Problem w/ lubed cores.

[Donna]

Hello all,

I have run sum experiments on the formation, swaging, of bullets with a lubricated core after I made a batch of bullets that I thought the cores felt slightly greasy after I washed them in hot soapy water and rinsed them but thought that it was my imagination. Besides the obvious problems of having lubrication on the core of a swaged bullet, I have found that during the formation process of the bullet the jacket is allowed to fold or cause wrinkles along the shank. I believe it is because the lube on the core cannot let the core grab the jacket with enough resistance to hold it secure when it is being push into or removed from the die and allows the die to fold the jacket on itself. This almost always happens on every bullet being made with a lubricated core. Also the conical part of the rebated boattail does not have enough support because the core is able to move allowing the punch to cut into the jacket to deeply popping the conical part of the jacket off exposing the lead core. Of course, this does not always happen on every bullet being made with a lubricated core but the frequency is very high something like 1 in 50.

Any other thoughts or observations?

Donna :wink:

[talon]

Donna, Do you anneal your jackets? Some lots don't need annealing, but others do depending upon the jacket metal itself, it's thickness,  or the shape of the bullet (ogive &/or RBT for instance). This may be part of the problem with wrinles, splits and seperations you are experiencing. Too, are you using wire that you aren't sure what lub is on it in the raw state? Perhaps it's that residual stuff that isn't washable in soapy warm water. I also notice freshly washed cores ( that I've just swaged from wire I make, for instance) seem greasy sometimes, but soon their surface oxidizes and they don't feel 'greasy' anymore. This oxidation is very rapid on freshly made pure lead, but while the O atoms collect on the pB, the rate of collection rapidly slows down,  you only have to wait 3 or 4 hours to tell the difference between 'feels greasy' and 'is greasy'.

[bullet maker]

Howdy
   I use lead wire also, and after forming the cores, I always wash the cores in hot water with spic and span. I have never had any problems of the greasy feel that you described. I did before, but not after using spic and span.
bullet maker

[Smokin7mm]

I have notice the same thing on freshly swaged cores.  I used to wash them in hot soapy water using a grease cutting dish washing liquid.  This worked ok but it took a lot of working the cores around and agitating.  I saw a tip on the spic and span and bought some of the liquid form.  I put it in a spray bottle and before I wash them I spray them down and agitate them in a small bucket.  I then use hot water to rinse them and set them out to dry.  They are not greasy at all.  At this point it is the best method I have found.  I have also heard to degrease them in acetone but this is a much more expensive method.
Bret

[Donna]

Hello Guys and Gals,

Sorry about that, I should have given a little background to my post concerning the jackets being used. I am using the J4 jackets and I do not anneal them when I get the jackets but use them as is. With non-liberated cores the jackets form up nicely without any wrinkling or the conical part of the rebated boattail coming off. Annealing jackets will be a topic for another thread.

Thank you Talon, bullet maker, and Smokin7mm.

Donna :wink: