 1 or 2. Wait for the JPW to melt and then hold the boolits by the nose (with gas check already installed if a GC design) and dip them in the JPW for 3 or 4 seconds. Make sure you dip into the JPW deep enough to cover most of the bearing surface of the boolit. Then set the boolits base down on a sheet of wax paper to dry. You can quickly wipe the bases off after just a few minutes.

This method of dip lubing with JPW has worked for me in milsurp loads up to 1900 fps for plinking loads. Accuracy has been minute of paper plate at 100 yards which has been good enough for me and what I like to use these old battle rifles for.

One dry patch through the bore to wipe out the powder residue after shooting and my Persian Mauser's bore shines like the day it left the factory.

[Mountain]

Thanks for the comments.

A friend gave me this link as yet another option:

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/panlubing.html

[montana_charlie]

drinks,
There is 'pan lubing', and then there is 'dip lubing'. I haven't tied either one, yet. Your method sounds (to me) like 'dip lubing'.

I have a new mould coming which casts a grooveless bullet, and I am told requires the 'dip' method. The bullet's designer has agreed to provide the detailed instruction (apparently necessary) to help me get started with this type of bullet. I will be interested to see how much his 'dipping' process resembles yours. I do know that it requires a hotplate capable of holding a steady 195°.

Mountain,
The possibility of using solvent in the way that you mention has always intrigued me.

A general question about pan lubing:
Following Goatlips' procedure, you initially fill your cake pan with lube melted in a double boiler. After that first fill-up, the 170 degree oven is the only heat source needed...right?
CM

[chunkum]

An alternative heat source I like to use for the Johnson's Paste wax process is an infrared heat lamp distanced 6" to 12" above the container. When it's off, the heat's gone, and the container doesn't have to be moved.
c.