How to clean old sticky cast boolits?

[bluesman423]

I recently found some old cast boolits (NOE 360-182 WFN) .... don't know where they came from. These were sized with gas checks installed then it appears they were lubed with something like Alox. Needless to say the lube is sticky and the boolits are now pretty dirty.

Can these be cleaned in a vibratory brass polisher without harming them? I would like to powder coat them for my Rossi 92.

[BLAHUT]

Soak them in #9, will clean them right up with a little time...

[Dom]

Put in an old pot with
water . Bring to a boil for a couple of minutes. Pour off residue on top, & empty all water from pot. . Refill with fresh water & bring to a boil a second time. Pour off the hot water. Let set & cool.Will shine like a new nickle.

[Winger Ed.]

Can these be cleaned in a vibratory brass polisher without harming them? I would like to powder coat them for my Rossi 92.

I wouldn't.
I'd boil 'em, then wash & rinse with a rather aggressive solvent. Or a wash in gasoline after the boiling water, then a rinse in Lacquer thinner.
That should get them clean enough for the powder coat to stick.

[higgins]

Put them in a can or pot with water and heat. If it is something like 50/50 Alox/beeswax the water will not need to boil for the lube to melt and rise to the surface. The lube can be recovered from the surface of the water and put back in a lubrisizer.

[Walter Laich]

since I cast my own I would just melt them down and start with brand new ones

[bluesman423]

Well, the boiling in water worked GREAT! Thank you so much. :)

[adktrap]

I was just given some bullets that we’re sticky like yours. I just left them in a coffee can of mineral spirits overnight and they were good as new and ready to powdercoat in the morning.


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[44Blam]

The other thing I've seen take off any coating to a boolit is tumbling them in steel pins. It'll even take off PC.

[stubshaft]

Put in an old pot with
water . Bring to a boil for a couple of minutes. Pour off residue on top, & empty all water from pot. . Refill with fresh water & bring to a boil a second time. Pour off the hot water. Let set & cool.Will shine like a new nickle.

That;s how I cleaned a bunch of old NRA lubed 185 WC.