Cleaning Lubesizer

[Circuit Rider]

What's the best procedure for cleaning a Saeco lubesizer? Also need to clean lube off cast bullets that have gotten dusty, don't want to chance scratching a barrel. Thanks, Circuit Rider

[RobS]

Some have boiled out the old lube by placing the lubricator in a pot of water. Others have used a torch to heat up the base or I've heard of people using a blowgun used for auto body work. A hair drier has been used I believe or a very high watt heat lamp may even work. I made a base for mine from a 1/4" piece of aluminum that is a touch wider than the base and long enough to set an iron on the back side of the lubricator. The lubricator is bolted to this and then the aluminum plate is then bolted with 1/4" spacers to the bench. When I want to clean mine out I pull the die out, take out the resevour screw/plug, and crank up the heat to the iron and the lube comes running out after about 5 minutes. You could do the same if you wanted by heating up an aluminum or iron sheet that you vise grip the lubricator to and then set up a heat source on the other end. This would be an idea if you don't want to run a tourch directly to the lubricator.

There are other means of cleaning a lubricator out and others will probably chime in here.

As for the bullets.......I use a wrag and wipe out the lube, but have only done this on about 20 bullets througout my time. I often have bullets that I sized, but shouldn't have been (bad fillout etc that I missed while sorting) I simply use them to flux my pots. Althoug you may have alot of them so you could also try putting them in a pan and cooking them a touch until the lube melts off.

I once had a fellow who gave me some cast bullets that were lubed with what looked like crayons (typical commerical caster's lube) and I just melted most of them down and used 100 or so to flux my pots.

[runfiverun]

you can usually boil the lube out of the boolits let cool and scrape the lube from the top of the pot.
WARNING use a very cheap pot that YOU bought with YOUR money.
or ask anyways.
if i end with just a few these make good flux boolits when smelting.
i wait till the initial scraping then toss in a handfull.

[dromia]

I've tried most methods and go for the paintstripping heat gun. Suspend the casting over a tin or bowl to catch the dripping lube and away you go, quick too.

[Lloyd Smale]

I heat bullets in the oven on a cookie sheat about about 250 degrees and then dump them in cold water and most of the lube floats to the top. Added benifit is it might make them a bit harder. I dont really clean out a lube sizer. If i want to swap lubes i just add the other lube on top and keep going. You get some bullets that have both lube in them but ive never seen it hurt anything.

[Shiloh]

did mine in the oven over a cookie sheet with newspaper on it it absorb the wax.

If I ever do it again, I'll go the heat gun method.

SHiloh

[Recluse]

Heat gun.

I hate unbolting, stripping down, boiling or baking, re-assembling, re-bolting the whole thing for basically a $2 stick of lube. [smilie=b:

Heat gun with a bucket or drip sheet underneath. Takes maybe fifteen minutes tops.

:coffee:

[Cowboy5780]

Ditto on the heatgun works perfect

[Circuit Rider]

Thanks greatly for the info gents. Circuit Rider

[cajun shooter]

+1 on the heat gun and you can buy one for $10 on sale at Harbor Freight

[Marlin Hunter]

Boil the boolits in water.