felix lube

[Forest T]

can any one tell me how to make felix lube hard thanks for the help Forest T

[Leftoverdj]

Felix Lube formula
 
2T mineral oil
1 T castor oil
1 T Ivory, or homemade soap
1T Lanolin
Beeswax - Piece approximately 3 1/2" X 3 1/2" X 1 "
 
Heat mineral (baby) oil until it starts to smoke.
Add castor oil, and stir continuously for 1/2 hour
Sliver the soap, and stir into the mixture a little at a time, until melted.
Add lanolin
Add beeswax
 
1 t. of carnuba wax can be added to give a shiny bore. This can be found on the seal of Makers Mark whiskey, or the red wax on cheese from the supermarket.
 
Once made, let cool. This can be remelted in a microwave, and poured into the lubrisizer.
 
Go to
 
http://www.castpics.net/RandD/felix_lube/felix_lube.htm
 
for tips on refinement of the formula.

[The Shrink]

I've read this formula many times, but never made it.  So far I've limited my lubes to BP formulas.  

I've always wondered why one has to heat the oil for so long.  Once it's to temperature are there chemical changes that occur with the sustained heating?  Surely he's using a heat source that gets it to temp faster than this?  Unless he's using an alcohol burner?

Wayne the Shrink

[Leftoverdj]

Something is happening during the heating process, The Shrink. I read the explanation months ago but only bothered to retain that it is necessary. It takes nearly that long to get the soap dissolved in the hot oil, anyway, and I had powdered the soap in a food processor to get it as fine as possible.

I made a 4x batch using two pounds of beeswax and cast it into sticks using appropriate diameter aluminum tubing as moulds and got about 40 sticks. The sticks were then individually wrapped in aluminum foil and sealed in a ziplock bag. I figger that's all the lube I will ever need.

For years, I have used another homebrew formula using one pound beeswax, one pound lithium based waterpump grease, 2-3 tablespoons anhydrous lanolin, and a quarter pound of paraffin. That's a simple melt and mix deal and works well up to about 2000 fps. Dunno that I ever tried using it any faster than that.

[Bug]

If I read you Q correctly, you want to stiffen up FWFL, to the consistency of one of the "hard" lubes...
 It could be done with the addition of enough paraffin, but I don't think you want to do it. It will probably decrease its effectiveness. Plus, you'd then have to use a lubrisizer heater. Adding a small amount of paraffin (5-10% by weight) will keep it from being so sticky, if exposed lube is the problem.............Bug.

[Leftoverdj]

Oops, Bug!  You made me go back and reread the question and you are absolutely right. If one already has Felix lube and merely wants it a little harder and less tacky, adding a little paraffin is the answer.  You are right on the amount, too.  I made my batch using two pounds of beeswax and multiplying everything else by four. I threw in a chunk of paraffin that looked to be a little less than a quarter pound and got exactly the consistency I wanted.

[lewisgoldstein]

The reason for cooking the oil so long, is to polymerize it, or make it into a crosslinked mesh to entrap all the other molecules of stuff in the lube.
COOL THE MIXTURE TO ~200F before adding the Lanolin or the Lanolin will decompose.
This is what Felix of FWFL told me to tell all. - Lew

[Leftoverdj]

Thanks, Lew. I did not know that, but I did it by accident. I plopped in my beeswax and added the lanolin on top of it. By the time enough wax had melted in to get to the lanolin, the temperature was well under 200 F.