Imperial sizing wax vs home made lanolin and alcohol

[omgb]

I received some .348 win brass that had been fire-formed out to .45 caliber. Naturally I want them back to .348 so....I lubed them with Imperial sizing wax and had at it. I lost two out of the first ten...Not so good. I decided to try my lanolin spray. Bingo! The next 20 sized smoothly and zero lost cases. My take away is that the lanolin is a better over-all lube.

[Reverend Al]

Did you anneal the cases first? I've been using Imperial for donkey's years and I love it. Never had any issues even when forming oddball cartridges from much larger parent cases.

[bullet maker 57]

IMHO, Imperial sizing wax is good if you are not making large changes to the brass. I find that lanolin works much better for case reforming and drawing brass.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I used Imperial when I was sizing up 7.62 X 54R Russian MN brass to .416 Russian Express brass. Only lost 2 cases out of 100 and those were operator goofs.Robert

[Iowa Fox]

What was Gumpa using for his homemade lube?

[David2011]

A friend was having trouble resizing his .500 S&W cases using a commercial lube. I told him to bring his brass and dies to me. Sizing was tough with Imperial and a Rock Chucker II. I rubbed a little pure lanolin on some cases and voilà, they sized as easily as .44 Mag cases.

David

[GRUMPA]

What was Gumpa using for his homemade lube?

GRUMPA uses a 50/50 mix of Vaseline and Anhydrous Lanolin.

[Spector]

Can I assume you gently heat the anhydrous lanolin and Vaseline to blend them and is the consistency similar to Imperial Sizing Die Wax when they are blended? I had my pharmacist order me a pound of anhydrous to add to my Ed's Red some years back.

Mike

[GRUMPA]

Can I assume you gently heat the anhydrous lanolin and Vaseline to blend them and is the consistency similar to Imperial Sizing Die Wax when they are blended? I had my pharmacist order me a pound of anhydrous to add to my Ed's Red some years back.

Mike

He puts a small Mason jar in a pot with water in it and heats the water and melts the 2 and lets cool for 24hrs. Can't compare it to Imperial since having never used it.

[EDG]

I use Mystik^® JT-6^® Multi-Purpose Grease #2 for severe forming projects. It is cheap at about $4 for a 14 oz tube but it is too messy for normal resizing. For that I use Imperial.

[35Whelen]

I have also used Imperial for nearly thirty years...still have the first can with a price of 1.79 on it. Made some Lanolin/alcohol lube this year....its amazing stuff. I used Lanolin oil and NOT the anhydrous paste...the oil mixes far easier with the 99% Isopropyl Alcohol. I placed about 5-6 quarter inch stainless ball bearings in the bottle to assist in mixing. The bottle I used is made for an alcohol solution and sprays a very fine mist....simple eye glass cleaning solution bottle that can be bought just about anywhere....>Walmart $2 . For tough necking up I still use fine graphite in #8 lead shot and dip and spin the case neck in the mix, and don't tap out the excess.....308 to 358 is like butter, with not a single failure yet

[Redleg11b]

Newbie question: does this mixture flow into the case mouths or does something need to be done to work it in? I was thinking of using it similar to another spray lube directions (spray cases on loading tray, rotate 180, spray other side). Would that use too much or cause excess lanolin to remain on the cases?

[omgb]

This mix is essentially the same thing Dillon sells as case lube...only cheaper because it doesn't have the name. The alcohol evaporates and leaves a slick residue. I tumble some cases before loading just to remove that lube. .348 win is an example. The sloped case walls would significantly increase bolt face thrust if I left the lube intact. for most uses though, I just wipe the case with a clean rag or paper towel. Does it get into the case mouth? maybe but I've never had a squib as a result.

[David2011]

Newbie question: does this mixture flow into the case mouths or does something need to be done to work it in? I was thinking of using it similar to another spray lube directions (spray cases on loading tray, rotate 180, spray other side). Would that use too much or cause excess lanolin to remain on the cases?

It won't get in the cases unless you use way too much (like flooding). I use a cheap cookie sheet to lube cartridges with the lanolin spray. Spritz, shake it to roll the cases around and spritz again. Most important is to wait. While you wait the lube will migrate all over the cases and the alcohol needs to evaporate. If you rush it, be sure you have a stuck case remover handy. ALL of the alcohol has to evaporate before sizing.

[leadhead]

I've been using Bag Balm for years...It has lanolin in it to I believe.
A can will last a lifetime.
Denny

[WRideout]

I've been using Bag Balm for years...It has lanolin in it to I believe.
A can will last a lifetime.
Denny

I just tried the Bag Balm for forming some cases, and found that it works pretty good; it was going to be thrown out before I did that.


Wayne

[GONRA]

GONRA suggests using STP Oil treatment available at any Auto Parts Store
or TRI-FLOW Clear Synthetic Grease available in Bike Shops
for resizing cases, reforming cases, etc.

[Love Life]

Castor oil is a great additive...

[mold maker]

I recently made up and tried the lanolin and alcohol lube. A friend observed me using it and I gave him half of what I had made up. He to was satisfied with the results. Both of us were sizing only clean polished brass. We had both formerly only used Imperial and the advantage is mostly not having to roll handle each case to apply lube. Both seem to work equally well although sizing a 5.56 doesn't offer a really hard test of lubricity.

[dragon813gt]

I don't use the lanolin alcohol mixture for case forming. I do use it for regular reloading. A few spritzes in a ziplock bag full of cases is all that's needed to keep things running smoothly. For case forming I continue to use mink oil. They key ingredient in it is lanolin. And unlike Imperial it can be bought anywhere for a dirt cheap price. I'm hesitant to switch lines because I don't want a stuck case. They are no fun to remove. I can see the lanolin alcohol mixture working but an even consistent application can be hard to accomplish.