Lube Ingredients Function?

[Hip's Ax]

In reading everything I could find on making bullet lubes in the last several months I think I've figured out a few things. Bee's wax seems to be a "carrier" rather than a lubricant, that is the bee's wax holds the actual lubricant still in the desired place. Paraffin and soy wax seem to be "carriers" too. Vaseline and lanolin seem to be used to thin the bullet lube, again not actual lubricants. Ivory soap or sodium sterate are used to keep the lube mix from seperating. The actual bullet lubricants seem to be, castor oil, mineral oil, Alox, moly, graphite, jojoba oil, STP etc. How far off am I on my opinions? Where does palm oil fall in its function if used? Carnauba for a shiney bore? Olive oil? Orange oil? Crisco? Others? My brain hurts.

[motorcycle_dan]

Sort of like grandma's biscuits. Many ways to make 'em but none worked like grandma's. My problem is time between test and then too many variables to rule one thing in or out. But if it weren't fun, we'd be down at the wal-mart buy'n factory ammo....

[Bucks Owin]

I think there are dozens of good brews as far as lube goes, and I know what you mean about choosing one! It'd drive you to drink! (If you weren't already there.... LOL)

May I suggest doing what I did. As soon as you find one that does what you want it to do*, simply stick to it and quit fretting! :-D

Use that time to burn powder instead! :Fire:

Dennis

*In my case, Lars Carnuba Red. $1 a stick and superb performance.....

[Hip's Ax]

Understood, I have laid in a nice supply of both lar's and Bullshop's lubes as well as a few sticks of commercial lube that came my way and I've mixed up a good sized batch of Felix Lube. I've purchased almost every ingredient in every formula I've run across for future use and comparison. Yes, this is fun! I shoot a LOT and if the point were just to find something that works I would have been done a long time ago. I'm just curious as to the exact roll of a given component in a bullet lube. Just trying to learn. :coffee:

[mooman76]

I think Hips Ax onto something. Im not sure if all his assumtions are correct or not but I believe most of it is correct if not all. Just like I think case Lube is not really a lubricant or we would just use oil or silicon lubricant. I think case lube is more of a anti seise compound to keep something layered between the 2 metals so it doesn't siese together!

[StarMetal]

I don't feel the lube is to keep the metals from seizing together. There are anti-seize compounds out and you don't hear about their use in bullet lubes much. Also on two cycle engines the lubricanting oil is mixed in with the gasoline. I'm sure any of you that are/where into heavy motorcycle trailbiking know's what it means to seize up your piston, but yet the oil is a lubricanting oil, although it may have some antiseizing qualities.

Dan from Mountain Moulds and I both agreed together that one of lube's main functions is to seal off the gas from getting and cutting through any bullet imperfections. This along with the role of lubricanting the bore for the bullets passage. Sure beeswax, paraffin, etc., is used to hold the lube. Kind of hard to keep say 30 weight Quaker State oil on a bullet and not getting all over the place.

Gear oils are very heavy oils that although lubricating differentials for example, are under a whole different type of job. The gears mesh and press against each other under tremendous pressure, but yet the oils are just heavy lubricanting oils.

I'm still along the lines that bullet lube seals and lubes. BP lubes are a whole different ballgame.

Joe

[357maximum]

Hips'ax


Allow me to predict your future:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1556&stc=1&d=1148765064



I have seriously played with lubes fo quite awhile now, and IMHO it serves two functions, it seals the bore as posted earlier AND it lubes the bore for the NEXT shot. I have come to this conclusion by alternating one shot lubed, one shot not lubed (at all). The lubed shots all hit same p.o.i and the non lubed all hit same p.o.i, but the two groups were about 2 inches apart from one another. The lubed hits were higher and non lubed below, suggesting to me that lube DOES in fact seal the bore, not just lube. Standard deviations on the chrono support this. The lubed bullets were by FAR more consistent in velocity, than the non lubed. The experiments are still underway, but this is what I have so far..

[Marlin Junky]

The Ivory may indeed keep the ingredients from separating (I haven't made lube w/o it) but it also serves to raise the lube's melting point. See my test results on the thread "Lube melt point test results". I should post a picture but my digital camera died and I wasn't thinking about taking pictures of my experiment when I did it so I placed the lubes on a piece of aluminum foil, shinny side up; therefore, it's not all that easy getting a decent picture.

MJ

[redneckdan]

I just tried using C5-A as a case lube. It does work. Kinda expesive at 14 clams per 8oz container.

[kodiak1]

Hip you have a good point. All the ingredents though, I think to a certian point, are lubes.
You have a sliding door or drawer that slides hard wax it or soap it and it slides easier.
Yes lubed bullets will crony fast they are lubed and every little bit helps more lube on the lubed bullets over the non lubed thus going faster and probably the higher point of impact.
even the Ivory doing to parts keeping from seperating and lubing as it is a soap.
The lubes used vasaline, STP, crisco lubes and softeners for the bees wax.
This is just how I have gone to thinking on it for the past years they all work together. You alter one ingredent more or less and the lube changes softer, harder, slipprier, tackier. The problem is and I belive as mentioned above if you find one that you like stick with it and don't be scarred to experiment once in a while.
Thanks Ken.