How to thicken JPW?

[NSP64]

I like using jpw, and was wondering if there is a way to thicken it a little so that it hardens up a little after drying. I usually pan lube, freeze them then cut the boolits out cookie cutter style.:-D

[wiljen]

I've tried adding alox and beeswax and it makes peanut butter that sticks to everything. It did not turn out well.

[Ricochet]

It eventually dries out to a waxy material, though. Worst mess was when I mixed about 2/3 JPW and 1/3 LLA. It was a slick, chocolatey goop. Finally dried to a brown hard wax film that shoots well.

LLA makes a good minority component in a mixture of beeswax, LLA and lanolin.

[Ricochet]

Excuse me. I thought the question was "what to add to LLA to make it hard on drying?" JPW DOES dry hard. Harder than anything else I've seen used to lube boolits. I quit using it straight because it often flaked right off the side of the boolit during seating, if I let the stuff dry out thoroughly. Give it time and it will dry. (Days to weeks.)

[NSP64]

I was wondering if there was anything I could add to jpw to make it harden up after using as a pan lube? would parafin or ivory soap added help?

[Cloudpeak]

When I tried JPW, I warmed the bullets in a metal pan, scooped a teaspoon of JPW out and put it on the bullets and transfered them to a "Cool Whip" container and tumbled them. I poured them out on wax paper and let them dry. The JPW dried much quicker than LLA. And, when I was trying to work up an accurate load in my 9mm M&P, the 124 gr. Lee bullets gave the best accuracy but leaded like a son of a gun.

Cloudpeak

[Powderpacker]

I was wondering if there was anything I could add to jpw to make it harden up after using as a pan lube? would parafin or ivory soap added help?

I would try toilet ring wax first. I haven't tried it with JPW but it is my 'go to' ingredient for solidifying home-made lubes for smokeless powder uses. It remains flexible so it would probably counteract the flaking JPW is prone to and it also remains somewhat sticky. It's a petroleum based wax so it should blend easily with the JPW. If a lube remains a little too sticky I add parafin until I reach a balance between sticky and brittle.

[Ricochet]

Toilet ring wax is much softer and stickier than dried JPW. The issue in the JPW is that it's about 80% mineral spirits in the can. It takes a while for that to evaporate out of the wax if it's more than a thin film. You can leave that can open a long time before the JPW dries fully, and then it's rather hard to melt. Melts at a low temp with all the solvent in it.

[Newtire]

LLA makes a good minority component in a mixture of beeswax, LLA and lanolin.

Good morning ric,
was wondering what the ratios were in this mix. Would like ot try something that dries a little harder than LLA.

[VTDW]

+1

Dave

[Ricochet]

I'm one that pours in a dash or a dollop till I think it looks right.

LLA will make the mixture soft and goopy initially, but becomes hard as the solvent evaporates. Lanolin, on the other hand, stays soft and greasy. Proportions will have to vary depending on how hard or soft you want it.

I'd suggest as a starting point about 3 parts beeswax to 2 parts LLA and 1 part lanolin. It'll be very gooey at first, with the solvent still in it.