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Thread: Just the facts: Lube recipes

  1. #41
    Boolit Master Marlin Junky's Avatar
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    Come on Felix, you can't possibly be satisfied with my simple recipe as is! How would you tweek it? There's 3-1/2 ounces of Vaseline in there and 1/2 ounce of T3-Carnauba but I think I'm going to move up to 3/4 ounce Carnauba and maybe a full 4 oz. of Vaseline and drop down to just 2TBS of Jojoba (all per pound of beeswax).

    BTW, I cook all the ingredients on a hot plate at about 250F for 2 hours. It doesn't start to smoke until about 275F and if you go over 300F for any length of time, the finished lube ends up Javelina brown in color.

    MJ

  2. #42
    Boolit Master on Heavens Range
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    Gotta' tweak it per application! Accuracy is consistent at the velocity desired for 50-80 shots, such that no gum appears between relays. Time between relays is 20 minutes or less for my ideal demarcation. The first shot of any relay must be in the group, cold or hot barrel. This should be your objective per gun-ammo combo, in the ambient required. ... felix
    felix

  3. #43
    Boolit Master Marlin Junky's Avatar
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    I agree but what are the tweeking rules? In other words, when does one know if the lube is too hard, too brittle, or too oily? Usually I add a little Vaseline with the Carnauba to counteract the brittle nature of Carnauba but I'm wondering if adding a little more Jojoba would be better than Vaseline. What are the trouble signs when a lube has too much oil?

    Basically, what I'm trying to do now is push the limits of my fast twist .350 with 250 grain boolits. I reduced very hard boolits to groove diameter and that just made a mess yesterday except for a very impressive first five or six rounds out of a clean, cold barrel. So now I need to increase the boolit diameter .001".

    MJ

  4. #44
    Boolit Master on Heavens Range
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    Basically, on how the boolit reacts and your feeling towards it. ... felix
    felix

  5. #45
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    Bees wax, plus just about any vegitable, or animal based oil to make to soft and useable.

    I have heard but not tried bee wax, + Ivory soap. Were it me, I would add to that a bit of a vegitable oil, like peanut oil, or olive oil, to make it soft.

  6. #46
    Boolit Master

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    For Becky's Bad A&# Bullet Lube: Green Dragon

    Here is the simple and really good recipe:

    2 Pounds Beeswax
    1 Pound Alox or Xlox
    1/2 Pound Carnuba Wax

    Melt the Carnuba first, the add the Alox, then add the Beeswax.

    Let with simmer for about 20 minutes, stir occasionally.

    Very hard, good for higher velocity bullets.

    Jerry
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    NRA Benefactor Life Member

  7. #47
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    For my 44-40 Unique loads I still use (by volumne) 1/2 wheel bearing grease and 1/2 beeswax. Heat slowly until wax melts and add the grease. Do not overheat as the grease will catch fire if left unattended.. the stuff may smell up the kitchen also.

  8. #48
    Boolit Master GabbyM's Avatar
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    Question:
    I keep reading to use capping grade bees wax.
    Is that necessary or will brown bees wax work as well? Just not be so pretty?
    It seams to be more dense so maybe it's just to keep the viscosity consistent in the recipe.

    I'll add that from the predictions I hear of the rising cost of bee products. We may all be looking at other waxes for our lube.

  9. #49
    Boolit Mold
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    I need some help and advice on making a lube.
    I am relatively new to this so hold on while I make a few mistakes.
    It is my understanding that all lube formulas that are to be used in a lubrisizer need a "hardener of some sort--(as oppossed to a liquid lube like Alox).
    How do I find out what are some available hardeners and to what velocity they will work well.
    Am I correct that paraffin will work to about 900 fps and bees wax to about 1300 fps?
    What other "hardeners are available?
    I really need a "basic" course in lube components and what roll each one plays.
    HELP!!!
    Many thanks

  10. #50
    Boolit Master
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    My BP and equivalent velocity lube:

    half and half beeswax and rendered bear tallow. Haven't tested it past 1750fps, but it has worked with plainbase lead bullets and smokeless or black for twenty years.

    Rich

  11. #51
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    This one I developed for use in both pistols and rifles. It seems to work fine.

    1 lb Beeswax
    1 lb white lithium grease

    Combine the two under medium heat until well mixed. This one is as soft as 50/50 beeswax alox. If you want to harden it add 3/8 lb of parafin wax. This will still flow through my Lyman 450 in the Summer but I think in the Winter it'll need a heater.
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  12. #52
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    As Bullet lube is now over $4.00 for one stick, I have been making my own for years...I get old church candle stubs (free as they throw them out)...I melt in a 12 ounce steel can with a propane torch. I then add grease from a grease gun (lithium grease) and stir vigoriously at a 50/50% proportion. It is evety bit as good as Alox and doesn't require a melter. The Church candles are 51% beeswax/49% parafin. To add to my Lyman 450 sizer, I merely heat the can with a propane torch until it is a liquid...I stir and pour it in.

    Wally

    Wally

  13. #53
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    For smokless loads 6 oz.= 1 and a half blocks of Gulf wax-parraffin 3tbls of pennzoil 10-40 motor oil 2 heaping tbls of NAPA bearing and chassis grease #75-601 1 tbls of STP Heat together pennzoil grease and STP until melted grease will have clumps add Gulf-wax to melt and let cool overnite then re-heat grease will melt completely this way Have used in 45-70 up to 1800 fps also works well down to 1200 fps I pan lube but it works in commercial lubrisizers cowboy caster

  14. #54
    Boolit Buddy yodar's Avatar
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    Bullet lube

    Quote Originally Posted by Junior1942 View Post
    Junior's 411 or Pinko Commie *** lube.

    Over heat, mix by volume 4 parts beeswax, 1 part Dexron ATF, 1 part lithium auto grease.

    The lithium grease will tend to form little blobs, so squeeze them against the side of the melting container with a spatula.

    411 works fine in a 450 sizer-lubricator. Just melt and fill the reservoir. I've shot it to 1900 fps with no leading in Model 94 30-30.
    eliminate the Dexron and you have "Lithi-Bee" lube formula which is used by Adrian Pittfield, a professional bullet caster which is much less smoky than Beeswax-Alox

    yodar

  15. #55
    Boolit Buddy yodar's Avatar
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    bullet lube

    Quote Originally Posted by Bad Karma View Post
    This one I developed for use in both pistols and rifles. It seems to work fine.

    1 lb Beeswax
    1 lb white lithium grease

    Combine the two under medium heat until well mixed. This one is as soft as 50/50 beeswax alox. If you want to harden it add 3/8 lb of paraffin wax. This will still flow through my Lyman 450 in the Summer but I think in the Winter it'll need a heater.
    Since Alox 2158 is no longer available this recipe is accepted and adopted by a number of professional casters. I use it and for pistols it is excellent

    yodar

  16. #56
    Boolit Buddy yodar's Avatar
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    for rifle lube

    Quote Originally Posted by Bad Karma View Post
    This one I developed for use in both pistols and rifles. It seems to work fine.

    1 lb Beeswax
    1 lb white lithium grease

    Combine the two under medium heat until well mixed. This one is as soft as 50/50 beeswax alox. If you want to harden it add 3/8 lb of paraffin wax. This will still flow through my Lyman 450 in the Summer but I think in the Winter it'll need a heater.
    YES - ! For pistols!

    for higher velocities

    SAECO GREEN derived from Mfr. formulation in 66 gal lots

    1 lb beeswax
    1 lb paraffin
    1/2 bottle STP
    green crayons or green votives for color

    needs heater

    works at rifle velocities

    from a Saeco distributor

    yodar

  17. #57
    Boolit Buddy
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    My batch of Saeco Green doesn't need a heater, it is soft.
    If you get your paraffin from candles also containing stearine, the lube might get harder and requiring a heater.
    (I didn't use any coloring, crayons might make it harder?).

  18. #58
    Boolit Mold Maj Dad's Avatar
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    Gents,
    Whew! That's quite a bit to digest. But I would like to add one I didn't see: aerosol graphitic, as in some of the mold release agents sold by Midway, Dillon et al. I read about it some years back and tried it - and it worked very well. I seat the gas check on the bullet (311291 is one I've used with great results) and size it (except for 303/7.65 Mauser, just use it as cast), then stand them up in a pie pan or on a flat surface and spray concentricly. No mess, no fuss and no leading whatsoever in rifles @ about 2000 fps. Works just as well for 45, 38, 44 and 357. But I tend to stick to the hollow sticks for most - this is just another tool in the kit.
    Cheers,
    Maj Dad
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  19. #59
    Boolit Master
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    Oils in recipes! The "smoke point" of various natural lubes can add unwanted things to the shooting arena rather quickly. Smoke point is the temperature where the lube begins to vaporize and the vapors can ignite and produce nasty soot and carbon byproducts. I have noticed where some use oils with low "smoke point" in their lube recipe. For information the various smoke points of oils is here given in degrees F, low to high: olive oil 375, sunflower 390, corn 400, canola 435, peanut-soybean-safflower 450. For reference, most animal fats smoke at 365 to 400. The harder fats tend to have higher smoke points unless you can get oils from marine mammals. I have found deer (whitetail) and sheep fats stay hard at higher temperatures than other animal fats available. Bear and coon fats are softer and have rightly earned the term grease. Perhaps this may help in your recipes for the lube character you desire. OH yeah, I guess you can just make up your favorite receipe and use it for lube or pemmican. Best to all, 10 ga.

  20. #60
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    MML " Mike's Micro Lithi "

    MML Mike's Micro Lithi

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    cut and paste from another thread...thought it should be posted in the cookbook, been meaning to post it for awhile now, and a thread about lithium grease reminded me. It is a tweaked variation of the old lithi-bee recipe.




    I get my microcrystalline wax frome here:

    http://www.blendedwaxes.com/blendedw...ne/default.asp

    I have used a few grades and find the BW-430 to work the best. The company is excellent when it comes to customer service also.

    I use the following lube for all my loftier goals in singlehot HV pistols and rifles. It does slow loads well also but is not neccessarry.


    3 lbs Beeswax
    1-14oz tube of cheap MAG1 multipurpose lithium grease (Wal of china mart)
    1/2 lb of the micro 430 (blendedwaxes.com)
    1 lb of canning/candle parraffin (craft or grocery store)
    1 block of Yaley solid candle dye (do not use the flourescent colors, they just settle to the bottom...ask BaBore bout that )(craft store candle aisle)

    I have made lubes that were real soft by excluding some or all of the parraffin...but I took a good idea too far and accuracy suffered...the lube needs some body to it.

    It takes alot of steady heat to mix and you are getting real close to the poof point of the waxes...so do it with a well fitting lid handy just in case. Cook on med-high for 1/2 hour minimum after all the gooey lumps go away. Do not use a lithium COMPLEX grease too much of a good thing and the lube star will drip off the muzzle like a leaky faucet and accuracy gets iffy in hot weather.


    And for domestic harmonies sake ...do it outside. it smells like an engine fire while being made. I pour it into pint jelly jars or blocks...then melt and pour into the sizer...............lube sticks are a royal pain in my .
    __________________
    Last edited by 357maximum; 09-19-2010 at 07:24 PM. Reason: updated

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check