How thick is Alox supposed to be?

[Centaur 1]

I ordered a bottle of Alox from midway last week along with some other stuff. In the mean time I found a new (to me) shop about an hour away called Space Coast Bullets. While I was there buying primers and some plated bullets, I saw that they had Alox on the shelf so I bought a bottle. I just started casting bullets and I had my first batch at home waiting for lube. I lubed them with the Alox that I bought at the store, and then a few days later the second bottle from Midway came in the mail. This second bottle sounded different when I shook it, much more liquid sounding. I compared the two bottles side by side and the thinner one just flattened like water when I dripped some on the bench, and the thicker one held its shape, like a hershey kiss without the point. Which one is the proper thickness? Did one dry out and thicken from age or was the other thinned too far?

Thanks......Mike

[sargenv]

were they at the same temperature? All of the alox I got from those lee push through sizer kits are a bit like molassas at room temperature.. haven't seen one that actually pours.. though I would likely prefer it..

[Shiloh]

Warm to see what the consistency is, then thin with mineral spirits. I like mine like warm syrup.
Thicker than water but still a little runny.

Shiloh

[Centaur 1]

Both bottles are the same temp, I thought the same thing since the thin lube was riding around in the back of the big brown truck, so I waited a day and it was just as thin. Syrup makes a good analogy, the thinner stuff is like warm syrup, and the thicker stuff is like syrup in winter. I was going to try mixing some with JPW, maybe I should use the thinner one and just add less mineral spirits.

[Rocky Raab]

I had a hiatus in casting that lasted for four or five years. The bottle of LLA I had (and it wasn't new back then!) was thick enough that it wouldn't move in the bottle at all. I eventually warmed it up in a double boiler enough to get most of it out, and that's what I mixed with my JPW and mineral spirits when I made my mix.

The bottle that came with my recent Lee sizer order is more like a thin syrup. I'll set that aside until my mix is used up - at which time it might be a semi-solid as well!

Hey Centaur, if you're on that team, nice launch yesterday!

[Centaur 1]

That why I use the name Centaur, last nights launch placed the Air Forces X-37B space plane into orbit on top of an Atlas V rocket with a Centaur upper stage. For almost 20 years I worked on the Centaur upper stage on the Titan IV rocket before the program was cancelled back in 2005. Since then I've been working on the Space Shuttle. My shop takes care of everything aft of the cargo bay on Shuttle Atlantis; engine compartment, body flap, rudder speed brake, APU's, drag chute etc.. That was before I hurt my back, I had a career ending surgery 6 months ago. Now I have lots of time for my new hobbies of casting bullets and reloading.

[wistlepig1]

That why I use the name Centaur, last nights launch placed the Air Forces X-37B space plane into orbit on top of an Atlas V rocket with a Centaur upper stage. For almost 20 years I worked on the Centaur upper stage on the Titan IV rocket before the program was cancelled back in 2005. Since then I've been working on the Space Shuttle. My shop takes care of everything aft of the cargo bay on Shuttle Atlantis; engine compartment, body flap, rudder speed brake, APU's, drag chute etc.. That was before I hurt my back, I had a career ending surgery 6 months ago. Now I have lots of time for my new hobbies of casting bullets and reloading.

For a cancelled program that thing sure did leave town in a hurry.:kidding:

I understand about the back stuff, cost me a 32 yr job I had, after 2 surgerys and enough Titanium in my back to build a small turbine. Good luck with your new hobby.

[Centaur 1]

Thanks wistlepig, that titanium is a wonderful metal when it comes to medical implants. I've been wondering with all the titanium implants out there, if the temperature in a cremation furnace are hot enough to ignite the titanium?

It was the Titan/Centaur program that was cancelled, the Atlas V/Centaur program is still running strong. The only problem was that the newer rocket needs fewer technicians to launch it, my department went from almost 300 tech's to just 70 now.

[lar45]

There are a couple things likley involved here.

1: It looks like the mineral spirits in Liquid Alox may be evaporating through the bottle over time.
Lee uses a PVC bottle. I use PVC bottles also, but have tried LDPE and HDPE. The evaporation in the LDPE and HDPE bottles is much faster.

2: The materials supplied by Luberizol do seem to be abit different from batch to batch. When I bought my first barrel, I tried several dilutions with mineral spirits until I got the molases consistency at room temp. One my second barrel, I heated the entire barrel, stirred and mixed in the same amount of mineral spirits that I used on the first drum. We packaged a couple hundred bottles and it wasn't until later when they had cooled to room temp that I noticed they were much thinner. We had to open and pour all the bottles back into the drum and order some concentrated Alox to mix in and get back to the same consistency.

I called Luberizol and they insisted that every batch was made the same. So now I heat and stir a new drum and pull off a small amount to test before mixing and packageing.

I have also seen variations in the Alox 350 used in our stick lubes. So every time I open a new drum, I go through a similar process to see if the recipie needs to be adjusted.
I sell Alox 350 in 1 quart metal cans and the filled net weight has varied from 1 lb 15 oz to 2 lb 3 oz. So our label reads " 1US quart, approx 2 pounds".

I hope this helps and I haven't muddied the waters.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions and support. :)

[bruce381]

The LZ supplied Alox will vary in consitancey and melt point. Also solubility in mineral spirts will also vary sometimes clear sometimes cloudy.
bruce

[Texasflyboy]

Using Stoddard's Solvent/Varsol, I thin the LLA as it comes from Midway by 50%.

Here is what I do:

Using two LLA bottles, one full, the other empty, I fill the the empty bottle to 1/2 full with LLA. I then fill both with Stoddard's Solvent until full.

For velocities under 900 fps, this works well. Shake bottle vigorously before each use.

It's what I have been using for the last 7,000 .38 Special Wadcutters I loaded over 3.5 of Bullseye. No leading, ever.

I am a recent LLA user. I learned what I know from Ed Harris who basically proved to me that the LLA sold is much thicker than necessary for most cast bullet use.

Ed thins his LLA even more for wadcutters. His LLA liquid is very fluid, almost like SAW 30 Wt on a hot summer day. Not at all like molasses.

I use two coffee cans (one plastic (folgers) the other metal) that fit into each other with a tight seal. The inside of both cans is coated heavily with LLA from previous use. Pour the bullets into one of the cans, add the thinned LLA, fit the cans together, and slowly tip back and forth for a 30 count. Pour out onto a LLA coated cookie sheet and place in front of a box fan for 12 hours. Ready for use by hour 13. The thinner mix and the blowing air allow for faster evaporation of the LLA and makes the bullet ready for loading.

[Centaur 1]

Thanks guys, I guess that it is normal to have variations between batches.