Why do we "cook" Recluse Lube?

[prs]

Is there really a need to heat the Lee Liquid Allox and Johnson's paste wax mix when makeing Recluse Lube? Is it a chemistry thing or just a step to help assure thorough blending?

prs

[imashooter2]

I've often wondered why you would cook the mineral spirits out only to add them back myself...

[btroj]

I don't know, can't say I have really given it that much thought.
I do know that the batch I made where I did not cook out the solvents enough up front took far longer to dry. That was a batch where it didn't add any mineral spirits at the end either.

I figure that if the Recluse method worked for him then who am I to mess with things. I just follow the recipe and go with it.

[SlowSmokeN]

Who are we to argue with Recluse:target_smiley:

I heard once he killed a goat with just a thought [smilie=1:

Even Chuck Norris crosses the street when he sees him coming

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

You cook it down because there is too much mineral spirits in it if you don't. Then you can add back to get what you want. Personally, I didn't add any back in , just the alox. Its hard in the jar, but I apply it with heat gun over the boolit pan and its dry in under 2 minutes

I got bit by recluse once, cost me over 1500 bucks! Oh wait, that was a hobo not a recluse :bigsmyl2:

[DLCTEX]

I think mineral spirits are not the only thing being cooked off. I follow the formula and get excellent results, so I'm not messing with it.

[BulletFactory]

lol, thats my avatar

[SlowSmokeN]

Just went to Lowes and bought some Johnson's paste wax.

[geargnasher]

I've often wondered why you would cook the mineral spirits out only to add them back myself...

Yeah, me too, very counter-intuitive. BUT, I've tried it both ways and it DOES make a difference. I like to think of the cooking process as a caramelization (is that a word?) that really bonds the Alox and paraffin together and makes it more like a varnish. Think of boiled vs. raw linseed oil, it's exactly the same sort of comparison.

The cooked stuff per instructions dries less sticky, is thinner, shoots better, and smokes less. Just do it.

Gear

[rintinglen]

Hey Gear, I think you got one too many "a"s there, but are otherwise right on the money. The stuff works better cooked, then mineral spiritized (hey, if you get to make up words, I can too).

[fryboy]

actually it is a word and it is defined as "the browning of sugar"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramelization
caramelization would work but i tend to think of it more like sketti sauce and that's best if the ingredients are allowed to "marry" so to speak , muck akin to the polymerization of the oils in felix's lube at much lower and gentler temps , the linseed oil is a good comparison even tho the only difference there is heat erm well in the old days anyways , nowadays they add petro products to it as well as metallic dryers ( that's why it's no longer safe to eat btw ) the boiling oxidizes and polymerizes it so it dries faster and just as with recluse's recipe it also makes it thicker hence we add the desired mineral spirits back to bring it to the best viscosity for our use ( which should be checked when it's slightly warm )

[rsrocket1]

I made my first batch almost according to the instructions. I couldn't get the stuff up to 350F, only to 275F, but let it cook for longer so I was sure whatever needed to be cooked off got cooked off.

In use, the true 45/45/10 works just fine down to at least 40F if you put it in a squeeze bottle. It comes out like toothpaste, but spreads out just fine in the tumble process and dries overnight in the garage or in less than 1/2 hour with a low speed fan blowing on it.

[runfiverun]

you are cooking out solvents that keep the parrafin soft.
then adding in mineral spirits which makes the mixture dry faster.
you aren't cooking off the same thing you add back in.

[BulletFactory]

I think gear should write a book. Maybe one just on the .40

[BulletFactory]

I'd read it.

[SlowSmokeN]

you are cooking out solvents that keep the parrafin soft.
then adding in mineral spirits which makes the mixture dry faster.
you aren't cooking off the same thing you add back in.


Thanks, knowing is half the battle.

[prs]

Thanks for all the replies. I will cook to let the ingredients get "happy". Married? I dunno, lets wait to see what the Supremes have to say about dat ;-)

I have been using NRA lube lately and will cook-off a new batch of Felix soon. Kinda like the Julia Child of boolits, lol

prs

[geargnasher]

...or Justin Wilson!

Gear

[DrCaveman]

you are cooking out solvents that keep the parrafin soft.
then adding in mineral spirits which makes the mixture dry faster.
you aren't cooking off the same thing you add back in.

That was my understanding. Particularly relevant if you have a can of JPW from 5 or 10 years ago compared to a brand new one. Stuff aint the same. I like to think that cooking it down helps even things out, and reduces the effects of their changing formula.

Maybe they changed the mix of paraffin and microwax too (those are in there, right?) but at least we can control approximately what type and quantity of volatile solvents are in the final mix

Makes for more consistent results batch-to-batch

[runfiverun]

jpw is a parrafinic wax and carnuba it's all kept in the soft like state by the solvents they use.
you have to get rid of the solvents otherwise the lube will not dry.
jd had a hard time understanding umm [working through] that part too.

I was working on a similar lube at the time only without the alox trying to duplicate the lube used on 22 lr rounds.
but knew you could cook off the solvents from some earlier trials I had made.
boerrancher was kicking some other similar lube around too.
and things just come together.

[geargnasher]

The solvent in liquid Alox is lousy for drying, too, and when fresh it's something just over half solvent by percentage, just the wrong solvent. Cook it all down to it's essence and put back something designed as an evaporating carrier, which is exactly what mineral spirits is sold for at the paint store.

Gear

[1Shirt]

Some things just work----period! Why question what works!
1Shirt!

[runfiverun]

cause it don't work unless you do it.
just mixing the stuff together and coating boolits with it takes about a month for the lube to dry.