LLA and Mineral Spirits

[35isit]

I done a search and couldn't find a ratio for LLA and mineral spirits. So waht is the rule of thumb? 1-1 2-1 or what? I am not making 45-45-10. Also I have a can of Hornady 1 shot case lube. Can I use it to pre-lube boolits if I decide to size them? Then use my LLA for final lubing?

[DukeInFlorida]

Add mineral spirits until the LLA is barely a straw color. That's a lot of mineral spirits, and a little LLA. It really doesn't need much LLA to give a proper coating for lubrication.

When you use the "straw color" method, it assures that the LLA will dry to a dry-to-the-touch and shiny finish. It won't be soft and gooey. You almost won't even see any of the straw color on the boolit, but it will be there, and will do it's job.

Hope that helps you. It's not an exact volume/ratio. Kind of the way I do most of my cooking.

[Shiloh]

What ever you thin it at, don't put it on to thick. A thin coat only. it dries to a hard shell and doesn't get gummy. Put it on too thick, and it won't dry well. Then in the humid summer weather, it is a gummy sticky mess. Thin coats.

Shiloh

[honus]

I like to use naphtha in place of the mineral spirits because it dries faster. I also prefer the mixture in the thin side.

[35isit]

Thanks for the responses guys. I am a little color blind so the "straw color" may be a little hard for me to determine. I will give it a shot tonight.

[mdi]

To the best of my recollection, I thin my xlox about 1 part mineral spirits, 2-3 parts xlox, depending on consistancy of xlox and ambient temp. I like a mineral oil consistancy for my xlox tumble lubing (a little thicker than water, thinner than maple syrup)...

[35isit]

I tried it last night. I mixed 4oz of LLA with 8oz of odorless mineral spirits. Mixed well in a larger bottle with a nut in it. Used the nut like the ball in a paint can. Poured some in the top it had a straw color to it and was pretty thin. I know i used a little too much on the boolits. I couldn't control amount coming out. After tumbling around I could barely tell they had any lube on them. Been drying since 8:30pm last night. I will check dryness tonight and allow to dry longer if need be. Tumbling is the fastest way going. Lubed about 500 in 10 minutes. Thanks guys.

[35isit]

After 24 hours of drying very little tackiness. I think it will work. I let them dry 1 more day. Will load some and see how they do checking for build up on seating stem.

[DukeInFlorida]

When I do tumble lubing, I place the lubed boolits on sheets of waxed paper, and place a small fan to blow air over them. After about 15 minutes, the exposed side is totally dry. I move the boolits around to expose the still damp areas. Another 15 minutes and they are all set for loading. No need to dry for a whole day. As soon as the spirits evaporates, you're done.