Lube not sticking

[JOptionPane]

my Lube not sticking i am using
16oz beeswax
16oz Petroleum jelly
16oz paraffin wax
1 tbsp STP oil additive
2 crayons for color

it is not vary hard should i add more wax to stiffen it up or what do you guys think?

[longbow]

I found that mine wasn't very sticky either. It works well but tended to break out of the lube groove if handled rough.

Addition of the Bardahl (like STP) helped there. I have not experimented yet to find out how sticky this might make a stiff lube. I suspect there will be a trade off between stickiness and stiffness.

I am going to suggest less paraffin and more beeswax to stiffen and possibly addition of lanolin to make it sticky. I haven't used lanolin but I understand that is one of its benefits. A little more STP might help there too. Not sure if there is a benefit to using one or the other or both. You just may have to experiment a bit.

The reason I included Ivory soap is that I had intended to use the soap to make a stiff "grease" with high melting point however, getting it to dissolve in similar proportions to the oil/grease portion is difficult. That part didn't work well but the soap seems to make the lube extremely "slick".

Are you using a cookie cutter to remove boolits from the lube block or are you trying to "pop" them out? I think the BP type pan lubes tend to have a characteristic that allows the lube to shear easily so they retain the lube in the groove but break out of the lube block cleanly. Stickier might not help there. My lube requires use of a cookie cutter to remove boolits. Yours may too.

Maybe someone with more knowledge of pan lubing can help.

Longbow

[fredj338]

Drop the parrafin, the BW will usually give you the sticky quality you want & still be stiif enough. Also make sure your crayons are wax, some are not. I tried melting some the other day & & think they are some type of plastic.

[zomby woof]

I've used this recipe. My has the consistency of chapstick. Are you heating your boolits up too? Are you pan lubing?

[John Boy]

Are you heating your boolits up too? Are you pan lubing?

Two major considerations not identified
Pan lubed with warm to touch bullets, the identified mix should have no problem staying in the GG;s I use a BPCR mix of mutton tallow - paraffin - beeswax and jojoba oil. Have some of these bullets over a year old that are still lubed properly

[longbow]

Also a good point ~ heating the boolits up!

I set them into the holes left in the lube block then heat the whole works to melt the lube again that ensures the boolits are heated as well.

I use the cookie cutter to remove boolits when the lube is still warm but firm.

[jmsj]

JOptionPane,
Lots of good advice already posted. I am a big fan of lanolin in lube. It just seems to make the lube stick better.
If you are trying to salvage the lube and make it firmer, I would try adding beeswax until reaches the firmness you are looking for.
Good luck, jmsj

[waksupi]

Add some lanolin.

[geargnasher]

Add some lanolin.

+1, about 1 TBS per pound. Remelt the mix, let it cool until it starts to harden around the edges, add the lanolin, mix in and raise the heat just enough to get it all to melt together, 160 degrees should be plenty. You can use a $4 candy thermometer for this. Lanolin scorches very easily, don't overheat the lube during or after adding it.

Gear

[noylj]

If at all hard and brittle, then too much paraffin.
Generally, if a lube won't stick and you are pan-lubing, the bullets are too cold. You can pan lube with Carnauba Red, provided the bullets are warm.
If using a standard Lube-Sizer, the mixture should be fine. Since it is not, then, as said above, add more BW or add a little lanolin. You can never go wrong with BW...
However, a simple 50:50 blend of paraffin and petrolatum will make a good basic lube that works without problems at low velocities and you are simply "improving" the formula and what you have added should have increased the "stickiness" of your lube.

[JOptionPane]

Well the cookie cutter worked for me but man that's a lot more work than just pushing them out. But next time I will warm them up and see if that helps. Also the cookie may be OK once I learn what level to fill the pan to better, I always fill mine to full making the excess from the cookie cutter get on the upper part of the boolit and I had to wipe most of the ones I cut out off with a paper towel. Thanks for all you guys help and suggestions. I made +/- 550 boolits. I made the Cookie cutter out of Pool Cue Ferrule material and the push out part is made out of a reject cue shaft. I build Custom Cues as a hobby. http://www.blackmesacues.com
Thanks again for everyone's help
Kyle

[Springfield]

If it was me I would halve the amount of paraffin and Petroleum jelly. The paraffin is too slippery and the P. Jelly is too soft.

[JOptionPane]

you will get no argument out of me on that one. It was my first time lubing just following a recipe i saw on YouTube and from one guy here. But i think you are right for sure on the Petroleum jelly.