removing lube from recovered boolits??

[bushka]

I can scoop these out once in a while.What could I use after bucket washing the dirt off them,to remove the old lube?

lacquer thinner?

thanks


B

[runfiverun]

I use heat in a cast iron pot.
if extra lube floats to the top I light it on fire.

[nagantguy]

heat, the lube may even act as its own flux.

[jonas302]

I would smelt and light the smoke as said
But if your thinking that you don't want smoke because of your location you can boil them clean works well when you want to clean and re lube something also probably need solvent for LLA though

[bushka]

Location exactly,would rather like to cleanly dissolve in a bath of some sort.

[bangerjim]

I "tumble" them in acetone......for quite a while. Dissolves it after a time, but some can stay in there.

Better is to just melt 'em down......you know it is gone! After all, it is only a bit of grease and wax.

bangerjim

[btroj]

Location exactly,would rather like to cleanly dissolve in a bath of some sort.

Melting down lead is going to make smoke and smell no matter what. Recovered bullets have dirt and grit on them, fluxing is needed to remove that stuff. Fluxing makes smoke and smells.

[376Steyr]

Put them in a pot with water, boil until tender. Old lube should float to the top. Plus no worries about how to dispose of filthy laquer thinner.

[1Shirt]

Just melt them down w/the lube stirred in make your ingots. Any thing else in addition is just extra work.
1Shirt!

[shadowcaster]

I Agree with the above.. Either boil them or melt them down as is.

Shad

[bushka]

thanks,looks like soup ala boolit de jour it be..

[fredj338]

My question is why? I just melt them all together, the lube acts as a flux. Throw some sawdust in too, done.

[timberhawk]

Rubbing alcohol will dissolve must lubes very quickly. And it's cheap!

[AABEN]

Melt them down. That will clean them with lot less work!

[Grump]

The OP is trying to avoid the smoke and stink.

I vote for the boiling treatment.

Nothing getting vaporized to flash over when the fumes hit the pilot light (old school) in the water heater, or to light up your life when the piezo-electric or electronic start gas appliance fires up. Acetone and even alcohol baths are for closed containers only, dumped out only outdoors to be safest. I get nervous just using that stuff on a rag any more.

[bangerjim]

The OP is trying to avoid the smoke and stink.

I vote for the boiling treatment.

Nothing getting vaporized to flash over when the fumes hit the pilot light (old school) in the water heater, or to light up your life when the piezo-electric or electronic start gas appliance fires up. Acetone and even alcohol baths are for closed containers only, dumped out only outdoors to be safest. I get nervous just using that stuff on a rag any more.

You should not be doing any of this inside anyway! The use of volatile HC's outside is perfectly safe. If you are worried about skin absorption, wear nitrile gloves.

Nothing we do here except sizing, powder charging and boolit seating should be done inside.

bangerjim

[shadowcaster]

Nothing we do here except sizing, powder charging and boolit seating should be done inside.

bangerjim

I don't agree with this statement..

Many of us have done numerous aspects of this hobby indoors with complete safety. I have a setup that allows me to do both my smelting and casting in my shop, rain or shine.

Shad

[leadman]

mineral spirits will cut most of the lube off the boolits, might take a little scrubbing with an old tooth brush to remove some residual from beeswax. The mineral spirits now is 140 degree flash point so relatively safe, but still best to do outdoors. Then boil with a strong soap and you should have a clean smelt.
I have used this method to remove lubes that I didn't like so it does work. The nitrile gloves are recommended also, even though the mineral spirits is not as nasty as laquer thinner.

[Iron Mike Golf]

For a small number (under say, 100), I put the boolits on a piece of plywood and hit them gently with a constantly moving propane torch. Very little left on the boolits.

I do this because I don't have a smelting setup yet (I buy clean ingotized range lead) and I don't want to yuck up my pot. Not all the stuff burns off and overall, it takes me less time to do this than burning/fluxing the lube out of the pot and less time than waiting for a pot of water to boil. If I had a thousand plus boolits to do, I'd probably boil.

I have used a kerosene soak overnight.

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

The first few buckets of range scrap I got, I rinsed off. Then I realized it was a waste of time. Now I just knock off the loose dirt and fry 'em up. That dirt is lighter than lead. Maybe I'm missing something. But I don't think so.

[sierra1911]

100 octane low lead aviation gas works if you know a private pilot.

[FLYCUTTER]

My God this ain't brain surgery. Put it in a pot and cook it down , stir it up and if its smok'in put a match to it . That will stop the smoke. If it don't add some solder flux (teaspoon) stir then light off. Done.

[Unsub]

if you are collecting old projectiles you are obviously a caster and casting includes heat, smoke. flames and smell. Why you need to remove the lube?

[3006guns]

When I want to clean one of the dies for my lubersizer, I just toss it in a small pot of boiling water for a few moments. The lube is removed almost instantly and I fish out the die with a pair of tongs. No smoke or smell, just a little water vapor. When the water cools the waxy lube can be lifted right off the top, the water poured off and any lube stuck to the sides of the pot scraped off. I'm not desperate enough to save it so it just gets tossed but does this give you any ideas....such as just boil 'em?

If you get the opportunity to actually smelt the recovered boolits, the lube will act as a dandy flux. Just light with a match to reduce the smoke.