Newbie Lubie

[Ironwrx]

Hi. I’m sure some of you will say huh??!! (Palms to forehead) but I won’t know unless I ask. I’m fairly new to this and I recently started casting my own 9mm Bullets. I was given some liquid Xlox (Alox), and I’ve been using about 3/4 tsp+/- in a small tub with 100 bullets. They’re transferred back and forth between another tub and set out on freezer paper overnight. After resizing in my press with a Lee sizing die, they are recoated and set out on paper again till dry. I don’t want to waste lube, but want to make sure I’m using enough. Is there any consensus on how much lube to use? Also is the second application I’m doing after sizing redundant?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210822/037dc80e6e7c790112890c820fe50649.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210822/767ae2b63e3a921443ad0a187e7903e3.jpg


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[5614estell]

Sounds like you're doing just fine.

[lesharris]

That is how I do it also.
Doing just fine.
Boolits look good.

[Dusty Bannister]

Seeing the excess lube in the lube groove tells me you are using an excessive amount of LLA. This excess will transfer onto the seating stem of the reloading die and you will soon be seating the bullets too deep in the case.

Two light coats, just to give a honey colored hue on the bullet surface generally seems to work just fine.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?265415-How-much-alox&highlight=Lee+Liquid+Alox

[Dom]

Before I started PC I use to put my tumble lube bullets in a plastic sandwich bag. Squirt a little lube in, & roll the bullets around. Then set them out to dry. One coat should do it. I called Lee & they told me their lube was good for 1100fps , max. If your shooting over that , then maybe a second coat might be needed ?

[Ironwrx]

Before I started PC I use to put my tumble lube bullets in a plastic sandwich bag. Squirt a little lube in, & roll the bullets around. Then set them out to dry. One coat should do it. I called Lee & they told me their lube was good for 1100fps , max. If your shooting over that , then maybe a second coat might be needed ?

You say “one coat should do it”, but what about after resizing the bullets? I have always heard to recoat, after resizing.


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[Dusty Bannister]

https://support.leeprecision.net/en/knowledgebase/article/liquid-alox-application

This is the Lee instructions for the use of their product.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

If they are dry, they will be just fine.
If they are somewhat tacky, you'll likely get build up in your seating die, which will give you varied COAL, which can be bad.

I use a thinned version of Alox, and I do apply two coats, and try to apply it so thin that you can't see it, but can "feel" it before it dries, that's how I check for full coverage. I use a heatgun to preheat the boolits and the tub I use to tumble in, which does decrease drying time. I do tumble them after sizing and only add more lube to the tub, if there isn't sufficient lube already in there. There is usually enough in there, and the heat liquifies the lube residue in the tub and what was already on the boolit, from the first coat. You can use this technique to remove excess lube from boolits...if your boolits have too much lube on them, and the won't get fully dry.

[Soundguy]

If I tumble lube a bullet.. i lube.. let cure.. size, then re-lube. Generally I pan lube grease groove bullets and alox micro groove or swaged bullets.. but I have aloxed regular grease groove bullets in low pressure loads and they have worked fine.

[popper]

You can use the LLA with Lundmark liquid floor wax 50/50 (called Bens Liquid Lube - he adds some mineral spirits to aid drying - also recommended using straight LLA). About 6 DROPS per 50. Less smoky. I use a deli meat 'box'. Few drops, then dump in bullets and SWIRL around (6 drops off the end of a chunk of weed wacker string - I store the BLL in a small coke bottle). I size, then 2 coats for GCd rifle pushed fast. Works fine. I size before lubing as I also PC and don't want the sizer gooped up, nor wipe off the lube. It works fine for lube groove bullets!

[mdi]

You're doing fine. "Too much" alox is smokey, won't dry completely and may get your seating die dirty (clogged with lube). Nothing dangerous or affecting performance. I don't care for lube on the bullet noses (brown noses) so I dip lube. I don't alox prior to sizing as I just use some case lube, less time consuming and less messy (most of my bullets only require approx. .002"-.003" sizing and all slip through my Lee sizing dies quite easily with Mink Oil Boot Dressing). Tumble lubes are pretty "forgiving", harder to screw up so no need to overthink tumble lubing. I've used alox, 45-45-10 and BLL for my liquid lubes mostly for my cast handgun bullets successsfully (380 ACP, 9mm, 38 Special, 357 Mag., 44 Special and 45 Colt both T/L and lube groove. My 44 Magnum and 45 ACP prefer Speed Green).

[GregLaROCHE]

I always tumbled before and after sizing. Two thin coats work well. You can add some mineral spirits to get a thinner coat and save some lube. A lot of people add Johnson’s Paste wax or something similar. It’s said to make them less sticky after they dry.

[Soundguy]

I always tumbled before and after sizing. Two thin coats work well. You can add some mineral spirits to get a thinner coat and save some lube. A lot of people add Johnson’s Paste wax or something similar. It’s said to make them less sticky after they dry.

Same here.. I tumble lube.. then size.. then I re lube.