Interesting info/trivia on Lee Alox

[josquin]

I have an old bottle of this that has thickened up a little and went online for suggestions on thinning it (I just heated it up a little) and came across this old article from 2000 on long-term firearms storage by Ed Harris (emphasis mine).

.
The best rust preventive preparation I have found is the Lee Liquid
Alox bullet lubricant. This is actually the same material used by the
Ziebart Co. to rustproof automobiles, and is a mixture of 45% calcium
soap and 45% mineral spirits (petroleum distillates). According to Alox
Corp., who sell the product under the stoc no. 606-55, this material
was intended to be sprayed on to protect naval machinery on the decks
of ships against salt spray. It is very much like the cosmolene grease
used on weapons during WWII, except that it does not have to be heated
to be applied, and it can be readily thinned by dilution with mineral
spirits, or heated in a double-boiler (taking proper precautions
against fire). I have used this on weapons which have been exposed to
complete salt water immersion, and it did a better job protecting them
than anything else I have used. The only drawback is that it dries hard
and is somewhat difficult to remove, but the material does come off
readily with military rifle bore cleaner (Mil-C-372B or Mil-L-63460),
or by use of steam cleaning, a vapor degreaser or scrubbing with
ordinary firearms cleaners. It must be removed from the bore prior to
firing, as would any grease or wax, because it would constitute a bore
obstruction. If you wanted to bury a gun in a container for several
years, and have it ready for future use, I would clean and lubricate it
well with Mil-L-63460, known commercially as Break Free CLP, then coat
all exposed metal surfaces with Lee Liquid Alox. If you need to be able
to fire the weapon soon after taking out of the container, do not put
the Alox 606-55 in the bore. The Mil-L-63460 will protect it. I would
then wrap the weapon up in sheet polyethylene plastic, containing
about 100g of silica gel packets, and place the whole thing in a hard
gun case, preferably made of fiberglas or ABS plastic with rubber
gaskets, wrap this in a tarpaulin, and bury it on a slope with good
drainage, where it is protected by overhanging rocks or trees.
Ammunition should be sealed in plastic bags, then placed in military
style steel ammunition cans, which have been thoroughly coated with
Alox 606-55, then wrapped in plastic and buried. All the seams of the
plastic wrappings should be sealed with tape. If you use fresh
ammunition of good quality and it is protected from heat and light, it
will be OK in storage for at least 40 years.

Apparently Alox 606-55 (2138F) was discontinued around 2005 so I wonder what Lee is using as a replacement? Alox (Lubrizol) apparently suggested Alox 350. Or possibly they still make the original formula just for Lee.

** I just found some more online info that they still make the same stuff under the name XLOX.

(I guess this article might also be of interest for the TEOTWAWKI folks who want to bury their guns in a plastic pipe...

 

[phishroy]

alox 350 and alox 606 are not the same thing. they are not even close.
the alox 350 is similar to alox 2138 but it lacks the micro crystalline wax .
the alox 350 is used to make lube sticks for lube sizers. the alox 606-55 is the liquid stuff . the improvement of the 606 Vs the 606-55 is the higher flash point temp' which is a good safety benefit. and as far as i know they still make the stuff.

 

[josquin]

alox 350 and alox 606 are not the same thing. they are not even close.
the alox 350 is similar to alox 2138 but it lacks the micro crystalline wax .
the alox 350 is used to make lube sticks for lube sizers. the alox 606-55 is the liquid stuff . the improvement of the 606 Vs the 606-55 is the higher flash point temp' which is a good safety benefit. and as far as i know they still make the stuff.

Yes, this was mentioned on one of the forums I was reading (might be in one of the links I posted). Also that the original was in fact discontonued around 2005-6 (on the Cast Bullet Forum, I think) But somewhere there was mention of 6065-55HF, apparently a variant, which is still made and a component of XLOX.

I was mostly interested in what ALOX was initially developed for. Most of the chemicals we shooters use are just common industrial products which have been repackaged - usually with a very healthy markup. (ALOX only comes in 55 gallon drums). Several years ago I read that one much-touted bore-fouling remover was found to be the same as GE Top Engine Cleaner (which could be bought for less than 1/2 the price of the bore clleaner), and that was no doubt also put up in 55 gallon drums for industrial use.

 

[jamesharrison]

Re: Most of the chemicals we shooters use are just common industrial products which have been repackaged - usually with an obscene markup.

Fixed it for you!

Re: Several years ago I read that one much-touted bore-fouling remover was found to be the same as GE Top Engine Cleaner (which could be bought for less than 1/2 the price of the bore clleaner), and that was no doubt also put up in 55 gallon drums for industrial use.

It's actually GM Top Engine Cleaner (previously known as GM KLEENZ). We used to use this (one 16 oz. screw-top can) in benchrest shooting 30 years ago, mixed with 1 tbsp. of Sweet's 7.62 solvent & 3 tbsps. of red ATF. You can also use the 16 oz. spray can by itself by just spraying the stuff down the bore & let the rifle stand upside down in a can to let it drain. Then spray it out with brake cleaner & commence your normal bore cleaning routine.

If you look at the MSDS you'll find that it is, or at least was, made by Guardian Chemical & the sheets for it and the old Shooter's Choice formulation are the same. After all, Kleenz was meant to be used to dissolve lead (in leaded fuel), copper & carbon, without dissolving steel, which is exactly what we want our bore cleaners to do.

I read the referred-to pdf & learned something new today, so it wasn't a waste of time.

I can & will use it (Alox) for wire rope (winch line) lubricant!!!

 

[josquin]

Yes, GM Top Engine Cleaner, in the 16 oz. can. That was the stuff, and Shooter's Choice was the obscenely marked up firearms product. I'd forgotten that, but I remember checking the MSDS sheets at the time.

I wonder if it's the same as the current "Genuine GM Fluid 88861803 Upper Engine & Fuel Injector Cleaner" (Listed on Amazon.ca for $59.74 (!!) and Amazon US for $21.32)? It's been several years since I bought the Top Engine Cleaner but it was about $12.00 then, from a local GM dealer.

Alox as wire rope lubricant... Probably pretty darned good as a weather protectant on the wire as well. Thanks for that.

 

[Emmer]

I used a ton of Cleens when I worked at GM, loved the smell of it... smelled like money to me hehe.
one day GM dropped it and came out with the top engine cleaner, it kinda worked as good but not the same and smelled like flowers, I wasn't thrilled lol.