Cast Bullet Lube Inventory April 2019

Here is a list I just did...... I looked at my lube inventory for the first time in years. Some was bought new... some in box lots over the years. Some of it is old, like maybe 1970's. Some is still soft, some not. This is just squeezing the wrapped tube. It may just be the outside hardening due to exposure to the air. I think maybe cutting a few in sections may be necessary. Will melting and re-constituting this lube make it usable again ? This is way more than I could ever use. Any of this stuff ring a bell ? LITHI-BEE ?

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15-red foil-marked lithium

10 silver foil-marked lithium

7.5 silver foil-marked alox

Above from Choate ? still soft

6-RCBS-80001-dark green-unk- boxes

2-Lee- plastic tube with red end caps-marked Alox

2-Lyman deluxe-marked Alox & beeswax-dark color-boxes

2-gold foil-COOPER-WOODWARD-CA 92502


12-4 oz bottles-Lee liquid alox

misc pieces-loose in bag-smells like alox-unk

Heating should bring it back I believe, if it was softer in the beginning.
Aaron

My experience, from buying vintage equipment that came with vintage lube (in original packaging) is that NRA 50-50 (Beeswax-Alox) will remain usable for a human's lifetime, if stored properly. Also, Lithi-bee if near a 50-50 mix should also last a human's lifetime.

Any of the lubes with unknown ingredients, I would use if they look good, but after you remove the wrapper/tube and slice a small section and decide that it's either drying out or 'separating', then I'd just dispose of it or use it for flux.

The NRA and the Lithi-bee won't need melting/reconstituting. Any lube that's unknown that's drying out or 'separating', would likely need something more than melting to reconstitute it, like adding oils or solvents.

The Lee liquid alox. You might need to cut the tubes open and dig the alox out. Add about 50% mineral spirits and stir, or shake, or whatever and it will come back to a consistency you can use. I've had to do that with tubes of alox that are almost new.