Filling your lube sizers with lube.

[Ben]

For all of you guys that buy the hollow sticks of bullet lube and fill your lube-sizers with the hollow sticks, that is great and I did that for 30 years until I ended up with what I now think is a better way of doing things.

I make Ben's Red in bulk and it is not stored in hollow sticks that fit my lube-sizers.




When my lube-sizers need more lube, I turn the hot plate on low ( 3 on a scale of 0 - 10 ) and slowly melt my Ben's Red in an old coffee pot. No smoke or you're getting the lube too hot. Once it is liquified, I stir things well and pour the liquified lube into my 2 lube-sizers.

Works ! !

Photos below........
Ben

 

[Rick]

I've done that a bunch for my home made lubes even though I don't need hollow sticks for the Stars. My lube mold makes solid sticks and I could just pop them in, I don't have a problem with air pockets (bubbles) "IF" I let the Stars pre-heat enough. If I just pop in cold lube sticks and hook up the air line I'll get some air pockets. Melting it and pouring it in eliminates any bubbles in the lube which can be frustrating when lubing bullets.

 

[Ben]

Rick,

I thought that maybe a few had never thought about melting and pouring. Might convert a few over , you never know ?

Ben

 

[Rick]

Yeah, I just furthered the discussion for anyone that's not done it and talked about eliminating the air bubbles. Frustrating when lubing a bullet and instead of lube ya get a pop as air is forced out, pouring it in melted eliminates that.

 

[Ben]

It is just so simple, I set the pot on the hot plate, adjust the temp knob walk away to some other task.

Come back in 15 minutes, if everything is liquified, I'll stir it and pour.

No air bubbles, no fooling around with molds that make hollow sticks, etc......

Ben

 

[Ian]

Excellent post Ben, the melt/pour thing is the ONLY way to do it if you ask me.

Would you mind starting a thread with all your pan lube/cake cutter tutorial stuff in it? I'd love to see that here, some may not realize how simple and practical your method is.

 

[Charles Graff]

I make my homemade lube in a 1 quart Pyrex measuring cup. I nuke it a little at a time in a microwave and when done cover the top with some plastic wrap. When I want to fill my lubesize machine, I nuke it again and pour it in.

Some years back I told Glen Fryxell about it and he started nuking his home made lube until one day the Pyrex contained broke and dumped lube all in this microwave oven. He went back to the oil double boiler. I later tried to make some of Glens beeswax and black automobile moly grease and had it break a container in my oven as well. I can only conclude that it takes much higher temp to melt the black automobile moly grease than the beeswax/Vaseline formula I use.

 

[Rick]

I remember hearing about Glen and the oops in the microwave. That had to be quite the mess. I wonder if the wife got a new oven for that?

 

[Brad]

I wouldn't be concerned about the mess, I would be concerned about the divorce.
My lube work got kicked to the garage after I made a sodium gease from sodium stearate and ATF. Holy cow did that stuff stink. My wife wasn't impressed to see it done on her stove.

 

[9.3X62AL]

All gun cleaning--lube prep--reloading--casting activities--and vehicle/boat work was long ago exiled to the garage. If I even dream of bringing such items into the home for attention, I better wake up and apologize. To date, the ONLY process getting ANY positive feedback from SWMBO has been fluxing of lead alloys with Douglas fir sawdust. Some offhand comments about "Nice-smelling like a Christmas fire" were overheard. ATF in her kitchen? SO NOT HAPPENING.

 

[KHornet]

Have melted and poured, and used hollow sticks, and both work well. That said, I prefer the hollow sticks, with the exception that you can get more in by pouring. Have about 30 sticks, so, after I use those, may pour again. Exception, is the green lube that is in chunks that I prefer for cold weather shooting, and that I melt and pour.

 

[David Johnson]

I make my own Felix lube and store them in canning jars. I use a double boiler system to melt then pour into the lubrisizer. The only sticks I've used were what came with it when I bought it used and a few people have donated in the past.

I REALLY LIKE the use of the coffee pot! I'm going to keep an eye open at the thrift stores for a small camp type coffee pot for the future! Thanks.