Homemade 45/45/10: Is the finished product liquid at room temperature.

I followed a description I saw, the method seemed to work but the resulting product is pretty thick at room temperature, not runny and you need to warm it up before using.

Caveat: I was using LLA that was pretty thick to start with, it was several years old.

I heated the JPW and held the temperature at the point it was boiling off the solvent. It kept the temperature at a simmer until the solvent was boiled off.

Caveat #2: My JPW was pretty old as well, probably 30 or more years old. It was squirreled away before it was NLA in Canada.

Even with 10% mineral spirits it still pretty thick, like chocolate syrup at room temperature. It goes solid before 0ºC (32ºF). Is this what it is supposed to be like?

I warmed it it my microwave and tumbled a few bullets, seems to coat them ok.

I used a small wooden stick to stir the JPW as it boiled, it came out looking pretty good, made me think if you poured boiled JPW on a gunstock it would be a pretty durable finish, has anyone tried that?

Nitro

I mix mine with a little more mineral spirits. It comes out as a thin liquid at room temperature. My thoughts are that using it in a thinner form helps to get a light coat on the bullets and they dry faster. If I don't thin the mixture down this much, sometimes it never seems to dry all the way.

I think the original recipe mentioned a consistently similar to coke when you drip it out.

YMMV. Just my ramblings.....

Sam Sackett

Was a while ago I made some in the summer and it was not fluid, kinda syrup. I do not microwave it. I heat a bowl of water and put the lube container in it to soften to liquid state. Also warming the boolits helps them dry faster if your short on time. I dump mine on wax paper and leave them to dry.
The jpw will darken if over cooked I think but for sure the lube mix will darken if your to high heat and not patient while letting it all blend together. It’s great stuff.
Find a good air tight container to store as over time the lube will harden more and you will need to add a small amount of mineral spirits to it to rejuvenate it while warming it up.

Be safe and good shooting, Mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by myg30

Was a while ago I made some in the summer and it was not fluid, kinda syrup. I do not microwave it. I heat a bowl of water and put the lube container in it to soften to liquid state. Also warming the boolits helps them dry faster if your short on time. I dump mine on wax paper and leave them to dry.
The jpw will darken if over cooked I think but for sure the lube mix will darken if your to high heat and not patient while letting it all blend together. It’s great stuff.
Find a good air tight container to store as over time the lube will harden more and you will need to add a small amount of mineral spirits to it to rejuvenate it while warming it up.

Be safe and good shooting, Mike

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Thanks, makes sense. My LLA was pretty thick to begin with. I have a coffee pot warmer, like those you see in a restaurant, and on low you can see it simmer the solvents off. It takes a while but you can see the "legs" on the side of the tin cup I used. When the bubbling stops and I can no longer see the legs, I stop.

I'm not sure, but what's left is probably mostly carnauba wax???? I'm also thinking if I add a bit of beeswax, it would work in my lube/sizer.

Nitro

It should be runny at room temp about the consistency of chocolate milk. Because you used old dried out ingredients you should probably add more mineral spirits to thin a bit. Look up threads with Lars45's description of the consistency of 45/45/10 he makes as others have asked that question before.

You can use JPW on gunstocks but wipe on/wipe off excess as a solid, I wouldn't use hot or boiled as you call it. I have an old can of Butchers Paste Wax I have been using on gunstocks and recurves and longbows for years. Birchwood Casey also has a small bottle of gunstock wax that is good stuff.

I make mine to the consistency of creamy peanut butter.
I use heat to apply it.
It dries on the boolits as they become cooled (less than 10 minutes).