Applying swage lube to jackets

[Bughole]

What is the best way to apply swage lube to jackets? I keep reading that it is VERY important to thoroughly degrease the cores before seating them, so assume it is as important to keep lube out of the inside of the jackets. I also read to tumble 1000 jackets with 8 grains of lube. Doesn't that get some lube on the inside of the jacket as well as the outside? Should I use 8 grains of lube per 1000 jackets the very first time or a little more to coat the jar walls? Should I clean the jar walls each time or just leave lube on them and add 8 grains more the next time?

I'm thinking of buying a Lortone 33B rotary tumbler and putting a plastic jar (emptied lanolin jars) in each rubber cannister to put jackets and jube. Is this the thing to do? Are Thumber tumblers better or quieter? The reason for lining the cannisters with plastic jars is so I can also use the tumbler to clean brass and don't really want lube on the inside of the rubber cannisters.

Bughole

[vmthtr in Green Bay]

My friend makes hiw own bullets and he puts a peice opf wax paper on his scale, zero it, add the lube, put the whole works in a big glass jar, put on the lid with the jackets inside and tumbles them around for a while by hand. With the cores, he likes them to oxidize a little, get a white coating, then seat them in the lubed jackets. He makes the bullets I use in BR and are the equal or better than any bullet I have tried.

Mike

[george ulrich]

thumblers tumbler works great i have square and some hex shaped glass jars that i put inside of there metal tumbler raise front with a board to keep jackets turning down. i don't remove lube just add. 8 grs. is good for steel want to use less for carbide all according to what type you are using standard 50-50 lanolin and vasoline mix 4-6 grs. for carbide works good. george

[J. Valentine]

I dont bother with tumbling on swage lubricant , For hunting bullets I just rub some lub on my fingers and rub each jacket as I seat the core or point form.
As you seat cores if the jacket sticks on the punch and does not stay in the die just wipe off the jacket and seat it again until it stays in the die and ejects normally. Dont add any more lub for a few more jackets untill you feel ejection is harder. If the punch is very sticky then wipe your fingers over the punch end.
For target bullets as I point form them I roll a very small amount of lubricant onto an ink pad and gentle roll each core seated jacket before point forming.
I mic bullets now and then as they are being made to make sure they are coming out on the correct diameter.
If they are starting to get smaller than bang on diameter , I stop adding lubricant until it clears and correct diameter returns.
For target bullets I double swage cores.
For all cores I degrease in shelite ( liquid hyrocarbon ) twice and dry well .
Jackets are cleaned in a product like CLR ( containing sulphamic acid ) to remove all tarnish rinsed in hot water . Then washed in shelite and allowed to dry as it leaves no residue .

[Stephen Perry]

There are different methods of applying lube to jackets. Most do a good job. That being said the least amount of lube is desireable. That least point is obtained by trial and error. Lube on the jacket serves several purposes those being the hydraulic action of forming the jacketed core into a finished bullet, producing final dimensions that a bullet smith can claim his own those being pressure ring and shank dimensions, and a hi-pressure lube that allows the point-up die to reach and stay at a warm-up point pointing-up bullets and releasing them.

My method of applying lube works for me and I'm willing to share. I use a gallon Mason jar mine has 4 sides to roll jackets. Lube is anhydrous lanoline and petrolium jelly a 3:1 mix. I usually lube 500 at a time. I use the same amount of lube each time and rub the lube on all 4 sides to start. I let my kid roll the jackets for 10-15 minutes then I do the final rolling. For each lot of bullets I start out with the lubed jackets in a new styro-foam bowl. As I point-up the bullets they go into a sealed plastic tub, I don't remove the lube.

Keep the bullet making process simple. Don't let frustration get your goat. Develop a system that works for you. Good bullets will not make a bad barrel win aggs, this statement has been proven me wrong.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

[jim saubier]

my bullet making experience is all relative to .30 caliber benchrest bullets, so lube amounts may not mean anything to you. I used 7.5 grains of lube per 1,000 jackets (1 bucket of J4 jackets). I apply my lube to a piece of wax paper on a scale, with more lube than I desire. I then use the wax paper to wipe lube in the inside of the 1 gallon pickle jar, and weigh to see how much lube i applied. If I apply too much, I use the wax paper to remove some and weigh again until I have applied the appropriate amount of lube. I use a very sensitive scale, Denver Instruments MX series scale. By smearing the lube on the jar, i have less opportunity to get some on the inside of the jacket. My jar had paddles on the inside so it would keep the jackets tumbling instead of sliding along the inside of the smooth jar.

my dies were carbide Niemi dies.

[harrens@adelphia.net]

I use the same method as Jim. 7.5 grs of lube to a bucket of jackets. Tumble in a Thumblers for 30 Min.