Lyman Ideal Bullet Lubricant - old and dry

[Shootequip]

Is there any possibility of getting old Lyman Ideal Bullet Lubricant
that has dried and become hard to be like new again.
A solution would perhaps be to melt it and add a little olive oil,
but the question is how much in that case.

Grateful for answers:-)
307267

[Green Frog]

Is that the old black looking lube from Ideal? I’m guessing you could remelt it slowly in a double boiler and if it’s really too dry, it would probably benefit from a few per cent of something soft like some anhydrous lanolin. If you’re going to use it in a Lyman lube pump, you might want to check into the guy who used to advertise here a series of moulds that even had a rod up the middle to make the hollow sticks.
I’m actually a little surprised you Ideal lube sticks have dried out and hardened. There wasn’t that much volatile content in them originally. I’ve found some old bullets lubed with the black stuff at least 20-30 years before and that lube was still fine.
Froggie

[Wilderness]

Is that the old black looking lube from Ideal? I’m guessing you could remelt it slowly in a double boiler and if it’s really too dry, it would probably benefit from a few per cent of something soft like some anhydrous lanolin. If you’re going to use it in a Lyman lube pump, you might want to check into the guy who used to advertise here a series of moulds that even had a rod up the middle to make the hollow sticks.
I’m actually a little surprised you Ideal lube sticks have dried out and hardened. There wasn’t that much volatile content in them originally. I’ve found some old bullets lubed with the black stuff at least 20-30 years before and that lube was still fine.
Froggie

I've softened too-hard lubes with about 5% ATF or Castrol LMM (lithium grease with moly). You could also use synthetic two-stoke oil. All are found in other lubes. The LMM needs to be beaten in since it won't actually melt. Adjust % according to initial result. Add beeswax if you find you have gone too far.

Don't worry about trying to reform the lube sticks - when needed just remelt and pour into the lube sizer.

[Polymath]

I mix up a batch in an old soup can with a Heat gun. When the Luber-sizer runs dry, melt the can and fill to the top. Trial and error of it's too hard. Add some ATF, remelt and stir.
An old timer once told me most folk run too hard a lube and too hard a bullet. He was right on both counts.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Shootequip,
welcome to the forum.

I highly doubt your vintage lyman lube tubes are dried out...because they don't really dry out.
I have some just like that, it's fine...just as it was 60 years ago when it was sold.
...You do need to add heat to it, to flow through a lubesizer, due to it's high paraffin content.

[Larry Gibson]

Gave up on that lube in '68. Went to NRA 50/50 lube (Javelina) and threw the Ideal lube away. Because of the apparent paraffin base that lube caused really bad 1st and 2nd round flyers, particularly in cold weather. I wouldn't even mess with it.

[Bazoo]

That’s neat as crap the old boxes! Thanks for sharing it with us.