maxiball lube

[FPG52]

Hello all.. new to the forum so I hope this is not a questions asked 100 times already :wink: I found an unopened container of TC maxi-hunter maxi-balls for my .45cal. Although unopened the box has been sitting for several years. When I opened it i found all of the lube was dried up and fell right out of the channels in the maxi ball. my question... what do you all recommend to re-lube these balls?
Thanks for any help
FG

 

[Don Steele]

Google "Junior's Lube".
Junior Doughty (R.I.P.) offered a formula for a homemade lube that has worked well for me.

 

[FPG52]

Thanks for the suggestion... i will check it out!!

 

[Rat Trapper]

use bore butter and put it on with your finger.

 

[Patocazador]

I use a mixture of beeswax and lard. Vary the proportions according to the ambient temperature.
I don't like Bore Butter .. the stuff or the smell. The smell reminds me of stepping on a wood roach. :barf:

 

[Billnpatti]

Patocazador's recipe is a pretty good one. There are as many lube recipes as there are people to tell you about them. Patocazador's recipe is as good as any. If I were making it, I would put the bees wax in a can and sit it in a pan of water on the stove. Melt the bees wax in the can and do the lard the same way. When both are melted, pour them together and stir to thoroughly mix them. Then, what I like to do is add about a tablespoon of Murphy's Oil Soap and beat it vigorously as it cools and thickens. The soap will make the lube creamy and will tend to keep down the fouling. But, if you don't have any Murphy's Oil Soap or don't want to mess with it, that's okay, the bees wax and lard will still make a good lube and in either case, you can add or subtract bees wax according to the ambient temperature.

 

[FPG52]

thanks again... I will try it

 

[nkbj]

My pert near universal slippery stuff of choice is LOOB (Lanolin-Olive Oil-Beeswax).
As said before, the portions are juggled to suit the mission.
Peanut oil works good too but it won't spell anything.

 

[galamb]

X2 on the "Bore Butter" (comes in a tube from Thompson Center) unless you want to go all "mad scientist" at the kitchen table cooking up your own concoction.

 

[Maven]

g.a. lamb's suggestion is the easiest to follow. However, if you want to try making your own, here's an extensive list of recipes. (Lots of black powder compatible lubes too!) http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?26524-Just-the-facts-Lube-recipes

 

[stombaug]

Agree also. I cast my own .50cal Maxiballs, and I lube them with Bore Butter. I melt the bore butter (microwave) in the bottom half of a plastic container that electrical tape comes in (the high, straight walls are perfect). When it is completely liquid, I simply drop in 10 maxiballs so that they stand up on their bases, and stick the thing in the freezer until the butter re-solidifies. Then I take a 3" length of aluminum tubing (was originally 1/2" ID - had a guy in the shop bore it to .504"), cut them out, then push them back out of the tube with a pen, right into the original box. The melted bore butter, once it hardens back up, isn't quite the same as what's on the ones that you buy (I was told it is a different grade), but it sticks in the grooves and provide plenty of lube.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I do something similar to you sir! I use a once-fired .50 BMG case with the primer pocket drilled-out via a drill press & a wooden dowel to push the lubed 370 gr. .50 cal. Maxi's out of the BMG case!

I also melt a little beeswax into the Wonder Lube so the conicals aren't "soupy" in warm weather.

Dave

 

[Billnpatti]

I'm kind of surprised that more people didn't jump in with their "perfect" recipe for lube. I guess this subject has been discussed so many times that folks are getting tired of answering the same question over and over. But, I understand that if you are new to the sport, you need to know these things even though they may have been covered many times before you joined our group. Anyway, as you can see from the answers that you have gotten, there is more than one way to skin a cat. When "skinning a cat" refers to making or buying a lube for your muzzleloader............yep, there are many ways of skinning that sucker. If you want to buy your lube rather than making it, ain't nothin' wrong with Bore Butter. :thumbsup: Well, other than the fact that it gets a bit runny in hot weather.

 

[bpd303]

For purchased lube SPG can't be beat. http://www.blackpowderspg.com/spglube.html

Here is my method for pan lubing. http://www.blackpowderspg.com/HTML/images/Pan Lubing article for web.pdf

For my homemade, I use bees wax with enough Jojoba or Olive oil, to bring it to the right consistency.