Homemade 45/45/10: Is the finished product liquid at room temperature.

[nitro-express]

I followed a description I saw, the method seemed to work but the resulting product is pretty thick at room temperature, not runny and you need to warm it up before using.

Caveat: I was using LLA that was pretty thick to start with, it was several years old.

I heated the JPW and held the temperature at the point it was boiling off the solvent. It kept the temperature at a simmer until the solvent was boiled off.

Caveat #2: My JPW was pretty old as well, probably 30 or more years old. It was squirreled away before it was NLA in Canada.

Even with 10% mineral spirits it still pretty thick, like chocolate syrup at room temperature. It goes solid before 0ºC (32ºF). Is this what it is supposed to be like?

I warmed it it my microwave and tumbled a few bullets, seems to coat them ok.

I used a small wooden stick to stir the JPW as it boiled, it came out looking pretty good, made me think if you poured boiled JPW on a gunstock it would be a pretty durable finish, has anyone tried that?

Nitro

[Sam Sackett]

I mix mine with a little more mineral spirits. It comes out as a thin liquid at room temperature. My thoughts are that using it in a thinner form helps to get a light coat on the bullets and they dry faster. If I don't thin the mixture down this much, sometimes it never seems to dry all the way.

I think the original recipe mentioned a consistently similar to coke when you drip it out.

YMMV. Just my ramblings.....

Sam Sackett

[myg30]

Was a while ago I made some in the summer and it was not fluid, kinda syrup. I do not microwave it. I heat a bowl of water and put the lube container in it to soften to liquid state. Also warming the boolits helps them dry faster if your short on time. I dump mine on wax paper and leave them to dry.
The jpw will darken if over cooked I think but for sure the lube mix will darken if your to high heat and not patient while letting it all blend together. It’s great stuff.
Find a good air tight container to store as over time the lube will harden more and you will need to add a small amount of mineral spirits to it to rejuvenate it while warming it up.

Be safe and good shooting, Mike

[nitro-express]

Was a while ago I made some in the summer and it was not fluid, kinda syrup. I do not microwave it. I heat a bowl of water and put the lube container in it to soften to liquid state. Also warming the boolits helps them dry faster if your short on time. I dump mine on wax paper and leave them to dry.
The jpw will darken if over cooked I think but for sure the lube mix will darken if your to high heat and not patient while letting it all blend together. It’s great stuff.
Find a good air tight container to store as over time the lube will harden more and you will need to add a small amount of mineral spirits to it to rejuvenate it while warming it up.

Be safe and good shooting, Mike

Thanks, makes sense. My LLA was pretty thick to begin with. I have a coffee pot warmer, like those you see in a restaurant, and on low you can see it simmer the solvents off. It takes a while but you can see the "legs" on the side of the tin cup I used. When the bubbling stops and I can no longer see the legs, I stop.

I'm not sure, but what's left is probably mostly carnauba wax???? I'm also thinking if I add a bit of beeswax, it would work in my lube/sizer.

Nitro

[NEKVT]

It should be runny at room temp about the consistency of chocolate milk. Because you used old dried out ingredients you should probably add more mineral spirits to thin a bit. Look up threads with Lars45's description of the consistency of 45/45/10 he makes as others have asked that question before.

You can use JPW on gunstocks but wipe on/wipe off excess as a solid, I wouldn't use hot or boiled as you call it. I have an old can of Butchers Paste Wax I have been using on gunstocks and recurves and longbows for years. Birchwood Casey also has a small bottle of gunstock wax that is good stuff.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I make mine to the consistency of creamy peanut butter.
I use heat to apply it.
It dries on the boolits as they become cooled (less than 10 minutes).