Rethinking My Boolit Lube Habit(s)

[carelesslove]

Has anyone ever experienced a lubersizer going "solid", or "rocking up" ?

After vigorously scraping, solvent soaking, followed up with heat gun use, on my relatively new LYMAN 4500 Lubersizer, I am going to get rid of all my LYMAN lubes and multiple sticks of (old) HODGDON ALOX and go with Veral Smith's LBT Soft Blue.

I have also cleaned out my old SAECO Lubersizer and refilled it with LBT Soft Blue. Everything I have shot has done well since.

The stuff is fairly expensive, but it really works well and seems to stand up to ~1750 fps with 300 gr. WFNGC's (cast from LYMAN #2), in my .460. I have also used it with several different plain-base bullets (from .38 to .500) cast from metal with a hardness of ~SAECO 7.

I just don't think I can endure another "rock up" event, with the LYMAN Black Lube. It rocked up so bad, I had to "re-thread" the spindle. Nevermore!

Thanks, Tom "carelesslove" Love

[NuJudge]

I've been using Lyman 45 and 450 lubricator/sizers since the 1970s, using 50% Beeswax/50% Alox 2138F, and never had one lock up due to lube hardening. Lyman has made other lubes over the years that I have used without issue, and I don't ever remember using any Hodgdon lube. In really cold weather, the force needed to move the lube required some heating, such as from an incandescent bulb, but that's all. Things should be warm enough in North Carolina that you should not have that problem.

Just in general, I like a lube that is rather soft at the temperature I am going to shoot it at, not be hard.

[centershot]

I, also, have used a Lyman 450 since the '70's, no trouble at all. I use NRA 50/50 lube,same as NuJudge. In cool weather a 60 watt bulb provides a little heat to soften things up but I've never had the lube harden so bad it wouldn't flow.

[gwpercle]

Since 1973 , Lyman 450 , never experienced any " Rock up " in it .
Always used a " soft lube " and 90% of the time it's been Lithium - Beeswax lube , usually sold as Lithi-Bee Lube or made of : 1 part Lithium Grease with 3 parts Beeswax .
I have never had to disassemble or clean any hardened lube out of machine .
I still have a few commerical sticks bought in 1978 , no hardening and no separation/weeping - all the ingredients stay blended .
If you use a Lithi-Bee or home made - 1 part Lithium grease / 3 parts Beeswax lube , you will never have it harden "rock" up on you and it's a darn good lube .
I also believe soft lubes work better than hard lubes ... hard lubes were invented by and for the commerical boolit casters ... not because it's better but because it's not as messy ... with soft lubes you can't just dump all the lubed and sized boolits in a box ... soft lubes require that the boolits be neatly stacked ...and that cost the boolit maker Money Honey !
Gary

[rbuck351]

I have used the Lyman 45, 450, RCBS and a Star all with FWFL. It flows well even in cool temps and I haven't had problems just dumping the lubed boolits in a container for storage.

[farmbif]

all I've ever used in my 4500 is carnauba red. even in winter time once the Lyman plug in heater warms everything up ive never had a problem