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Thread: Home made case lubes......

  1. #21
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by DanM View Post
    I finally ordered some anhydrous lanolin from local cvs drugstore. Large container was $14. Probably a lifetime supply. Tried to disolve some in pure denatured alcohol for a spray lube, but after 2 days it was still a lump in the jar. Did not think to try heat. If you have to heat it to dissolve, won't it seperate out when cooled? Works great with finger application, but you do have to clean it off....
    Dan
    I use a mixture of 91% ispropl alcohol (8 oz)and liquid lanolin (bout 1 tbsp) with good results. I boiled a cup of water in the microwave and set the container (an empty hairspray pump bottle) down in the cup to warm it up. Then shook like crazy. I had read you should use 99% alcohol but couldn't find any so I put a couple of drops of dish detergent in to help it mix.
    I have been using the same mix for about 2 years and it still works great. The alcohol dries guickly and the cases just slip in and out of the sizer like they should. Afterward I run them in the tumbler w/a capful of oderless paint thinner.
    I can't see if the lanolin separates because the bottle isn't clear, but regardless, I just shake it up really good every time and go to town.

  2. #22
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    Sundog,

    Just saw the thread - I don't think the proportions are critical. Calamity Jake described close to what I have, including the stuff settling out when it sits for a few days in someplace cool.

    I store in a recycled eyeglass cleaner spray bottle. Heat about 15 seconds in the microwave and shake briefly if settled and its good for several more days.

    What works for me is drop the brass in a quart freezer bag, spray a few times, seal, and shake. Dump cases in a bin and let the alcohol evaporate.

    I've tried hot soapy water or paint thinner to remove the film but settled on tumbling in media as the least trouble.

    The best option when available is the Lee collet neck die - no lube step, no mess to clean afterward, and no recurring cost. I like it enough I modified a 30-06 collet die to handle 30-40.

    BeeMan

  3. #23
    Boolit Buddy
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    Imperial sizing wax, one shot,works for me I've have Way way way too much to do and better served projects in the shooting sports and I've been layed off for 3 months. But to each is own!

  4. #24
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    cajun shooter's Avatar
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    Lanolin comes from the wool of sheep and can be found in many on line stores. It has a very unique smell and is a light yellow in color. It has the consistency of vaseline. A company by the name of NOW sells it. I'm sure there are others.
    Shooter of the "HOLY BLACK" SASS 81802 AKA FAIRSHAKE; NRA ; BOLD; WARTHOG;Deadwood Marshal;Bayou Bounty Hunter; So That his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat; 44 WCF filled to the top, 210 gr. bullet

  5. #25
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    Paste furniture wax

    Out of interest one day I tried using the paste type furniture wax.....comes in a small, flattish round tin and it opens using one of those butterfly style twisting levers also found on old style shoe polish tins.......you'll find this type of wax at any supermarket or general store at very cheap prices.

    A smidge on your finger is all you need....just smear the case by rolling the case between your finger and thumb....your body heat and the act of smearing it actually thins it and it goes on really easy........I've had no case sticking or wrinkling problems.......when you have your rounds loaded a simple wipe over with a paper towel or piece of rag takes off any remaining lube and polishes up the brass really nice as a bonus.

    It lasts seemingly for ever......I cannot remember when I started this tin and it's a long way from finished.

    The actual brand I am using is Johnson Wax.....say's it's got bees wax in it.......lavender fragrance....... so it smells nice too!

    Hope some of you find this useful.....check out your wife's cleaning cupboard......there may be a tin you can try with out having to go out and spend .....oooooh?......maybe as much as a dollar!

    .....but.....if you can ''borrow'' lube from work that works OK then why bother with anything else?

    Safe shooting,

    Limey
    .......never mind Quigley's gun....I just wish I had his eyesight!!!!

  6. #26
    Boolit Master pdawg_shooter's Avatar
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    I ran out of one-shot on a weekend, 25 miles to town, and it was snowing. DANG I hate it when that happens. Setting on my shelf was a tub of mink oil leather dressing. Touch your finger to the paste, rub it on the brass, and size away. That was about 15 years ago, I am still on that first tub and havent bought anything else since. Clean it off in the tumbler wit a dab of mineral spirits on the walnut hulls.

  7. #27
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    Liquid Lanolin

    I use 99 % isopropel alcohol and liquid lanolin at 8 to 1. Works great.

    Horace

  8. #28
    Boolit Master DanM's Avatar
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    Maybe yall can clear something up for me. I thought anhydrous lanolin was the 'pure' stuff. Mine is yellow-brown and thicker than axle grease, but not as thick as say, paste wax. Whatever it turns out to be, it works well.
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  9. #29
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by DanM View Post
    Maybe yall can clear something up for me. I thought anhydrous lanolin was the 'pure' stuff. Mine is yellow-brown and thicker than axle grease, but not as thick as say, paste wax. Whatever it turns out to be, it works well.
    Anhydrous means it does not have water in it, you can buy hydrous lanolin at the drugstore I have been told a lot easier than anhydrous lanolin, and if your mixing it with alcohol that typically contains at least a little bit of water if not more it ought to work fine.

    Bill
    Both ends WHAT a player

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by 454PB View Post
    And once again I have to mention boot waterproofing.....

    The stuff I'm using is called "Smiling Mink", and I assume it's mink oil. It's probably a form of lanolin, and works as well as Imperial Sizing lube at about 1/5 the cost. I've used it to form cases, and for swaging bullets, it smells good, wipes off easily with a paper towel, and actually cleans the brass. I apply it with my fingers, but you could put it on a lube pad if desired.
    +1 for the mink oil. I have been using it on my 223 and 257 Bob and the cases seem to run through the sizer with little effort.

  11. #31
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    If you put a lump of the yellow thick lanolin in a jar of 99% iso it will eventually disolve and turn the iso yellow. Pour off the liquid and leave the lump behind. I put it in a Dillon spray bottle and works the best I have ever used. I am told that liquid lanolin will mix right in, as mentioned above. Put the cases in some plain tumbling media for a few minutes to remove the lube after sizing. Walnut won't stick in the flash holes.

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by Calamity Jake View Post
    To remove the lanolin I have a dedicated bowl for my frankford arnsonal case cleaner. I use the worn out walnut hulls from other case cleaning with a little mineral spirits mixed in, run the lubed cases about 20 min. the lube is gone..
    I work for a commercial ammo remanufacturer & that's what he does.
    Netherwolf

  13. #33
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    I have a jar of Herter's case sizing lube from the seventies and it smells like hypoid gear oil. I still have most of it left. 2 ounces would probably be a lifetime supply for 3-4 people. I squirt lighter fluid on a rag and give each case a wipe as it comes out of the crimp die and use a 410 mop to keep the dies clean.
    223tenx
    Pete in WV

  14. #34
    Boolit Buddy yodar's Avatar
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    Lanolin case lube

    Quote Originally Posted by 3006guns View Post
    Some darn good ideas here!

    About the lanolin.....the recipe I saw specifically said PURE lanolin, not anhydrous. The pure material is evidently like oil with no waxes in it so you don't have to worry about undisolved solids.

    Alemite CD-2?? I had no idea it was still around. 'Course I haven't bought any since about 1966............

    Think I'll try the cable compound idea first....mostly because I can grab some this afternoon.
    just buy Lee case lube in the tube and squirt out a glob of it into the Heet which is labeled 99% isopropanol

    same as Midway (and Dillon) spray case lube. Will thicken on storage, just add a slosh of heet.


    yodar

  15. #35
    Boolit Mold ozzy1038's Avatar
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    1 part liquid lanolin 4 parts 99% alcohol. Remove lube by tumbling in fine untreated corn cob. Corn cob will absorb it. When the media loads up toss it. This is a great lube and many of the major brands are a lanolin base lube. Technically you don't have to remove the lube, but it is too sticky otherwise.

    Another great use for it is storing guns. I really like it on black powder. You spray it on and it really creeps into everywhere before the alcohol evaporates. It lubes and protects. I think it is especially good for long term storage. It puts a nice layer over everything.

  16. #36
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I'm another user of Mink Oil Boot Dressing. In fact reloading supplies and equipment are really hard to get around here (L.A.) except on line. I found the Mink Oil case lube idea in another forum a few years ago, tried it, been using it, and have never bought any commercial case lube. I got some Lee case lube with a hand press I bought (tried it, didn't like it) but I'd rather use the Mink Oil (plus it leaves my hands so soft ). When I inspect the cases afterward, I just wipe them a bit with a rag or just throw them in some old walnut shells in my rotary tumbler. No probs.

  17. #37
    Boolit Grand Master



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    One of the best "home made" lubes is readily available at your auto supply store. It is STP. It is one of the best "case forming" lubes available. It has extreme film strength which is needed for a good case lube. However, the only satisfactory way of removing it is with solvent on a rag wiping each case.

    I shot IPSC three gun matches and needed a GOOD case lube that could be used for volume loading. I loaded 1000 .308's at a time. I believe it was Ed Harris that suggested diluting Lee sizing lube (it is a water soluble wax) 10/1 water/lube, putting several cups of the mixture (you'll need several tubes of the inexpensive lube) in a .50 caliber ammo can. I mixed some up and found a discarded french fryer basket that fit. I would fill the basket with decapped cases and dip them into the lube liquid until completely submersed. Then, pull the basket out, shake, and drain. I laid the cases, by the hundreds on newspaper to dry over night. The cases were coated with a VERY thin coat inside and out. Dried, the stuff is inert as far as the powder is concerned.

    It puts "just enough" lube for nice, effortless lubing and the case neck is lubed inside to eliminate drag over the expander button. The best performance I have ever had from case lubing.

    I used this method while I was shooting IPSC Rifle and also when I shot big bore. Thanks to Ed Harris, I found the "true way".

    After you have all of the rounds loaded, you can easily wipe every bit of lube from the cases with a dry cloth. I merely took a damp towel, put a large quantity of loaded rounds in the center and rolled the bunch of rounds back and forth a few times, then let dry overnight on newspapers.

    This is very easy to do and economical with time. Quantity loading is a whole different animal but quite useful when you are trying to make a living, raise a family, and shoot competitively.

    Dipping in Lee's diluted case lube is my choice.

    If I'm going to do just a few cases, then Imperial is what I use.

    Dale53

  18. #38
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    Thank you everyone!

    Dale, thank you for that very detailed description and I think I owe everyone a bit of an apology. I forgot to mention that I was looking for a method of case lubing for use in a Dillon machine (producing pistol ammo in quantities). Although carbide dies would be an obvious answer, buying one for each caliber would get expensive in short order.

    So, the lube would have to be something that can be applied in batch quantities, run through the process and NOT have to be deliberately wiped from each case. The idea of using the diluted Lee lube is excellent, but what caught my attention was the removal method. It's the one step in the whole thing that eluded me and will work well when processing a large lot of ammo. So simple. You've solved my problem!

    I'll still use other lube methods when reloading rifle ammunition, mostly because it's at a slower pace.......and I have a fair stockpile of those lubes!

  19. #39
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    3006guns;
    I do not normally lube pistol cases but there is no reason why the diluted Lee lube would be any less useful than with rifle cases. Adjust the dilution to suit you. If you get it too diluted, you may stick a case (I never have but...). Shake or stir the diluted lube before using as it tends to settle out over time. I keep it in a .50 caliber ammo can and just shake the sealed can before opening and using.

    Be especially careful to decap before you lube. This allows air to circulate through the case interior so it is DRY inside before you try to reload the case.

    The thing I especially like is that the case neck is lubed making "expander drag" a thing of the past. This is, by no means, confined to rifle cases. I have had pistol cases (especially long strong cases like the .44 magnum) drag so hard that they made press operation difficult. I tumble my cases before reloading but still drag can raise it's ugly head.

    I have ALL carbide dies for the many pistol and revolver calibers I load. Have you checked Lee's prices on their dies? They are extremely reasonable and are of excellent quality in spite of their low prices.

    Thanks for the kind words.

    Dale53

  20. #40
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    Junior lube

    i USE A MIX OF BEESWAX AND VEGETABKLE SHORTNING. I BELEIVE 3 TO 1 sHORTNING TO WAX.i CANT TAKE CREDIT iT IS jUNIOR lUBE.ALSO USE IT AS A BULLET LUBE FOR MY 45-70 WIPE ON STYLE RICK

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check