Ben's Liquid Lube
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
S Mac
Sept. 10, 2021 Steve left us. You are missed.
So, was that a one time event Brad?
With that grease, yes. I made numerous with other oils but the ATF got me kicked out of the kitchen. OMG does burning ATF stink. And the house filled with smoke, even with an exhaust fan on and windows open.
I got "reminded" that I own a hot plate and it could be used outdoors. I got the hint.
I got "reminded" that I own a hot plate and it could be used outdoors. I got the hint.
L
Lost Dog
Guest
Ya'll crack me up...
Ian
Notorious member
I mentioned it plenty of times, but some things one has to discover for themselves.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?235785-How-would-you-answer-this
If you want STINK, make it with Mopar ATF +4.
On the subject of naptha, I have three ready sources: Ronsonol, Coleman stove fuel, and 140°F "safety solvent" for automotive parts washers. The latter is specifically a low-volatility formula and I would suspect to be less than ideal. Lighter fluid also evaporates at a relatively slow rate. Ordinary paint thinner seems to work well for me, but it also evaporates out of the solution in the bottle rapidly.
358156 hp
At large, whereabouts unknown.
After buying the ingredients (both of them) over a year ago, I finally found time to make a batch of BLL. I had a couple of interesting situations that I thought I'd share. First of all, my Liquid Alox had solidified a bit in both of my bottles. One was only slightly softer than a Tootsie Roll! The other wasn't quite so bad, but close. I ended up cutting the one bottle open to remove the contents. A smarter man probably would have simply bought new alox, but the stuff is almost $8.00 in the local stores! Since the One Step is really high in solvents, I decided to keep going anyway. I ended up mixing them in a one quart paint can from the hardware store. I don't know how fast I'll go through it, but I've had a lot of issues in the past with solvents evaporating through plastic containers, Dillon Case Polish and Dillon Case lube are perfect examples. Anyway, everything seemed to break down okay, except I have to stir the can every time before using because I seem to have some sort of clear(?) sediment that mixes in fairly readily, but returns overnight. Other than that, so far everything Ben has observed has been true. The stuff dries really quickly, and isn't really sticky at all. And the tiniest of dabs will give consistent, even coverage. Now to get out and get some shooting done!
JWFilips
Well-Known Member
Granted: I'm not sure; but I think when Ben described the process it was with "Flowing" alox Now I have many bottles on my shelf....some flow some do not and are as you describe. What I have done is fill those too thick alox bottles with Naphtha and let them sit for a few days. This brings them back to "Flowing" condition. Then figure your mix from that.
BTW +1 on metal paint cans! Plastic bottles, while convenient, are a really storage problem with solvent evaporation. In my shop I use a few strange solvents ( for one Heptane) A metal paint can is the only way of making sure the stuff will be in there when you need it!
BTW +1 on metal paint cans! Plastic bottles, while convenient, are a really storage problem with solvent evaporation. In my shop I use a few strange solvents ( for one Heptane) A metal paint can is the only way of making sure the stuff will be in there when you need it!
358156 hp
At large, whereabouts unknown.
LOL! I think it's fine, and I believe it will still perform as intended. It's about as thick as whole milk, I don't think the solvents in the wax had much difficulty with the thicker bottle. Maybe "Tootsie Roll" had to hard. Perhaps "creamy peanut butter" is more accurate.
Enough! All this talk of food is making me hungry.
Enough! All this talk of food is making me hungry.
JWFilips
Well-Known Member
Ben,
I hope you don't mind me adding to this......
If you find yourself in a situation where your 40/60 mix with about 4 drops to 50 bullets seems to be sticky after 12 hours ...your alox was too thick ( or you used too much)
I find if "you make it the way Ben instructed us": in 2 hours with a fan blowing over the bullets they are pretty dry! Granted if you really squeeze them hard they many feel sticky... but on a light grasp they feel set & dry
If you want to go for a BLL only coating you need but 2 light coats like this. They may feel lightly tacky but not overly so....& never goopy
Jim
I hope you don't mind me adding to this......
If you find yourself in a situation where your 40/60 mix with about 4 drops to 50 bullets seems to be sticky after 12 hours ...your alox was too thick ( or you used too much)
I find if "you make it the way Ben instructed us": in 2 hours with a fan blowing over the bullets they are pretty dry! Granted if you really squeeze them hard they many feel sticky... but on a light grasp they feel set & dry
If you want to go for a BLL only coating you need but 2 light coats like this. They may feel lightly tacky but not overly so....& never goopy
Jim
Ian
Notorious member
In 500 words or fewer?
Pros: It's quick and convenient for some things. Seems to generate very little smoke. Doesn't gum up seating dies if used correctly.
Cons: I tried to convert most of my pistol loads over to BLL, but have met with only marginal success. I get a good bit of antimony wash and in some instances leading in my .45s. I find it wholly unsuitable for use in gas-operated guns due to leading of the gas systems. Multiple alloys and load workup have not solved this issue with my AR-15s in 300 Blackout or .45 ACP. I bought a six-cavity TL mould for my .38s but have not as yet had sufficient success with BLL to inspire me to break the tape on the mould and cast with it. These issues are no different than any other "tumble lube" recipe I've tried in the past, and while BLL is head and shoulders above the rest, it hasn't turned out to be the high-volume loading solution I had hoped it would be.
Currently I only use it for my subsonic .223 loads, where it performs very well save for a wild first shot. I added 10% beeswax to the formula which has somewhat reduced that occurrence. Instead of leading of the gas system, I get a build up of black tar gum in the bolt carrier, which cleans easily enough. The loads don't even come close to cycling the action, so it doesn't get cleared out of the BCG during shooting. At some point I'll try conventional lube in my .22 subsonics to see if the first shot flyer doesn't go way, but for now, the BLL is working well enough.
Overall, I'm back to using conventional lube for almost everything. Will re-visit using BLL on my .38 wadcutters again soon, but likely will return to conventional lube for them as well.
Pros: It's quick and convenient for some things. Seems to generate very little smoke. Doesn't gum up seating dies if used correctly.
Cons: I tried to convert most of my pistol loads over to BLL, but have met with only marginal success. I get a good bit of antimony wash and in some instances leading in my .45s. I find it wholly unsuitable for use in gas-operated guns due to leading of the gas systems. Multiple alloys and load workup have not solved this issue with my AR-15s in 300 Blackout or .45 ACP. I bought a six-cavity TL mould for my .38s but have not as yet had sufficient success with BLL to inspire me to break the tape on the mould and cast with it. These issues are no different than any other "tumble lube" recipe I've tried in the past, and while BLL is head and shoulders above the rest, it hasn't turned out to be the high-volume loading solution I had hoped it would be.
Currently I only use it for my subsonic .223 loads, where it performs very well save for a wild first shot. I added 10% beeswax to the formula which has somewhat reduced that occurrence. Instead of leading of the gas system, I get a build up of black tar gum in the bolt carrier, which cleans easily enough. The loads don't even come close to cycling the action, so it doesn't get cleared out of the BCG during shooting. At some point I'll try conventional lube in my .22 subsonics to see if the first shot flyer doesn't go way, but for now, the BLL is working well enough.
Overall, I'm back to using conventional lube for almost everything. Will re-visit using BLL on my .38 wadcutters again soon, but likely will return to conventional lube for them as well.