Lee Loader

Now that I have all three Load-Masters running smoothly, with petroleum jelly as the only lube, I'm serious wondering why it took me a lifetime to try it. I think my presses are running slicker than they ever have and the PJ is a big part of it. I've used all kinds of stuff from aircraft engine oil on the ram to moly greases via the zerk fittings. I got tired of the dark sticky grease on the ram. What I saw when I took all the pins apart is the grease that set up hard and took a fine wire to pick it out from the tiny bore reamed through the pin. I thought about that a bit as the grease is what I use on my tractor and all over the tube is its merits on how it performs under high temperatures and pressures. I don't think the Load-Master produces either and the bottom line is it settles up in the tight places. I ended up having to clean all the bores through the pins with solvent under pressure; the passages were plugged.

I have a small grease gun from Harbor Freight that I load with PJ using a paint stick, probably takes me two minutes to fill it up. I gave up trying to get PJ to push through the oiler point; I just spread a bit on the ram by hand. It is easy to clean up afterward and a light coat once done.
I've also tried it as a rifle case lube, works great, and noticed that the little 32 Auto case kind of "chattering" as the case slider moved it to the shell plate. At times the chatter would cause the case not to fully seat. I started to apply a light coat of PJ to the upper surface of the carrier tongue, and this is no longer an issue. A light coat applied by finger has lasted for my entire sessions. I'm doing this on the other two presses as well.

I'm an old dog and sceptical. OTOH PJ looks almost transparent, less "dirty" to begin with, and if it got dirty from normal press useage it would be more apparent. This would signal you that it is time to do that maintenance. You are absolutely correct about the lack of high temperatures and pressures involved in running a press, even a progressive. So maybe this old dog will try PJ on the next routine maintenance.

A few years ago I was working on small truck crane and I needed some grease to lube the pulley axles as I was installing them. I didn't have the black stuff handy and I kept a tube of Vaseline in my toolbox for my hands, and not wanting to hassle with the idiot in the tool crib, I grabbed the Vaseline. Worked great so I've been using PJ on occasion since (light lubing)...

Same here mikld, I use PJ on my hands and always have a container in my truck and tractor. I end up using it on a lot of things but never have tried the presses.

I set up my LCT yesterday after it's return home from the war. Wiped it down and PJ'ed it up.

I don't like the smell. Need to get unscented if I'm gonna keep some around the bench. The bullet lube I made has scented in it so it really stinks combined with the other chemicals.

GasGuzzler wrote:I don't like the smell. Need to get unscented if I'm gonna keep some around the bench.

I didn't know they made it scented. OTOH I like the smell of BP, Hoppes #9 and EEZOX so maybe my smeller is behaving like my other aging body parts.

Hmmm. didn't know PJ smelled Most of my smeller was burned up from radiation treatments...

the first 10 years of my "fire arms life, when I lived at home with my parents, were spent cleaning guns with WD40, and lubing with Vaseline and 3 in 1 oil. I still have some of those guns and they are in as good condition as they were 50 years ago. Gun abuse? I don't think so.


jd

I hear you JD!

GG, I buy the bulk Wal-Mart brand of PJ and I sure cannot detect any odor.