Pan lube falling out of grooves

H Wally

H Wally

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Have a slight problem - I'm pan lubing my bullets using bees wax/veggy oil (have tried crisco and vaseline in the mix too) and am finding that unless I handle them very very very gingerly during reloading the lube will fall out of the lube grooves. This even occurs in narrow deep grooves, and happens frequently in the wider shallower grooves of most standard bullets.

Anyone know of a good solid, sticky lube? Many of the commercially lubed bullets I've bought have nice solid lubes that remain intact, and I'm looking to replicate that.
 
The traditional mix, goes back to buffalo hunting with black powder, is about 50-50 bees wax and beef tallow. In warm weather, more wax than tallow, and the oposite in cold weather.
It works well. If you can, get the real beef suet, it comes from around the kidney's, when beef is butchered.
Then, very slowly over very low heat, melt it down, which is called rendering. Use this to mix with the bees wax.
Problem over.
 
Hmm - wonder if the local butchers might have fat offcuts that could be rendered down as substitutes?

I've got a ton of home made bacon that makes phenomenal suet, but the salt content is through the roof so no go :(
 
Do you have any paraffin handy? I can't remember my final voodoo lube recipe, but beeswax/paraffin/vaseline/chunk of toilet bowl wax in varying amounts. I found in my case, without the beeswax the lube worked, but would have similar problems as you're having. Just have to experiment.

Beef suet works great for cap n ball....I have it mixed about half and half with canola oil and it spreads easily over the cylinders in -2 weather.
 
A butcher shop should get you some fat.
We use beef fat for winter bird feed, which the butcher in a grocery store gave me.
Then discovered a small slaughter house not too far away and got a big bag of really good, genuine suet. The big woodpeckers like it.
 
H Wally said:
Hmm - wonder if the local butchers might have fat offcuts that could be rendered down as substitutes?

I've got a ton of home made bacon that makes phenomenal suet, but the salt content is through the roof so no go :(
Click to expand...
It's easy to get the salt out of it: just put the suet in water and get the water to a boil. Stir the suet until it is liquid; the salt will dissolve into the water.
Now get everything out so the fat congeals on top of the water. Keep the fat and throw away the water.
Repeat if totally salt-free suet is needed.
PP.
 
For pan lubing I use equal parts beeswax/parafin/vasoline and crayons for color. I found too that lube did not say in the groove unless I warmed up the bullets first. Takes longer for the lube to set but it stays in the groove.
 
I mixed local beeswax and Tenderflake pure lard 50/50ish by eyeball. Seems to stick to my WW and Pure lead boolits large or small grooves in the pan.
 
I was using paraffin, beeswax and Vaseline and it seemed to be a bit too brittle, not nearly sticky enough. Then I added a dash of STP oil treatment and the consistency changed completely; now it adheres to the groves quite well. Also makes it easier to push the bullets out of the cake once the lube has cooled as the lube is a bit softer.
 
Here's Felix Lube formula:


http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=17548

2 Tablespoons mineral oil
1 Tablespoon castor oil
1 Tablespoon Ivory, or homemade soap (grated)
1 Tablespoon Lanolin
Beeswax - Piece approximately 3 1/2" X 3 1/2" X 1 "

Heat mineral (baby) oil until it starts to smoke.

Add castor oil, and stir continuously for 1/2 hour (this is important to give the castor oil time to begin "polymerizing").

Sliver the soap, and stir into the mixture a little at a time, until melted.

Add the beeswax before the lanolin, and then when that is melted, reduce or remove the heat and add the lanolin, thus not running any risk of burning or scorching the lanolin.

1 teaspoon of carnauba wax can be added to give a shiny bore. This can be found on the seal of Makers Mark whiskey, or the red wax on cheese from the supermarket.

Once made, let cool. This can be remelted in a microwave, and poured into the lubrisize.
Happy cooking!
PP. :)
 
H4831 said:
A butcher shop should get you some fat.
We use beef fat for winter bird feed, which the butcher in a grocery store gave me.
Then discovered a small slaughter house not too far away and got a big bag of really good, genuine suet. The big woodpeckers like it.
Click to expand...

Eye figured for sure you were holding out on us.:eek:
Now I know for sure.;)

Yup, I'm refering to that baby sasquawmawatch on the ladder
up after your bird feeder photo.

You remember him.............Booboo I think you named him. :p
 
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