first attempt at lubing conicals

[shearej]

I recently started casting my own maxi balls and last night was my first attempt at making my own lube for them. I melted 1 part bee's wax and 1 part Crisco together and stirred. Then I stood the conicals upright in a baking tin, poured in the mixture till the top band on the conicals was covered and set the baking tin out on the back porch (air temp 10 F). After an hour the wax "cake" was hard. I figured I could just break away the "cake" and my bullets would be lubed, and I could just remelt the excess. Unfortunately the lube broke away from the conicals and did not stick at all. Plan B was to remelt the bee's wax / crisco mixture and did the conicals in them, stand them upright to dry, redip, and redry. This worked, though they ain't pretty I'm concerned when I try loaded these "dipped" conicals in my flintlock, they wax / crisco lube will be too brittle and break away from the conical, leaving me with an unlubed bullet. Does my mixture need to be more "moldable" or pliable? If so, what would you recommend adding to the mixture?

Thanks for your help.

 

[jtmattison]

First off I think your lube mix is too thick for your weather conditions. I'd try a beeswax/olive oil lube and mix it about 70:30 oil to wax. Your pan lubing technique will work if you get a tube to cut the bullets from the pan. I use a speedloader tube and once the lube is set I just slide the tube over the bullet and it comes out of the pan. Push the bullet out of the tube and the grooves are full of lube.

HD

 

[BrownBear]

There's kind of a fine line between too hard and too soft, from what I've seen. You've experienced what happens with "too hard." You'll know "too soft" when you carry the lubed bullets a while an you've got lube everywhere but in the bullet grooves.

Whatever ingredients you settle on, you'll probably end up with a cold weather mix and a warm weather mix. For frame of reference, think about both versions of Wonderlube- the paste in the tube and the hard stuff in the jug. Happiness with your lube mix is going to be found somewhere between those two textures- a little stiffer than the tube version and a little softer than the hard version.

But as I said, to achieve that you'll be using a different blend in summer and winter, cuzz the texture changes with temperature.

BTW- Put some thought into how you are going to pack your bullets for carry into the field. If you just drop them loose into a bag, even the "right" lube is going to end up all over the place. Speed loaders are great cuzz they seal in the lube. For bulk carry, I really like the boxes that TC maxis come in. I've also had fair luck with a piece of stiff tubing roughly the same diameter as a speedloader, but with multiple bullets stacked in it end to end and a cap on each end.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I recently started casting my own maxi balls and last night was my first attempt at making my own lube for them. I melted 1 part bee's wax and 1 part Crisco together and stirred. Then I stood the conicals upright in a baking tin, poured in the mixture till the top band on the conicals was covered and set the baking tin out on the back porch (air temp 10 F). After an hour the wax "cake" was hard. I figured I could just break away the "cake" and my bullets would be lubed, and I could just remelt the excess. Unfortunately the lube broke away from the conicals and did not stick at all. Plan B was to remelt the bee's wax / crisco mixture and did the conicals in them, stand them upright to dry, redip, and redry. This worked, though they ain't pretty I'm concerned when I try loaded these "dipped" conicals in my flintlock, they wax / crisco lube will be too brittle and break away from the conical, leaving me with an unlubed bullet. Does my mixture need to be more "moldable" or pliable? If so, what would you recommend adding to the mixture?
\

Look for tubing that has the inside diameter closest to the diameter of your bullets, and make your own " Cake Cutter ". You don't give the diameter of your bullets, but obviously, a 1/2 " inside diameter tube-- brass, copper, steel, iron--- can be used to make a cutter for a .50 caliber bullet. For the .54, and .58, look for even plastic tubing to find something close. It does not have to be as close as a bullet sizing die, or the collets for a lubrisizer. Take a BARE bullet with you to the home supply store, or hardware store, and hobby stores, to find what you need.

I agree with the idea that you probably will want at least 2 different mixtures to lube the bullets, depending on temperatures. I know men who just use Crisco shortening to lube their bullets in the summer, and early fall. Its a bit of a mess, but that is why we have towels. I personally think Crisco is too soft to use in Plus 80 degree temperatures, and would make up something harder for hot weather use. 35-30% beeswax added to Crisco would make it stiff enough.

Thanks for your help.

 

[hepburn4590]

I have "pan lubed" thousands of bullets. Your mixture is close. Allow the lube to return to room tempature. Use a small rubber mallet to dislodge the bullets by tapping them on the nose. When they break loose just push them out with your fingers. The lube should stay on them.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I recently started casting my own maxi balls and last night was my first attempt at making my own lube for them. I melted 1 part bee's wax and 1 part Crisco together and stirred. Then I stood the conicals upright in a baking tin, poured in the mixture till the top band on the conicals was covered and set the baking tin out on the back porch (air temp 10 F). After an hour the wax "cake" was hard. I figured I could just break away the "cake" and my bullets would be lubed, and I could just remelt the excess. Unfortunately the lube broke away from the conicals and did not stick at all. Plan B was to remelt the bee's wax / crisco mixture and did the conicals in them, stand them upright to dry, redip, and redry. This worked, though they ain't pretty I'm concerned when I try loaded these "dipped" conicals in my flintlock, they wax / crisco lube will be too brittle and break away from the conical, leaving me with an unlubed bullet. Does my mixture need to be more "moldable" or pliable? If so, what would you recommend adding to the mixture?

Thanks for your help.

I use an empty case from a .50 BMG cartridge as a "cookie-cutter" to cut my Maxi's out of the lube mixture.

I first melt a 12 oz. jar of Wonderlube and then add in 4 small bees' wax "mini-candle sized" commercialy bought pieces to the mix. This is done in an old saucepan that I picked-up at a flea market. Then I stand 60-75 Maxi's base-down into the mix and put on the back porch to cool. When it's a solid yellow once again, I do one with the .50 BMG case as a test to see if the mix has hardened enough.

A friend of mine drilled-out the primer pocket and the spent primer with his drill press. I use a 1/4 inch pine dowl to push against the top of the Maxi to extract it out of the cartridge case. No fuss, no muss and they come out of the mix perfectly lubed and perfectly round! The secret is to gently twist the case as you push it down alongside the Maxi.

The .50 BMG case can be mail-ordered if you don't have a friend that owns a Barrett. Once-fired brass is easy to get and not expensive...beats driving all ver creation when gas is $3.00 plus per gallon!

I haven't experimented yet with warm weather mix. I probably would just add more bees' wax to the mix to help stiffen it up a bit more.

Dave

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I settled on a 50-50 mix of synthetic toilet ring and boot grease as a lube. I also use a piece of brass tubing to 'cut' the slugs free from the lube when it cools and stiffens.