Tumble lube and what it does to the projectile?

[Strtspdlx]

So I started out tumble lubing when I first got into casting. I got away from it and now pan lube because I hate how I'd spend all this time to get nice bullets with crisp edges and a good clean surface, only to stick them in a bucket and shake them and have them coming out with surface songs and rounded edges. I use Lee Alox and I heat it a little to allow it to flow. By heat I mean I'll put the bottle in a cup and run the faucet on full hit for about 15-20 minutes. I just can't get over how much it tears up the bullet I took all this time to cast so perfectly. I do realize for is king and I have no problem with that. I will occasionally get leading (most likely me swaging the bullet down when loading because I'm not trying to work the brass too much when I bell the mouth). Am I overthinking this or just doing something wrong. I'm about to tumble lube another batch to see if I can obtain better results. I usually do Atleast 100 bullets at a time. Should I be doing smaller batches? Or is the bullet damage just part of tumble lubing?

[brassrat]

I just pour them back and forth between two Solo cups, no shaking.

[kenyerian]

You might try Ranch Dog's method of dipping them. http://www.ranchdogoutdoors.com/Tips/Alox/ Also look at the thread on Ben's LL. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-L-Liquid-Lube

[Digger]

Use both Ben's Red and his Bll .... size and lube one stroke in my 45 then drop them in a zip top plastic sandwich bag , put in a drop or two of BLL and gently "massage" the boolits in the bag.
Works great , soft approach.
up for choice on how many in the bag at one time.

[fecmech]

I do the ziploc bag trick myself and see no real damage to the bullets.

[runfiverun]

I swirl more than tumble.
I also heat the lube and the boolits the hot boolits allows the lube to run and flow over the surface easier.
but I use a cup with a lid and swirl the boolits around the cup then turn it over end for end just letting the boolits roll over each other.
I'm pretty gentle with them all I want is the lube on the boolits, plus I'm gonna do another coat anyway.

[Dale53]

All i am lubing these days is handgun bullets. Most of those, I lube with my Star Lube/sizer. However, I do tumble lube some with Ben's Liquid Lube. I gently roll and tumble them in a small Tupperware container. My bullets are NEVER damaged. I built a copy of Ben's drying rack and the system is quite efficient.

FWIW
Dale53

[GhostHawk]

Plastic container with rounded edges and swirl. Not violent, just mixing.
Cool whip container or similar work well. I like lid on at first and once it is looking well distributed lid off and set in front of a fan. Pistol boolits get one more coat. Rifle 2 more.

After last swirl I dump them onto a cardboard flat on a piece of printer paper. Set in front of the fan for half hour and they are normally ready to load.

For rounds I want to look nice or be extra accurate after they are loaded and crimped I polish the noses with a rag and a quarter size damp spot of either Johnson's, mineral spirits or even BLL.
Insert nose into the spot, wrap towel around it, give it a couple half twists and drop into the ammo box with a nice clean shiny nose.
YMMV


I prefer the BLL and should have a lifetime supply of Johnson's.

[Menner]

I use the microwave 20sec warms it up (make sure you open the spout) then use a peanut butter jar (choosy casters choose JIF) few drops and swirl more than shake 50 is about as many as I do at once usually more like 20 no damage no leading
Tony

[psweigle]

I haven't found any issue with shaking the **** out of them in an old sour cream tub. They shoot just fine. I coat them with mica powder and shoot them.

[bruce drake]

Use both Ben's Red and his Bll .... size and lube one stroke in my 45 then drop them in a zip top plastic sandwich bag , put in a drop or two of BLL and gently "massage" the boolits in the bag.
Works great , soft approach.
up for choice on how many in the bag at one time.

I use the ziplock bag approach as well but I am not super-ADD about the bullets I tumble-lube. If I want accurate long-range cast bullets, I use my Lyman 45 for those bullets.
If I'm tumble-lubing, its for my pistol bullets I use for blasting funs with the kids.

[Strtspdlx]

So maybe I am being a bit too particular on how they look. I normally pan lube everything and use Lee push through dies. I'm saving for a lubrisizer but it'll end up being awhile before I get one. I don't mind pan lubing at all since I've refined my methods and now I can lubricate about 300 bullets at once. I just don't like the Sticky mess I make when tumble lubing. I've learned to let them dry a bit longer now but it seems to take Atleast 48 hours to completely dry. I will have to try some of the other tumble lube recipes before I decide wether or not it's for me.

[reed1911]

If you are saving for a sizer and think you will ever do more than a few hundred in one sitting, save for a Star, it is 1/2 the work over a 450 (one stroke rather than two). I use both, and the Star is by far my favorite. Considerably more expensive, but well worth it.

On the lube drying time, if you'll thin your mix with more of which ever solvent you use (Stoddard here for me) it will increase the drying time a lot. If you feel the cost is too thin, you can opt for a second coat, but if they are not dry to the touch overnight something is a bid odd. Could be the weather where you are is affecting the drying time. A good soak in the sun generally heats and cures the lube very fast for me. I coat almost all my bullets, even those that I use conventional lube with, I still coat them. It adds a layer of dry lube over the regular lube and sure helps keep my dies and hands from getting clogged with lube.

[brettb75]

I cut the side out of a milk jug, leaving the handle, and use it for tumble loob. Beat alox in double boiler and tumble rather violently. Works great for plinking Boolits.

[John Boy]

Swirl in a tin can. Even pure lead bullets no dents. Spread on wax paper - dry - store the bullets = Done

[6622729]

So maybe I am being a bit too particular on how they look. I normally pan lube everything and use Lee push through dies. I'm saving for a lubrisizer but it'll end up being awhile before I get one. I don't mind pan lubing at all since I've refined my methods and now I can lubricate about 300 bullets at once. I just don't like the Sticky mess I make when tumble lubing. I've learned to let them dry a bit longer now but it seems to take Atleast 48 hours to completely dry. I will have to try some of the other tumble lube recipes before I decide wether or not it's for me.

I can handle my 45/45/10 much sooner than 48 hours but I do like to let them sit a couple days because then as you have noticed, they are indeed dry and not sticky at all. I am sold on the 45/45/10. I like the idea of the BLL over the Ben's red but that sure seems like a lot of work when I'm not having leading issues with the 45/45/10. It's one coat for non sized or non gas checked boolits and 2 coats when they do get sized and/or gas checked. I do take the time to stand them on end. I just cant bring myself to just pour them out and let them lay on their sides.

[BUCKEYE BANDIT]

Exactly what works for me,I do warm the little guys a bit, this time of year,basement loading room is a mite cool.

I can handle my 45/45/10 much sooner than 48 hours but I do like to let them sit a couple days because then as you have noticed, they are indeed dry and not sticky at all. I am sold on the 45/45/10. I like the idea of the BLL over the Ben's red but that sure seems like a lot of work when I'm not having leading issues with the 45/45/10. It's one coat for non sized or non gas checked boolits and 2 coats when they do get sized and/or gas checked. I do take the time to stand them on end. I just cant bring myself to just pour them out and let them lay on their sides.

[Shiloh]

Swirl, toss gently with a spoon, repeat.

Shiloh

[BAGTIC]

I have been using straight JPW for 35+ years. I warm the bullets slightly. Usually in summer I fill a mayonnaise sized jar about 1/3 full of bullet and set it in sun for about 20-30 minutes. I then add a small dab 1/8-1/4 tsp. of JPW, cap the jar and gently tumble buy rolling the jar and simultaneously tilting the jar from end to end. The warmth from the bullets will melt the JPW and the tumbling uniformly distributes the wax all without any damage to the bullets. I recently uncovered some bullets loaded 30 years ago and the wax coating is still tight.

BTW, I use the same technique for lubing cases prior to sizing, Using a cheap tapered household pail I trickle a little lube on the insides of the pail and dump in the cleaned cases, typically 300-500 at a time. I then use my hands to stir the cases like I was washing dried beans. In a minute or two all the cases are uniformly lubed, bodies and necks, with no lint, bubbles or runs. Only thing to remember is to put a cloth over the open pail if you don't get them sized at once in order to prevent airborne dust from collecting on the tops of the remainders.
m ajr jover thn

[DerekP Houston]

thinning down my alox and switching to bll myself worked wonders. I don't shake that hard that I've ever seen visable damage to the bullets in my container. More of a swirl in a circle and shake gently to mix it up. I don't think cold alox will even pour out of my containers any more I always heat it up in a glass of hot water before mixing it with mineral spirits. Dry time has never bothered me since I just dump them on a tray and leave em on my shelf.