Simple Lube

[Josh]

Well, I got 1lb 14 oz of Lamar's simple lube made up, it was a large batch but worth it I think.

1.25 lb of Beeswax
20 Tbsp of Vasoline
10 tsp of ATF
10 tsp of 2 stroke oil

It is a very funky green color, but that doesn't mean anything to me. It does feel a bit slick, what is the texture suppose to be like?
@fiver

 

[Brad]

Color will be slightly green. Looks about right.
Let it sit overnight then see how it feels. It should be easy to work in the fingers once it is kneaded a bit. Slight tackiness, slight slick. Should leave a hint of slick on the fingers.

I bet it works well

 

[Josh]

Awesome, it seems to be very close to that tonight, I will check it in the AM before work.

 

[Brad]

Lube always seems to change overnight. I find it usually gets a bit dryer and harder.

 

[Josh]

Makes sense, it has time to solidify and homogenize, much like concrete getting drier and harder over time.

 

[Ian]

The oils take time to creep into the crystalline structure of the wax and/or metal soaps if present. The process is actually a lot like precipitation hardening of certain metal alloys, though the process with lube occurs much faster.

Felix mentioned a lube guideline that I have found to be spot-on: You should be able to wipe away any greasy feeling on the fingers with a dry cloth; if you feel a lasting "greasy" feeling after wiping that must be washed off, the lube is likely too slippery.

 

[Brad]

That sounds like a good guideline.

 

[Ian]

If there's any wax in the lube it's a good guideline. TnT doesn't purge at all and it's about the slickest stuff anyone has made and fully synthetic at that, but again, no wax. A lube that operates on a liquid, dynamic film at any temperature has less of an issue with cyclic purging due to excess lube remaining and congealing in the bore between shots. Don't think I'm not going to shoot some of this polyethylene TnT grease sans wax to continue testing that theory If it works I'll call it "TnT squared". BTW, what's up with no subscript/superscript text hack on XenForo?

 

[Brad]

No superscript? Hmmm, I can ask tech support.

I think a bit of wax is a good thing but how much is yet to be seen. I also like a mix of waxes, they each bring something to the table.

 

[Josh]

I am going to do the wipe test when i get home, it will have been 24 hrs +4, can this stuff be wiped into grooves by the finger?

 

[35 shooter]

I am going to do the wipe test when i get home, it will have been 24 hrs +4, can this stuff be wiped into grooves by the finger?

Yep, just break off very small piece and knead it a bit between your fingers and wipe the grooves. Up and down motion worked best for me, instead of going around the grooves.
Either , or, works though.

 

[Ian]

I knead a pinto-bean sized bit of lube to soften it some, then mash it on a fingertip and rake it off in the grooves as I hold and rotate the bullet with my other hand. Kind of pack it in there by using the edge of the glob where it's thin on my fingertip, always raking across the groove the same direction because it pulls back out if you go both ways.

 

[Josh]

Thanks for the tips and info, I did the wipe test as Ian described and my finger came back almost dry. Like a tacky dry, no "slickness" at all. Sounds like simple lube really is simple! Now to test it out.

How many rounds should i put through the rifle before shooting for groups?

 

[35 shooter]

My rifle only required one shot, then it would start grouping....or

If i ran 1 wet patch of atf oil, then one dry patch through the bore it would group immediately, although the first shot WOULD be 1 to 2" high but centered.

I do the same thing with Ben's Red, but the first shot will be in the group. You may not get the high shot in your rifle with Simple lube, but it never bothered me for hunting because it was always centered.
You may have to play with it a bit for your rifle...also might try a patch with a bit of the lube on it down the bore followed by a dry patch or not...try it both ways. The atf oil worked for me.

 

[fiver]

that looks right.
it was initially called simple green but it got changed to avoid confusion with speed green and the cleaner.

here is the good part about how it's supposed to feel.
you got the slightly dry just right.
now you can learn how to manipulate a lube and what other ingredients will or won't do in a lube.
lanolin/alox/animal oils such as neets-foot etc..
if you see a lube smear about 10" from the muzzle and a little antimony wash behind it add a little more Vaseline or some alox, that helps the lube flow through the relax point of the powder pressure.

 

[Josh]

that looks right.
it was initially called simple green but it got changed to avoid confusion with speed green and the cleaner.

here is the good part about how it's supposed to feel.
you got the slightly dry just right.
now you can learn how to manipulate a lube and what other ingredients will or won't do in a lube.
lanolin/alox/animal oils such as neets-foot etc..
if you see a lube smear about 10" from the muzzle and a little antimony wash behind it add a little more Vaseline or some alox, that helps the lube flow through the relax point of the powder pressure.

Describe to me a "lube smear" making lube and understanding it is my weak point in the cast bullet process.

Thanks again guys

 

[Brad]

A lube smear is a distinct smear of lube left in the bore. It will be visible.
Fiver came up with the idea after he noticed it. He termed the location the relaxation point. The pressure drops just enough to ease the obturation on the bullet and the alloy relaxes. This lets some lube get deposited on the bore at that location. By altering the lube you can change the location of the smear because the lube also is under pressure. A lower viscosity, because of more Vaseline, lube flows better and is less likely to leave the smear.

 

[Brad]

And to make you feel better, I am the weak link in the lube testing/chemistry group. Fiver and Ian are far more knowledgable than I am.

 

[Josh]

Ok, do you want this smear gone entirely? Doesn't this affect the high ambient temp usability of this lube?

 

[Brad]

Temp can alter everything. Higher temp can move the smear all by itself. I think cold is a bigger factor than heat in most cases.