Disaster with lube mix please help

[on1wheel01]

Well tried doing the 45/45/10 using xlox from lss. I got spirits from walmart got the green environment kind it's white instead of clear(im wondering if maybe that is whats wrong as it turned to clumps as soon as I added it to the mix. But it's a horrid brown color and too thick even after warming it cools very very fast and clogs up the tip right away. And check out the instant freeze of the boolits which were slightly warm. Help guys lol
I imagine this is all trash and I wasted a $6 thing f jpw. I see these projectiles going into the melt down pot. Maybe it will flux it lol opinions? And I know I added too much to the projectiles

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j160/grnreaper01/IMAG2417.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j160/grnreaper01/IMAG2419.jpg
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[Balta]

Not sure that paste wax in more than 10% is good choice for tumble lubing...:=)

[on1wheel01]

Well i used the same method here and they seem to have great results
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?67654-Tumble-Lubing-Made-Easy-amp-Mess-Free
. All else fails I guess Ican use straight xlox since it's right at the same as lee alox

[Jim]

You didn't happen to notice the label on the mineral spirits in the photo on Recluse's post, did you? Use the right components and follow the directions as instructed.

[on1wheel01]

It just said odorless min spirits. I guess since I got the green kind thats what the issue is

[geargnasher]

The use of "greenie", so-called mineral spirits has been warned about here many times. It' mostly WATER. I see you're new, so you probably missed it if you haven't been lurking here for a while reading this stuff.

Use the real stuff. Stoddard solvent if you can get it. Make certain it's 100% real mineral spirits, which cannot be made non-stinky. If it's milky white it's NO GOOD. Throw out what you made and try again, exactly per the instructions.

Gear

[Mooseman]

Greenie Mineral spirits and lead just will never mix... LOL

[fryboy]

yeah the destructions...erm instructions can be important , speaking of those i also note that looking at the can of JPW it doesnt look reduced , some folks have stated that they had decent results using it un-reduced but reducing it has been debated , myself personally i believe that the mineral spirits in the JPW isnt quite the same as the kind we put back in it and reducing the JPW helps me have more control over the viscosity of the finished product

[on1wheel01]

Thanks guys that's what I figured.

Do you guys think it would be ok remelting these down. I guess it would act like a flux right

[runfiverun]

i'd melt them down from a cold pot.

paint thinner is 100% mineral spirits also.
the stuff in the jpw is more a solvent than a mineral spirit.

[D Crockett]

if I were you I would put the mess that you have there in a pot of boiling water pour off all that comes off it and do that again I did something like that once and it cought fire and I had a hard time getting it out then I would put the some what clean bullets in a cold pot and remelt them then I would take the xlox and mix it 50% xlox to 50% bees wax and if you have it add some Carnuba wax to the mix that is a way better lube than what you have cooked up there D Crockett

[on1wheel01]

Thanks guys. I will return this **** tomorrow and get the real stuff and try again.

[on1wheel01]

Ok guys we are gonna give this another go at. I returned the green **** and got this. This is all they have either pure paint thinner or min spirits, and they are all in these plastic containers. But same brand and same thing it seems. So hopefully this time it works



http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j160/grnreaper01/IMAG2423.jpg

[on1wheel01]

Ok guys made the lube today. Seems like everything went well. And thanks D Crockett for the boiling water tip. They came almost 100% clean. So I lubed up a few and letting them dry, been about an hour just a little tackiness but not bad. Hoping it goes well. Thanks for all your help guys.

Dirty to clean
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j160/grnreaper01/IMAG2427.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j160/grnreaper01/IMAG2431-1.jpg

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j160/grnreaper01/IMAG2430.jpg
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http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j160/grnreaper01/IMAG2428.jpg

[runfiverun]

you'll see it better when you add the second coat.
i add a little tre-wax [it has color pigments in it] to make the lube easier to see on the boolits.

[on1wheel01]

Well I don't size my projectiles. I shoot them as they come out of the mold. So I didn't think I would be doing a second coat

[Forrest r]

You might consider doing more listening than thinking seeing how you're such an old hat at this.

For some odd reason people keep posting that 2 light coats are better than 1 heavy coat. But what do they know, they've only used/perfected the stuff for years.

[on1wheel01]

Ys I understand that but I have also read where adding lube to a cold projectile can have a freezing effect correct? And if the round is heated up a second time it would drip off the lube correct?

[Forrest r]

I have no idea why you would heat the bullets to put a second coat on????

I haven't played with this stuff very much, just 1 batch & 2000+ bullets down the tube with this lube on them. Along with another 2000 lubed bullets waiting to be reloaded.

I simply followed the directions on how to make it & it seemed to come out ok & my bullets look like the ones in the pics people posted. When I made the batch f 45/45/10 I filled the bottle of the lee lla back up with the 45/45/10. I put the small 4oz bottle of 45/45/10 in the microwave & heat the lube for around 10 seconds. Then I squirt some in the bottom of a plastic tube & swirrel the cold bullets around until they have an even coat of 45/45/10 on them. I let them dry (2 to 3 hours) & then I coat them again and let them sit overnight.

That's it there done. No heavy coats, no heating bullets, no nothing other than a good even light coat 2x. The only thing I heat is the little bottle (lee 4oz lla bottle) that the 45/45/10 is in.

[runfiverun]

no you only need to warm them up to about 80 or so.
if a lube melts off at 80-f i'd leave it off and do something else.
getting a little soft is fine at about that temp but going wet no.

[DrCaveman]

Timely post, I just got back from the store after tasking my lady with grabbing some mineral spirits. All I said was, 'don't get the most expensive one' and she came back with the odorless green stuff you showed in original post. I haven't cracked the seal yet so I expect to be returning it for the traditional stuff.

As for the number of coats, I have read of plenty of people being satisfied with one medium coat. That being said, Lee themselves recommend two light coats. I think it has to do with even adhesion, kind of like a primer coat when painting.

Ive had trouble with tumble lube freezing too, and my solution of warming the boolits did in fact melt off the first coat. I haven't yet found a great remedy for this paradox, but I noticed it has become more of an issue as the temp of my casting area (garage=ambient air temp) has gotten lower as seasons change. Since this is only my second winter casting, I need to find my own solution, hopefully helped by others suggestions.

As with everything I have learned about casting, it will be a dance between that which others have experienced and that which works for me.

There are no hard and fast absolutes, but you would do well to listen to guys like runfiverun. People will say stuff on here like they know for sure, and maybe some do. Others don't. You can tell a lot by clicking the user profile and looking at past posts. I have certainly spouted some BS that I now see was garbage, so I try to temper my attitude now.

In any case, your boolits are looking pretty good to me. My best tumble lube applications were not visible to the naked eye unless contrasted with unlubed boolits. Part of the reason for a second coat is the fact that sizing will remove lube from the driving bands, and Lee contends that this is the most important location for tumble lube. I like run's suggestion of adding color, I will have to try that.

[DrCaveman]

Just read the other two posts written while I was typing.

Sounds like I heat my boolits too much. Learn something here every day!

Oh and maybe my stuff is too thick. If forrest can get even coats in Ohio this time of year without heating, then something must be different about our lubes. More mineral spirits to the rescue!

[runfiverun]

don't be afraid to use mineral spirits.
i use 50% in the modified mix i make. [to thin the xlox initially]
you will lose some through evaporation,and will need to add some everytime you re-heat and use the mix. [after it sits for a few days]
fortunatly it evaporates that's what it does, and is why it is in the mix.
the only reason it's in there.