How do you remove cast bullet lube??

[Dom]

I have recently started PC' ing my cast bullets. I have a few hundred previously cast & traditionally lubed cast bullets I would like to PC. Is there an effective way to remove the old lube? Mostly lubed wit LBT soft blue lube.

[JimB..]

Folks use a variety of methods, from heating in the oven to boiling in water to various solvents. None have worked consistently for me so I either shoot them or put them in the next big pot for smelting.

[Dieselhorses]

Any petroleum based distillate should work. I've used Isopropyl alcohol, brake cleaner, acetone, hot water and Dawn, gasoline etc.. Try a few with each chemical and go the best one.

[hermans]

I have recently started PC' ing my cast bullets. I have a few hundred previously cast & traditionally lubed cast bullets I would like to PC. Is there an effective way to remove the old lube? Mostly lubed wit LBT soft blue lube.

I went down this road also when I started powder coating my handgun boolits. In the end I decided it was easier just load and shoot my lubed boolts.....just too must effort to get all that lube out.

[B R Shooter]

I like the idea of just throw them back in the pot and you have flux ready to go!

[Dom]

All sounds like what I have thought. Don't mind melting down PB bullets ,but don't want to waste the expensive gas checks on some. Guess I will try to clean them. Thanks, so much. Looks like a dirty job ahead for me.

[GregLaROCHE]

I think a lot of people would just shoot them the way they are, unless there is a particular reason not to.

[Mal Paso]

I think a lot of people would just shoot them the way they are, unless there is a particular reason not to.

PC people are an intolerant lot. [smilie=l:

[gwpercle]

I think a lot of people would just shoot them the way they are, unless there is a particular reason not to.

Troy Landry say's ... Choot Em'

[Walks]

Acetone did not work well for some store bought "Hardcast" bullets lubed with HARD blue lube. It just bleached out the blue color.
Ended up melting them down as flux.

[AndyC]

I just did that today - 100 commercial-cast bullets in boiling water in a can on my stove for 15 minutes got most of the lube off, then swirled for a minute in lacquer thinner.

https://i.imgur.com/xflv84v.jpg

[44Blam]

All sounds like what I have thought. Don't mind melting down PB bullets ,but don't want to waste the expensive gas checks on some. Guess I will try to clean them. Thanks, so much. Looks like a dirty job ahead for me.

If you let them heat up enough, the gas checks come out clean...

[44Blam]

PC people are an intolerant lot. [smilie=l:

Yup. We get used to no mess...

[lotech]

Hair dryer is the easiest way.

[richhodg66]

Just shoot them. You can boil them but a lot of work just to have pretty colors.

[JoeJames]

Interesting thread for a different reason. My seating dies get a bit gunked up from lube over time. Been using carburetor cleaner since it was to hand, and it works pretty well.

[fredj338]

Just not worth the time to me. I would melt them down & cast new bullets for PC. For PC to stick well, you need really clean bullets.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Boiling water method works for me. Once out of the water just brush them good with a towel. They don't PC as pretty but more than enough to do the job.

[Dom]

Came up with this simple way today. "Piled" lubed bullets ( about 100 405gr 458 bullets ) on a piece of aluminum foil on my PC over rack. Baked for about 20 min at 400dg. Dumped hot bullets ( "WEAR GLOVES" ) onto a clean scrap of cardboard. Roll around gently for a minute of so. Most of the lube is gone at this point. I placed about 100 458 405gr bullets into an old can/pot with water outside on a hot plate. Don't use your wife's good cook wear & don't do this in the house. Brought to a boil for about 2 or 3 min, stirring "gently" with an old stick. Most all the lube comes to the top. Poured off this water into a small cardboard box setting on the ground. This allows the water to seep & evaporate out while trapping the lube residue in the cardboard box. I then reboiled the bullets a second time ( extra clean ) & poured the water off. I did this with my second batch of about 100 bullets. After they had dried I PC the bullets as usual . They came out perfect. No volatile liquids like gasoline or thinners were required. Shot 6 rounds down range thru my 45-70 this afternoon. Worked perfect. This is easy . The complete cleaning process of the 200 + 458 bullets took me less than 45 min. Next time around it will be muck quicker. I have another 500 or so bullets to do. It would be a good idea to place an old tarp down depending where you do this. You would not want to spill the hot water with lube residue onto your nice patio or drive way. I'm sure it would soak right in & be tough to remove. Take your time & don't get in a rush.285478285479 Pictures are after cleaning & then after my camo PC.

[Targa]

To each their own but seems like unnecessary work to me.

[jerryp]

Put them on a rag and use heat gun to melt lube. Wipe off and dump in gas ( may hear them sizzle when they hit the gas)and stir around with paint brush. Remove and rinse in clean gas again . Dry and ready to powder coat..quick and easy..

[centershot]

Acetone. Put the boolits in a glass jar, cover with acetone and cap tightly. The lube will dissolve.

[Hanzy4200]

Just not worth it man. Most lube makes good flux. In my mind, if they were good enough to shoot BEFORE you started PC'ing, they're good enough now. Believe me, I know the dilemma. I went a little nuts when I started casting and I'm sitting on well over 2,000 158 gr Lee TL pills. I hate working and loading TL bullets now. So gunky and smokey. At this rate, I might shoot them all by 2040.

[centershot]

Just not worth it man. Most lube makes good flux. In my mind, if they were good enough to shoot BEFORE you started PC'ing, they're good enough now. Believe me, I know the dilemma. I went a little nuts when I started casting and I'm sitting on well over 2,000 158 gr Lee TL pills. I hate working and loading TL bullets now. So gunky and smokey. At this rate, I might shoot them all by 2040.

You'll always have some smoke with TL, but if you bullets are "gunky", that is, sticky, your formula for the TL is wrong or you're using too much of it.

[richhodg66]

You'll always have some smoke with TL, but if you bullets are "gunky", that is, sticky, your formula for the TL is wrong or you're using too much of it.

But then they won't have those faaaabulous pretty colors to show off. Never mind that TL easier and works better.

[Rapier]

I found a commercial source years ago for hard cast RCBS 200 FP with a plain base (PB), ordered 1 K put them back. Then the RCBS mould for the PB was discontinued, so I used an old metal 3 pound coffee can with a sealing lid and poured acetone in on top of about 300 and rolled the can around. Poured it off and refilled, rolled again and the bullets came out ready to PC.
I shoot them in my 358 MGP AR at near 2,600 fps. Since then I found a Saeco iron mould for their copy of the RCBS 200g FN PB bullet, so away we go.

[Dunross]

My shooting partner and I have what's left of a huge order of cast bullets we bought back during the first Clinton administration. Some of them now have the lube falling out, at least partially, so for those bullets I want to give this a try. No idea what they are lubed with. Whatever the hard blue lube from back then was.

[Doughty]

Anybody have any success removing BLL?

[centershot]

Anybody have any success removing BLL?

Acetone.

[Doughty]

OK will give it a try. Thanks.