Tumble lube not coating evenly

[DrCaveman]

Hello

I recently started heating my boolits prior to applying my tumble lube since I seemed to get a lot of lube 'freezing' when adding hot TL to cold boolits.

Immediately, the coats became thinner and more even, both of these seemed like good things.

Now, I have been returning to my dried pile of tumble lubed boolits to find that some of the lube has settled against the wax paper, leaving one spot on the boolit with a pretty heavy dose while the rest has a nice thin coat.

Lube used is similar to recluse formula with a few extra ingredients.

Does this sound like a temperature problem or too much lube? Or something else?

[mdi]

Try standing them on end. All run-off is to the base, leaving the nose clean, and excess lube on the wax paper...

[btroj]

I would apply thinner coats.

[runfiverun]

sounds like too much.
you could try re-warming them up adding some more boolits and a little mineral spirits in with the boolits and give them a shake around to see if it helps.

[geargnasher]

Too much and too thick.

What were the "few extra ingredients"?

Gear

[DrCaveman]

Yeah I was afraid someone might inquire about the extra ingredients. Honestly I can't list them all since this lube began its life about 6 months ago and I have added various things throughout that time, in small quantities.

What I am pretty sure of is that this started as a paraffin-Vaseline-STP lube which I scorched very badly. It became nearly black. The consistency when it cooled seemed softer than other successful darr lubes I have mixed. Reading on this forum, I picked up the idea that alox is sort of like burned Vaseline...or something along those lines.

I tried dip lubing it as was, and it was ok but wouldn't have worked as push-out pan lube and seemed too stiff for tumble lube.

So I added about 4 oz JPW to the remaining stew (about 8 oz) along with prob 1oz lee liquid alox. Also probably 2 oz mineral spirits.

I know this means that this isn't really 'recluse formula' but it was that formula which inspired my mix. I have since added another few oz of JPW to help balance things out.

Maybe some of that disclosure will help with diagnosis. Thanks

[runfiverun]

i'd still try cutting it with the heat and mineral spirits.

[DrCaveman]

Run

Do you also think that the entire batch would be sweetened by more MS? I have added small amounts several times and it always seemed to help but I was trying to be careful not to 'over do' it. Is there such thing as too much MS or will it always dry out? (within reason)

[runfiverun]

it'll evaporate.
when i make the 45 lube i make it different too and add b-wax.
i also use xlox instead of alox i cut the xlox with 50% mineral spirits it always dries out just fine.
i make the 45/45/10 lube with 50% jpw and 50% tre wax/50% xlox and 50% mineral spirits based on the cooked down jpw and trewax, i then add a piece of b-wax 25% the size of the melted 50-50-50-50 mix.
i tumble lube add a gas check and size then do a second coat.
i keep the mix in a covered container.
when i wanna use it again i heat the mix up and add more m/s.
the m/s just thins it out and helps it dry faster.

[DrCaveman]

Ok then it probably isn't helping my efforts to leave the cooled lube in the same saucepan in which I heated it. Prob lost most of the MS I have added. Dang, I liked being able to just turn on the hot plate and 10 min later, ready to lube.

Guess I will divvy it into smaller containers and maybe go back to microwave method. I am able to apply ALL my tumble lubes (true recluse, straight LLA, and my mix) better when the lube is heated fully to become as thin as possible, instead of just 'runny'. I may just have to microwave it longer.

Maybe I just get a smaller saucepan, with a lid!

[DrCaveman]

I just realized: this issue has only existed for the past 6 weeks or so. The average temp in the shop while lubing and casting has been around 45-55 deg, and the last 2 weeks, even colder.

Reminds me, I gotta chrono some of my loads which performed well in summer, see how the powder and lube react to cooler temps.

[runfiverun]

you are gonna lose the m/s anyways.
i opened a bottle of xlox today i had cut in half about 6 months ago,and it wouldn't even pour out of the container.
i just keep it covered to keep stuff out and to try to retain as much as possible.

[DrCaveman]

So then: just heat and add some more mineral spirits? Gotta heat it significantly for proper mixing to occur right? Or maybe once the TL mix is homogenized then it is just a matter of dilution and not really a mix at temp?

[runfiverun]

just heat up the boolits and throw some m/s on top.
add some more boolits to take up the extra lube.
and jiggle everything together.

[shotman4]

If you use a canning jar with the screw on ring and seal cap it will not evaporate. Just make sure you pop the cap before you heat. I have not had any problems with HOT tap water. It easy to sit the jar in and it dont take long. If boolits are at 75* shouldnt need to heat them
It works better if you set the boolits on base. The cheap hemostats work good. Make sure its wax paper or you will have a paper gas check

[xrae21]

"just heat up the boolits and throw some m/s on top.
add some more boolits to take up the extra lube.
and jiggle everything together. "

This

[saint_iverson]

Run, that's a lot of 50%'s... Lol

[runfiverun]

yeah 50-50-50-50-25 it's yogi berra math but it works.
anyway it's how the 45/45/10 lube got the cook off and the 10%.
i was origionally mixing jpw and b-wax 3 parts to 1, to make a 22 type wax coating lube for my 25-20 boolits.
i had to cook off the solids from the jpw to make it work, when jd asked about having trouble with mixing jpw and alox,i suggested he try cooking off the jpw.
later we worked up the adding some mineral spirits to help everything dry faster.
the amount didn't matter too much so he settled on 10%.
glad we worked it out.
as learning that little fact has allowed us [myself, gearknasher, and eutetic] to make some better lubes through the cook off method that would otherwise not be possible [or as good as they are]