Is lee alox really that dirty?

[kryogen]

I have read a lot about the alox being really dirty and people doing the mix with paste wax.

Is shooting alox really going to dirty my pistols if I am not using too much and letting it dry?

I have just cast a few hundred 9mm bullets tonight so I probably try to lube those tomorrow and reload some for wednesday.

[btroj]

Not much more so than any other bullet lube in most cases. It can leave some deposits and residue that some feel is detrimental to accuracy.

[Sgtonory]

It works fine but the 45 45 10 makes it so it drys faster and not so sticky.

[kryogen]

where do you get that johnson paste in canada?

will the minwax work the same?

[geargnasher]

Minwax and Trewax both work fine.

As Btroj said the dirty is in the barrel after shooting, and the excessive smoke and ash. When using straight LLA per Lee's instructions, most people use too much, hence the terrible smoke and goo/ash in the guns. The 45/45/10 does seem to smoke less, leave much less mess in the bore, less goop in the seater dies, and shoots a bit more accurately due to more consistent bore condition.

Gear

[blixen]

I've been using the 45/45/10 tumble on faith of what I've read here. And it works Well as far as I can tell.

But What iS Alox anyway? I was wondering if straight paste wax and thinner would work as well.

[Springfield0612]

I've been using the 45/45/10 tumble on faith of what I've read here. And it works Well as far as I can tell.

But What iS Alox anyway? I was wondering if straight paste wax and thinner would work as well.


Ask and you shall receive!

http://www.lasc.us/LubeIngredients.htm

For low mess LLA or white lable Xlox lubing. I use the 45-45-10 mix.
1. When ready to lube I preheat the bullets in the oven at 170 deg. for 5 minutes
2. I put my bottle of 45-45-10 in the microwave until it is back to a liquid again.
3. I put the bullets into an old plastic jar (It was either a mayo or peanut butter jar with a blue lid) either way the jar has three ribs on it.
4. Drizzle a little lube down the inside of the jar wall not onto the bullets.
5. Now shake the bottle side to side, spin it, give it to the kids to roll around on the floor.
6. Open and check amount of coating, add more if needed.

By heating everything before you start you get a very even coat of lube on all of the bullets, no more uneven clumps of A/Xlox on your bullets. You can play with the temps and times to get the right amount and level of coating that you desire.
Hotter=thinner Colder=Thicker

[bangerjim]

I got tired of the greasy mess coating boolits and the smokey, dirty shooting, so I have gone to 100% ES gun powder coating. Eliminates all smoke and dirt. No leading. Easy to apply.

bangerjim

[runfiverun]

when I get some leading or a smoke problem I might look into the powder coat stuff.

[Garyshome]

It really got my barrel dirty. Looked like a bunch of spider webs

[blixen]

[QUOTE=Springfield0612;2449642]Ask and you shall receive!

http://www.lasc.us/LubeIngredients.htm

I read that. Wow!
" Lee markets "Lee Liquid Alox (LLA)" as a liquid lube for their tumble lube bullets but which Alox or it's source is unknown."
And if you read the rest of the citation on Alox the mystery only gets deeper. I think I'll email Lee and ask them what the heck LLA is.
Meanwhile, I may try straight paste wax and see what happens. I shot low velocities--sub- 1,400 fps.
With all due respect, there's altogether too much voodoo in these lube conncoctions. It gets bewildering, but I guess that's part of charm of casting.

[jmort]

http://www.lubrizol.com/

This is where Lee Precision gets its Alox. Not much "mystery"

http://www.lubrizol.com/industrialadditives/metalworkingadditives/alox-famliy.pdf

Here is MSDS
http://www.lubrizol.com/industrialadditives/metalworkingadditives/alox-famliy.pdf

[bangerjim]

LLA...........burnt grease and/or mule snot!


banger

[jmort]

Typical ES PC snob. You guys/gal think you are such hot stuff;)

[mdi]

To answer the original question; alox is just as sloppy/messy as you are. If you can pour a thick liquid into a bowl, swirl some bullets around, remove the bullets to dry without getting the stuff all over, then no it ain't messy. But if you get gooey alox on your bench and hands and transfer it to everything you touch, yep it's messy. Personally, I have no mess with alox, but I do dip lube with 45-45-10 now because it works better in my guns...

[TenTea]

Personally, I have no mess with alox, but I do dip lube with 45-45-10 now because it works better in my guns...

Me too.

Tried the tumble lube methods for awhile, but dipping yields better results for me.
I don't have to wipe their noses any more. ;)

[blixen]

Thanks for the link on Alox, jmortimer. Very interesting. So, it's a surface protectant for steel--no info on its use as lube for lead. As I understand it, a bullet lube needs to have "sliption"--a little friction with the slipperyness, so Alox may provide that.

For the heck of it, I'm going to go with pure JPW for a while and see what the leading and clean up is like. Now, I have to decide whether to continue tumbling or try dipping. ;-)

[Boyscout]

I've been dip lubing my 44 Rem Mag and rifle bullets for a few years now, set them on wax paper and punch them out when they dry. I have been very pleased with the results and my barrels look pretty good after a shooting session too. I set up my Lyman 45 for 45 Acp and NRA 50/50. I do not like cleaning LLA off my bullets after loading them. Searching for ultimate lube and/or making our own is part of the joys of reloading cast. I don't think you can go wrong starting out with LLA even you eventually find something you like better.

[runfiverun]

pure jpw takes about 2 weeks to begin drying. [trust me]
here is the key to the 45/45,,,, lube it dries. [today]
there is a reason why it's made the way it is, and the fact that it dries is that reason.

[blixen]

You convinced me. Why fix it if it ain't broke? I've had good luck with 45/45/10.

pure jpw takes about 2 weeks to begin drying. [trust me]
here is the key to the 45/45,,,, lube it dries. [today]
there is a reason why it's made the way it is, and the fact that it dries is that reason.

[kryogen]

first batch of bullets, I just used LLA to swirl bullets in a bowl.

Some have ripples because my mold was too cold, but who cares, I'll shoot those anyway.

Will coating bullets with LLA dirty the barrel alot? How do you clean it afterwards?

[Springfield0612]

It will not dirty it a lot. My wife just cleaned the barrel of her XDs after about 700 rounds of straight shooting and no cleaning. The slide and frame were dirtier from the soot than the barrel was from the 45-45-10. Normal cleaning with Hopes #9 or what ever you normally use will work just fine. Be careful with shooting bullets with imperfections, you may get gas cutting that leads to leading and then you may want to blame the lube.
I cast some out of round 9mm bullets, didn't let them properly cure, and was getting massive leading, key holing, it was just bad. But it was my fault, not the mold, not the gun, not the lube. User error.

[Recluse]

If you want a clean gun, then don't ever shoot it.

:coffee:

[jmort]

"If you want a clean gun, then don't ever shoot it."

I believe that is a direct quote from Sophocles. I often wonder about the expectations of some members.