Cutting Carnauba Red

[22454]

I tried pan lubing some Lee DC 457-340-Fs with Carnauba Red with little success. Cutting them out was difficult and messy. I did manage to push some out, but they took much more than the lube grooves with them.

My initial experiment of cutting 2oz of CR with 1 tablespoon of olive oil worked very well. The boolits can easily be cleanly pushed through. If you can get a good grip, the boolits can even be pulled out. For my next batch I will try half as much oil as I would like the lube to be a little harder and less sticky.

So far I have experienced no leading and good accuracy when sizing to .452 and loading them over 23.2 grs. of H110 in my 7.5" Super Redhawk. The same boolit tumbled in Alox or 45/45/10 resulted in a leading just past the the forcing cone for ~1.25".

Any other suggestions on how to modify CR for pan lubing would be greatly appreciated.

[Marlin Junky]

Olive oil contains a large amount of unsaturated fats that can bond with hydrogen and become rancid. Therefore, simply adding olive oil without polymerizing with another oil is probably not as good an idea as simply adding Vaseline to soften your CR.

MJ

[runfiverun]

good job don...

[ShooterAZ]

I have tried softening lubes with olive oil a time or two before, and my experience was that they keep getting softer than I'd like over time. Not sure why. Now I just mix it with BAC 4/1 or 3/1.

[22454]

Olive oil contains a large amount of unsaturated fats that can bond with hydrogen and become rancid. Therefore, simply adding olive oil without polymerizing with another oil is probably not as good an idea as simply adding Vaseline to soften your CR.

MJ

Can this be done by adding a small amount of another oil to the mix?


Thanks

[btroj]

I bet a small amount of ATF would work too. Vaseline is just a simple thing to use.
As for polymerizing the olive oil it needs to be done before adding it to the lube. Gonna take some heat and some time.

[runfiverun]

carnuba red is made from 7 different waxes.
the carnuba itself is a vegetable wax it has fats in it.
the waxes are hydro carbon chains mainly, the vaseline will work to plasticize those, making them softer and tackyer.
a poe like the atf will soften the lube but make it much slipperyer [harder to keep in the lube grooves too]

[.22-10-45]

Hello, 22454. I like castor oil.

[22454]

Hello, 22454. I like castor oil.

I would have used that, but I used the last bit to treat my leather couch.

[geargnasher]

Castor oil will sweat out of the lube unless polymerized and stearated in.

Use Vaseline.

Gear

[RobS]

Castor oil will sweat out of the lube unless polymerized and stearated in.

Use Vaseline.

Gear

+1 on the Vaseline or use a bit of plain lithium grease (not EP)

[Hardcast416taylor]

I discovered by melting C. Red in an metal coffee pot with 3 sticks of Lars BAC lube I have an excellent lube for my rifle or pistol Boolets thru my old Lyman 450 sizers. For a stiffer lube I use just 2 sticks of BAC to 1 C. Red. Robert

[Marlin Junky]

+1 on the Vaseline or use a bit of plain lithium grease (not EP)

That was the other idea I had...

Using plain lithium grease (the cream colored stuff) with a 350F drop point, heat up some of it in a sauce pan to about 225-250F and add just enough Vaseline to form a liquid at 225F. Then add the CR and watch the temp with a cookie thermometer so that it doesn't get above 225F and let it "simmer" for about an hour.

MJ

[lmcollins]

Veral Smith states that to make his standard LBT Lube into LBT Soft Lube add one tablespoon of STP, and melt it together. I have been doing this with Thompson's Blue Angel for sometime. I melt it in a bean can on a very low electric stove burner. I stir it with a popsicle stick or screw driver, and poor it into the machine.

I suggest you try STP. It works for me. Try a teaspoonful first, and let it harden to see what you get. Need more, add more, and reheat.

[22454]

Veral Smith states that to make his standard LBT Lube into LBT Soft Lube add one tablespoon of STP, and melt it together. I have been doing this with Thompson's Blue Angel for sometime. I melt it in a bean can on a very low electric stove burner. I stir it with a popsicle stick or screw driver, and poor it into the machine.

I suggest you try STP. It works for me. Try a teaspoonful first, and let it harden to see what you get. Need more, add more, and reheat.

Thank you for the suggestion.
How much lube do you suggest I add tsp to? Pound, 2 oz?

[runfiverun]

the way i heard it is he makes his soft by adding vaseline to his hard.