Author Topic: How to make Homemade Lubes  (Read 1005 times)

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Offline KSR

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How to make Homemade Lubes
« on: March 30, 2004, 09:38:57 AM »
What are some recipes of homemade lubes like Felix and others?
Thanks in advance.

Offline Steelbanger

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How to make Homemade Lubes
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2004, 07:16:16 PM »
KSR,

I use two different homemade lubes, one in rifles and one for low velocity pistol loads.
Rifle lube is made of 50% beeswax and 50% Alox, which I buy from a company called GAR in New Jersey. They advertise in "Handloader".

My other lube is a blend of 1 lb. paraffin 1 lb. beeswax and 12 oz. Vaseline and usually some candle coloring just to make it pretty. My last batch is blue.

Both are made by melting (outdoors) the ingredients in an old pot or a 3 lb. coffee can, which can be bent to form a spout on its edge. To form the usual sticks of lube, I have some awning tubing from an old RV with an inside diameter of approx .875. This tubing is in 18" lengths and one end is tightly taped with duct tape and then stood up in a bucket of gravel, ice chunks or whatever you have. When the lube is melted & blended pour into the tubes and let it cool. Removing the formed sticks of lube is done by warming the tubing over my propane burner and then pushing it out with a dowel rod. I push my long sticks onto sheets of newsprint and then cut them into 4" lengths. Although there is no hole in the center, I can push these sticks straight down into my Lyman luber-sizers with no effort at all.

The only hazard I can see is that the paraffin is highly flammable so use caution when melting it around an open flame.
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Offline Robert

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I use Beeswax and olive oil and....
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2004, 07:57:24 PM »
for smokeles, I melt in a little RCBS alox stick.  For BP, just straight olive oil and Beeswax.  One of my very best recent discoveries with either/any mixture...Fill old empty chapsticks, use it like a crayon across the grooves.  You can do all of your bullets with these, or just keep them handy to touch-up your bullets before shooting.  It makes it so easy it is mind-blowing.
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Offline Lloyd Smale

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How to make Homemade Lubes
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2004, 11:08:28 PM »
recipe for felix lube is on this websight http://www.castpics.net/about.htm
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Offline KSR

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How to make Homemade Lubes
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2004, 11:49:36 PM »
Thanks guys, that gives me a few ideas on trying to make some lube
myself.

Offline Leftoverdj

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How to make Homemade Lubes
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2004, 06:02:45 AM »
A very simple lube that works well up through moderate rifle loads (don't recall ever having tried it past 2000 fps) is equal parts of beeswax and lithium based waterpump grease with maybe a quarter part of parafin added to make it a bit firmer and less sticky. Proportions don't seem to be critical and my next batch will go up on the beeswax a bit.

The original proportions were arrived at by the simple fact that beeswax comes in one pound blocks, the grease in one pound cans, and canning parafin comes four sheets to to the pound box. Just heat and stir.

I did try adding moly powder, but the results were entirely too messy for me to do much to it. I'll want a harder, less tacky lube base to ever try that again.
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Offline BamBams

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How to make Homemade Lubes
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2004, 05:08:10 PM »
Quote from: Steelbanger
KSR,
Both are made by melting (outdoors) the ingredients in an old pot or a 3 lb. coffee can, which can be bent to form a spout on its edge. To form the usual sticks of lube, I have some awning tubing from an old RV with an inside diameter of approx .875. This tubing is in 18" lengths and one end is tightly taped with duct tape and then stood up in a bucket of gravel, ice chunks or whatever you have. When the lube is melted & blended pour into the tubes and let it cool. Removing the formed sticks of lube is done by warming the tubing over my propane burner and then pushing it out with a dowel rod. I push my long sticks onto sheets of newsprint and then cut them into 4" lengths. Although there is no hole in the center, I can push these sticks straight down into my Lyman luber-sizers with no effort at all.

The only hazard I can see is that the paraffin is highly flammable so use caution when melting it around an open flame.


Man you work HARD at this!  (laugh)  I just pour my molten lube right down the hole of the Lyman 4500 and crank out the bullets.
NRA Handgun Instructor

Offline sgtt

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How to make Homemade Lubes
« Reply #7 on: April 10, 2004, 08:43:51 PM »
The GAR folks are really nice.  Very easy to deals with.  They also sell lube at really, really good prices.  Very close to what you can make it for.  They have been doing it for a long time and know what they are doing.
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