Forgive me, moving into whole new section of dumb questions.

[armoredman]

How does one pan lube? Seriously. I have the Lee Alox that came with the sizer, and used that one on The Magnificent Seven, but I hear the residue on the noses might affect accuracy negatively. So, how does one do it? I have some wonderful samples of great looking lube, but have zero idea how to use them.
BTW, I am going to need a dedicated flat sauce pan, aren't I? To avoid irritating the significant other? This pic is her on a good day.

[R.M.]

Dan
Around my house, it's SWMBO (she who must be obeyed). Just because I have one ear longer than the other, it wouldn't have anything to do with her dragging me around by the ear. :veryconfu

[454PB]

Place your boolits base down in a shallow cake pan, melt enough lube to cover them to the top of the grease groove(s) in a microwave oven. Pour the melted lube into the pan and let it cool completely. Use an appropriate fired case with the head cut off as a "cookie cutter" to remove the boolits from the lube. What is left in the pan is then remelted for the next batch. You can get a shallow pan at the dollar store, thereby eliminating the chance of being chased with that mini 14. As to the microwave use, you're on your own!

[44man]

I use those plastic trays that micro wave frozen meals come in. Stand the boolits up in the bottom leaving some space around each. Melt the lube in a pan (NOT MOMMA'S) sitting in boiling water in a larger pan. Pour the lube around the boolits and let cool. With some lubes you can just push the boolits out (Some guys here havd tricks for this, like popping the tray in the freezer for a short time.) but others need a "cake cutter" which is just a tube with the inside real close to boolit diameter. You just slide it down over the boolits one at a time.
Be aware that some lubes don't like to be melted or won't melt without extreme temperatures that will ruin them. If the lube doesn't melt easy in the double boiler, don't use it.
I just apply my lube to the grooves with my fingers, then run through a tube or a Lee size die that is a little oversize for the boolit. That takes off excess lube. I use Felix lube like that. Slow, but I am retired!

[armoredman]

I have another 14 years until retirement... :(

[floodgate]

Back before Lee came out with their press-mounted push-through sizing die sets, they used to make a neat little pan-lubing/sizing kit, with a little straight-sided aluminum pan about 6" across, a "cake-cutter", and a hand sizing die and plunger. I have several of these and the little pans get used for all sorts of other tasks, as well as lubing. I keep a pair next to the pot when casting, one for cut-off sprues and splatters, the other for dross. Keep an eye out for these at gun shows.

floodgate

[Ricochet]

I'd miss my memory if I could remember what it used to be like. If I still had it, I'd thank the guy on here who gave me the idea of dip lubing, because it's probably less trouble overall than pan lubing. If you've got bore rider bullets with fairly long noses, it's plumb easy to just take the bullets by the nose, dip them in molten lube up to the top groove or wherever you want the lube to come to, and stand them on their bases to dry. Don't get lube on your fingers, or you'll start shooting bullets out like watermelon seeds and say things you ought not to say. And your pot of molten lube will have cast bullets in the bottom.

[scrapcan]

Goatlips has a good write up with pictures on his website

go here

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/panlubing.html

The stick of micro lube I sent will work for pan lubing. The WhiteLabel lube you may want to ask around as I have not pan lubed with any of the 3 types that I bought from Lars.

[armoredman]

Looks like I am going to need more solid lube than I have, to fill a small pan that deep. Thanks, I just bought a small no stick cake pan.
I also got anxious, and went ahead and lubed the bullets I have with the Alox according to Lee's directions, thin coating and spread on waxpaper to dry. I sized the first seven, and was surprised that they had to build up in the sizer to pop into the container. Then relubed them with Alox, and spread to dry. To keep cats off, the computer room closet is holding them. No clothes in there to smell like lube, that's a good thing.

Ah, the first 7 have only to dry overnight, and then they get LOADED tomorrow.:drinks:

No, not that kind of loaded...:roll:

[44man]

OH MY GOD, cat spray scented alox! I would have to get loaded. Not that kind of loaded!

[NVcurmudgeon]

armoredman, you have gotten good advice from all, especially about not offending Mama. I have seen just that facial expression around here. Of course I taught SWMBO to shoot. So far, I have profited by maintaining a low profile.

[Wayne Smith]

LOML (love of my life) is tolerant. As long as I line the pan with plastic wrap she doesn't care which pan I use. It's then east to remove the block of lube/bullets from the pan and push them out from the bottom.

[armoredman]

Heck, I bought my own! I'll use that next time.
To recap, I cast them, lubed them with Alox, (thin film ofthis stuff, does it really work?), dried, and just sized them, and stored them in a plastic bullet, excuse me, boolit box, :-D , ready for loading!:drinks:
That Lee Alox seem entirely too eassy to use for good results, is that correct? I'll do another batch this weekend, and try regular pan lubing, load the two differant styles, and see which one works best!
This is really cool!:castmine:

[beagle]

Use a smaller pan. I have the bottom of an old Spam can that I use and it works well. Hold with a set of vice grips and heat over a candle until it's melted./beagle


Looks like I am going to need more solid lube than I have, to fill a small pan that deep. Thanks, I just bought a small no stick cake pan.
I also got anxious, and went ahead and lubed the bullets I have with the Alox according to Lee's directions, thin coating and spread on waxpaper to dry. I sized the first seven, and was surprised that they had to build up in the sizer to pop into the container. Then relubed them with Alox, and spread to dry. To keep cats off, the computer room closet is holding them. No clothes in there to smell like lube, that's a good thing.

Ah, the first 7 have only to dry overnight, and then they get LOADED tomorrow.:drinks:

No, not that kind of loaded...:roll:

[Edward429451]

Candle/fondue pot stand/spam can or tin coffe can w/holes in bottom, and sides for air to enter, sit spamcan on bottom of can over candle. Adjust flame height to not overheat lube by cuttin candle down or raising with small blocks of wood etc.

Sit vicegrips down and go do other reloading related stuff and check on them ever once in awhile. Let aircool and cut boolits out next day. Works for me.

I fabricated extra lube pans by cutting down soup cans to a short height and riviting a handle to them, fab'd out of scrap sheet metal and sealed on outside of can w/silicone.

[leftiye]

I use the imported 12 oz Roast beef or Corned beef cans to melt lube in for dipping and also for pan lubing. Just float them on water in a sauce pan, or direct heat on trivet and LOW flame.

Am looking for way to control temp of heated boolits for dipping. Best guess so far is a pan with a lid and a hole for a thermometer to stick inside through. Set boolits up on a plate with corners bent for legs to keep them from overheating directly from bottom of pan/ flame. You can actually get a couple of hunnert boolits in one of those cans (they don't need to be spaced apart). Once warm, you dip the boolits in wax or lube with a pair of those spring loaded forceps with sharp points pointing in- just grab one, and then push to release on the waxed paper where you want to put it after dipping in wax. The points will grip the ogive and enable you to dip just to the top of cylindrical portion of the boolit if so desired.

[1Shirt]

I'm an old yankee that married a sweet young thing out of south Ga. She put up with me and pan lubing, and casting on the kitchen stove with the window open and a fan blowing, and all the stuff we did back then because it was all we could afford. She sure was pleased when I reached the level where I could afford a furnace & Lubesizer and didn't stink up the kitched any more and get lube all over the place.
:coffee:
However, when I was shooting muskets, I still pan lubed and cake cut mini balls, and it was kind of like as Yogi said De Ja vous all over again!
1Shirt!