Melt and Pour

[Ben]

I see people making molds for bullet lube. The kinds of moulds that will produce a hollow or solid stick of bullet lube. I suppose there is nothing wrong with that and if that is your goal then by all means use that method.

However, for me personally, it just seems about 5 X quicker to simply pour your melted bullet lube directly into your lube sizers.

I was in a " Thrift Store " a few days ago and saw a nice old, clean , aluminum coffee pot - - ( $1.50 for the pot and lid ) . It had a strainer in the mouth to strain coffee grounds ( easy to remove with a Dremel and a carbide cutter ).

When I saw it , I thought :

" UUUUmmm, now this would be just the thing to melt and pour lube into my 2 lube sizers."

Today I made some more Ben's Red in this old coffee pot and when completed, rather than pouring the lube into molds for storage, I simply filled my two Lyman lube sizers. When they were both filled, I placed the lid back on the coffee pot and allowed the lube to solidify until the next time I need it.

SIMPLE ! !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/003-58.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/004-53.jpg

Here I have filled both of my lube=sizers without spilling a single drop of bullet lube :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/005-40.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/006-41.jpg

[41 mag fan]

Man I wish you would of come across that about 3 weeks ago Ben!! I just made a lube stick jig. 6 batches of Bens Red of various ways of making are now into lube sticks.

But I want to test each way I've made it, to see if one way is better than the other on performance, so I can built a 2" lube stick jig

When I find which performs the best though, I'm gonna go with that pot you just showed.....that was a very good idea you shared with us.....thanks Ben!

[mdi]

Thanks for sharing Ben. One thing about reloaders/casters is some get stuck on "dedicated casting tools" when some simple appliance already available works just as good, or even better than a tool made and labeled "casting tool" or "reloading tool". I've been able to reach into my tool box (lifelong machinist/mechanic) and find a tool to use for reloading that works as well as a dedicated reloading tool, and I've found stuff in Ma's kitchen that works great for making lube...

[imashooter2]

I've been looking for a small camping type pot at the local thrift stores for years with no results. :(

I find a fair pile of pewter though. :)

[Ben]

You just never know what you'll walk up on at a yard sale or thrift store.

Ben

[Dale in Louisiana]

B-b-but Ben! that's not an OFFICIAL boolit loob pot! I mean, it's not green or orange or nothin'!

Somebody'll put an eye out!

dale in Louisiana

[Ben]

Don't forget Blue, the " Blue Boys " will get offended if you don't include them also.

Ben

[1Shirt]

Ben, Back when my lube was 50/50


Ben, Back when my lube mix was 50/50 Beeswax and Vasoline with a liberal amount of graphite in it, I used an old coffee pot just like you showed, and I used to heat it up and pour it into my old lyman lube sizer. Just had to stir it well to keep the graphite suspended in it. Haven't used that lube or method in years, and your post brought back memories. A full coffee pot lof the stuff lasted back then for a long time. It shot pretty well also "back in the day"! However for a number of years have been using White Label lubes as they are very reasonable, and are very accurate in my opinion.
1Shirt!

[Ben]

1Shirt

Not a single thing wrong with " White Label Lubes ".

I refer a lot of people to Lars. He is a fine fellow and makes FINE cast bullet lube and will sell it to you just about as cheap as you can make it.

Ben

[357maximum]

1Shirt

Not a single thing wrong with " White Label Lubes ".

I refer a lot of people to Lars. He is a fine fellow and makes FINE cast bullet lube and will sell it to you just about as cheap as you can make it.

Ben

I concur with that thought.....

but some of us just "need" to make our own :mrgreen: ......... on the other hand....... Buying from Glenn is proably much cheaper than making yourself into a crazy alchemist freak stirring your cauldron of super secret wax sauce while dancing naked on a waning moon anyway. To each their own and it really does not matter unless you pushing the envelope with velocity anyway.

[dromia]

I gave up making smokeless lubes when White Label came on the market, life is too short.

I still have to make my own BP lube, White Label did a very fine BP lube but it hasn't been available for years seemingly they cannot reliably source one of the ingredients!

[Dale in Louisiana]

I concur with that thought.....

but some of us just "need" to make our own :mrgreen: ......... on the other hand....... Buying from Glenn is proably much cheaper than making yourself into a crazy alchemist freak stirring your cauldron of super secret wax sauce while dancing naked on a waning moon anyway. To each their own and it really does not matter unless you pushing the envelope with velocity anyway.

If I did that in public I'd make enough money to pay for factory lube...

dale in Louisiana

[runfiverun]

so i'm the only one with a blue enamel tea pot that matches my stars??
it has a nice little spout that pours right into the tube I have had it for 15 or so years.
it kinda matches my dillons too.

oh remember to hold your finger over the vent hole or you'll spend time cleaning things up not lubing boolits.

[btroj]

I have a blue enamel ware sauce pan. It currently holds a lube I got from another alchemist freak.

[357maximum]

If I did that in public I'd make enough money to pay for factory lube...

dale in Louisiana


I would proably do better money wise if I took up a collection for me NOT to do that.

[725]

Hey, Ben,
Question: Will heating and reheating the "Ben's Red" change any of it's properties? I use the stuff and love it. I just make the pan full, slice it into strips and melt it into the sizer as needed. The coffee pot would make it just that much easier.

[357maximum]

Hey, Ben,
Question: Will heating and reheating the "Ben's Red" change any of it's properties? I use the stuff and love it. I just make the pan full, slice it into strips and melt it into the sizer as needed. The coffee pot would make it just that much easier.


Me not Ben, :mrgreen: but I can field the question........color is about the only "NOTICEABLE" change one might observe with Ben's Red type lubes if they are merely "MELTING" and not "cooking" the lube over and over again.

[fcvan]

A couple of years ago, I made some loob from a recipe here. The stuff worked great and flowed nicely in my Lyman 450. I made a funnel out of the top of a plastic soda bottle and poured until the reservoir was filled. The threads from the bottle made a good seal in the reservoir. As the loob cooled it shrank some and when I removed the funnel the reservoir was filled to the perfect height. I mixed the loob in a one pound coffee can that I bent to form a spout. The camping pot is a great idea.

[Ben]

Hey, Ben,
Question: Will heating and reheating the "Ben's Red" change any of it's properties? I use the stuff and love it. I just make the pan full, slice it into strips and melt it into the sizer as needed. The coffee pot would make it just that much easier.

I've never noticed any changes in the lube when it is heated and cooled several times. I only use enough heat to liquefy the lube........ NO MORE........

Ben

[725]

Good to know. Thanks .357 Max & Ben.

[Old 454]

do you need a heater for the Ben's Red lube, and if you don't mind what is the reciepe

[Miata Mike]

I picked up a small Pyrex measuring cup that I plan on melting a small amount of Carnuba Red on my hotplate and pouring into my Lyman 450.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I also do the "melt & pour" routine. This is also how I melt & mix my C. Red and BAC lube together for my favorite lubes.Robert

[Ben]

do you need a heater for the Ben's Red lube, and if you don't mind what is the reciepe

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?166254-Made-more-Ben-s-Red-today

[Walter Laich]

while not a full fledged lube mixologist I do sometimes mix some of my commercial red and blue hard lubes together to get something in the middle (along the Texas coast the softer of the two is too soft in our summer heat)
After melting and mixing I just pour it in my 450 using a cheap plastic funnel.

[Ben]

Walter Laich

The coffee pot works great also ( certainly nothing wrong with your method using the plastic funnel ) , as the " funnel " is already built into the front of the pot. So very easy to pour your melted lube into your lube sizer.

Ben

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/haysb/003-58.jpg

[claude]

Everyone enjoys an old thread now and again, I have a question, how many boolits might one expect to lube from one filling of the lube reservoir, if he were lubing something on the order of an RD 310-165gc?

In keeping with the "it's not rocket science" parameters a healthy guess is all I'm asking. I'm a noob and would appreciate any realistic estimates you gentlemen might be able to supply.

claude

[geargnasher]

A Lyman 45/450/4500 will do about 800-1,000 of those on a maximum-fill-to-empty if you fill all the grooves. A commercial hollow stick will do about 6-700 per stick.

Gear

[claude]

Thank you, much appreciated.