bullet lube?

[William]

How do I apply lube (or where can I get/make) to maxiballs?

Is this an appropriate topic for this forum?

[Ironwood]

William it's a "How Do I" so I guess it goes here as well as anywhere.  I'm sure there will be some fellows responding soon.

[William]

Okay, I just wasn't sure if maxi-balls were "traditional" or not.  I bought some unlubed maxi-balls and don't know where to find lube for them, although I do have a small pan I'm willing to sacrifice for the job.

[Dryball]

William, maxi-balls are not really traditional, but we have a fairly wide range of what we allow. A lot of people use them and they aren't that far from mini-balls which are defiantly traditional...at least they have no plastic jacket on them.

Ned

[William]

No plastic, just pure lead.

[n5lyc]

Hi, my dad and i used to cast maxi balls, then put them in shallow pans standing point up ( a metal 100 ft. .35mm can that is about 4 inches across) then pour in heated wonderlube until the top lube ring was covered, then allowed them to cool completely.
then used a 1\2 inch diameter by 6 inch long brass tube and inserted it over the bullets one at a time, it pushed the finished bullets out the top of the tube, and presto, lubed maxi balls.
rinse and repeat the process...

but if you wanted a more traditional lube, i am sure many of the guys here can share some of their recipies and may be able to substitute the lube but use the same process.
ian

[William]

Is wonderlube the same as natural lube or is it a name brand?

[n5lyc]

i really don't know...

[William]

i really don't know...

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.  I'm going to find the right size copper tube next and then figure out which lube to use.  I suppose that the only reason I bought unlubed bullets in the first place is so I can say that I did it myself, at least once; that's what this hobby does to you! 

[n5lyc]

thats it exactly, there are several things in this hobby i have done once, to learn how to do it and say i did it..

Hand tied a half hitch belt, once, just once,
made & used lube from mutton tallow and other ingredients once...  just once...
tanned and de-haired a deer hide into leather once.... JUST ONCE!!!!
would rather buy leather now...

enjoy

[William]

thats it exactly, there are several things in this hobby i have done once, to learn how to do it and say i did it..

Hand tied a half hitch belt, once, just once,
made & used lube from mutton tallow and other ingredients once...  just once...
tanned and de-haired a deer hide into leather once.... JUST ONCE!!!!
would rather buy leather now...

enjoy

Yep, I'm learning that very lesson!   In fact today I cut out a shirt from a pattern, so proud that I saved so much money buying just the material and pattern.  Now I'm looking at a pile of cut parts and thinking store bought goods might be worth the price....   But....I done it myself, just once

Okay,got a copper tube so that I can punch out the bullets from the lube pan.  Found some lube recipes and thought I'd post them here;

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?type=product&cmCat=Related_IPL_210247&id=0012628212625a


I use a really soft lube for my blackpowder cartridge lube.....not "grease" soft but not too far from it.Here again, there are a ton of commercial and homemade lubes out there, all with varying degrees of success. Heres my favorite recipe...1 pound Bees Wax1 pound Citronella Candle2 Tablespoons shorteningI use bees wax in pretty much all my lubes because its much more elastic than regular wax and yes, I did say "Citronella Candle"! The cheap ones in the small galvanized buckets are best. These have about 5% citronella oil whereas the more well known brands use as little as .5%. I really cant prove it but I firmly believe that the citronella oil is the magic ingredient. The shortening is used to make the lube softer....use less for harder lube, more for softer. You know the drill.Mix all the ingredients in a double boiler until liquified  then stir it really good. Take out a teaspoonful of liquid and let it cool to room temperature. The lube should be firm but easily molded with finger pressure, if its not add a couple of teaspoons of shortening to the mix and test it again. Im tellin ya, this stuff is good!

OUTSIDE LUBRICATED BULLET LUBE
1 part paraffin (I use paraffin sticks found in the canning section of grocery stores).
1 part tallow (I use sheep tallow, sold by Dixie Gun Works)
1/2 part beeswax (Available as a toilet seal in hardware stores)  My muzzle loading lube is rendered beef tallow, olive oil ( 1 tbsp. each) and one ounce of beeswax....

[William]

pics of my bullet lubing process;



[I

[Spitunia]

Lanolin stiffened up with real soap will work quite well on Lee REAL's. Oughta work on maxi's.

[William]

I got them all lubed up and need to go to the range to see how they shoot.  The Natural Lube worked good, I just wish it was thicker and stuck to the bullets better.  Maybe next time I will melt in some bar soap or beeswax, if I ever buy unlubed bullets again.

[Three Hawks]

"Wax" toilet rings made today have little or no beeswax in them and will be made of whatever the manufacturer could get cheap.

Some work well in lube recipes and some make an unholy mess.   You pays your money and you takes your chances, no way of knowing what is in any specific ring.

Three Hawks