What to do???????????

[ebb]

I am about to lube a big bunch, my second run of 357 cast bullets. These were cast with some pewter added and are much better than the first batch. The first batch I tumble lubed with LLA and it was and still is a sticky gooey mess. They shot OK but had dust and other matter stuck to them before I got to the range. I started sizing and have done about half of them and lubed before with something I read about on the net. The writer told of putting a bunch of bullets in a ziplok bag and spraying Hornaday one shot in to the bag and turning the over till all were coated with the one shot. One shot being so expensive I tried a spray lube designed for aluminum called LC wax. I have no real idea if it is working right, but i hand lubed a bullet with LLA and it showed the same or more resistance in the sizing die as the LC wax. I will continue this method till done but need to make a decision on what to do before loading. I have looked at the bullet lubes here and on U tube, and feel like that you must be kidding. How could any novice make a decision from this many options? That said most of these lube recipes don't even tell you what method you need to apply them with. I am not at this point going to buy a lubesizer, so I assume that means tumble or pan. The 45-45-10 seems to be widely accepted. My LLA has turned to a semi solid. I have 4 sticks of Lyman alox that I bought for fluxing that could be used if this would work to make 45-45-10. Or is it time to pan lube and make some nice clean looking bullets that wont pick up trash. pan lube looks like a lot more time and mess but the end results may be worth the time. thank you for looking

[HWooldridge]

I don’t load thousands of shells at one time so take it for what it’s worth - after I load tumble lubed boolits, I just take a rag and wipe off the noses. Doesn’t take much to sit in front of the TV and clean up a couple hundred.

[Bazoo]

I have used lla and alox and paste wax mixed. LLA is tacky by itself. You can tumble your bullets that are still tacky with a dab of mica or powdered graphite. Powdered graphite used to be available from feed stores, but I ain’t personally got any lately so I can’t say for sure.

I mix a bottle of lla and a can of Johnson’s paste wax. It is a hard (not liquid) when mixed. I melt the bottle in the microwave for a minute or so to warm it. I warm my bullets with a hairdryer a few minutes. Dump the billets in a ziploc bag, squirt in a good dab of lube, close the bag, and knead until it’s all coated. I size my bullets before lubing, I run them dry through the lee sizer. But you can use one shot if it suits you. One shot is not expensive, It’s $10 and a can will last a year or more with regular use. That’s not much when you think of it that way.

[Winger Ed.]

I use a heated luber-sizer press, and am happy with it.
Another option you might want to check into is powder coat.

[Finster101]

Ditch that tumble lube and start powder coating.

[Bazoo]

Tumble lube is easy and fast and mess free, once you get it down. Don’t give up on it! I also use a lubesizer, but I still tumble lube some things.

[G W Wade]

I am wondering if you used to much of the 45/45/10 I tumble approx 1500 38's with only a coule of TBSP's. To me if you can see the lube , it's too much. I can feel it but thats all. I am only running my 38's around 800/900 fps but am seeing no signs of leading. GW

[ebb]

On my first batch i used straight LLA, not 45-45-10. I don't think my LLA is any good as i can't get it out of the bottle. Can i use Lyman alox (a semi solid) instead of LLA in the 45-45-10 recipe?

[Bazoo]

You have to heat the lla to get it liquid. Microwave it, or put it in a pot of hot water. Then add mineral spirits so get it back to a liquid state when at room temp. What youlre desceibing is normal for LLA that’s a bit older.

The Lyman lube you speak of will be alox and beeswax. I don’t know if you could get it to tumble lube or not.

[Sasquatch-1]

You can tumble your bullets that are still tacky with a dab of mica or powdered graphite. Powdered graphite used to be available from feed stores, but I ain’t personally got any lately so I can’t say for sure.

Powder graphite should be available in the lock department of any hardware store. It is used for lubing locks rather than oil to keep from collecting dust. Also available on Amazon for about $17.00 to $18.00 a quart which should last a good long time.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

On my first batch i used straight LLA, not 45-45-10. I don't think my LLA is any good as i can't get it out of the bottle. Can i use Lyman alox (a semi solid) instead of LLA in the 45-45-10 recipe?

ebb, you seem like the type that isn't afraid to experiment. If you understand "what does what" it'll help you greatly.

First off, Alox by itself is the boolit lube and is a great boolit lube.
Alox is thick stuff. Lee blends in MS to their Alox (then calls it, Lee Liquid Alox), when it's thin, it is easy to apply. When it sits on the shelf, the MS will evaporate out of their plastic bottle and you end up with a thick puddy-like solid, which is difficult to apply. Alox needs to be a liquid to apply it, so all you need to do is add more MS.

NOW, You can thin it with many things besides MS, like JPW or beeswax.

Lyman alox is just alox with beeswax. you can tumble lube with that as it is, if you use heat.

When you tumble lube with a thinned alox lube, you want to put as thin a layer on as possible...so thin you can't even see it.

That is why 45-45-10 was formulated, it's an easy way to apply a thin layer, and if properly mixed and stored in a sealed glass jar, then the solvents don't evaporate and make it into a puddy-like solid.

I mix my 45-45-10 to the consistency of creamy peanut butter, and then apply it using heat. Heat makes it even easier yet, to get a super thin layer. My 45-45-10 dries as the boolits cool in about 20 minutes, they are dry enough to touch, but you should still cure them overnight...then they will have a hard dry lube layer that will load without gumming up your fingers and dies and ammo.
good Luck.

[dverna]

If I was to tumble lube, I would use Ben's Liquid Lube (BLL). Do a search and you will find information on it.

[Kosh75287]

I'm no "Master Caster", but I'M still in wonder about using pewter (I'm guessing the newer formulation, w/Pb < 250 ppm) in your alloy, and not getting all kinds of problems with the copper content. I gather that the copper content is either quite low, even for pewter, or that copper does not behave as I expect in tin:lead alloys.
I'm guessing that the tin content is high enough that you have zero problems with mould fill. Do you get any internal or surface inclusions from the copper? The internal ones may not be evident until you shoot them, but look for wider-than-usual groups, often with "clustering" rather than just a "birdshot" dispersion. The surface inclusions appear as tiny "bumps", usually on the lube grooves or driving bands, though they can appear anywhere.
You're very likely already doing more right in your casting session(s) than I am, and I'm sure the more experienced hands on here will help you get your (probably minimal) lubing issues resolved. I'm just wondering how the copper is not giving you lots of fits, when it is a next-door neighbor (on the periodic table) to zinc, the bane of all bullet casters.

MY level of "sophistication" is still tumble-lubing with Lee Alox, beeswax, when I can obtain it, and another ingredient the name of which eludes me, and I get to put up with "sticky" quite a bit. I'VE found that letting the lubed projectiles sit for a day in a hot, closed garage in a Texas summer renders them far less sticky, and ready for loading without sizing.

[Soundguy]

I don’t load thousands of shells at one time so take it for what it’s worth - after I load tumble lubed boolits, I just take a rag and wipe off the noses. Doesn’t take much to sit in front of the TV and clean up a couple hundred.

Agreed.. I use a rag with a little mineral spirits on it and wipe the lla off. it's easier than hand dipping lla bullets.

Or I just pan lube....

[Good Cheer]

My old stand by is lanolin, olive oil and beeswax.

If I'm getting really wild and crazy I'll add in some stinky DAX pomade.
Why? Because it works and it's here.
Oh, and yeah, a crayon to color code the batch.

I don't use liquid lubes much but do some, Lee lube (because it's here).

[Soundguy]

Does sized & Lube bullets in the wrong size that you don't use those will meltdown fine and that lube that's in them that makes good flux

[gwpercle]

On my first batch i used straight LLA, not 45-45-10. I don't think my LLA is any good as i can't get it out of the bottle. Can i use Lyman alox (a semi solid) instead of LLA in the 45-45-10 recipe?

Thin the LLA when it gets thick . Place bottle in a pan of hot water or double boiler ... microwave can melt bottle , be carefull melting things in plastic bottles .
When you get the LLA in a semi-liquid state add a small amont of mineral spirits and stir ...keep adding a little and stirring until it gets to new cane syrup cosistency .
The secrete is very thin coats of thinned LLA or 45-45-10 ...thinner coats are much better than thick ... thick never dries (I did the same thing) You should just barely see a light sheen of lube and it should dry . If things don't dry ... dust them with Motor-Mica (graphite powder) or corn starch or baby powder to help with sticky ...
You just applying too thick and you LLA needs thinning out ...it dries out even in the bottle .
It should flow like sryup in july ... 45-45-10 is good ...just use thin LLA and get you lube thin so it leaves a thin coat , barely enough to see and then it will dry . If one thin coat isn't enough ... two thin coats at most will do it ...just let first coat dry before applying second coat .
Gary

[Soundguy]

Good advice^^^^^^^

[ebb]

thank you

[Larry Gibson]

Thin the LLA when it gets thick . Place bottle in a pan of hot water or double boiler ... microwave can melt bottle , be carefull melting things in plastic bottles .
When you get the LLA in a semi-liquid state add a small amont of mineral spirits and stir ...keep adding a little and stirring until it gets to new cane syrup cosistency .
The secrete is very thin coats of thinned LLA or 45-45-10 ...thinner coats are much better than thick ... thick never dries (I did the same thing) You should just barely see a light sheen of lube and it should dry . If things don't dry ... dust them with Motor-Mica (graphite powder) or corn starch or baby powder to help with sticky ...
You just applying too thick and you LLA needs thinning out ...it dries out even in the bottle .
It should flow like sryup in july ... 45-45-10 is good ...just use thin LLA and get you lube thin so it leaves a thin coat , barely enough to see and then it will dry . If one thin coat isn't enough ... two thin coats at most will do it ...just let first coat dry before applying second coat .
Gary

Excellent post.

If your LLA'd bullets are "gooey" or "sticky" then you've used too much and not let it dry. In humid climates, like Florida, a hair dryer can help a lot.