Lanolin removal with laundry detergent?

[BT Sniper]

RCBS case lube II = Water soluble! Comes off as easy as soap, maybe easier and no build up in the tumbler.

I'll have to look into trying the laundry detergent but at the moment I am in the middle of experimenting with the RCBS lube for deriming purposes. At the moment I am 3000 cases into a 5000 count batch and so far no problems. I am using my Nitride processed derim die in an RCE Hydraulic press so one would have to experiment in there own die if different.

So far I like the advantages of being able to simply wash off the lube with water. Rinse after deriming then tumble in stainless with typical dish soap and citric acid for perfect results.

I cleaned the 22lr brass first in stainless steel media then tumbled the clean dry brass with the RCBS case lube at a ratio of about 1-2 grains per pound of brass.

So far I like the results!

I still advise lanolin based lube, and only lanolin based lubes, for all swaging purposes but for deriming........ might just want to give the RCBS lube a try.

When using lanolin I would soak the brass in mineral spirits then tumble in designated corncob media and finally followed by tumble in stainless steel with soap and citric acid. I got tired of all the extra work. I also didn't like the idea of getting any sort of layer of left over lube on the inside of the jackets.

Anyway..... good shooting and swage on!

BT

[jsn]

Ammonium laurel sulfate is commonly used in shampoos, they may be used in other soaps as well. I just tried to see what was in All Laundry Detergent but the web site told me it couldn't find the product even after inputting the UPC code into the search screen.

I don't know what is in whatever you're using, but I'm under the impression that ammonia based or containing products, even low strength, can be an issue with brass.

[Faret]

Ammonium laurel sulfate is commonly used in shampoos, they may be used in other soaps as well. I just tried to see what was in All Laundry Detergent but the web site told me it couldn't find the product even after inputting the UPC code into the search screen.

I don't know what is in whatever you're using, but I'm under the impression that ammonia based or containing products, even low strength, can be an issue with brass.

Here is what is in mine.

Tide Stain Release Liquid
For more information on Tide products, please visit www.tide.com.

Ingredient Cleaning Technology Water processing aid Alkyl Ethoxylate surfactant Linear Alkylbenzenesulfonate surfactant Hydrogen Peroxide oxygen bleach Diquaternium Ethoxysulfate polymer, rinses away soil Ethanolamine processing aid Disodium Distyrylbiphenyl Disulfonate whitening agent Tetrabutyl Ethylidinebisphenol antioxidant F&DC Yellow 3 colorant Fragrance aesthetics

[PWS]

RCBS Case Lube II sure acts a lot like plain ol' straight castor oil - or maybe castor oil acts like CL II? Either way, I picked up a bottle of castor oil from the local pharmacy to add to mix with lanolin and tried it straight up and the oil works pretty well neat (not quite as good as a mix in my experience) but it sure cleans up easy.

[BT Sniper]

The RCBS sure washes away easy though with no oily left over feel at all. Does the castor oil wash away as easy? The RCBS says "water soluble" ???? I can't imagine castor oil is water soluble is it? So long as what ever one uses works for them I suppose.

BT

[NavyVet1959]

The RCBS sure washes away easy though with no oily left over feel at all. Does the castor oil wash away as easy? The RCBS says "water soluble" ???? I can't imagine castor oil is water soluble is it? So long as what ever one uses works for them I suppose.

Apparently, that is variable...

http://www.vertellus.com/products/pe...r-oil-products

Of particular note for us though is that

• Solubility in alcohols in any proportion
• Limited solubility in aliphatic solvents

So, very soluble in alcohols, not so soluble in hydrocarbon based solvents.

[seppos]

Pine soap has been used as lubricant in some metal work.
There is also some commercial soap lubricants:
http://www.chemetallna.com/products/by_app/lubricants.aspx

Unfortunately I have not registered to there so can not
read the tech data sheet..

S

[jsn]

Lee's case lube can be diluted and sprayed on brass, and is water soluble also. I was using a 4-1 ratio of warm water to lube in an old small spray bottle.

If it dries out, thought, you will have a to remove all of the dried out pieces.

[PWS]

The RCBS sure washes away easy though with no oily left over feel at all. Does the castor oil wash away as easy? The RCBS says "water soluble" ???? I can't imagine castor oil is water soluble is it? So long as what ever one uses works for them I suppose.

BT

Well, duggunit, I have to eat a little crow. Just did a simple test by putting a dab of castor oil on my finger and trying to rinse it off under warm tap water. Nope. It just smeared around and left unwicked droplets of water behind. However... a little dab of the foo-foo hand soap at the sink cut it right quick and left my fingers squeaky clean.

That must be where I got the impression it was the same as RCBS CS II - I was using a simple hot water/dish soap water for cleanup and it cut the castor oil well.

This is interesting that laundry detergent cuts lanolin though, I'll have to give it a try with the lanolin/castor oil mix I'm using now.

Anybody know any sheep farmers that shampoo their stock? They'd know what works, huh!

[salpal48]

For years I have been Hearing all The Home made stuff. Probably all works. For years I have been cleaning with Tide and Hot water. 1 table spoon Of Tide with Hot water. Clean as a can Be and Polished. primer pockets clean also. No pins , No separating no sifting

[PWS]

FWIW, I swaged up some bullets this weekend and cleaned them with "Super Clean" brand cleaner-degreaser. I'd bought a gallon to degrease bear skulls and still have about a quart in the jug collecting dust in the garage. A 5:1 solution with hot tap water worked great!

Contains : Water, 2-Butoxyethanol, Nonyl Phenol Polyethanxylate, Sodium Zylene Sulfonate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Metasilicate

[rbt50]

when I was making 50 cal I had to core bond them all. a lot more work.

[yeahbub]

After swaging or when cleaning the sizing lube from resized cases, I use oven cleaner. Like Faret notes, dish detergent won't get it all off, but lye-based oven cleaner with a shot of detergent and a hot water rinse gets them squeaky clean without fail as well as removing some of the oxidation.

[runfiverun]

the people that show their sheep use woolite.
yep the same stuff that you wash your sweaters in.
I don't know if it removes the lanolin but that would seem to be the wrong way to go with a wool sweater.

[Faret]

the people that show their sheep use woolite.
yep the same stuff that you wash your sweaters in.
I don't know if it removes the lanolin but that would seem to be the wrong way to go with a wool sweater.

That,s what I was looking for when I though why not try some Tide laundry soap!

[PWS]

The lye in "yeahbub's" cleaning solution and the sodium hydroxide in Super Clean degreaser are the same and might be why they work to cut lanolin. FWIW, I do have a little concern that lye forms soluble lead compounds that are easy to ingest.

[laveritt]

I have found water based solutions for lanolin removal to be pretty much a waste of time. I have settled on lacquer thinner to remove the lanolin residue from bullets and cases.
I place the lubed finished bullets in a glass jar and cover with the lacquer thinner I agitate by hand a few times & let it sit for 15 minutes or so. To separate, I put the screw lid on it
with many holes punched thru the lid. I place a large funnel into the lacquer thinner can opening, with a coffee filter in place in the funnel to remove debris. Then I turn the glass jar upside down allowing the lacquer thinner to go back into it's can for reuse. I spread the bullets out on a clean towel until dry. Lacquer thinner evaporates quickly. I do this outdoors on my porch so as to avoid the smell. No residue either.

Since lacquer thinner is highly flammable, no smoking or use near a flame. Wear rubber gloves to be safe. Read & follow the safety precautions on the label.

[DukeInFlorida]

When I SS pin tumble brass, I use a couple of drops of dish detergent and a small amount (teaspoon?) of lemishine. You need to really fill the tumbler with brass and pins, and not so much with water. If you "float" the brass while the tumbler is turning, it won't clean well. You want just enough water to allow the detergent and Lemishine to work, but also allow the brass and pins to eagerly smash into the other brass.

After removing the brass from the tumbler, I rinse well with clean water! And, then I use a cheap Harbor Freight food dehydrator, set on high, for an hour. The brass comes out very dry, and virtually spotless. However, at this point, it doesn't have any protection on it to keep it from tarnishing. So, the final step is to tumble in crushed walnut shell media with mineral spirits and NuFinish car polish. The polish leaves a nice polymer coating on the brass, keeping it bright and shiny for months and months and months.

When I swage my bullets, I use my own swage lube, made from synthetic Militec-1 oil, and anhydrous Lanolin which I get from Randy Rat ( http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ydrous-Lanolin ) That combo does not wash off with anything simple, and I prefer to not get the bullets wet. So, I merely polish for about 45 minutes in my normal crushed walnut shell with mineral spirits and NuFinish. They come out dry to the touch, and very bright and shiny.

[wordsmith]

the people that show their sheep use woolite.
yep the same stuff that you wash your sweaters in.
I don't know if it removes the lanolin but that would seem to be the wrong way to go with a wool sweater.

Resurrecting an old thread here, but Woolite is OUTSTANDING at getting the lanolin off brass (thread with pics below).

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...n-Wet-Tumbling

[BT Sniper]

Good to know. Thanks

BT