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Thread: Felix Lube - the Short Version

  1. #61
    Boolit Buddy
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    Felix,

    The only two soaps here in Sweden containing sodium stearate also contains glycerin. One soap is a "block" for melting into your own molds, and the other is a regular soap bar sold as "glycerin soap".
    I've made a batch of FWFL with the latter which seems ok as far as I can tell. Was I succesful because of low glycerin content... or?
    How much of glycerine does it take before it becomes a problem, and how can you tell you've "got a glycerine problem"?

    Urban

  2. #62
    Boolit Master on Heavens Range
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    Urban, if the lube works on all accounts, then I don't think I would worry about it. Low percentages of certain things do not seem to hurt the final product as you have found out. Paraffin tends to soot up the barrel before you are done for the day. But, different grades of paraffin exist. The finer grades, higher in the distilling towers, seems to hold out a little longer before accuracy goes south to a noticable degree. If you are having problems keeping your groups alive, shout back. That is the most important thing. Keep in mind what the average grouping most of us obtain, and compare yours to that. ... felix
    felix

  3. #63
    Boolit Mold
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    Where do you buy lanolin?

    I have been wanting to try a batch of felix lube but am having a hard time locating lanolin. Any help would be deeply appreciated.

  4. #64
    Boolit Master carpetman's Avatar
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    Dr Trott---I got my anhydrous lanolin by ordering it through the Wal Mart pharmacy. They had to order it but only took a day or two. It is rather hard to find in most places,seems those Montana guys are hoarding it.

  5. #65
    Boolit Master Lead pot's Avatar
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    Last time I got Lanolin I got it from Osco's they had a one pound bulk jar on the shelf for about $11.

    Kurt

  6. #66
    Boolit Master Scrounger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lead pot
    Last time I got Lanolin I got it from Osco's they had a one pound bulk jar on the shelf for about $11.

    Kurt
    I think CarpetMan has a pretty good quantity of it for sale....

  7. #67
    Boolit Master

    Calamity Jake's Avatar
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    Lanolin by the pound: fromnaturewithlove.com (about $8.50+S&H the last time I bought any)
    Calamity Jake

    NRA Life Member
    SASS 15704
    Shoot straight, keepem in the ten ring.

  8. #68
    Boolit Mold Machado's Avatar
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    Gentlemen, I'm new to this forum. I've been casting my own for over 30 years, and my homemade lube includes pure beeswax, carnaúba wax, a tad of general purpose chassis grease, powdered graphite and beef tallow all molten together and poured into the lubesizer. Works well with 240 hard cast, gas checked bullets fired from a Rossi 92 .44 magnum rifle at velocities in excess of 1,600 fps.
    I hail from a country under communist rule; I envy your freedom and your liberty.
    Machado

    Better dead than red.

  9. #69
    Moderator Emeritus / Trusted loob groove dealer

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    Welcome aboard, Machado.

  10. #70
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    What I see here is a "amateur chef" approach to making lube. A little dab of this, alittle dab of that. Fact is that alot of the ingredients being used here will lube fine to a degree. Beeswax alone will lube. So some get a hair brain idea that "Hey..boy..STP sure is tacky slick stuff...I'll throw some of that in" or "Hmmm...this moly grease sure works good on my wheel bearing..might make good lube" and "Wow..RCBS case lube is good enough for lubing cases...should work good in my lube mix" and the list goes on vaseline, lard fat, olive oil, peanut oil, powdered graphite, the kitchen table, pepper, wire pulling lube (gotta be from Lowe's tho), give me those crayone kid, etc, etc.

    Fact is plain good ole 50/50 Alox/beeswax is hard to beat for dang near 90 pecent of the applications. A few of the big honchos here use (won't mention me) like Buckshot, Deputy Al, and more. Why? Because it works, always did and always will.

    I've made my own lube. Fact is it's a waste of time and effort when you can buy it cheaper and without the fuss and mess, or having to order or look for anhydrous lanolin, or saving wax off of wine bottles, or shaving Ivory soap into the batch. I'd have to say that darn near 100 % of all these homebrewed lubes are placebo's to person that's making and using them. I've used alot of commecial lubes, Javelina, Lymans stuff, RCBS stuff, and various hard lubes from the big makers. None if them failed me. My pick out of those just mentioned??...Javelina. Now if I was certain that Javelina still uses Alox 2138F Alox, which they still claim they do (and I can't see how since it quit being manufactured along time ago...replaced by 350 Alox) I'd buy them out...the whole warehouse. But I don't think they are using 2138F unless they had 20 warehouses full of it. I also don't believe the 350 Alox is as good. If it is then I say buy Lars lube as it's a super good deal.

    Dale 53 is right about how to fill your luber reservoir...why fool with moulds for lubesticks....all the work, the mess, the equipment you need for it....nope can't beat melting it and pouring it into your luber/sizer AND it does have any air pockets that way either.

    Well that's my 79 cents on it......and ya know the old saying...opinions are like buttholes....and everyone has one.


    Joe

  11. #71
    Boolit Buddy DEVERS454's Avatar
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    Felix lube is all I use from now on for smokeless loads...

    I took my rugers revolvers and my winchester levergun to the range the other day.

    45lc with various powders and loadings. (cowboy to magnum)

    My stainless 45lc Redhawk had a perfectly blue "lube star" at the end of the barrel after shooting Lee 300gr gas checked/felix lubed bullets. Same for my winchester with WFN 260gr bullets. (only, hard to tell if it was blue at the end)

    I used a full tablespoon of Carnoba wax as well as a couple of broken blue crayons from my daughters "junk drawer" to color the lube.

    Barrels were PERFECTLY shiny. A couple of quick patches with Kroil and hardly any residue. (Clays Universal is like that in the first place, but, no leading as far as I could detect)
    I'm convinced...

  12. #72
    Boolit Master Marlin Junky's Avatar
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    I read most of this thread and now I need some aspirin. What I'm looking for is a lube that won't melt in the sun. I still have some Javelina left over from the '80s but it doesn't hold up well when the temp gets over about 95F. All my shooting is done from rifles and carbines these days. All shooting is usually under 2200 fps with pan lubed bullets.

    MJ

    P.S. BTW what the heck is with my title, "Boolit Mold"? Mold is something that grows in the shower. I use moulds to cast bullets. Is "Mold" a play on words to suggest someone just coming on is not worthy, or hasn't evolved.
    Last edited by Marlin Junky; 04-14-2006 at 04:43 PM.

  13. #73
    Moderator Emeritus / Trusted loob groove dealer

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marlin Junky
    I read most of this thread and now I need some aspirin. What I'm looking for is a lube that won't melt in the sun. I still have some Javelina left over from the '80s but it doesn't hold up well when the temp gets over about 95F. All my shooting is done from rifles and carbines these days. All shooting is usually under 2200 fps with pan lubed bullets.

    MJ

    P.S. BTW what the heck is with my title, "Boolit Mold"? Mold is something that grows in the shower. I use moulds to cast bullets. Is "Mold" a play on words to suggest someone just coming on is not worthy, or hasn't evolved.
    MJ, I have had boxes of bullets set in the pickup in summer heat, wearing FWFL. Never had any problem, as long as the mix os follewed correctly.

    Mold? Mould? Mold is the instrument used to make a bullet.
    Mould is what you have done, once you have cast an object.

  14. #74
    Boolit Master Marlin Junky's Avatar
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    waksupi,

    Mould and mold are equivalent... I was just trying to be funny. Mould is the British spelling that has hung around since there's so may uses for the term mold/mould. Lee calls 'em molds, Lyman and RCBS calls 'em moulds... no big deal.

    What ingredient(s) give FWFL its higher melting point? Is it the soap? There are many ways to acquire soap either hand made or purchased and their composition has to vary considerably.

    MC

  15. #75
    Boolit Buddy
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    This is Felix' reply in a post, a long time ago:

    Reply to : Ihaveissues
    Yes, just about any organic something like wax, oil, etc., will melt powder. This can be prevented by storing all rounds boolit down, and by adding enough sodium stearate to the lube to keep its melting point above 180F (82C) for summer shooting. After making a batch, leave a golf ball sized ball on a piece of kitchen roll paper in the hot sun all day. If the lube turns more clear in color with no leaks down onto the paper, the lube is about perfect. If no slight color change, you added too much sodium stearate. If considerably more clear and you see leaks, then remelt adding more sodium stearate. Sodium sterate is more highly concentrated in Ivory bar soap rather than in other soaps. That is not saying other soaps won't have this ingredient (from manufacture) but I don't know which ones do what. Only SODIUM stearate will raise a lube's melting point. Other stearates will not alter or will even lower (Aluminum) the melting point of a lube. ... felix

  16. #76
    Boolit Master Marlin Junky's Avatar
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    UTK,

    If I were able to find pure sodium stearate from a chemical supply outfit, how much should I add to 16 ounces of lube (beeswax and oil) in order to get the melting point up to 180F?

    MJ

  17. #77
    Boolit Buddy Ron's Avatar
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    Best place to buy

    I bought a kilo of anhydrous lanolin and a litre of castor oil through my vet. My daughter works for him so that made things a bit easier. The Lanolin cost AUD$21.00 and the castor oil, AUD $9.00 inc. tax. This is a LOT cheaper than buying through a pharmacy who charge like wounded bulls. Vets use both items for treatment of animals, especially in country areas with livestockl The vet was only too pleased to order it for me and knew what I wanted it for. I reccommend trying your local vet for these supplies instead of buying from high priced pharmacies.
    Then yesterday I paid a visit to one of our apiarists and bought a slab of beeswax, 8.6kilos for AUD$94.50 ($11 per kilo) Cant wait to start production of FWFL with variations.

    BTW the AUD is worth 25% less than the USD.

    Regards,

    Ron

    FESTINA LENTE.

  18. #78
    Boolit Master Marlin Junky's Avatar
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    It sounds like sodium stearate needs a lot of heat to melt, so you've got to get it right the first time. In other words, you just can't add more after the lube is done. Who's this Felix cat anyway? Does the Professor, Poindexter and General Clang hang out here too?

    I can find all the ingredients, I just don't want to waste my time and money while the wife complains about the mess I'm making in the kitchen. Should I get a hot plate for the garage?

    MJ

  19. #79
    Boolit Master

    Hip's Ax's Avatar
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    MJ, thats what I did back a few years when I started making Culver's Magic Stock Paste. Got enough things to worry about without an open flame around stuff like this. (We have a gas stove)

  20. #80
    Boolit Master Marlin Junky's Avatar
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    I received my 2 ounce sample of sodium stearate today. Now I'm preparing to make 2 batches of lube, one with 2 tablespoons of grated Ivory soap and one with ?? (quantity unknown) of sodium stearate. Problem is, 2 tablespoons of finely grated Ivory soap contains a lot more air than the same volume of this talcum powder-like stuff they call sodium stearate (unless I pack the grated Ivory into a solid lump). So the question is, how much sodium stearate do I use to get the equivalent amount of stearic acid contained in 2 tablespoons of finely grated Ivory soap?

    'Nuther question: I want to use extra light olive oil because of its high smoking point along with the castor oil and am wondering if I need to also use mineral oil to increase the shelf life of my lube. Olive oil has the least amount of polyunsaturated fat of all the cooking oils I can find on grocery store shelves but I suppose mineral oil is even more stable. So, I thought 2 tablespoons of each oil (olive, mineral and castor) might be pretty cool (for a double batch of WFL).

    Thanks for your help.
    MJ

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check