Removing LLA

[HectorFuego]

Please forgive me for asking stupid questions, but I'm kinda new at doing things correctly. Years ago I cast a number of .30 caliber rifle bullets, and (as I didn't know about powder coating) tumble lubed them with Lee Liquid Alox, and gas-checked them. Now that I've tried powder coating some pistol bullets I like that a lot better and would like to powder coat the rifle bullets. Obviously the powder will not work over the LLA, so what's the best way to clean off the old lube. I have mineral spirits and lacquer thinner, but don't want to leave a residue.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Hector

[GregLaROCHE]

Have you considered just recasting them?

[oley55]

I can appreciate wanting to avoid recasting and having to toss those fairly rare and expensive gas checks.

I did it once with a hundred or so GC'd 357 and they PD'd nicely. If I recall correctly I put them in a small pan and poured boiling hot water on them to over flowing so that any lube would float and flow off the top, (or I may have actually boiled them for a bit first and then added more hot water to overflowing). I did that twice and then flushed an washed with hot water and Dawn detergent. Each hot water event involves adding enough additional hot water to allow the contaminants to flow off the top. Dumping your cleaned bullets through a layer of whatever only re-contaminates them. Then finally I rinsed them in a bowl of denatured alcohol, although other solvents likely serve as well.

edit: Here's a thread discussing your issue: https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?405531-Removing-lube-before-powder-coating&highlight=cleaning post #31 was what I did and corrects some of what I posted above.

[uscra112]

Yup, boiling water. Just make sure you use a pot that your Kitchen Commandant doesn't care about. Dish detergent will help. If that ain't clean enough, they'll need an acetone bath. Needless to say, do that outside, no smoking or open flames.

[HectorFuego]

I cleaned the cosmoline out of an 03A3 bolt from CMP using a vegetable steamer (dedicated for that purpose). Cosmo dripped through the holes in the steamer tray into the water. I wonder if that would work for the bullets.

Oh yeah. I don't want to waste gas checks. I'll shoot them with the Alox lube before before I'll do that.

Hector

[Winger Ed.]

I'd just shoot 'em.

Then do your powder coating on the next run.

[uscra112]

Steamer should work.

[GregLaROCHE]

I didn’t catch that they were gas checked. In that case boiling them in dish detergent and a rinse with acetone will probably do it. Maybe bake them at a low temperature to make sure they are completely dry before PCing. Unless you were having problems, just shoot them the way they are and save your time and energy for another project.

[Froogal]

I dilute the LLA with mineral spirits. I would think that ENOUGH mineral spirits would completely remove all of the LLA.

Be careful about trying to remove it with boiling water. The LLA will float to the top and coagulate, forming a sort of seal on top of the boiling water, which will trap the steam, resulting in small, very hot explosions. Don't ask how I know.

[Kraschenbirn]

It's a PITA it can be done. Boiling water followed by soak in mineral spirits followed by rinse in acetone bath...air dry on clean (paper) shop towels. Process worked quite well but won't do it again; easier (and less time) to melt and recast.

Bill

[uscra112]

I dilute the LLA with mineral spirits. I would think that ENOUGH mineral spirits would completely remove all of the LLA.

Be careful about trying to remove it with boiling water. The LLA will float to the top and coagulate, forming a sort of seal on top of the boiling water, which will trap the steam, resulting in small, very hot explosions. Don't ask how I know.

Scoop the LLA off the surface. You could even save it for re-use.

Cold, solvents never completely remove anything. Only detergents and copious rinsing can do that. Speaking as a retired automotive engineer who was involved with parts washing.

[Geezer in NH]

Just shoot them try PC next time