Question about paraffin

[StarMetal]

Maybe one of these days, Joe. Corn can be made into sugars, and it wouldn't take much more carbon, some nitrogen, plus some silicon and possible sulphur to convert sugar into something clear and hard. ... felix

Felix,

How did I know corn would perk your interests? I saw it on a science show on satellite TV. They showed all that could be done with corn. Those clear plastic covers on containers were made from corn and I'm trying to remember if they were biodegradable. So maybe it was as you say.

Now if they would make a bullet lube out of corn huh.

Joe

[John Boy]

My goal is to make a semi hard to hard lube that is not sticky and stays in the lube grooves.

Alor, SPG sells a stick of lube for $3.50 US that can be used for either nitro or black powders. It also falls within what you want it to be.
Here's a recipe that many say is the SPG recipe or close to it that was published in a 1943 American Rifleman magazine:
40% Parafinn
40% Mutton Tallow
20% Beeswax
I use it for both nitro loads and shooting BPCR - no complaints about leading or excessive fouling shooting BP

[Ricochet]

The "Modern Marvels: Corn" show on the History Channel shows such plastics being made now.

[StarMetal]

The "Modern Marvels: Corn" show on the History Channel shows such plastics being made now.

John,

That is just too amazing. It's been quite some time since I saw that show. Shows two things, one my memory is good, and two I didn't BS about it. Thanks for sharing.

Joe

[windrider919]

My mix is 50% Bwax, 20% JPW, 10% LLA, 10% Ivory and 10%soft container wax which is a sort of paraffin wax.

I stopped using any animal fats because in the Texas summer it usually goes rancid. And rancid lube separates and will seep down into the powder causing misfires. And it really stinks too. But worst of all, rancid lube, doesn't.

[mb4859]

I'm not an expert on bullet lube, but I do work for a candle company and we buy millions of pounds of different kinds of wax a year. I can tell you that there are 100's of different kinds of wax. Each wax has varying amounts of oil content. Some of the waxs have less than one percent oil content and are very dry and non lubricating. As I'm beginning to start reloading I am planning to work on my own lube formula.

[handloder]

Felix...
Your statement about microcrystalline wax isn't quite true. It's pretty much true that parafin wax is produced from crude oil (usually by an extraction process). But the microcrystalline material is a synthetic product made by polymerizing ethylene gas or some similar proprietary process. The reason there is a separate product/market for the micro product is the ability to very closely control the molecular weight range of the resultant microcrystalline 'wax'. Petroleum waxes vary their molecular weight range depending on the source of the crude oil. Believe me, Venezuelan crude produces wax much different than Oklahoma crude! but they're both petroleum based.
This goes for mb4859, too. His 'oil' in candle wax formulations isn't really oil, its a reflection that the product has a wide molecular weight range. More 'oil' means wider molecular weight range (often means an inferior product), less 'oil' means a narrower molecular weight range (and posssibly a higher quality product).

[felix]

Very true! Refineries have to be tailored to make certain products from certain feed stock. There are "oil" wells capped all over the world because of the costs required to do factory conversions for such "small" feed quantities. Our low gas prices depend entirely upon the large capacity fields without interruption. When was the last refinery built and/or modified for another feed quality in the US? 20 years? Does a major oil company (in the US) still own a refinery? Prolly not. Yes, full synthetics are the way to go for a CERTAIN product, but the cost/effectiveness ratio is not low enough for most applications. That's why we don't get consistent gun powders from lot to lot. ... felix

[frankenfab]

I'm not an expert on bullet lube, but I do work for a candle company and we buy millions of pounds of different kinds of wax a year.

Greetings mb4859! I work for a CNC machine tool distributor that has a customer in Fayetteville with a few of our brand of machines! I haven't visited you guys yet, as the other Arkansas tech lives closer. Small world!

[TDB9901]

I'm a late comer to this thread, Alor, but for what it's worth........ As you said you only shoot handguns......tumble lube alox is all I use now for pistol.

Back in the beginning when I first started casting, and knew next to nothing, all I used was a mixture of paraffin and vasoline as a pan lube.
Can't remember the proportions, but I just experimented to get the consistancy I needed.........

I shot thousands of wheel weights at .38 target velocities (under 1000 fps I'm sure) with no problems, or leading....

There is much better stuff, but is it enough better at low velocities to be worth the hassle and expense......

Sometimes I think I was better off in those simpler times...... But the bottom line to me is... "If it works for you, and the price is right......use it"

[cajun shooter]

On this corn subject, I have something to add. I do know from actual test that we here in the Southern part of this country have a great fix for corn. We take it from the field and make "GRITS" It is the best thing with eggs in the morning. I guess you might say that grits are a step in the breaking down of the corn kernel