Cold bore shot is high

Sendaro

Active Member
Is the proof point the temp. where it may burst into flame? Also do I melt this in a double boiler or just a pot? Sounds like I need thermometer, maybe a candy thermometer?
 

Ian

Notorious member
Poof point is auto ignition point, very bad grease fire. Double boiler won't heat above the temperature of boiling water at your altitude, so no good. You don't need a thermometer, it will only get in your way. Just pay attention and think about what you're doing. First thing is put soap, vaseline, and paraffin in a saucepan on direct heat and melt the waxes. Cut the soap into slivers with a pocketknife. The soap will start to foam, hold the heat at that point (turn burner down) and simmer until the mixture is calm. You should see no oil smoke coming off the mix at this time. Then turn up the heat and start stirring non-stop until all the little grainy lumps of soap disappear. It will be smoking heavily at the point the soap melts, so do it outside and don't breath the smoke. Once it all goes clear as you'll see because you're stirring it constantly, pull the pan off the heat, throw in your beeswax (you can wait a couple minutes for it to cool some before doing that) and keep mixing the beeswax around until it all melts. By that point the mix will be pasty. If need be, put back on low heat to finish melting if not all the beeswax block melted in before it cooled too much to stir. Once the beeswax is in it, don't overheat again, just maybe 250F or so.

I gave temps as a reference only. Here's a different way of describing the process: Heat just above boiling point of water to boil water out of soap, this will take probably 6-10 minutes at constant temp just above boiling water. Once that's done you have to get the mix hot enough to melt the soap, do this quickly on high heat stirring non-stop so that you minimize the stuff lost in the smoke that the mix will start to give off. Once that's done, let it cool it back down and it will start to gel immediately. Beeswax scorches above 357F so you can't melt it in with the other waxes up to the soap's melt point, and it's a good idea to let the grease cool off a little before adding the beeswax. There are other ways to do it if you have two outside burners and some snow, but the way I described will serve you fine.
 
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Sendaro

Active Member
Thank you. I will do this outside. When the lube cools to the ambiant temp. will it be hard like a candle or more like the sticks of 50/50 lube I bought from NOE?
 

35 shooter

Well-Known Member
That’s about the best description of mixing a soap lube without starting a fire i’ve seen.
That should help anyone mixing a lube like that, and especially on their first try!

I’m writing this down even though I don’t use soap lubes anymore....still a good reminder of how to do it right.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Here's a link to a link with some pictures. https://www.artfulbullet.com/index.php?threads/cooking-with-geargnasher-a-soap-lube-tutorial.554/

Check the photobucket link in the first post, you can still see the thumbnails there. Should be twelve photos in sequence. you can see how the water from the soap foams up the mixture and then it settles down to the "cream'o wheat" stage when all the water is gone. Temp is about 250F. Then as the heat is increased, you can see what it looks like in the spoon until in photo seven the mixture is translucent. That fully-translucent point is what you look for to ensure the soap is fully melted, and since it's smoking so much at that point you want to pull it off the heat and keep stirring so it makes a sort of pudding as it gels. Unlike the photos, which is for a 30% soap recipe, you won't need to pour it out to cool. You can add your beeswax as the mix gels and keep stirring the whole time to get the beeswax to mix in really well.

The last photo in the sequence is me re-melting the already-made lube, showing the point where it can start to migrate out of lube grooves. The slump temperature is very high for that lube, which was sort of the point. Your 6-6-6-1 lube will look kind of like that at 160F.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
one temp indicator is mineral spirits will start to lightly 'steam' off at 350-F.
I have added it as an indicator to many of the hot cooked lubes.
 

Eutectic

Active Member
I’m writing this down even though I don’t use soap lubes anymore....
This could be incorrect 35 shooter....... Unless you have a lube formula fortified with ester oil or zinc compounds...etc. But Lithium grease, Alox, and a few other things will add soap to your lube. Most lubes used have 'soap' other than simple wax lubes or ones fortified with just moly or HBn'.. Even "Moly" grease if used adds 'soap'!

Pete
 

35 shooter

Well-Known Member
This could be incorrect 35 shooter....... Unless you have a lube formula fortified with ester oil or zinc compounds...etc. But Lithium grease, Alox, and a few other things will add soap to your lube. Most lubes used have 'soap' other than simple wax lubes or ones fortified with just moly or HBn'.. Even "Moly" grease if used adds 'soap'!

Pete
Ok, fair enough. I thought it was pretty clear I was talking about lubes your adding the cut up soap in though.
Been there done that, but got things too hot on the first batch...my fault, but Ian’s description would have saved me some time and trouble.
I learned real quick after that little experience. Next batch was perfect.

I think his description of how to do it should be in a sticky here. It was pretty much spot on.
 

Ian

Notorious member
I uploaded photos directly to the soap lube tutorial since photobucket did their "thing" and is holding everyone's photos for ransom now.
 

Sendaro

Active Member
Just had the good fortune to find a near NIB RCBS Lubber Sizer for less than half the price of a new one. Looks as thought it was loaded with RCBS bullet lube and used to size a few bullets. Still had the .308 size die in it along with a top punch. There was also a stick of RCBS bullet lube in the box that came with it.
Anyone got anything to say about RCBS bullet lube?