Cutting Bullets Out Flexi when Pan Lubing

[The Old Salt]

I made a batch of Flexi intending to apply by Pan Lube. I have done this several times, trying different methods to get the bullets out of the lube but have yet to find a simple effective method.

When I tried to just lift them out, the Flexi lube came off the billets.
Cutting them out with an expanded case, gets them out but then you have to extract them from the case.
I driller out the primer pocket and push them out of the case with a punch. Before all that you have to expand a case and a fired case is not sufficiently oversize. so you have to oversize it some more.

I am thinking about getting a cheap pair of needle nose plyers and modifying the nose so it will grip the bullets above the lube groves. Then heat the bullets to 200 deg F, dip them in hot Flexi up to the top of the lube groves and set them down on wax paper to cool. Then size.

Short of laying out $300 for a sizer / liber and dies, is there a simpler more effective method?

[RogerDat]

I use forceps to dip cast Minnie ball in lube up to the top of the lube groove. Works very well. Once they have gun shows again you might find a pair there if there is anyone selling first aid equipment. Or maybe online you can find some.

Smooth and broad grip surface, oriented at right angles to the shaft/handle I think makes picking up bullets easier and less damaging.

I melt my bees wax and Crisco lube in a small potpourri heater. Looks like a one cup crock pot. Not sure if that would be sufficient for your chosen lube.

[Rcmaveric]

You could dedicated a day to making a few Kake Cutters.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?34058-quot-Lube-Size-on-a-Budget-quot&p=372937&viewfull=1#post372937

You can add a spring between the handle and case if you wanted to get fancy.

I have made a few for 9mm, 270 and 30 before I got my Luber sizer. I still do small batches of test lubes like that. Its quick with a Kake Cutter.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[Froogal]

I tried many different methods of pan lubing. Finally decided I did not need that much frustration in my life so I bought an RCBS lubri-sizer. That is one of the better decisions I have made.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I'm not familiar with flexi, but have pan lubed with Lee Alox sticks, melted, which are getting harder to find. What worked for me was to find a rifle cartridge case of the proper size, cut off the neck and base leaving only the tube body to slide over the bullets and cut them out of the lube. The first one pushes into the tube, the next one pushes it farther into the tube, until by the 4th or 5th the first one comes out into the palm of your hand. You can get the last ones out with a dowel. But, like Froogal, I found the purchase of an RCBS lube/sizer to be a good investment, and now days only use the pan lube method for small lots of uncommon bullets.

DG

[country gent]

I made my cake cutters from brass tubing. Got it .015 wall thickness. slightly bigger ID than needed. Swaged one end down to desired inside dia about 3/8" back from end. cut 4"long. glued pressed a piece of clear tubing over back end for a handle/grip. Sharpen working end with a deburring tool inside to out, this helps to push lube into grooves.

In use cut bullets out and they push up and out the open top

Online Metals sells brass tubing by the foot and has a large selection of sizes wall thicknesses

[alfadan]

I had some success with those flexible silicone cake pans. When lube is set up, place the pan over a folded over towel and press down on the bullets to break free, then just pull them out.

[Minerat]

I think he means Felix lube.

[indian joe]

I made my cake cutters from brass tubing. Got it .015 wall thickness. slightly bigger ID than needed. Swaged one end down to desired inside dia about 3/8" back from end. cut 4"long. glued pressed a piece of clear tubing over back end for a handle/grip. Sharpen working end with a deburring tool inside to out, this helps to push lube into grooves.

In use cut bullets out and they push up and out the open top

Online Metals sells brass tubing by the foot and has a large selection of sizes wall thicknesses

This !!!!! ---- or just make the same thing out of old cases - whatever it is cut the end out so the boolits keep on moving and out the top = make a tee handle for it from a piece of broom handle or dowel rod - cookie cut a couple hundred in a few minutes -----pan lubing is easy - any drama associated with it is self inflicted.

[The Old Salt]

I made my cake cutters from brass tubing. Got it .015 wall thickness. slightly bigger ID than needed. Swaged one end down to desired inside dia about 3/8" back from end. cut 4"long. glued pressed a piece of clear tubing over back end for a handle/grip. Sharpen working end with a deburring tool inside to out, this helps to push lube into grooves.

In use cut bullets out and they push up and out the open top

Online Metals sells brass tubing by the foot and has a large selection of sizes wall thicknesses

Thanks for the tip on “Online Metals”. I have now ordered what I need to make the cutters.

My thanks to all who responded.making cutters out of shell casings works if you have shell cases the right size to convert. Unfortunately I did not.

[Chill Wills]

Or use a lube that responds well to pan lubing that does not require a Kake cutter. They just push out clean. Done.

[The Old Salt]

Thanks for the forceps idea. Got a set on order. Looks very promising.

[greenjoytj]

Maybe the pliers designed to pull off spark plug boots could be modified to pull bullet from the lube pan.

[big bore 99]

+1 on the kake cutter. Works good for me.

[gwpercle]

The absolute best money I ever spent was on a Lyman 450 .
Pull the handle down , tweak the lube supply lever , push the handle up ...Tah- Dah
Done ...boolit is sized , lubed and , if required, gas check is seated !!!
Beats screwing around with Kake-Kutters , pans , melted lube and then still having to find a way to size the boolits after they are lubed ... seven ways to Sunday .
You save so much time with a lube-sizer it's not even funny .
The Lyman unit was worth every penny... so quick , so clean, so easy ...
Gary