My liquid xlox is more like paste now

[Kevins750]

I recently poured my first cast boolits went to tumle lube and it's in a paste form now.
I scooped a small amount into my shaking tub and put a little brake cleaner to thin it
Up a little and and applied it to the batch of boolits.

Should I buy a new bottle? If not what is the best "thinning" method?

[JM7.7x58]

50/50 with odorless mineral spirits. Warm it up by setting the bottle in some hot water for 10 minutes before you mix it.

JM

[Minerat]

I add oderless mineral spirits till it is like karo syrup when it gets that way. Drop a 9mm boolit in the bottle as an agitator.

[Larry Gibson]

50/50 with odorless mineral spirits. Warm it up by setting the bottle in some hot water for 10 minutes before you mix it.

JM

If the xlox is stored in cooler temps it does get "thicker". Warming up as quoted works very well. However, if the distillant in it has evaporated then add the mineral spirits. I'd try warming first.

[poppy42]

Better than just sitting it with mineral spirits search out Ben’s liquid lube! It’s alox, Johnson’s or LudeMarks liquid wax (proly spelled ludemark wrong cause I didn’t look it up), and mineral spirits. I don’t have the percentages can’t remember them off the top my head even though I’ve made it a bunch of times I always have to look it up. so if you’re interested the formula is readily available on the forum. Personally I think it works 100 times better than straight a locks it’s not as sticky not as messy you don’t use as much and it dries easily in an hour or two as long as you don’t put too much on. It should be about the consistency of Cola

[JM7.7x58]

If the xlox is stored in cooler temps it does get "thicker". Warming up as quoted works very well. However, if the distillant in it has evaporated then add the mineral spirits. I'd try warming first.

And, if you don’t add the mineral spirits, a few minutes using your wife’s old hair dryer to warm up your bullets will help the lube cover and flow. Not all of us live in sunny Arizona like Larry.:kidding::kidding:

[mdi]

Yep, alox does thicken with time, even in sealed bottles. I normally thin with mineral spirits (paint thinner) to the consistency of cheap pancake syrup, mebbe a bit thinner as I don't use much on my bullets. Same with 45-45-10. I usually dip lube because I don't like brown noses...:wink:

[ChristopherO]

This has been a handy thread. I've reference it to reconstitute two old bottles of LLA that have harden. Hot water and MS has turned them usable again. Plan to make BLL out of those bottles now.

[Bazoo]

For thick alox, or my 50/50, I pop it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Check and repeat. Once it's liquid again, I squirt my bullets and knead them in a ziploc bag. Then I spread them on paper plates to dry.

[TNsailorman]

I also use mineral spirits and also warm the bottle in hot water. Works for me, james

[ChristopherO]

When Ben says just a little will do he isn't joking. I thought I was using enough, meaning much, but it turned out to be a thick coating of BLL. I am quite interested shooting those boolits once they completely harden.

[rockydoc]

Warm the bolts, warm the BLL, use a MINIMAL amount, and you will be able to load the same day.

[mjwcaster]

I used white labs ‘recluse’ formula, 45/45/10 iirc, before converting to hi-tec.
I have thinned it down several times over the years with more mineral spirits.

I agree warm the lube and the bullets if cold.
I used a hot water bath for the lube and a hair dryer for the bullets.
Just never liked the idea of mixing chemicals with my food prep appliances, but that is just me.

I have a dedicated hair dryer in my junk tote, the wife doesn’t believe in cleaning the filters and goes through a bunch of them if I don’t remember to perform basic maintenance, so I grabbed one of her old ones.

And again use minimal lube.
Way less than you think.
If you can see it, you used too much.
This cannot be stressed enough.

I tumbled lubed some last year and thought I was using small amount.
Wrong, I used way to much, gunked up seating die had to be cleaned every few hundred rounds or less.
And the smokiest range session ever.
Not to mention a seriously nasty looking gun to be cleaned.


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[ChristopherO]

Yesterday I shot the 35 Whelen with BLL over White Lable 2500 in the grooves. I use 2500 in the 45/70 and know how well it works. Had never used LLA or BLL before. With 45 grains of H4895 there was more smoke blowing out of the muzzle than the 45/70 with sample BP loads I experimented with in the past. Wow, does that stuff smoke, especially when I had overcoated the boolits. There was ambient smoke in the bore even. A newbe mistake for BLL.
The few rounds loaded with 15.5 grains of Unique didn't smoke a bit, but the H4895 certainly did.
The groups were terrible but the bore still looks shiny and clean. Interesting field test.

[toot]

i had a bottle that had set in my shed for 2 yrs and was a solid gob! put it in my microwave for one minute with the little spout opened up to vent, it came running out like water. try it it works.