Tumble Lubing--Made Easy & Mess-Free

[Rompin Ruger]

39 pages, 762 posts later and several hours last evening and more this morning and now this evening to finish reading from start to finish!

fired up the car and started running around... good heavens. Not a smart Saturday afternoon activity hereabouts!

People were out in droves and on some sort of mind-altering substances the way they drove---or I'm just getting old(er)

First, I needed a hot plate...y'know, they don't seem to make/market them anymore---least not around here. Tried the normal box stores (Target, Wally W, Kmart) and nada. Tried a couple thrift stores.

Couldn't get near Home Despot to look for JPW, but found an ancient tin of my folks from ....Lordie...likely 15 yrs ago...still 2/3 full. Could surely get white label cheaper, but have those 2.5 bottles of the LLA that I don't like using.

Till my mould handles arrive, I might have all the stuff assembled to make up a batch... look out yard sales! I need a hot plate!

[SSGOldfart]

39 pages, 762 posts later and several hours last evening and more this morning and now this evening to finish reading from start to finish!

fired up the car and started running around... good heavens. Not a smart Saturday afternoon activity hereabouts!

People were out in droves and on some sort of mind-altering substances the way they drove---or I'm just getting old(er)

First, I needed a hot plate...y'know, they don't seem to make/market them anymore---least not around here. Tried the normal box stores (Target, Wally W, Kmart) and nada. Tried a couple thrift stores.

Couldn't get near Home Despot to look for JPW, but found an ancient tin of my folks from ....Lordie...likely 15 yrs ago...still 2/3 full. Could surely get white label cheaper, but have those 2.5 bottles of the LLA that I don't like using.

Till my mould handles arrive, I might have all the stuff assembled to make up a batch... look out yard sales! I need a hot plate!

Ebay is your best bet on the Hot Plate and Lowes or Home Depot for the paste wax nobody uses anymore,unless they visit this site.

[benellinut]

I haven't tried it yet but I hear Lowes will accept Harbor Freight coupons. Here's a Harbor Freight coupon for 25% off one item, good until 8/8/14 Save you a little on the wax at Lowes or what ever else you might buy there or at HF. And there are a few for free items at HF, those are good until mid July, dates are on the coupons. I looked online for a hot plate at HF, didn't find anything.

[Rompin Ruger]

SSGOF,

Y'know... I must be an odd duck... but seems everytime I find something "on line" i want, they want over 50% of it's value in S&H... means I just look harder locally.

Bennellinut,

That was incredibly thoughtful. Only HF around here is 40 miles away... I'll have to call Lowes and ask if they actually DO accept HF coupons.

I cut out those 2-page coupons from NRA mags, other mags and mail them to a buddy up near HF that has a small auto repair shop... he loves that place! I'll have to do some digging. AGain, thanks to both of you posters for your input!

[onefunzr2]

First, I needed a hot plate... Tried the normal box stores (Target, Wally W, Kmart) and nada.

I bought the one I used to melt the JPW at Target. Here's the link: http://www.target.com/p/sunbeam-sing...FU_l7AodhwgAHw

900 watts and it worked great!

[SSGOldfart]

Yes Sir, I hate to shop on line myself it seems like the more I look locally the less I can find and it's 40 miles to the nearest town,other than the dollar store

[silverback13]

okay I have just finished reading this thread. I am very interested in how the results of the Delux Liquid X-Lox~45-45-10 from white Label compare to making your own? Why is it sold in 32 oz? does it dry the same as the original recipe? does it keep the leading down as the original recipe?

wouldn't 32 oz be an almost life time supply?

[joelsteinbach]

Is the 45 45 10 sold from White Label Lube as good as the home brewed.

[jayjay1]

I´m in for this topic!
Sounds pretty damn easy and seems to make a lot of sense!

Thanks to the Fredstarter, omg, that´s a lot to read inhere...

[ShinyPartsUp]

I have everything gathered but a hotplate which is bought online and coming to my local big box for $16.90, but the one thing I can't seem to find is Johnson Paste Wax. Is there another brand/item one can substitute with some certainty of results?

EDIT: Found some. Home Depot carries it. But for future reference I'll look through some 40 pages of posts to see if there are options.

[jimga]

hi all
don't do much posting, generally just read and learn.. been loading for 40 yrs..
I want to thank recluse for this information. I decided to try it and see what my 9mm would act like with this lube.. I'm sure most of you know, or at least it seem to me that 9mm lead bullets don't play nice with your barrel.. with the plain alox tumble lube I get some lead but not a lot.. depends on number of rounds put down range.. I use the lee 6 cavity tl356-124 micro band.

a few days ago I got all the stuff together to give it a try.. went to the garage, set up my single burner hot plate(walmart), also cheap boiler from there also.. dumped the jpw in the boiler and turned the burner to med.. I lucked out there, med turns out to be 350 degree as measured by thermomter.. when the wax reached 350degree I started timing it... 15 min.. turned off burner, poured 4 oz into a cup and poured the rest back into the jpw can... dumped the 4 oz back in boiler on the now off burner and added the 4 oz of alox(lee)and stirred until It cooled a bit and added the 1 oz mineral spirits and continued to stir until cool enough to bottle..

lube up a couple hundred 9mm and it work as recluse said... dry in about an hour... sized and relubed...


went out and shot several mag today... it worked great... first time ever for no lead in barrel... thanks again recluse.. loading 5.2 grain of 3n37.. under 124 gr lee cast bullet...

[Jtarm]

Sorry if this has been covered, but as soon as I read "mineral spirits" I felt compelled to raise the warning flag;

DO NOT use regular mineral spirits, make sure they're odorless. Odorless spirits have the very toxic hydrocarbons removed.

Even using OMS at room temp, I avoid skin contact. I recommend at least as much caution when heating them as you would when dealing with lead vapor.

[michiganmike]

First, I will answer my own question. The question is Why go to the trouble of making your own when there are numerous commercial tumble lubes, and a little goes a long way?

My answer to my own question is, "Having read a few posts, I'm curious. And I would like to try it myself." Regarding the beeswax, churches go through a lot of beeswax candles. I am going to check with my pastor and see if they have a collection of candle stubs I could buy.

But other than curiosity, and the satisfaction of saying "I done it." what are the reasons for making one's own tumble lube? Is having tack-free bullets alone worth the effort? That's the second reason that just occurred to me.

Looking forward to your replies.

MichiganMike

[noylj]

>what are the reasons for making one's own tumble lube? Is having tack-free bullets alone worth the effort?

No, not at all. I've never had any issue with tacky bullets. My philosophy for about 10 years has been: if you can see the LLA, you used way too much.
Just doing it 'cause you want to try it is good enough.

[trixter]

I always seen to over do it a little with LLA, but I always get a little anal, and wipe the tips of the bullets off. No tacky/sticky boolits.

[michiganmike]

>what are the reasons for making one's own tumble lube? Is having tack-free bullets alone worth the effort?

No, not at all. I've never had any issue with tacky bullets. My philosophy for about 10 years has been: if you can see the LLA, you used way too much.


Just doing it 'cause you want to try it is good enough.

Thank you Noylj. That works for me. I have the equipment I need: hot plate, quart sized stainless steel pot and the rest. I will talk to my pastor and see if they have any beeswax candle stubs lying around. Then, I am off to the races.

MichiganMike

[Fox Pass]

I would be interested in what type of powders shooters are using?
First time I tried 45/45/10 was with lee tl158 rn coated once leaded first 1/4 barrel grooves full in 4 shots loaded with titegroup. Tried red dot, blue dot, 2400, h110, clays, international clays, all bad results in different guns. Then trail boss beautiful no leading. Buddy had similar experience and found WST worked assume. Powder makes a huge difference and very little mention here.
Fox Pass(red neck for Faux Pas)

[silverback13]

interesting. i never thought the powder would make much of a difference. I always thought it was the bullet size, bhn, speed of bullet and barrel diameter that influence leading. i have shot my 45 colt rounds .452 sized with bullseye and get leading in the two guns. Those once slugged come out close to .452. now with the same rounds my 4 inch gun and rifle show no leading at all and sized .451 ish.

[noylj]

>First time I tried 45/45/10 was with lee tl158 rn coated once leaded first 1/4 barrel grooves full in 4 shots loaded with titegroup.

If leading appears near the chamber (say, within the first ¼ of the barrel length, the cause is either bullet diameter or hardness. A diameter too small or an alloy too hard will allow high-pressure gas to leak past the bullet, which erodes the bullet (gas cutting) and leaves leading near the chamber. Did you try changing either?
TiteGroup often doesn't play nice with lead or coated bullets, possibly because of how hot it burns, but I have never gotten bad leading from it.

[Airborne Falcon]

Had to bump for a buddy of mine on the MO ... this has always been one of the go-to reference threads on lubing.