Author Topic: lube ??????  (Read 1104 times)

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Offline D Crockett

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lube ??????
« on: December 15, 2010, 06:04:37 AM »
question for all the home casters here are you having any trouble with you lube flowing threw you sizer even with heat ??? I am having one heck of a time with mine I use a hard lube and around 40% of my 45/70 bullets have to go threw the sizer 2 or more times to get the lube ring full if I turn my heater temp up the lube turns to liquid and makes a mess any thought  on this ?? D Crockett

Offline gray-wolf

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2010, 01:28:20 PM »
would you care to say what the lube is made of ? 
what kind of sizer and what kind of heater?

I have some thoughts but it would help if you could give a little info ( as much as possible )
 I am sure you will get a bunch of what I do answers, but we could help more with the info.
My first guess is to much Paraffin in the mix--but lets see.

Offline D Crockett

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2010, 02:04:32 PM »
Gray wolf first of all I do not know what the lube is made of it a hard lube that I got from a company that has closed it's door of the biz (he retired ) this is the first timer that I have had this trouble I use a star lubber with a star heater under it if I adjust the heat to much I melt the lube and it makes a mess I have cleaned the Die holes that the lube goes threw I have taken out the die and cycled the sizer to see if I get enough lube with out the die in it and I do I don't have a idea as to what is making this happen D Crockett

Offline gray-wolf

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2010, 02:06:28 AM »
Quote
if I adjust the heat to much I melt the lube and it makes a mess


Sounds like you are going through the transitional phase of the wax, and missing the soft spot.
 
Make sure your heater is not spiking on you and causing to much heat.

The wax may be very sensitive and have a small area from cold to over heat.
Hard wax sometimes has a small thermal point for it's warm ( soft area )

Try to give it heat very slowly and catch that sweet spot.  Perhaps turn on the heat and then turn it off.
There should be a heat range that will soften the wax without making it runny and to soft.

Ugh   :'(  --empty it out and use a different lube, ( I hate doing that )   :(

Offline gypsyman

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #4 on: December 16, 2010, 02:20:32 AM »
Crockett, might try and use a desk lamp. Before I put a heater under my Saeco Lubri-sizer, I used a desk lamp with a 75 or 100 watt bulb in it. When I got it to just the right temp and it was flowing good, I backed the lamp off a couple inch's from the back of the sizer. It was/is, one with a flexible head, so I aimed the light down onto the sizer, so I wasn't staring into such a bright light. gypsyman
We keep trying peace, it usually doesn't work!!Remember(12/7/41)(9/11/01) gypsyman

Offline bilmac

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2010, 02:54:57 AM »
I'm sure you've thought of them but your technique can be changed when you have problems like this. Maybe a bit more pressure on your reservoir, maybe a pause when the bullet is in the filling position, are your bullets ice cold when you lube them. If it's just the top groove or the bottom that's hard to fill, maybe the stops need tweeking.

Offline budman46

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2011, 05:44:18 AM »
after trying liquid alox and lee push-thru sizers , i surplus-ed my rcbs lubri-sizer. if you prefer a bullet-sizing press, you can still liquid alox, size and re-alox, saving the mess, expense of lube sticks and the pain of turning that ratchet thingy that always ended up hurting my hand.

i increase productivity and save $$$ with lee's system. check out the cost of sizer dies and top punches for lyman/rcbs lubri-sizers vs. a lee push-thru sizer kit; lee even includes enough l/a to lube scads of bullets...an additional saving.

with my switch to lee, a couple of hundred dollars of rcbs bullet sizing equipment is gathering dust in my workshop.

budman

too soon old, to late smart...  :(
budman

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Offline BCB

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2011, 11:54:39 AM »
Not to be a smart “a”, but I think I would get rid of that stick lube and try another brand…

I am not an expert as I have only been using my Lube-O-Matic for 8-9 years and I have used RCBS, Lyman, and White Label Lube (Carnauba Red).  All are hard stick type lubes…

I have a Midway heater mounted under my sizer—it was made to fit several sizers I think and it fits the Lube-O-Matic perfectly…

Regardless, I have no problem at all with lube melting and becoming a problem.  I let the heater run for 15-20 minutes and then shut it off and lube the boolits  Carnauba Red has become my only that I use now…

So, maybe a switch in lube brands might work…

Good-luck…BCB

Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2011, 01:30:17 AM »
white lable lubes are probably the best bang for the buck in lubes. There corduba lube requires some heat. Me personaly i allways use heat for about any lube other then the really soft ones like javalina ect. It just makes things go eaiser. As to alox sorry fans i just dont have much use for it. Its a decent enough lube for someone who doesnt have the money to invest in a lubesizer. For the most part it will get you by but it just isnt as good as using a good lubesizer applied lube. It will do fine for low pressure plinking ammo but in my opinion thats about it.
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Offline hornady

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2011, 01:55:59 AM »
Not knowing your set up, A few years back I had some problems with a 30 cal, rifle mold taking lube, the problem was a Lee mold, the Lees have shallow narrow lube grooves, and any sizing just makes the problem worse.
I only use Lyman or RCBS molds with my 450, both have larger bands, and the problem went away.
I run a variety of lubes, and found the best set up for me was to wire a light dimmer to a receptacle, the light dimmer being a rheostat allows me to adjust the amount of heat I apply to the lube.

Offline D Crockett

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Re: lube ??????
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2011, 04:22:27 AM »
I probably should of said what equipment I have I cast with a magma master caster with magma moulds my sizer is a star and I have a magma heater under it I use the best equipment I can to make the best bullets I can so to why I am having such a problem  with my lube I went threw all my dies and cleaned them with hot water took all the lube out of the sizer cleaned it out with hot water changed to a soft lube and it floes like water so I am thinking it the hard lube and being cold has something to do with it thank for all the help from everyone D Crockett