My lube is coming off before loading

[elginrunner]

I've been pan lubing with BW and olive oil, with some paraffin added in. When I first started pan lubing I wasn't doing many as I was new, and wanted to test, before going into "production". Well when I got satisfactory performance I cast several hundred, and started lubing. I punched them out on some newspaper and let set up over night. Then put them all into a container. (this was a couple days ago) tonight I've been loading, and alot of the lube is coming off. little bits, of little crescent shaped lube sticking to other boolits, or just coming off.

Do I need to add more paraffin to stiffen it up, or did I not let it dry long enough??

Any thoughts?

[sthwestvictoria]

Two things come to mind -
was it real raw bee wax or the over-purified, cooked type?
Secondly do your boolits have nice square lube grooves, sometimes those cooler or poor fillout boolits have quite rounded, shallow grooves.

[elginrunner]

It is a lee 40 cal pistol mold and the grooves are very rounded. The beeswax has been heated and poured several times.

It is the purified beeswax from randyrat I believe, it came from our vendor section.

[338RemUltraMag]

How much oil is in the lube? Sounds like it is too slick and needs more tackieness. OR you have it too hard and like comercial lube is just popping off the boolit.

Does the lube crumble and break when you try to bend it or will it flex and crack?

[badgeredd]

A small amount of lanolin (1/2 teas.) will help to make the lube "stick" to the boolit. Don't over heat the lanolin or burn it...put in in your lube last. You're missing the "tack" you'll see mentioned often.

Edd

[elginrunner]

The mix was 4oz of olive oil to 9oz of beeswax with a little chunk of pariffen to make it a little harder. It's really tacky, and sticking to other rings of lube and pulling away, or at least that what it seems to me.

[C.F.Plinker]

Does your mold have one relatively large lube groove or is it the tumble lube mold (TL 401 175 SWC) mold? The boolits which have the single lube groove can be used with either the grease type lubes (which you have) or the film type lubes designed for tumble lubing. The tunble lube design has many small grooves and is designed for use with the film type lubes only. If you have this type you will probably need to get the Lee Liquid Alox lube and read the thread on 45-45-10 in order to get the most out of it.

[mdi]

Well, here's one more idea. I heat the bullets and lube together in a toaster oven (around 200 degrees) for several minutes so they are the same temp. then cool. For me at least, the lube sticks better. I have also use a bit of lanolin to add "stickiness"...

[randyrat]

Let me know I can always send you a few Tablespoonfuls in the mail to test...Lanolin will also give it more FLEX besides STICK

One more thing you could try; Before you add the lube heat your bullets up a bit and then let them cool in the lube, I'll bet you'll get better STICK

I think the the paraffin is the culprit

[elginrunner]

The mold has the one big lube groove. It's concave, rather than square. I've got a toaster oven, I can give that a try.

Randyrat, I'll be ordering some lanolin soon as I'm about out of home made case lube!

[shortybozz]

Hi ya Elginrunner, I don't usual post to a thread that has this many good responses, BUT, When I started pan lubing I had the same problem, and used this forum for help, and got it. I had used old candle wax, Gulf paraffin, Vaseline, STP oil treatment, Bee's wax and crayon for color. I started with about 1 lb of materials. The lube worked great in the guns. I too had the lube falling off the bullets over a little time. I started adding this and that trying to get it to stay on the bullets. Long story short, I now have over 5 lbs of lube that works and another 5 lbs that I can use as starting lube if I ever need too. OK here goes an answer to try to help you. Get a tube of lanolin (nipple butter sold in drug store for breast feeding mothers). Add about 1/2 of the tube to what you have. You can then use paraffin or bees wax (bees wax the best) to help eliminate the sticky you fill on your hands as you handle the bullets. The lube needs to be firm to the touch but not too hard. What I did after making so much that worked but not as good as I wished is to take a small amount and add what I thought was needed and kept notes so I could fix the rest. I then used a jar lid and about 10 bullets to test each time I added something. I also use a toaster oven to heat the bullets before I add the lube. Then let cool until the lube is hard and cut the bullets out. I now have a lube that works great in the guns and stays on the bullet in storage and is not too tacky when handling. All the answers I see here are legit and I used most of them when I started, but did not think to reduce the amount of lube when I started adding materials, so that is why I wound up with so much. I hope you get the lube to where it works for you soon. Paraffin or bees wax for stiffing the lube, Vaseline to soften the lube, lanolin to make the lube stick.

[fredj338]

All the Lee designs have very shallow grooves. Lube too soft sticks to other bullets & lube too hard can just flake out. Maybe adding a bit of lanolin would make it a bit stickier. Sized & lubed vs pad lubed, the sized bullets seem to hold the lube a bit better.

[waksupi]

If you are water dropping the boolits, they need to be COMPLETELY dry before lubing.

[gunNstuffer]

I'm new and hope I'm doing this right. I too have been having the same problem lately. Is there a specific type or brand of lanolin that should be used?
gunNstuffer

[John Boy]

I think the the paraffin is the culprit
Paraffin, an alkaline in a lube mix is excellent and bonds to bullets. I have a can using paraffin in the mix that is 2 years old. Not one grain of the lube has separated from the bullets. In fact, I just used the can and reloaded 200 rounds, Ideal 454190 bullets that sat in 36 inches of salt water from Super Storm Sandy.
Not one drop of lube fell off the bullets :awesome: ... need I say more?
The recipe came from a 1943 American Rifleman issue. It is:
40% Mutton Tallow (Source, Dixie Arms)
40% Paraffin Wax
20% Beeswax

The lube works for both black powder and smokeless lubed bullets. Been using it now for 4 years

[elginrunner]

If you are water dropping the boolits, they need to be COMPLETELY dry before lubing.

This may be the problem.... and why it is sporadic

[44man]

The paraffin is the culprit. It is hard and brittle. You need a lot of other ingredients to temper it.