Author Topic: Lube goo's up the dies (Read 757 times)

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **on:** April 22, 2004, 10:33:30 AM »

Dang, I'm in a pickle.

I've definitely noticed an improvment in performance with pan-lubed bullets vs. tumble lubed. However, the I always end up with some lube on the outside of the bullet, not just in the groove. Over the course of a box or so, the lube gets into the seating and crimping die and gums things up.

I've tried pan lubing and just popping the bullets out of the hardened cake with my thumb. But a high percentage of them come out with excessive chunks of lube stuck to them.

I've tried cutting them out with a cut-off .35 Remmington case. This still gets lube all over.

There must be some trick to those picture perfect bullets with lube only in the grooves. How soft should it be when you pop them out of the cake?

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #1 on:** April 23, 2004, 04:05:03 AM »

It's always gonna be a minor problem, but there are some things you can do to lessen it. Firmer your lube, the better it stays in one place. Simply chilling it before you start cutting helps. The tighter the fit of your cookie cutter, the less lube gets moved around. You can clean your cookie cutter as you cut to minimize lube transfer. Being careful not to have your lube so deep as to get any on the nose helps. Lube there can not only come off in the seater, it can be transfered for other bullets before they get to the seater.

I don't recall seeing what lube you are using, but the addition of paraffin will firm most up and reduce tackiness.

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #2 on:** April 23, 2004, 04:30:14 AM »

I'm using 1 part beeswax and 2 parts rendered deer tallow. Normally I've seen recipes for 50/50 beeswax and Crisco, but deer tallow is a sight harder than Crisco so I figured I could stretch the beeswax.

Robert357 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 23, 2004, 05:55:18 AM »

I seldom have a problem with lube gumming up the seating die. It happens, but not often for me.

To me one of the most frustrating things about handloading cast bullets with a solid lube is that it really is a hassel when I use my Lee Factory Crimp die. The problem is if there is lube on lube rings that are exposed and extend beyond the neck of the case with thick lubes like Roster Red.

I use the crimp die to undo the minor case "belling" so that I can seat my cast bullets without shaving off lead.

In the Lee Factor Crimp die, there are these slots that compress during the crimping. If I crimp into a lubed ring, after a few rounds of lubed bullets, they get full of waxy lube and when I crimp they don't expand back or open up all the way as the shell is removed. This tends to cause the entire inner assemble to remain stuck with wax to the shell and exit the body of the crimp die with the case. Then I have to take things apart, clean them physically and with chemicals and then start crimping again.

My solution so far is to not fill all the lube rings with a solid lube and then after crimping lube the additional rings by hand (a pain) or as said in the original post use that Lee Liquid Alox tumble lube. It sure is easier!

I too would appreciate any suggestions on how others must handle this as I am sure I am not the only one to run into this problem.

Longcruise · « **Reply #4 on:** April 23, 2004, 10:51:33 AM »

I've not tried this yet , but somneone I know suggested a hole through a board that is about 1/2 inch thick witht the hole reamed out to the size of the bullet and then just push them through. Like I said, have not done it yet but plan to give it a try.

Haywire Haywood · « **Reply #5 on:** April 23, 2004, 05:08:00 PM »

You didn't mention if or how you were sizing your boolits but if you pan lubed them then sized them with a Lee push-thru sizer, it would wipe them clean as a whistle in the sizing die.

Ian

Robert357 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 23, 2004, 08:13:26 PM »

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I use a Lee sizing die. I like it and I don't have a problem with "hard lube" gumming up the seating die. My problem (after I size them) is when I use the Lee Factory Crimp on a bullet over a filled lube ring (i.e. using the lube ring as a cannelure ?sp?). The crimp squishes the lube out and it gets into the slots in the Lee Factory Crimp die.

The original poster said he had problems with lube getting into the bullet seating and crimping die. I assumed he was talking about two dies, as it is the crimp die where I have my problems.

Goatlips · « **Reply #7 on:** April 25, 2004, 06:21:34 PM »

Black Jaque,

Try this pard. Lay your lube cake fulla boolits base down on a folded towel so that there's a little give to it. Then take a tool of some sort - I use a small chef's knife with a hardwood handle - and tap the nose of each boolit smartly to break it from the hold that the lube has on it. Fifty whacks takes but a few seconds once ya got the rhythm. Pick up yer cake gently and push out the few boolits that didn't already fall out, and on to the next panful. I retired my 450. Works fer my Snakebite's using the wunnerful PRS lube.

Goatlips

Black Jaque Janaviac · « **Reply #8 on:** May 04, 2004, 07:00:36 AM »

Thanks Goatlips - that might be the ticket, just a smart tap to make a cleaner break.

I've tried sizing with the Lee dies, and they actually made things worse. For whatever reason after coming out of the sizing die, the bullets have a ring of lube at the juncture of the shank and ogive.

Dusty Miller · « **Reply #9 on:** May 04, 2004, 07:50:10 AM »

I've only used the RCBS lubrisizer and it allows the operator to adjust the depth the bullets sinks into the die. I've got it set so the crimp groove doesn't get any lube at all. The pan method is good for folks who like doing it the "old fashion" way ( just like granpa did it!) but modern lubrisizers are really the way to go.