Cleaning up 45-45-10

[shaman]

I have been using 45-45-10 for some time now (Alox-Johnson's Past Wax- and Mineral Spirits) . I've got a batch of 500 9mm that are drying now on the hearth and I'll start loading this morning. How do y'all clean the residue off the bullet when it's all done? The one problem I have with tumble-lubing is that it leaves the finished round looking kind of gnarly. So far, I've been using scraps of terrycloth with a wiff of mineral spirits to clean the round. Are there better ways?

[centershot]

Mineral spirits on a rag will work,but if it's really that "gnarly" you're using too much lube. A coat of tumble lube should barely be visible on the boolit.

[GhostHawk]

Using BLL here, with added JPW or Carnuba.
And I agree with centershot.

For pistol 2 light coats. About all you can tell is that the boolit does not look shiny anymore.

For Rifle 3 light coats. Still really no color to be seen. Bullet looks a touch "fuzzy".

Now if you consider that "Gnarly" then yes, a silver dollar sized spot on a clean towel and I clean mine after the bullet is loaded and crimped.

Do the same thing with your lube if you think about it. Noses all clean and shiny with the thinnest possible coat of Lee Alox/JOS.

I doubt that you will be able to see an actual difference in the way they shoot. However it can make a difference in your confidence, which can have measurable results.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

45-45-10 on boolits, the way I apply it, will be dry to the touch in 20 minutes or so. Below are some Lee TL WC, the one's on the right are as cast and unlubed, the ones on the yellow cap have two coats of 45-45-10, I don't think they look gnarley?, I do not clean them up, I load 'em as is.

[Bullwolf]

I often accidentally over apply tumble lube. It's my preferred lubrication method for most of my cast boolits.



Bit too much on these 45 ACP. You can see the single round in the photo where I have wiped the excesses 45-45-10 off.

I'm a little better when it comes to lighter coats now, due to thinning my tumble lube, or using Ben's Liquid Lube (BLL)



Along with various tips and techniques I've picked up here on Cast Boolits. I've come a long way from using a big old squirt of Alox, but I've cleaned up a lot of lube from boolit noses and bases in the process.

A great tip that I learned here, was to clean out ALL of the residue from my tumble lube application container when finished. This prevents the majority of my visible lube clumping between coats, especially with 45-45-10.

I used to think I was recycling the old lube, by leaving the remaining coat in the container for the next time. But you really use such a small amount of Tumble Lube for each application that it's somewhat silly to leave it in there so it can clump up on my boolits the next time.

To clean up excess lube I use:

1. Mineral Spirits on a rag, or a paper towel when ventilation is good, and the missus is not around.

2. Johnson's Baby oil, on a rag or paper towel. It smells nice, and won't get me yelled at when indoors. The missus often uses it to remove makeup, and I "borrow" it occasionally and re-purpose it for lube clean up.

3. 90% rubbing alcohol will also clean lube up, but not quite as well as options number 1. and 2.


For Tumble Lube full wad cutters, I'll sometimes wipe the lube off the boolit noses.







If I use a light enough coat of BLL lube, I may just leave it on there for practice ammo.

Cast Boolits that stay in my revolver on the Farm... I'll wipe the tumble lube off the noses completely, or else they'll attract dirt and grit while I'm working.








I wiped the 45-45-10 lube off these loaded 45ACP using Baby Oil.




- Bullwolf

[myg30]

Bull wolf, you don't really shoot that Ammo do you ? It's just to darn pretty n shinny to shoot!
Great job really and sum fine looking Ammo there.

Same as above with rag and WD-40,mineral,alcohol or anything else that's with in reach after loading.
Sounds like you might be over kill on the 45-45-10. Little goes a long way.

Mike