Dried lube on Minnie balls?

[shortstart]

I just recently picked up another Zouave musket and upon finding my box of mini balls I found the lube dried up. Before applying new lube, I need to get the old stuff off without ruining the bullets. Would greatly appreciate any and all ideas. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I just recently picked up another Zouave musket and upon finding my box of mini balls I found the lube dried up. Before applying new lube, I need to get the old stuff off without ruining the bullets. Would greatly appreciate any and all ideas. Thanks in advance for any help.

It would help if we knew what lube was on it.
Flintlocklar

 

[bubba.50]

I wouuld just smear some new lube on over the old.

 

[Buzzard II]

Hot water and a small (acid brush) should do. Don't apply fresh lube until you're going to go shooting. This happened to me with SPG on RCBS pills for my Zouave. If the old lube will not come off, just put a dab of Crisco in the base of the bullet just prior to shooting. Ask me how I know!
Bob

 

[Zonie]

Risking the health of your head, you could try covering a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and placing the Minnie's on it. Then put it into the oven set at 200° (warm). Most if not all bullet lubes are grease based and the warm temperature should soften it, making it usable again.
If you get some of that lube on your wife's cookie sheet don't be surprised if she bounces a frying pan off the top of your head.

 

[Artie Peltier]

Risking the health of your head, you could try covering a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and placing the Minnie's on it. Then put it into the oven set at 200° (warm). Most if not all bullet lubes are grease based and the warm temperature should soften it, making it usable again.
If you get some of that lube on your wife's cookie sheet don't be surprised if she bounces a frying pan off the top of your head.

Great words of wisdom from Zonie. I have done that method on minis and it does work well. HOWEVER while cleaning a cap and ball pistol I placed metal parts on wife’s cookie sheet in oven, on low to completely dry before oiling. Yes she was out shopping came home early and yes got caught. I didn’t loose my head, but it cost me a dinner out and a new cookie sheet.

 

[Kno-ie]

I've used the hot water method a couple of times to remove old lube. Use a metal can or old pot that will never be used for cooking again. Place bullets in the can/pot and cover with water about one and half times more than bullets. Bring to a boil for about five minutes, shut heat off and let cool to room temp. The lube should float to the surface with some sticking to the upper part of the can/pot. You may have to do this twice depending on your lube.

 

[flinter1977]

I would use a heat gun on some tin foil and melt it off . then re lube .

 

[koz]

i have used a hair dryer and the old crusty stuff came off with out much effort.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Always found putting the bullets into a pot of water and brining it up to boil, works every time. Pour off the water and it will carry away the melted lube. Let the bare bullets air dry, and then decide what you want to use to re-lube them.

LD

 

[longcruise]

I have put them into a container of mineral spirits for a long soak with intermittent shaking and that did a good job. With one batch I wanted to get them squeaky clean and a follow up in the tableware basket in the dishwasher made them almost like just dropped from the mold.

Zonie's method is probably the fastest and easiest.

 

[Ben Meyer]

Lube recipes aside, what is the best way to lube Minie balls? Someone told me a 50/50 mix of beeswax and Crisco is his recipe of choice but then I got to thinking, how to prepare and apply it??? Do you heat both to melted, liquid form then DIP the minies it it? Or just slather it on as a cream form?

Just added a Zouave rifle to the stable and have never shot minie balls. School me..

 

[Ben Meyer]

How does Track of the Wolf mink oil work for minies?

 

[hawkeye2]

Lube recipes aside, what is the best way to lube Minie balls? Someone told me a 50/50 mix of beeswax and Crisco is his recipe of choice but then I got to thinking, how to prepare and apply it??? Do you heat both to melted, liquid form then DIP the minies it it? Or just slather it on as a cream form?

Just added a Zouave rifle to the stable and have never shot minie balls. School me..

I would leave the Crisco out and use olive oil instead. The lube needs to stay on the mini and of course that depends on the temperature when you are shooting. I think a good starting point is 60% beeswax, 40% olive oil and adjust from there. I have a tin of Track Mink Oil which I have yet to try as a patch lube. I suspect it would work well on a mini but would be too soft unless you were lubing as you shot.

I have dies and do my minies in a Lyman lubrisizer but that's quite an investment. For small runs of odd sizes in guns I don't shoot often I do the following. Warm your lube in a sauce pan in another pan of water and dip them to just above the top groove. Set them on wax paper or foil on a baking pan to cool. I use a pair of pliers with a rubber band round the handles to keep them closed. One finger opens the pliers and I pick the mini up by its nose. After they have cooled I run them through a push through sizer. It sounds like work but you can really do a lot in an evening.

To shoot well the mini should be .001" to .002" (max) under bore size and heavy charges are not needed. The service charge was 60 grains (or more) and not needed except possibly for hunting. 40 to 55 grains of 2 or 3f will work fine and be accurate as well as easy on your shoulder.

 

[Ben Meyer]

I ordered, upon recommendation some .575 minie balls, along with .570 round balls. We haven't shot the gun yet, so figured .575 was a good starting point. If accuracy sucks, we'll get some tighter ones.

Some folks have recommended filling the hollow of the minie with lube. But I've watched some videos on Civil War era paper cartridge making and those arent filled at the base. My son wants to paper cartridges for this gun(the guy used .575 minies for a .58cal gun in the video, with 65gr ffg powder btw). Is filling the base good, bad, necessary, unnecessary, etc?

 

[Rich]

I ordered, upon recommendation some .575 minie balls, along with .570 round balls. We haven't shot the gun yet, so figured .575 was a good starting point. If accuracy sucks, we'll get some tighter ones.

Some folks have recommended filling the hollow of the minie with lube. But I've watched some videos on Civil War era paper cartridge making and those arent filled at the base. My son wants to paper cartridges for this gun(the guy used .575 minies for a .58cal gun in the video, with 65gr ffg powder btw). Is filling the base good, bad, necessary, unnecessary, etc?

filling the base is not needed

 

[Grenadier1758]

Some folks have recommended filling the hollow of the minie with lube. But I've watched some videos on Civil War era paper cartridge making and those arent filled at the base. My son wants to paper cartridges for this gun(the guy used .575 minies for a .58cal gun in the video, with 65gr ffg powder btw). Is filling the base good, bad, necessary, unnecessary, etc?

With the correct powder charge, filling the base is unnecessary.
The Civil War paper cartridge was a means to keep powder and ball together. With a proper sized minie', the paper will be stripped off during loading. Still learning about the making and use of a paper cartridge is part of the experiential archeology that we often find very fascinating.

 

[Ben Meyer]

The video I watched was cool. Lubed minie in one paper wrap(tied), placed inside another one with the powder, with a creased fold.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Lube recipes aside, what is the best way to lube Minie balls? Someone told me a 50/50 mix of beeswax and Crisco is his recipe of choice but then I got to thinking, how to prepare and apply it??? Do you heat both to melted, liquid form then DIP the minies it it? Or just slather it on as a cream form?

Myself,
I got a very small "candy tin" at a store a few Christmass's ago. I put the conical bullets base down in the tin. I take the melted lube, and pour it into the tin until the level of melted lube is high enough on the bullets. Allow to cool. Remove the now lubed bullets. The lube will remain in the grooves in the bullets when you extract them. Melt down the remainder of the lube that rests in the tin, and pour this into a measuring cup. Add some additional lube to the cup, melt, and reload the tin with unlubed conicals. Repeat the process.

LD