Expected results??

[750k2]

I have stuff laying around and what I could expect.
15lbs Beeswax
16oz Lanolin
2 toilet bowl rings
15 sticks BAC lube
5 quarts Xlox 350

Would this work?
What consistency could I expect?
What velocity might be achievable?
Anything else to add to improve?

Happy New Year:drinks:

[cajun shooter]

I will suggest that you do some reading and look at all the lube recipes that are recorded in the sticky section.
Your toilet rings are as far as I'm concerned the only thing on your list that has
questionable uses. They are no longer the 100% beeswax of years past. They are made in third world countries that would add anything to have a product.
Depending on what you load or shoot is the way to go with your lube making.
There is a huge difference between smokeless and black powder as you should not use any type of petroleum product with the shooting of BP.
The one exception to that is the canning type of paraffin which has been so refined because it is used in the food process that almost all traces of regular oil is gone.
The making of lube is not just throwing a bunch of the correct type products together.
Many a member has ended up with 5 gallon buckets full of a useless goo.
If you only shoot a few times a month and only plink then the purchase of products such as those made by Lar at White Label is the way to go.
Look in the sticky section with a search on lube making. Take Care David

[zomby woof]

I would try to make some 50/50, toss the bowl rings out, keep your sticks as is.

If you want to experiment with a concoction, I would make a small batch of all your ingredients.

[Jim]

750,
Cajun is givin' it to ya' straight. Throwin' a bunch of whatever ya' got in a pot and blending it is not the answer.

One thing that caught my attention in your post was, you mentioned 'Xlox 350'. I just came from Lar's site and didn't see the 350 designation anywhere. Am I missing something new?

A lot of guys just use the Xlox and do so very successfully. I'm one of them.

I'll make a suggestion: Tell us what calibers you're wanting lubes for and get some suggestions on good choices. You'll get lots of suggestions, but at least you'll have a list to choose from.

Oh, and the toilet rings? Use them for what they were made for, not boolit lube.

[btroj]

Why does everyone want to reinvent the wheel on lubes right off the bat?

Search this site for recipes, there are many that are proven to work. People have put much time, effort, and money into getting these recipes to work. Take advantage of that work and stick with what is proven.

Cajun ace you sound advice. Go off half cocked and you soon have that 5 gallon bucket of goo.

[C.F.Plinker]

With 15 sticks of BAC on hand you can, depending on what calibers you are loading for, lube between 15,000 and 25,000 boolits. That should keep you shooting for quite a while.

The beeswax and Alox 350 could be used to make up the NRA 50-50 lube which can be used for many applications. A couple of other good lubes are Lithi-Bee, Moly-Bee, their varients, and FWFL. The recipes are here on the site along with a lot of good discussion about them. You will need some additional ingredients for these, but you already have the one, beeswax, that is the hardest to get hold of for most. The other ingredients are things like chassis grease. mineral oil, odorless meneral spirits, castor oil, and Ivory soap all of which should be available at wally world, or at the nearby grocery stores, drug stores, and auto supply stores.

You didn't say what calibers you are casting for and whether you are pan lubing, tumble lubing or using a lubesizer. This information will help us understand where you are coming from so we can help you on your journey just as we were helped on ours.

[750k2]

Will be used just for pistol rounds. 38spcl - 44mag.
I've read for days the recipes section.
So I'll forget throwing in the toilet rings.
The 15lbs of bees and at about 2lb/qt for the Xlox = 10lbs.
Should come to a 60/40 mix???
From what I've read this should be a little stiffer than 50/50.
What effect will 1 lb of Lanolin have on it??
My taking is it will help it stick to the bullet??
I'm running a Lyman with a heater and thermostat.

[zomby woof]

The 15lbs of bees and at about 2lb/qt for the Xlox = 10lbs.


???? My math must be off here????

SMALL BATCHES!!!!!!! How about making a pound (or less) first. Make a small test batch and see how it works. 50/50 works, add some Lanolin to help it stick if it needs it.

[fryboy]

i tend to agree with most the other fellows , make a small batch that works and only then make a large batch but i suppose 15-25 pounds of flux can eventually be used ...but it's your money ( and there's way cheaper fluxes around )
where i dont agree is that bowl wax shouldnt be used , it is problematic however but good results can be had with diligence , i've had decent luck with dick dastardly's pearl lube but i use a umm improved version , works pretty well with black powder up thru mid range loads anyways , it uses bowl wax
lanolin and beeswax makes a fair lube you just have to find the right proportions
i too read re-read and continued to read the recipe section ( in fact i still pursue it from time to time ) but until i actually started trying lil batches it didnt all come together for me but as always your mileage may vary ,btw ? FWFL simply works great as does speed green and many of it's various imitators , you didnt state what velocity you're after on your choice of calibers but if you're only plinking with target type loads the demands arent that great ,good luck on your quest

[MBTcustom]

Hey! you got all the hard to get stuff to make FWFL. I love that stuff.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Why does everyone want to reinvent the wheel on lubes right off the bat?
Search this site for recipes, there are many that are proven to work. People have put much time, effort, and money into getting these recipes to work. Take advantage of that work and stick with what is proven.

I believe it's the nature of the beast (the boolit caster).
us caster's want to make our own boolits instead of buying J-words or commercial cast bullets, and of course we were all reloaders before that...making/assembling our own ammo instead of buying factory made ammo. So it just makes sense that we'd want to make our own lube
that's how I see it anyway, as that's what I wanted to do.
BTW, I had marginal success and wish I would have taken the advise you are giving this caster.
Jon

[btroj]

I understand the need to try something new. Totally get it. What I don't see is the desire to do it right off the bat with no real knowledge of what you are doing.
I would love input on designing a new house but sure wouldn't draw the plans up myself!

My suggestion in this case is to try small lots. Make a half pound or so. Try it and see what works and what doesn't. A half pound will lube many thousands of bullets and give a good test. It also needs to be tried in both the hottest and coldest weather you might ever shoot in. Don't forget hunting weather.

I stick with tried and true because I know that I don't know!

[1Shirt]

Kind of reminds me of the old saying "so many women, so little time". Guess the same holds true of lubes. For me however, when I find what works, I try not to fix it.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[750k2]

How is this something new?
It's just bullet lube.
Got all this stuff figure it'll work - mix it up
and I don't have to worry about lube the rest of my days.

[fryboy]

if i follow the logic of " a pint is a pound the world around" on the beeswax ( the purist may wish to debate this but for this scientific wild umm guess it's close enough ) figure just shy of two gallons or 7 1/2 quarts of beeswax , add 5 quarts of alox ( without anything else you have mentioned ) and the results IMHO will be a lil stiff and not quite as good as the old 50/50 beeswax/alox mix , everything else you have listed with the exception of the lanolin wont soften it up much , and the lanolin last i looked ( unless you have lanolin oil ) is rather thick in it's own right ( not to mention tacky stikki and etc ) and wont contribute much to the softening of the mix ( it will a lil bit but .... for practical purposes and this recipe [shrugz] )
a lube can be too soft to hard to slick and a bunch of other things , the toilet/slack wax adds alot of unknowns and precious lil softness , like i stated before the worst that can happen is that you'll have a 5 gallon bucket of swell ( but expensive flux ) and i'd honestly rather see you try a small batch ( easy enough to figure the portions ) and test than throw it all together and then go [doh] but either way we'd love to hear of your results with it and wish you the best while we wait :bigsmyl2: lithi bee alone should do what you ask or the 50/50 mix .....

[btroj]

Sorry I replied. I wrongly assumed you actually wanted an opinion.

[randyrat]

Small batches until you know what you want is good advice.. Also use Lanolin 1 tablespoon or 1 teaspoon per lb in ALMOST any lube to give it some "STICK" OR use it mixed with beeswax for a fantastic black powder lube...Personally I would use beeswax and olive oil or Crisco and add a bit of Lanolin for black powder. Lanolin is $9/lb. Crisco I can steal from the wife:-P

[stubshaft]

It'd make a great flux!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

How is this something new?It's just bullet lube.
Got all this stuff figure it'll work - mix it up
and I don't have to worry about lube the rest of my days.

You've made boolit lube before ?
If so, why are you asking questions ?

btroj's comment was stating that it's new to you,
not new to the world of boolit lube.

Lot's of knowledged people here are giving you some good advice by reading between the lines of your questions...seems these things are NOT what your wanting to hear.

That's OK, By all means, mix everything up.
You'll have a lube that may flow through your heated sizer and will work great for
most all pistol loads and some rifle loads. It might be sticky, ie handling the boolits
while reloading, your fingers will get sticky and then everything you touch will get a thin layer of boolit lube...or maybe not, but that's my guess with your recipe. also, you may get some stinky clouds while shooting.

For example, Lith-bee is a fine lube, but smells like a grease fire when shooting with
some powders. When a friend of mine mixed up a lb or two, after he tried it and wasn't happy with it...well I guess it sat on his shelf for years. Then, one day, I was in your shoes, wanting to make my own lube for the first time, he traded me some ingrediants I needed and then he sure seemed happy to give to me-no charge-all that Lith-bee...after I loaded some rounds and shot it, I PIFed all of it to others here, under full disclosure.
Good Luck,
Jon

[runfiverun]

lithi bee can be modified.
i'd just do b.a.c with 5% lanolin.
i have pushed that to 2200 and over in some cases.
viscosity matters in boolit lube.
you can fix in the bbl. and some down range problems by adjusting the viscosity of a lube.

[750k2]

OK small batch then if I like it make my stash.
So when you mix is it volume or weight for 50/50? I've read both.
Smell and smoke ain't a big deal - outdoors with smokeless.
I'm a plinker at best - can't shoot that good with a handgun anyway.
All my BP is burnt in my flinters and I have plenty of spit and mink oil.
Figured 2 little bowl rings in a 25lb pot couldn't do much. Guess I was wrong.
Wanted a big supply that would handle up to 1250 fps in wheelgun / lever game.
I can't afford to get all that worked up into finding the best/cleanest/fastest.
I'm way to busy saving that headache for trying to win at the BR game.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Personally,
I measure non-liquid ingrediants by weight
and liquid ingrediants by volume.

the most important part is document exactly what you do,
so you can recreate it.
Also when you want to adjust it, and you come asking someone,
they'll know better how to help you.
Jon

PS. Gee I talk like I'm am expert or something :)
Honestly, I'm just one small step in front of you.
there are those here that have been doing this for years,
have done experiments and may know how to fix them
when they go bad.

PSS. for what your asking a lube to do, most any mix of
traditional lube ingrediants will do.
What I've learned is, I want a lube that isn't tacky to the touch once applied,
but yet tacky enough to stick to the boolit for a few years.
also, I want it to flow through my sizer without additional heat
if the room temp is 80º F, I'm OK with using a heater if room temp
is colder. These conditions are dictated by the recipe. The one I've settled
on is listed in the sticky thread, "Just the facts: Lube recipes" post 93
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=26524&page=5
although, I may be adding some Carnuba wax to this when I run out of the first batch I made...it's about half gone

[fryboy]

Personally,
I measure non-liquid ingrediants by weight
and liquid ingrediants by volume.

the most important part is document exactly what you do,
so you can recreate it.
Also when you want to adjust it, and you come asking someone,
they'll know better how to help you.
Jon

PS. Gee I talk like I'm am expert or something :)
Honestly, I'm just one small step in front of you.
there are those here that have been doing this for years,
have done experiments and may know how to fix them
when they go bad.

PSS. for what your asking a lube to do, most any mix of
traditional lube ingrediants will do.
What I've learned is, I want a lube that isn't tacky to the touch once applied,
but yet tacky enough to stick to the boolit for a few years.
also, I want it to flow through my sizer without additional heat
if the room temp is 80º F, I'm OK with using a heater if room temp
is colder. These conditions are dictated by the recipe. The one I've settled
on is listed in the sticky thread, "Just the facts: Lube recipes" post 93
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=26524&page=5
although, I may be adding some Carnuba wax to this when I run out of the first batch I made...it's about half gone


jon , you can quote just the post you desire by clicking the post number count ( like this ) jus so you know , when a person goes there then it's to that exact post ( there's also a tab IIRC that lets you see the whole thread after you get there )
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showpost.php?p=1191534&postcount=93


like jon i measure by weight for ummm stiff stuff and volume for liquid , you can use the bowl wax , as stated it can be problematic , such as if you go to the store ( or a different store ) it may not be the same mix per say and throw everything off , when i went and bought what i did for what i was going to use it for i bought 10 of them , i used 3 so far but this assures that my future stock ( at least for 7 more lolz ) will be the same , just figure out the weight of what you have and divide by a nice round number or few to get to where you have a small batch and then try it - if it works like you want mix it all up , if not then tweak it until you get what you want ( keeping notes of course ) and then when you get what you want mix it all up multiplying by the numbers you divided by to add the extra ingredients if necessary )