Rockydog
03-06-2010, 07:37 PM
I tried my hand at making my first batch of lube today. I had some raw beeswax from a friend that I melted and strained through 2 layers of cheese cloth and then strained a second time through another two layers. I actually found that if you let it sit for a little while after melting and again after the first straining most of the sediment settles to the bottom of the vessel and the straining doesn't catch all that much.
After straining I returned it to my, now cleaned, melting pan and added the Dexron ATF and the Lithium grease. I actually added the two together in a can and stirred to try to dilute the grease prior to adding it. I still ended up with lumps of grease floating in the final mix. As I was stirring this with a paint stick my neighbor came by and asked what the heck I was doing. When I told him he looked at my lithium and commented that it was high temp lithium and that I'd have a heck of a time melting it in. I had a thermometer and I was very near the flashpoint of the beeswax but I couldn't get it to melt in. I had teaspoon sized gobs floating all over. I was thinking that i had to make the gobs smaller to get the heat to the grease. I took a piece of 1/4" hardware cloth about 6" wide and 10" long and folded it lengthwise twice making a 4 layer screen. I left one end flat and rolled the other into a tube fashioning a handle of sorts. Using this for a whisk I was able to stir the globs into tiny particles that went into suspension in the mix. I don't have a lube sizer, so while i had this hot, I pan lubed about 30 311291 cast from WW and checked. They turned out really well. I ran them through a Lee sizer and will load them later. The lube seems to have just the right amount of tackiness to stay in the grooves and yet provide plenty of lube.
Thanks to everyone here for your great posts in the lube recipes thread. Even though this was my first attempt at this I felt like I had done it before thanks to your tutelage. Rockydog
After straining I returned it to my, now cleaned, melting pan and added the Dexron ATF and the Lithium grease. I actually added the two together in a can and stirred to try to dilute the grease prior to adding it. I still ended up with lumps of grease floating in the final mix. As I was stirring this with a paint stick my neighbor came by and asked what the heck I was doing. When I told him he looked at my lithium and commented that it was high temp lithium and that I'd have a heck of a time melting it in. I had a thermometer and I was very near the flashpoint of the beeswax but I couldn't get it to melt in. I had teaspoon sized gobs floating all over. I was thinking that i had to make the gobs smaller to get the heat to the grease. I took a piece of 1/4" hardware cloth about 6" wide and 10" long and folded it lengthwise twice making a 4 layer screen. I left one end flat and rolled the other into a tube fashioning a handle of sorts. Using this for a whisk I was able to stir the globs into tiny particles that went into suspension in the mix. I don't have a lube sizer, so while i had this hot, I pan lubed about 30 311291 cast from WW and checked. They turned out really well. I ran them through a Lee sizer and will load them later. The lube seems to have just the right amount of tackiness to stay in the grooves and yet provide plenty of lube.
Thanks to everyone here for your great posts in the lube recipes thread. Even though this was my first attempt at this I felt like I had done it before thanks to your tutelage. Rockydog