Sedalia Dave Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Can a stick of Lyman alox be thinned down for use as a tumble lube? Have a couple of sticks and am curious. If not I'll order a bottle of liquid alox. Want to tumble lube some cast bullets for use in my long range 45-70. The lube in the grooves is inadequate for the 34 inch barrel on my sharps. Hoping that if i give them a coat of alox in addition to the lube in the grooves that it will be stop the leading in the last 4 to 6 inches of the barrel. Want to use up the bullets i have while searching for a better supplier. Unfortunately casting my own is not an option due to where I live.
John Boy Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 100% Lee Alox? Cut it with Mineral Spirits and tumble lube the bullets http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?128708-Thinning-Lee-liquid-alox
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Don't think you will find a thinner to turn a stick of 50-50 Alox stick lube (NRA formula) into something that makes a good liquid lube. Too much beeswax in there. Just buy the Lee liquid alox and try that. Sounds, though, like your bullets just don't have enough of a lube groove to work in the long barrel. Leading out at the end is a sign of poor or too-little lube. Adding liquid alox over the top of what is there is not going to improve things much - no place for the lube to grab onto and will be more likely to be messy. If you are pretty sure the existing lube is junk, melt it out and add new lube in the grooves. Time to find you a new bullet design and provider, it sounds like. Good luck, GJ
J-BAR #18287 Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 It is VERY easy to use too much Alox, and it will gum up dies and guns if you do. Liquid Alox should be diluted with mineral spirits until you can just detect a slight color change, a dulling of the shine on the surface of the bullet after it has dried. If the bullet feels sticky, you have too much on there.
Michigan Slim Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 For my rifles I like to use just a touch more Alox. Pistols, just enough for a light coating. No leading, no sticky dies, no problems. I'll never use anything else with smokeless.
Noz Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Liquid alox does not work with 32-20s and black powder. I know!!
Texas Lizard Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Liquid alox does not work with 32-20s and black powder. I know!! Can you get enough black powder in those things to work?? Texas Lizard
Noz Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Can you get enough black powder in those things to work?? Texas Lizard 20 grains fills them pretty tight. Does a pretty good job of ringing targets even with a 90 gr bullet. would I go bear hunting with one? Nope! Nor would I go deer hunting with mine. But those vicious steel targets die quite nicely.
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