Water Removable Case Lube

[Good Cheer]

Starting a new case lube thread...

What's a good homemade case lube formula that will afterwards wash off of the brass with either warm or warm soapy water?
Maybe some soap based concoction?

The bucket of lanolin I use for brewing up boolit lube has been my standard forever. But, the very qualities that make it such wonderful case lube also make it a booger to remove afterwards. Soaking with Dawn dish washing soap does a pretty good job (seems the best to be expected without using a flammable solvent) especially if you boil it a while. But there's got to be something with off the shelf ingredients that's mo' better.

[Tatume]

I can't even guess how many thousands of cases can be lubed and sized using a tube of Lee case lube, $5. Add to that, there is no need to remove the lube afterwards.

P.s. My home is located on Ark Road.

[Froogal]

I use the LEE case lube. I resize and deprime the brass, and then I tumble it. The brass is then bright and shiny. Ready to be reloaded. The Lee lube goes a long ways when mixed about 50/50 with water.

[gumbo333]

I use Lee on a q-tip to lube the inside of the necks on bottle neck cases that I load jacketed into, but use Imperial on the cases, just a dab on your fingers will do several. I've been using the only tin of it I've ever had, for years. Then a little alcohol on a rag and wipe the case off. Been working for many many years. If I'm going to load just 3 or 5 I will just use the Lee and wipe off with just the dry rag. I'm sure there are hundreds of ways and things to lube with. STP and the like are good but you need more than water to get the sticky off. 50 years ago I started with the old RCBS lube and pad. Too much lube and you got dents, too little and you might stick a case. But then you get to learn how to cobble up a stuck case remover. Plus RCBS left the cases very sticky too and had to be wiped with something, think in those days it was Energene. Find a retired dairy farmer, he may have a big tin of left over Bag Balm, that works good too. Can't remember but think a dry rag is all you need to wipe those cases off. OK, I'll end my lecture!

[Tatume]

I'm sure there are hundreds of ways and things to lube with. STP and the like are good but you need more than water to get the sticky off.

STP is not to be trusted as a case lube. It sure looks like it would work well, but I had a 308 case stick in the sizing die and ruined the die getting it out. I don't know why, but I won't use STP for a sizing lube again.

[earlmck]

When I get a large batch of once-fired stuff in to process I use the wife's Palmolive dish soap to FL sized before they go into the Thumbler's Tumbler. You do want to clean the size die good and shwoosh it down properly with your favorite lube/preserver afterward (I use Hornady One-Shot).

That said, I'm not sure Palmolive would be a good enough lube for resizing large, tough cases: I've just used it for 30/30 and 223.

[blackthorn]

"I use the wife's Palmolive dish soap to FL sized before they go into the Thumbler's Tumbler. "

Do you size wet? Or let the cases dry before sizing?

[Bazoo]

I use imperial for sizing and then a wet cloth to remove it. After just wiping with a wet rag the brass feels clean.

[1hole]

I've tried a LOT of case sizing lubes, commercial and various substitutes. The only case lubes I've found that can easily be washed off with water are the soaps; happily, we don't have to make it, just use it. Use Lee's for a factory lube, electrical cable pulling lube and even bars of hand soap that include high levels of lanolin have worked well for me.

That said, my favorite case lubes are the soft waxes, stuff like Imperial (Redding), Unique (Hornady). Excellent alternative waxes are Kiwi's "Mink Oil" and Sno-Prof/Sno-Seal "Boot Treatment". The soft waxes are easy and (done right) very fast to apply with finger tips, easy to clean and harmless to powder and primers. (Plus the alternates are cheep and easy to find in Walmart's shoe department. What's not to love?)

[1hole]

STP is not to be trusted as a case lube. It sure looks like it would work well, but I had a 308 case stick in the sizing die and ruined the die getting it out. I don't know why,....

I know why - you didn't properly apply lube to the thick lower part of the case.

I hate STP and it's rebranded duplicates (Lyman and RCBS and probably a few others) but NOTHING is as slick - and messy - as that stuff.

[Tatume]

I know why - you didn't properly apply lube to the thick lower part of the case.

The STP was properly applied to all of the outside, and to the inside of the neck of the case.

[Froogal]

"Lemon Pledge" works quite well also. Just spray it on.

[RogerDat]

I use Lee lube for bullets that I'm sizing and/or applying gas checks to with a push though Lee sizer die. Most times I only put a small swipe on ever 3rd bullet or so. Just to help them go through the die smoothly.

I wash with tiny amount of soap by swishing the bullets in the soap treated water, then rinse off with very hot water, and can powder coat those bullets successfully once they have dried. The powder coat sticking convinces me that the lube has been successfully washed off.

[tankgunner59]

I use Lee case lube for all of my bottle neck cases, a little on a Q-tip inside the neck, a little on the outside of the neck and a touch on my finger to spread on the case body. I personally let them dry overnight and size the next day. Then I dry tumble in crushed walnut shells with a cap full of paint thinner and one of Nu-Finish, it removes the case lube and shines them up real good. If you do get the lube on the shoulder, let it dry overnight before sizing and it won't dent the shoulder. I do use Imperial on the cases I resize. One tube of Lee case lube lasts for hundreds of cases, I've been reloading for years and I'm on only my second tube. If you don't want to dry tumble your cases Lee's will come off with dish soap and water.

[dogmower]

rcbs case lube is essentially super concentrated soap. works great, washes off and cleans the cases while you wash. it's all i use for case lube (except for case forming, then i use imperial case wax).

[dogmower]

I use imperial for sizing and then a wet cloth to remove it. After just wiping with a wet rag the brass feels clean.

the problem there is the lube that is left INSIDE the case. I used to do this, and would get powder clinging to the inside of the case mouth and neck. Even tumbling won't work - leaves media stuck inside the case. IMO, the water soluble lubes are the only way to go.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I was using spray on case lube and found that the midway stuff I had did not wash off easy and doing large runs of brass was a pain to clean , so I went back to rcbs and the lube pad a little and keep it off the shoulders like your book has always said and no dimples or dents , washs off in hot tap water in a large tub and on the tinfoil to dry in oven , no longer sticky no wiping each and every case . Have 2 bottles and can not see running out , used the little sample of lees it worked fine also but was only doing a small batch of 300blackout and some 32-20 , so was just a quick wipe , seemed fine to me also but for the large runs of 300blackout 223 and 30-06 its the old lube pad and rcbs.

[Greg S]

I use alot of RCBS and Imperial lube, just depends on the caliber and what it w a s shot in.

[Shawlerbrook]

Imperial Sizing wax on the outside and their dry lube in the beads for case necks. Wipe the outside of the case with a rag dampened in non-ammonia window cleaner and ready to go. Never had a stuck case or any other problems.

[John Boy]

Good Cheer - you are wasting your time to give the bullets a bath. Just wipe them with a cloth sprayed with mineral spirits. Will remove ANY excess lube