Graphite Lube?

[blackhawk4545]

Has anyone tried using graphite powder (used to lubricate door/car/pad locks) in their home-brew bullet lube?

Seems like a reasonable option, but would it be abrasive?

Was thinking about spiking pure bees wax with graphite. Quick, easy, no unpleasent odors for Mama.

Would prob. have to stir continually until cooled to keep graphite from separating.

[odfairfaxsub]

as far as i know no it wouldn't be a abbrassive since gun powder uses it as a coating alot of times for pistol type powders to keep clumping from happening or reaction with plastics? my guess.

it seems that my sediments with it is i need that powder to burn and coat my bore so i have a nice surface for my bullets to shoot out of so i bet it would be good to mix in with the lube.

its like your shooting a bullet though a already seasoned bore teehee.

[Jim]

Been there and tried that. Great lube additive, EXTREMELY messy.

[williamwaco]

I never used it but many years ago it was available from Lyman. I can't find a current commercial lube that uses it.

There must be a reason they quit making it. I expect Jim has the answer.




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[blackhawk4545]

Jim - Your right about the MESSY part! I just have a small tube laying here that I have never used. And I have a pound of bees wax. I think the graphite tube is 4 oz.

16 oz bees wax : 4 oz graphite sound good or not?

Sorrry, just checked graphite tube. Only has .21oz!! Still plenty I think as "a-litle-dab-l-do-ya" when using graphite.

[odfairfaxsub]

sounds kind of heavy. you might get away with 16 ounces with 2 oz of graphite but i bet 4 would prob be ok

[Reload3006]

i have a jug of powder graphite that I tumble my slugs in before I swage them into lead bullets. Works great. and by the way all store bought shot and shotgun slugs are tumble lubed in graphite. I have not mixed it in my lube though. but as i said i tumble my cores in it before I swage them.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I was using, and cussing, Lyman graphite black lube many years back - only just got that nasty stuff off my fingers last week from stopping using it about 30+ years ago!Robert

[runfiverun]

i doubt graphite alone would be a good lube i have however added it to a home made lithi-beeswax lube.
don't melt the lube all the way to liquid just get it mushy and stir in the graphite it'll stay suspended better.
airc it's called coloidal graphite and is super fine.

[leadman]

Graphite has been added to lube as far back as the early 30s' that I know of, and probably before that.
Was mixed with "water pump grease" at one time for a lube.

[Jim]

I made some of THIS yesterday. I melted the wax and then blended the Moly-Graph in with a whisk. I mixed it 50/50 by weight. It should be good for hot conditions because I had to get it rather hot to dip boolits in it. It's rather tacky and sticks to the boolits well. AND it did not black my fingers and chase me out of the room!

HERE is the product specs & apps.

[Big brass ones]

One of my first lubes i tried consisted of JPW and powdered graphite cut with mineral spirits. It was messy and did not preform very well. Added a little LLA which just made a mess. Flux was the result of most of those first batches as I found few of those bullets worth firing.

[Papa Jack]

I have a can of old GI graphite Grease (not sure of the FED stock number off hand ) I have used it on my 30-30 , and 38 spcl. loadings when I first started casting. I had no leading problems with it. Accuracy was OK, but back then it was all trial and error on my part. I was trying just about anything I had in the shop for lube, all types of automotive greases, both Dynosaur and Synthetic..... All seemed to work , I can't recall any out right failures...PJ