A friend of mine works at a communications co.
He gave me 20 to 25 pounds of Beeswax.He said they call it 'sealer'

Does anyone know what I can add to it to make bullet lube?

I'm a newbie to casting,I wish I had gotten into this a long time ago.

Poletax---Back in 1998 when I first started going to the now closed down Shooters site,homemade bullet lube was being discussed. Works out that felix was the person in the know. I named his lube FWFBL(Felix world famous bullet lube)and there were always people dropping in wanting the recipe. The posters on the cast bullet board there coughed up a few bucks and Felixs son Tommy ran a site for us. Now a guy named Sundog runs that site. Anyways go to http://www.castpics.net and look around and you will find info about Felix lube.

Thanks, carpetman. I owe ya.

I mix beeswax with moly/lithium axle greese picked up from the auto parts store. I mix it in a roughly 50/50 mix, but usually add some more beeswax to the mix to stiffen it up some. I've never tried to see how well it works at max rifle velocities, but it works great in revolvers up to magnum levels, and rifles to 2000 fps or so. I can't say it's the best bullet lube, but it is as accurate as the best commercial lubes, and more accurate then most.

It's a soft lube, which means you have to show some care when handling lubed bullets, but me thinks soft lubes are superior to hard lubes, especially at low temperatures. Speaking of temps, just be cautious as to the heat source you use to melt the wax and lube, as both componets are flamable, and also do it in a well ventilated area, preferably outside.

quote:

Originally posted by poletax:
A friend of mine works at a communications co.
He gave me 20 to 25 pounds of Beeswax.He said they call it 'sealer'

Does anyone know what I can add to it to make bullet lube?

I'm a newbie to casting,I wish I had gotten into this a long time ago.

Just be sure it really is beeswax. There are a lot of synthetics and substitutes around, but natural beeswax is what you want for lubes.

Paul, I have long used the grease/beeswax mixture, but I use lithium grease with no moly, and throw in a quarter pound of parafin to a pound of each of the others to get the consistency I want. Parafin is cheaper and a better hardener than more beeswax. I doubt there is any practical difference between our approaches.

I've used parafin to stiffen the lube, but it has a tendancy to make the lube "crumbly" Crayons are another filler that can be used to stiffen up the lube, and add a bit of color. It doesn't seem to make the lube quite as crubly as adding parafin.

I also agree that the stuff you got might not be pure beeswax, and you'd be advised to make up a small batch to test it. You should be able to make out of the stuff you got is pures beeswax or not by smelling it, as any petroleum based additives should be pretty aparent vs the distinctive beeswax smell.

I used a mixture of five ounces of Wesson Oil, five ounces of Crisco shortening, eight ounces of beeswax, a tablespoon of RCBS case lube (STP oil treatment works just as well), and a couple tubes of Outers Gunslick for the graphite in it. Stuff comes out stiff enough to where it isn't sticky once it totally solidifies, but still soft enough to pan lube and then push the bullets out of the cake by hand, if you desire. It's a modification of the old Emmert Lube you might have heard folks talk about, and it worked extremely well for me.

quote:

Does anyone know what I can add to it to make bullet lube?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=543

poletax,
And for more info and discussion on the subject, try the above,
Cheers,
R*2

Paul, I have used the BW and grease lube, too. Mine was with Sta-Lube and used in a 1917 Colt. Worked purdy good, but stinks - still use it ocassionally as I have a batch handy. FWFBL is by far one of the most versatile lubes available, completely customizable, and very controlable. Good stuff. It is my mainstay. sundog

Beeswax and Crisco, or vegetable oil works pretty well. 50:50. I melt 1 C. of wax in a microwave, add to that 1 C. vegetable oil and 1 Tbs. Murphys Oil Soap. Smells good, does not separate, has good consistency for lubing with a Lyman 45 or 450 w/o heater, and I don't get any leading at 45 Colt velocities.

I'm going from memory here, and my memory is like a steel trap-old and rusty.

Beeswax + neatsfoot oil (or lanolin) +True soap (Fells Naptha bar, spelling?). This is for black powder, but it should work for others.

I'll guess at ratios in a minute, but the key is to melt them all, EXCEPT the soap, in a double boiler (perhaps in a micro-wave on low or defrost-don't know, I don't have a microwave). After all is melted and blended together, EXCEPT THE SOAP, add a small bit of soap (1-5% of mixture, small amount total soap addition). It may boil over, so go slow. Adding soap saponifies the mixture. It's been a long time since my Organic Chemistry, so I can't give a lesson on saponification; however, adding soap (going through the saponification process) raises the melting point of the mixture-which is good for hot days. Some people have warm /cold weather blends.

Roughly, it's mostly beeswax ~ 60+%, then neatsfoot oil (35-40ish%), (maybe even 50/50), then some shavings of soap. I remember reading that some added some Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO). Others added some colloidal graphite, and stirred until it took a set (for uniformity). Harry Pope used MMO, and graphite, but used Baywax instead of beeswax.

It's not rocket science. Just make small batches until it looks good. It should be a creamy yellowish color when done. If it's not firm, add more soap or beeswax. I can't remember if Murphy's oil soap can be substituted for the soap or not. If I remember correctly, a true soap has a certain amount of fatty acids in it. Most of today's "soaps" do not have fatty acids, and are largely surfactants and detergents. Remember, this is an "ol' timey" recipe. Use "ol' timey" ingredients ("soap", not dish detergent. Ivory soap flakes is no longer "soap" by the old definition, so stay with the old type bar of Fels (sp?) Naptha). It worked for Sharps.