Adding LLA to Bullet Lube?

[shortybozz]

I have been using a few different pan lubes with fair to good luck. I have one batch that is at about 6 lbs now with only 1/2 of it working. Even though I started with what I thought was the same as what I previously made which works great. Bees wax - paraffin wax - lanolin - STP oil - and crayons for color. The first lube (which I have some left) is green and works great. This second batch (brown) works ok but I have some bullets that have lube missing in the groves (I use cookie cutter). In other words it is not sticking to the bullet as good. My question is if I add a bottle of LLA to the 3lb mix would that help with the sticking. I have 4 or 5 bottles left. I have added more Lanolin to the 3 lb mix with no noticeable change. Once I get this batch corrected I will adjust the other 3 lbs. almost forgot that I also used Johnson past wax in both.

[Recluse]

That would be WAY too much alox in that 3lb mix. I'd add maybe a fifth (or less) of the full bottle to that 3 lbs, but only do so when the existing lube is fully melted and hot--at least 175F so the alox can blend in better. The alox may or may not help with the adhesion in the lube grooves. I've found that temp of the boolits when pouring in the melted lube (for pan lubing) plays a significant role in how well the lube "bonds" or sticks to the boolits. Warm 'em up before pouring in the melted lube.

:coffee:

[geargnasher]

Use more lanolin.

Gear

[runfiverun]

you do realize that 3 lbs of lube is enough to do around 15,000 boolits if they have generous lube grooves.
if they are average 357 type boolits it's more like 25,000.

[Recluse]

Use more lanolin.

Gear

Or even Vaseline.

:coffee:

[DrCaveman]

As run says, those batches are pretty huge. I have made the same mistake several times, and probably trashed (or at least rendered less good) a bunch of nice material which would have otherwise been fine for thousands of boolits.

I can empathize with the need to run batches at a certain size, so they can fill your pan lube pan adequately to cover enough lube grooves for as many boolits as you want to size.

My recc would be to find a smaller pan lube pan so you can get away with smaller batches. It really doesn't take much longer, since the cutter allows you to pull them a little sooner than the 'peel and pop' method.

And if I learned anything from the humongous lube threads on here, it is as gear has taught: add more lanolin for tack. To blatantly steal advice from said lube expert: get it in the nursing mothers section of any drugstore. Nipple tenderizer, I think. Or maybe the opposite. Either way if it is good for nipples it must be good for boolits, right?

[randyrat]

Use the nipple cream for now, cook it very carefully- low heat to get the moisture out of it. DO NOT boil it, melt it at about 100 deg F for 10-15 minutes to get the moisture out of it, then use it.. Moisture or NON USP pure Lanolin products are just whipped Lanolin with water and some oil in it.
Lanolin will give you the most "Stick" for it's weight/volume without reducing the quality of your lube as compared to other ingredients. Most lubes benefit with a teaspoon / lb of Lanolin.

Other choice mix a little of both batches together and see if your lube has enough "Stick"

[shortybozz]

Thanks Guys. I use a toaster oven to pre-heat the bullets. I melt the lube in a double boiler pot on a hot plate. I also have 3 different pains to lube with, when one pan of bullets gets hot (200 degrees) I add the lube, it stays in the oven for another 5 min, then I pull it out to cool, while I put in another pan of bullets to get hot to lube. with the 3 pans it takes about 1/2 or a little more of the lube. I will add another tube of the Nipple Butter. I think it may be a little too much so I will use part of it until it works like I need it to. I wish to thank each one of you for your input and be assured I will give each one of them a try.

[44man]

Lanolin is cheap from, From Nature With Love or Majestic Mountain Sage. Pure stuff. Buy it by 1# or 2# jugs.
Put Alox under your fenders but they will still rust. If Alox went away, guys would find it was never a boolit lube at all.