mixing my own lube need some guidance

[Shadow9mm]

Been doing some reading. Read though the top posts on lube mixes but am not trying to use petroleum based products. no oil, grease, ATF, petroleum jelly. I am aslo really on the fence with crisco... I know its a modern animal fat substitute but it seems odd. I am also on the fence with natural oils like olive as they can go rancid.

From my reading back to black powder days, the traditional lube was a 50/50 mix of bees wax and tallow. but that does not tell me much about the needs for modern high velocity projectiles.

My main goal is a good lube that has minimal smoke. I have some cast bullets I bought that smoke a fair bit and really did not like it.

My friend and I are both getting into casting He is testing pan lubing, and I am hoping to try it today. I am also testing lee liquid alox, and am thinking about trying powder coating as well, but wanted to try traditional lube first.

My friend is using a mix of bees wax and frog lube. he does not have a ratio. he has just kinda been adding frog lube until it seemed about right to him.

I am trying bees wax and TC bore butter.

His first try was too hard, he did not add enough frog lube we think. it would bend then snap off.

Has anyone else tried these combinations? I was thinking of starting with a 70/30 bees wax bore butter mix, and and adding more bore butter until I got the right mix. knowing a good frog lube mix would be good as well.

other than animal fat are there any other, very simple, somewhat natural softeners I can add to the bees wax?

combined we are casting for 38spl, 357 mag, 44spl, and 44 mag so far, but may be adding other calibers in the future.

[Dusty Bannister]

Perhaps you need to be clear if you are planning on this bullet lube for smokeless powder or black powder.

[poppy42]

I have just two words if you’re making your own boolet lube “Ben’s Red” The formula is readily available here on the forum

[high standard 40]

I have just two words if you’re making your own boolet lube “Ben’s Red” The formula is readily available here on the forum
Going by the OP's stated parameters, Ben's Red is not an option.

[Sig]

Why no petroleum products? You're radically reducing your choices.

[Shadow9mm]

Why no petroleum products? You're radically reducing your choices.

Mainly I am trying to avoid harsh and harmful chemicals as I am going to be handling them, and as during firing they are going to get burnt up while I am in close proximity and don't want to breathe them.

As a secondary part, I don't want to be dependent on oil based automotive chemicals due to our recent supply chain problems, and thing where types and formulations change.

[Shadow9mm]

Perhaps you need to be clear if you are planning on this bullet lube for smokeless powder or black powder.

Will be smokeless powder.

[Shadow9mm]

Got my supplies in today, doing some testing. So far I have made and poured 3 mixes using aluminum foil made into 2 bullet pans. the bees wax to bore butter mixes are 1:1, 2:1 and 4:1 so far. Playing with some of the extra that was not poured it seems to tear rather than snap, which is thin is good it molds and moves with moderate finger pressure. using my infared thermometer it seems to solidify at around 130F, and running it under 115 Tap water it did not melt, only became slightly more pliable. Coming out the microwave it was about 165F to get a good melt, but solidified on the bullet and thin areas of the tupperware right within 1 second of coming into contact.

I pushed 2 bullets out of the 1:1 mix while warm, about 100f and they came out nice and smoothly with good fill. waiting for everything to cool to room temp right now. however I did notice shrinkage on the wax from the first 2 i pushed out when warm. lesson learned, wait until room temp to push out.

[Carrier]

I’ve been using beeswax and olive oil for a long time. Haven’t had anything go rancid.

[Shadow9mm]

based on my reading it can go rancid around the 18 to 24 month mark. Seeing as I will be loading and storing a fair bit of this for a good while, I am skeptical.

[Shadow9mm]

Well bore butter testing is somewhat concluded. I think a bees wax to bore butter ratio of 2:1 seems about right. the 4:1 ratio seems to tacky and waxy. the 2:1 has a bit of slipperyness to it.

Testing with frog lube paste now. got a 2:1 and 4:1 cooling now. so far it seems a lot more slippery, however on initial inspection, it seems to make the wax more brittle, which I did not expect.

taking a wild guess that frog lube will work better as its designed for modern firearm, where as the bore butter is designed for black powder. Will have to wait and see.

[smithnframe]

Are you going to pan lube or use a lubrisizer?

[Shadow9mm]

will be pan lubing for now. not ruling a lubrisizer in the future, but I want to get my casting dialed in, and lube mix figured out first.

[dverna]

I was intrigued by BLL. Ben’s liquid Lube. I have enough to last about 20-30 years and it fits in a milk crate. Once I get my act together, I plan a getting molds that produces bullets that do not need sizing and use BLL. This for pistol bullets. KISS

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Mainly I am trying to avoid harsh and harmful chemicals as I am going to be handling them, and as during firing they are going to get burnt up while I am in close proximity and don't want to breathe them.

As a secondary part, I don't want to be dependent on oil based automotive chemicals due to our recent supply chain problems, and thing where types and formulations change.

I use SL68B
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?288713-SL68B-the-quot-all-around-quot-boolit-lube-and-how-to-make-it

Now if I didn't go down that rabbit hole and become so invested in it, I would have probably been better off just using a very old recipe with a bit of soap added.

The OLD NRA bullet lube
1/3 Beeswax
1/3 Paraffin wax
1/3 Vaseline

Adding a bit of soap, changes the OLD NRA lube from a wax/oil mix, into a Soap grease.
You can search for Satan's Lube or 666+1 for other member's recipes of the soap lube I mention.
BUT, if I were making it, I know that 1/3 Paraffin is too much. so I'd first try a recipe like the following.

6 parts Vaseline
2 parts Paraffin wax
2 parts Ivory soap (shaved)
6 parts beeswax
---melt the first three ingredients and cook until soap blends in, the mix will be real hot, once it cools down to about 190º, then add beeswax.

Now Vaseline and Paraffin wax are petroleum products, but they aren't "harsh and harmful chemicals" ...and they aren't "oil based automotive chemicals due to our recent supply chain problems, and thing where types and formulations change"
So, it seems those two ingredients pass your test, plus they are super cheap.
Good Luck.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

BTW, Lee's Liquid Alox is very very smoky...some people don't mind the smoke and smell, BUT some just hate the smell.

[AZ Pete]

I, like carrier have used bees was and vegetable oil for a very long time, I do add a little Murphy's oil soap to mine. I mix it about 60:40, the consistency is similar to bore butter.

[GregLaROCHE]

I made some lube over two years ago containing almost 50% lamb fat. I don’t see any signs of it going rancid.

[C.F.Plinker]

You might also take a look at Felix Lube

2 Tablespoons mineral oil
1 Tablespoon castor oil
1 Tablespoon Ivory, or homemade soap (grated)
1 Tablespoon Lanolin
Beeswax - Piece approximately 3 1/2" X 3 1/2" X 1 "

There are a number of threads here on how to mix it. The stickies above are a good place to start.

Except for the beeswax you can get the ingredients at many grocery stores or drug stores. The mineral oil is a laxative and also the main ingredient in baby oil. Caster oil was my grandma's favorite cure-all for whatever ailed the kids. Ivory is the 99 - 44/100% pure soap.

Good Luck in your quest.