felix lube ?????

[indymadcaster]

howdy,

i made a batch of felix lube, only i used 2 tablespoons of castor oil (read some where that it was better for small bores that way) and this stuff is so hard i am afraid of melting it and putting it in my 4500 :killingpc i thought it was supposed to be used without a heater??? can i remelt and add mineral oil or vaseline to soften it a bit???????????i made it into a 6 inch round by 1 inch cake heck i cannot break it to check for separation!!!!!!!!!!!!

[indymadcaster]

remalted and added 1 tablespoon of petroleium jelly still stiff but @ 80 degrees is works ok in the sizer

[geargnasher]

Of course it's too hard, the recipe calls for 12.25 cubic inches of beeswax, you used about 28.27 cubic inches, more than twice the recommended amount! If you follow the proportions and directions in the recipe it will work in a sizer without a heater just fine. Making double or quadruple batches is ok, too, JUST FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS.

Now go back and cook another batch of oils, just use 1.5 tbs castor and 2.5 mineral, add 1 teaspoon or so grated Ivory, then remelt your original mix GENTLY, if you added the lanolin per the recipe don't heat the mix much over it's melting point, then add the additional cooked oils and another tbs lanolin.

Gear

[indymadcaster]

no i used a 3.5 x3.5 x1 inch piece of wax as the recipe called for, the cake it produced is the 6 x 1 round

[geargnasher]

no i used a 3.5 x3.5 x1 inch piece of wax as the recipe called for, the cake it produced is the 6 x 1 round

That is physically impossible. Check your measurements, one of them is wrong.

Gear

[jonk]

I'm sure I'm missing something but...

If I remember, internal volume of a cube is lengthXwidthXheight, which equals 12.25 cubic inches. Volume of a cylinder (disc) is piXr(2)Xh... or about 28.275 cubic inches.

One tablespoon is equal to .90 cubic inches. There are 5 tablespoons of stuff in felix lube besides the beeswax. That works out to 4.5 cubic inches.

So you start with 16.75 cubic inches of ingredients and end up with a disc the size of 28.275? I think not... go back and double check.

It is a bit stiff but I have no issue with it in my sizers without a heater if properly measured.

[indymadcaster]

ok i made a new batch 1 tablespoon mineral oil 2 tablespoons of caster oil 1 heaping tablespoon of ivory soap shavings beeswax 3.35x 3.35x 1.3 inches 1 tablespoon of lanolin
its still way too hard!!!!!!!!!! feels like i am gonna twist off my lube piston screw in my 4500
how do i soften it???????????????????????????????

[phishroy]

just wondering.
which type of mineral oil is supposed to be be used, the light thin watery one or the heavy thick one?

[keebo52]

how do i soften it???????????????????????????????

I used a HEAPING tablespoon of lanolin in my first batch and it was very soft and very sticky. I had to make a second batch without the lanolin and mix the 2 together to get it the way I wanted.

[geargnasher]

ok i made a new batch 1 tablespoon mineral oil 2 tablespoons of caster oil 1 heaping tablespoon of ivory soap shavings beeswax 3.35x 3.35x 1.3 inches 1 tablespoon of lanolin
its still way too hard!!!!!!!!!! feels like i am gonna twist off my lube piston screw in my 4500
how do i soften it???????????????????????????????

I REPEAT:

"Now go back and cook another batch of oils, just use 1.5 tbs castor and 2.5 mineral, add 1 teaspoon or so grated Ivory, then remelt your original mix GENTLY, if you added the lanolin per the recipe don't heat the mix much over it's melting point, then add the additional cooked oils and another tbs lanolin."

Gear

I figured the amounts in my above post based on the original batch proportions you used, correcting the amount of oils to bring your 28 cubic inch batch up to speed.

[stubshaft]

I just cooked up a batch sans lanolin. It is just slightly harder than peanut butter about as hard as BAC. Are you sure the wax you are using is BEESWAX?

[indymadcaster]

pure beeswax light yellow bought @ a local honey farm i do have some of the much cheaper darker brown beeswax

[phishroy]

just wondering.
which type of mineral oil is supposed to be be used, the light thin watery one or the heavy thick one?

does anyone know

[GabbyM]

just wondering.
which type of mineral oil is supposed to be be used, the light thin watery one or the heavy thick one?

Original recipe calls for baby oil. I prefer the heavy type intestinal lubricant mineral oil. Since the later lacks the perfumes found in baby oil which can be disgusting when heated. Some use ATF in place of the mineral oils but I've not tried that. Since they report a need to cook ATF and castor oil outside due to the smoke I believe I'll stick with mineral oil.

[mroliver77]

Thats weird indy. Mine is always softer than what you describe.I mix in some alox as I like the way it sticks to anything and it gives this property to my perverted Felix lube. You can go with less beeswax to get it softer or add the petro jelly as you did.
Jay

[indymadcaster]

ok added oils better but still hard as lyman orange ok if i make a fresh batch and melt my beeswax in microwave as i am cooking oils on the stove so how much liquid melted wax should i use in a fresh batch? as in measuring cup or in ounces?

[geargnasher]

ok added oils better but still hard as lyman orange ok if i make a fresh batch and melt my beeswax in microwave as i am cooking oils on the stove so how much liquid melted wax should i use in a fresh batch? as in measuring cup or in ounces?

I don't know about melted volume, but you could convert 12.25 cubic inches to mL and use that scale on your measuring cup.

I just weigh my wax for measuring, about 7-8 dry ounces for the original recipe batch depending on the consistency I want or how much oil I'm using.

Gear

[indymadcaster]

sucess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12 teaspoons mineral oil
6 teaspoons castor oil
6 HEaping teaspoons shaved ivory soap flakes
6 teaspoons lanolin
6 oz beeswax

[phishroy]

sucess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12 teaspoons mineral oil
6 teaspoons castor oil
6 HEaping teaspoons shaved ivory soap flakes
6 teaspoons lanolin
6 oz beeswax

next time as a tip try backing off a bit on the lanolin and you probably wont need as much ivery soap

[geargnasher]

sucess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12 teaspoons mineral oil
6 teaspoons castor oil
6 HEaping teaspoons shaved ivory soap flakes
6 teaspoons lanolin
6 oz beeswax

What are you making, hand salve? You must be working with the hardest beeswax on the planet if it takes that much liquid to make it soft.

Gear

[indymadcaster]

ok my beeswax is so hard we have to take an axe, chop off hunks its in 50-60 pound blocks then melt in double boiler filter it with auto paint strainers and put in in muffin pans my last batch quoted above works great and a double batch it just about fills a pint canning jar

[JJC]

I made a double batch and it's on the hard side. I use a hair dryer for two or three min on my sizer and I'm good to go for a while. If need be reheat and have at it.