Simple Lube!

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
I guess the best person to ask here is Ian:

I have followed the "Simple Lube" thread for near it's entirety on the CB site.

Just wondering if you could post here a summation of what it finally boiled down to as far as ingredients: or is that old raked leaves?
 

Ian

Notorious member
Fiver'd be the one to ask, it was his baby originally and a lot of us tried it out. I remember it being more of a start point than an end point, and anything beyond the four basic ingredients in the proportions he originally posted was purely user option. The lube would tolerate a lot of modifications and additions without too much fuss since it didn't contain any metal soaps or synthetic oils with super-weird polarities.

What the development of Simple Lube did was teach a bit about what does what by addition/subtraction. The little microwax from the PJ smoothes out the cold start habit of the beeswax, the mineral-based oil in the PJ and ATF makes lube flow without making it too slick, and the polybutene and EP additives in the two-stroke holds it together (cohesion without too much adhesion) and gives some polarity to the mix so it would wet out the bore. Deleting ingredients and changing proportions will show you what purpose each ingredient serves, a cool experiment if you're bored and want to re-invent the wheel, or really get a solid, firsthand grasp of the basic things a bullet lube needs.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Thanks Ian: I'm trying to figure out who is who here. I remember "run 5 run" was one of the leaders of the pack back over there. All I know is; you guys are the ones I respected the most and also the ones that helped me the most in my ascension into the world of cast boolits.
Suffice to say I would be no where with out your help!
Much thanks
Jim
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Think "fiver" here.

Lube testing is addictive and lots of fun. It also leads to owning ingredients you never heard of before. Things like tranny gel.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Brad, you'll laugh....I had to buy a fresh tub of Dr. Tranny Assemblee Goo a few days ago because..................wait for it..................I was actually building an automatic transmission and I'd used up all my stash on bullet lube! Maybe I'll take some pics and show you what that wonderfully tacky, thick stuff is SUPPOSED to be used for.
 

KHornet

Well-Known Member
Have never succumbed to the make my own fetish in the last 30 years or so, because-------well I guess I have enough fetishes related to casting, shooting, reloading etc. as it is. That said I admire those who do stay with the the "new" lube testing program. I am sold on Bens LL for over coating, and use it for every thing I now cast. I am sold also on a green lube that Brad cooked up for cold weather (make that cold weather hunting), because it works well below the freezing mark. One of these days I will find somebody who will be willing to sell me some Ben's Red because Ben anything he comes up with just plain works. In the meanwhile, I will buy White Label 2500, and Can Red, because they just plain work for me.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
odd you should mention more ingredients.

I was at the walmart today and seen a stray tube of red-N-tacky on the shelf.
and actually started reaching for it.
the wife reminded me I could make it from scratch or modify some of that 5 gallon pail of grease I have and make it myself.
like I need more boolit lube right now. [or probably ever]
 

35 shooter

Well-Known Member
I still have some Simple Lube from the last batch i made almost 2 years ago?
Suffice it to say it's been sitting in a plastic tub for quite a while.
I checked it the other night by squeezing a bit between my fingers. It went soft and pliable immediately, just as it originally did.
Nothing has leaked out of the mix in all that time and still has the same beeswax smell to it. Also have about 200 35 cal. rifle bullets that have been lubed and stored with it for the same amount of time.
The lube is still holding tight in the grooves with no signs of cracking, glazing or anything.
It's a very easy lube to "tweak" a bit for individual bbl. lengths and super easy to make.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
unless I'm mistaken the green lube Brad made up would be MML
it is designed specifically for cold weather get the first/second boolit on target hunting use.

oh and 35 you aren't the only one still using the simple lube, I still get pm's about it.
the learning part of the lube was kind of a secondary effect.

I was asked to put up a recipe for the easiest to make, cheapest, most effective lube I could think of.
after a little experimentation I found it's easy to find ingredients made it about perfect for adding or subtracting components to modify the lube for specific conditions.
the name simple lube come about because you just melted the wax, poured everything in, stirred once or twice and let it cool down.
there is no specific brand name ingredients and no 100% actual measurements needed
[other than not using synthetic ingredients] just about anything else lube related can be used/substituted to change the lube.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Ok, to set the record straight I never made the green lube. That is part of a lot I bought directly from Mike. It is an older recipe and is a bit more heat sensitive. He now uses more wax to reduce the tendency to go soft at higher temps.
I will say the stuff excels in colder temps.
 

Paden

Active Member
Ok, to set the record straight I never made the green lube. That is part of a lot I bought directly from Mike. It is an older recipe and is a bit more heat sensitive. He now uses more wax to reduce the tendency to go soft at higher temps.
I will say the stuff excels in colder temps.
So, what's this green stuff called, and is it still available from him? Am looking for a recipe that excels in colder temps (-30 to +70 range), any suggestions?. What's the lower end for Ben's Red?
 
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JWFilips

Well-Known Member
OK; Since this is a new forum and I don't think I want to go thru the 49 pages of the "Simple Lube Thread" ( even though I know I followed it quite a bit) on the CB forum. Can anyone post the "Final verdict" of the "Simple lube" recipe here.
Sure would appreciate that & it would be nice to have it posted on this site.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
As Far as "Green" is concerned; I know Bullshop has sent me a pile of his cast boolits for my .223 rem and .243 Win and I have never had any issue with his lube up to 2000 fps. I think it is called "simple green" but I may be wrong. Maybe he will pipe in.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
So, what's this green stuff stuff called, and is it still available from him? Am looking for a recipe that excels in colder temps (-30 to +70 range), any suggestions?. What's the lower end for Ben's Red?
It was an early rendition of MML, formulated for cold weather.
Basically lithium grease, beeswax, and paraffin/microwax

I would need to search to see the exact formula for this batch, it is many years old
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Yes,"Speed green" That is what he calls it. I have been impressed with it's performance on the boolits he has sent me
 

Paden

Active Member
Looks like the Bull Shop is no longer in Alaska and has moved to Montana. Found a PO Box address in Dell MT but no other contact info or confirmation that they're still in the Speed Green business.... Maybe I'll drop them a post card.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Paden, you can send him a PM from right here, he is registered here as Daniel Congiolosi.