Case lubes

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  • Last Post 08 February 2010
hunterspistol posted this 06 September 2009

:armyhelmet:     Anyone using a case lube or case reforming lube they'd like to brag about?  Currently, I use Hornady One Shot.  It smells great, evaporates quickly and works wonderfully.  The only drawback is that I have to remember to reorder it before I run out, those aerosol cans aren't cheap either.

     I've tried RCBS pump spray, too sticky. Anyone using a light, disappearing lube that's trouble free or almost trouble free?

      I do some wildcatting, 7mmTCU and such so, a case reforming lube wouldn't be out of the question.:coolgun:

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lordgroom posted this 06 September 2009

I use the Dillon spray lube and it works great.

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JSH posted this 06 September 2009

I use the Hornady also, seems to be less sticky than most sprays. Have used the Dillon stuff at a friends house. Imperial sizing wax for drastic brass moving.

FYI, I have used chapstick for sizing before with good results. Just like Imperial a little goes a long way. jeff

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JetMech posted this 07 September 2009

Imperial is still the best high-pressure lubricant for case reforming or just resizing military brass that hasn't been annealed, IMHO.

For ever day use, most of the current resizing lubes are wax based, versus 20 years ago when they were all petrolium based. The difference is that wax based lubes will not contaminate powder charges, at least by my understanding. Milsurp forum did a test using readily available wire pulling lubrcant with good results. An electrician friend gave me a bottle to try (it's $5 for a BIG bottle) and it worked fine. Hornady One shot still gets the nod for ease of use but when I'm out, I use the wire pulling compound and drive on.

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KenK posted this 07 September 2009

I use One Shot almost exclusively.  I have a can of Imperial that I will use on occasion if I'm just sizing one or two cases or some other odd job.

For people that may not have used One Shot much or haven't had good results; I have found that the timing between spraying and sizing is very important because the lube dries so fast. 

Also, never throw away a used up can until you are sure the spray nozzle on the next can works properly; I have had several cans where it did not.

I take an old towel and fold it in thirds long ways and drape it over my left knee while I'm sizing cases.  As I size I will palm 3-5 sized cases in my left hand and then roll them back and forth a couple of times on the towel before dumping them in the “done” container. 

All that said; I would be happy to find a non-aerosol spray that worked as well as the Hornady.

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GL49 posted this 07 September 2009

I've got to try the wire pulling lube idea. We mentioned to our supplier we wanted to try a different lube, and he gave us three one-quart samples for free. One of them acts like it is water based, it dries completely in a few minutes. Hmmmmm.

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tturner53 posted this 07 September 2009

I use Hornady 'Unique Case Lube'. Rub it on with my fingers and lube the neck inside with a q-tip. Mostly I only neck size anyway. You have to wipe 'em off with a towel after but they come out clean. It also works as a leather preservative and is a lot like Mink Oil or saddle soap. Never got a case stuck when I remember to put it on, but when I forget.... There's FOUR dies in the garage with stuck cases, today I'm going to try making a homemade stuck case puller(one of them is my '06 and I need it now.

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3100Loren posted this 07 September 2009

Kline Tools makes a synthetic wax wire pulling compound that works well for me, at about $4.00 a quart it is a good deal.

Loren

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Horace posted this 07 September 2009

8 part 99% Isopropyl alcohol and 1 parts liquid lanolin.The liquid lanolin can be used with beeswax to make bullet lube. Horace

 

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JimmyDee posted this 08 September 2009

Ed Harris once suggested VO 5 hair dressing for men.  It contains a bit of lanolin and is very inexpensive at Wal-Mart or Target.  Although it's not Brylcream, a little dab 'il do ya when smeared on a case lube pad.

Disappearing, it ain't.  I wash fully resized cases in Dawn, rinse, and let dry.  It takes an extra day, but makes more sense to me than tring to tumble de-capped cases to remove lubricant: flash holes pick up bits of corn cob or walnut shell.

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CB posted this 08 September 2009

Now I dont do this, but... I have a friend that uses an old chalk board eraser soaked with motor honey.. Cheap and it works.

I personally use Imperial sizing wax for the cases that have to be full length sized or formed.

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Ed Harris posted this 08 September 2009

I'm still using a tube of VO5 I got ten years ago. Got no hair anymore, so for sizing brass it lasts a long time. 8-)

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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jimkim posted this 09 September 2009

I put a little bit of Bag Balm in a one gallon zip lock bag. I followed that with a light spritz of PAM. The PAM melted the Bag Balm. I throw my cases in the bag and roll the cases around until they have a light coating of lanolin and oil. Then I dry them overnight on newspaper. When I get ready to lube some more cases I just hit the bag again with PAM. As little as it takes to lube my great-grandchildren will still be using the same can of PAM and Bag Balm sixty years from now.

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hunterspistol posted this 09 September 2009

  I haven't used VO5 since I was 19 but, stopped and got a tube today. Wonder if alcohol cuts it?  I'm looking into cheaper alternatives than Hornady One Shot because, after all, I'm just a factory welder.  If I can find ways to do all this without spending a fortune, I'll be better off.

 

 

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JeffinNZ posted this 09 September 2009

I make my own now from lanoline (solid) and IPA though as I type I can't for the life of me remember the ratio.

Cheers from New Zealand

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Maven posted this 09 September 2009

The late Ed Dvoretsky used to use and recommend Groom & Clean hair dressing, which is water soluble.  I remember a comment he made in TFS about being able to recognize its scent:  Why is that man using case lube on his hair?

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hunterspistol posted this 09 September 2009

   Maven, you got me laughing now!

   Jeff, what's IPA?

      I'd never thought of hairdressing gels to do cases, this might work out.

      It did work out!  The VO-5 works great, I had 100 22Hornet cases to full length size, brand new.  My fl die with the little hornets usually lets you know immediately when it runs low on lube, it pulls on the case when you try to lower it out of the die. One little dime sized dab and all hundred rounds went by.  Rubbing alcohol will cut it but, you have to wipe the cases down and then soak an old tee shirt in alcohol and wipe them down again.  The tee shirt corner had to be sopping wet with alcohol to cut it but, if you don't mind the work, it's possible.

     Thank you, Mr. Harris.  To coin the phrase, “That's the slickest stuff you never got off your hands!” - the guys said that about silicone spray.

  As near as I can tell from the label, VO-5 is mostly petroleum based so, stands to reason that it works that well.  I learn new things !   There's just no stopping Southern ingenuity, is there?

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JeffinNZ posted this 10 September 2009

Isopropyl alcohol.

Cheers from New Zealand

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Frontsite posted this 10 September 2009

I've been using Imperial Size Die Wax for years. Doing heavy forming for a 30 Herrit.

Then a buddy turned me on to Mink Oil boot dressing and “SnoSeal". The Mink oil Seems to clean off the cases easier, a few minutes in the tumbler with a half a used dryer sheet and you are good to go. I haven't had any problems with this method so far.  (I always save the used dryer sheets to add to the tumbler as they help keep the walnut media cleaner, cuts dow on the dust and seems to help polish the brass a little better.

I use the Mink Oil the most and as with the Imperial wax a little goes a long way. The tub I purchased in about 1980 is still more than 3/4 full. Maybe I'm not shooting enough.:lovecast:

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hunterspistol posted this 10 September 2009

     Thanks, Jeff.  Alcohol and lanolin might be worth looking into.  The VO-5 has a lot of parfum in it. It does work good though.

     Mink oil would be alright, from putting it on leather, I'd guess it has to be warm.  Hmm...

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CB posted this 11 September 2009

Hunter

I would suggest a mixture of 3 parts Anhydrous Lanolin and 1 part Vaseline. I use this on my jackets when I swage rifle bullets.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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Vassal posted this 12 September 2009

I have been using the LEE tubes, though admittedly not for long. I can't understand why it wouldn't be fine. Maybe someone with more experience could enlighten me.?.

goes a long way - comes off easy - cheap - works -

What is the problem? (Please let me know before I screw somethin' up.!.)

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hunterspistol posted this 12 September 2009

      :coffee  Lee is fine, you're not screwing up. lol.  I'm just looking at cheaper alternatives.  Store bought lubes are okay until you find you only have $5 to make it to next payday.  I shoot six different calibers so, it gets to be a vicious circle of ordering supplies.

     That, and I have a penchant for this “lost art with depression-era technique".  Making something out of nothing thrills me.

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CB posted this 12 September 2009

Vassal

Your LEE lube would be a good one to use. Commercial case lubes like RCBS, Hornady, Imperial and Industrial lubes all work fine.The purpose of a case lube is provide the medium, hydraulic action, between the force a die applys to a cartridge case during resizing.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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JeffinNZ posted this 12 September 2009

Stephen Perry wrote: Hunter

I would suggest a mixture of 3 parts Anhydrous Lanolin and 1 part Vaseline. I use this on my jackets when I swage rifle bullets.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire That sounds like a good, slippery, tacky mix for the swaging.  Nice.  How easily does it come off cartridge cases?

Cheers from New Zealand

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circle141 posted this 13 November 2009

I use auto gear lube,(ep90)messy, but no effort to size. Put them in your tumbler filled with the corn cob you are about to throw away for about 1 1/2 hours to clean. Put it on a ink pad, roll the cases back and foward about two times, not to much. To much will dent the case necks.

                          Mike Circle

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codarnall posted this 13 November 2009

The best case lube and I think and the cheapest is good old STP. Not a stuck case in 50 years. ---Charlie

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Don Fischer posted this 14 November 2009

codarnall wrote: The best case lube and I think and the cheapest is good old STP. Not a stuck case in 50 years. ---Charlie Good old STP! I used that stuff for a long long time. Never stuck a case. That was back in the days that I was into fixing things that worked!

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raytear posted this 01 December 2009

When I first started handloading--about 1969-70 I used STP on a piece of folded towel tacked to a chunk of 2 x 4. (My handloadng in those days was a VLB--very low budget--project!)

When I need lube these days I use Midway's house brand in the pump sprayer. I put the cases in a plastic 3lb. coffee “can", shake the bottle, spritz a few pumps, then shake the cases around in the coffee can before the volatile solvent dries. I also roll each case in my fingers just before sizing to assure it is more thoroughly lubed.

For just a few cases or when expanding .30-06s for .35 Whelen plinkers, I use Lee's sizing lube, actually a wax type product, from the tube. A little bit on the inside of each case mouth then over the expander from an 8mm Mauser, then every other case neck inside and out before going over the Whelen expander and fully into the Whelen sizing die.

For sizing a few cases, a light pass with Lee lube on a finger does the trick per the instructions on the tube. Both Midway & Lee seem to easily wipe off of completed rounds using just a paper shop towel, the kind that come in a pull out box or the blue ones on a roll.

These days I use carbide sizing dies for pistols and Lee collet neck sizers for rifles. That makes the lubing REAL easy--a touch of wheelbearing grease every 500 rounds or so put on the tapered surfaces of the top of the collet that slide against the inside taper of the die body seems to work great. ;-)

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Dale53 posted this 01 December 2009

I believe I got this method from Ed Harris many years ago. I was shooting big bore rifle and reloaded a thousand cases at a time (.308 and .223).

Lee case lube is water soluble. Ed (I believe) suggested he was using Lee case lube diluted 10/1 water/lube. It took a couple or three tubes diluted to fill a fifty caliber ammo box. I found a nice french fry basket that fit perfectly.

I would run all of the cases through a universal decapping die after tumbling them. Then I would put a basket full of cases and dip them in the diluted case lube. I would shake them off and dump on newspaper to dry overnight. This did a PERFECT lube job, inside and out (you got absolutely NO drag over the expander stem) and the wax was just a dry film over the case inside and out. The wax, being dry is NOT a powder contaminant.

I didn't need to clean off the cases after reloading in my Dillon 550B but if that bothers you, you can tumble loaded rounds for fifteen minutes to remove the dry case lube. It also wipes off with a “water damp” cloth.

I have NEVER found a better lube system than this for large amounts of rifle cases.

FWIW Dale53

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boondocker posted this 01 December 2009

I use 1 shot but one time I ran out and tried the wifes generic Pam spray oil without and ill effects. Did not do long term bullet storage on those. Just a puff on the outside and not too near the open necks tho.

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CB posted this 02 December 2009

I am an old Imperial Sizing Wax guy. Works very well, you use very little and it comes off with ease and leaves your cases nice and shiny. I am still working on a tin I bought 10 years ago and only have used about 1/2...

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JetMech posted this 02 December 2009

Although I use other lubes, using Imperial Sizing Wax requires the least effort to resize the case. Plus you don't have to wait for the water/solvent to evaporate-eliminates the possibility of a stuck case, which just happenned to me last Saturday when I failed to wait long enough for the Hornady One-shot to dry.

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MauserMusicMan posted this 14 January 2010

I agree about the STP. I'm re-reading George Nonte's “Modern Handloading” (well, 1972 modern, at least) that I came across, buried in one of our bookcases. He recommended beeswax cut with various substances, and then mentioned STP Oil Treatment. He said it won't break down and leave the case stuck in the die. It IS cheap - I just picked up a big bottle at Wally World for $2.47. In the cold weather around here, it was really sticky, but as it warms up it will be better. I just put a tiny dab on a lube pad, worked it in and lightly rolled some cases across it. As the saying goes, slicker than snot on a glass door knob... Cheap AND works...a good deal! Comes off with a little solvent of some kind on a rag, whatever you would use to get STP off your hands... :) Anyone else use it?

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RockChuck posted this 06 February 2010

Gentlemen,

Seems like all good ideas.  I was scratchin' my head thinking if I could add any slick stuff not already mentioned when it hit me...I'm sort of cursed with excessively oily hair and if I don't lather it up every day...it just might have some “end of civilization as we know it” potential as a case lube.  For today though my variation on a theme is Marvel Mystery Oil of which I put a small amount on an old dried out ink pad,(One of the few things in my pile of “might need some day collectables” I have actually used. I didn't hesitate a moment to share this with the Ministry of Home Affairs either and for a brief time felt soooo...vindicated!)  It did work well and the only minor issue was a tendency of the ink to bleed out a little at first which I hadn't noticed until after thumbing through a few pages in my log.  Good Day Gentlemen   Keep your powder dry and check your backtrail frequently.

Chuck Martin

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Buffalo Bill posted this 06 February 2010

Not saying it is the best, but I have been using straight Vaseline for years, applying it with my fingers much like you would with Imperial sizing wax. If I have a lot of rifle cases to do I often lightly “grease” both palms and all fingers and roll three or four cases at once. (I know I could use a case lubing pad to good effect here.) Then, I wipe any excessive lube off the case neck and shoulders to avoid dented cases before running them in the FL sizing die. Each step is run in batches of 20 to 50 cases. It is somewhat of an art, but it works.

If I have a case forming job, or cases fired in an overly generous chamber, it may take 2 or 3 passes, relubing between passes, to avoid stuck cases (but not lubing so much as to get dented cases). All cases are wiped off after sizing.

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giorgio de galleani posted this 06 February 2010

I 've been using the Lee sizing lube,I remember it had a fishy smell,then I used STP add to your oil,very effective ,but sized brass  has to get a trip in a vibrator cleaner ,with deodorized kerosene,

I'll now try those hair sprays,if I keep my cap on no one will see I have very little hair.

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hunterspistol posted this 06 February 2010

     Here's a photo of what we're talking about, Alberto VO5 hairdressing gel.  It contains lanolin so, I don't see the need to mix my own, too much ceremony for me.

Ron

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CB posted this 08 February 2010

I have been using STP on an RCBS lube pad, but the VO5 sounds like a great way to go. Thanks Ed.

Jerry

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CB posted this 08 February 2010

I went to the store and bought some regular VO5, now what I can use for an applicator? Getting a lube pad means a road trip for me or doing it mail order.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jerry

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 08 February 2010

Hi, I might have mentioned this elsewhere, but my co. used to mix high zoot 2 stroke fuel for rc race cars.  we have a few gallons of the special “castor oil ” left... if anyone wants a sample, contact me off list; we also packaged this in small bottles for use in high rate hydraulic shock absorbers.  This is a very special grade of castor oil, ... commercial castor oil requires about 16% for 2 stroke use, we got by with 3 to 7 % .

I also use these little sample bottles thinned a bit with alcohol for case lube, castor oil is a product of god, not matched quite the same by man .... yet ....  something to do with long molecular chains.  It was never matched in 2 stroke use, anyway.

For fun I ran a batch in my 72 Pinto engine, it worked fine, but the smell was nauseating.


It would also be interesting for youse experimenters to try it in bullet lube recipes.

If you want to play with a small sample, please send me a buck in an envelope.  This is not a commercial, I do not have enough to sell on a steady basis, and cannot get more of this grade.

regards, ken campbell [email protected]

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jimkim posted this 08 February 2010

Ken Campbell, Iowa wrote: Hi, I might have mentioned this elsewhere, but my co. used to mix high zoot 2 stroke fuel for rc race cars.  we have a few gallons of the special “castor oil ” left... if anyone wants a sample, contact me off list; we also packaged this in small bottles for use in high rate hydraulic shock absorbers.  This is a very special grade of castor oil, ... commercial castor oil requires about 16% for 2 stroke use, we got by with 3 to 7 % .

I also use these little sample bottles thinned a bit with alcohol for case lube, castor oil is a product of god, not matched quite the same by man .... yet ....  something to do with long molecular chains.  It was never matched in 2 stroke use, anyway.

For fun I ran a batch in my 72 Pinto engine, it worked fine, but the smell was nauseating.


It would also be interesting for youse experimenters to try it in bullet lube recipes.

If you want to play with a small sample, please send me a buck in an envelope.  This is not a commercial, I do not have enough to sell on a steady basis, and cannot get more of this grade.

regards, ken campbell [email protected] Didn't they use castor oil in Offys at Indy? Unless I'm mistaken there is more than one lube recipe that uses castor oil.

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hunterspistol posted this 08 February 2010

     Jerry, I don't have a lube pad myself.  I use a saucer(a large one) with cutouts of material for that. Usually it's denim or sweatshirt material with the top layer sprayed down, or in this case, a dab of VO5 smeared on it. When you think about it, what do you get with a lube pad? A top layer of absorbent material to roll cases on. When it gets dirty, there are always more rags. I just cut “rounds” to fit inside the border of the saucer. Doesn't need to be fancy to work.

Ron

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CB posted this 08 February 2010

Ron,

Your idea should work. I was thinking of taking a block of wood and stretching denim or a finer grade canvas and then put the VO5 on that.

Jerry

 

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