I have two big blocks of "Rooster Red" bullet lube that have a bunch of barn dust all over the outside. I know I can trim the outside off and have clean lube, but that seems a little sloppy, and would leave some grit from the wiping of the blade. I wonder if anyone has a quick and easy way to melt and refine the stuff so it won't be full of bore-eating particles?

I would melt it and put it threw a paint strainer a few times that should catch all the junk in it just do it slowly so not to get to much in the strainer it might clog up on you and what you have left you can use as lead flux Forest Punch

I wonder if a propane torch would melt off the outside layer?

I dunno, but you can take a block of bees wax and put it into a piece of nylon pantyhose, tie it off and boil it in a pan that you won't ever use again. The wax will come through the hose, and the dirt will stay inside. Collect it from the top of the pan when it cools and you'll have clean wax. It should work for lube.

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Tom

That's GENIUS!

How's about just putting the block on end on a clean surface, stabilize it by holding it with a fork, and pouring a little boiling water down each face? You'll lose just a little lube and all the dirt.

I was going to suggest doing this in a basement sink, but then it occured to me that it would solidify in you pipes.

well my wife says we are going about this the hard way. She said to take a a small meat loaf pan a woman nylon stocking put over the pan put the wax in a double boiler melt it at that point most of the stuff will go to the bottom. Then pour into the stocking letting the pan catch the clean lube that what my wife says Forest Punch

O.K. I got around to melting and straining this stuff. It turns out it's not Rooster Red. Frankly, I don't know what it is, except that I got it from a friend when his dad died and left it. If anyone can help, it looks quite a bit like beeswax when it's hard, only more yellow. When it's melted, it looks exactly like 90 weight gear oil, kind of a blue-green-grey color. I poured it into some quart jars and it cooled off from the bottom up and turned a light slightly brownish yellow as it hardened. Any guesses?

I was just at a bee farm today and he had blocks of raw bees wax in big slabes and it was all raw with that read coller and he said it needs to be melted again and cleaned and he uses old panty hose doubled and said it works grate.

Nim

I make all of my cast bullet lube, with bees wax, I melt it and pour it thru cheese cloth. There is a guy on ebay that sells solid Alox 350 and it works well for making lubes.

Jerry

could this wax have been mixed with something? heard of using wax mixed with ATF. never tired it though.

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Gun Control should come in three flavors: Safe, Semi and auto.

How hard is it? When cooled does it move when you push down on it with the flat of a spoon?

What temperature does it get noticeably softer at? Expect it to melt over a range of temperatures, getting soft, softer, slush, then liquid.

What does this mix smell like? Beeswax has a certain smell usually when melted, as do things added to beeswax to make a lubricant, including Vaseline, Olive oil, and many other things.

People do add things to beeswax that are sometimes toxic, but if you're adventurous, don't swallow it, but what does it taste like?
Some links on lubricant formulas and beeswax:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=29683
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...eeswax+melting
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=26524

I know beeswax pretty well, having kept bees. This stuff is too hard to cut readily with a knife, so I used an axe and it shattered when I hit it hard. It seems to melt a bit easier than parrifin, which I melted recently for another project. My main concern is f it will attack powder. I don't think it's going in any of my loads at this point. I think I'll use it with some egg cartons and dryer lint to make fire starters. Too bad, I've got about 4 pounds of the stuff.