Lanolin as a case lube

[GT27]

I bought a 1lb. plastic jar $5.99 at the local health food store,it is the absolute best lube I have ever used,takes very,very little! I have tried all different brands Imperial being the best,until now!Some were good,some were bad,some very bad! If you get a chance try it the cases go in, and comes out of the decapper as smooth as grandma's churned butta! Just a FYI,carry on!:coffeecom

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I bought a 1 pound jar in 1961 and still have 1/2-3/4 of it after decades of use and countless cases sized in many different calibers. It does a flawless and effortless job and as you can see, lasts a very long time. One doesn't need much and it can be applied by touching it and spreading it (messy) by fingers. The best way I have found is putting some on an office ink pad..similar to the RCBS case lube unit and rolling the cases on it. It cleans off the cases readily with a rag dampened in solvent. Never ever had a single stuck case at any time. Six bucks for a pound is a great deal. LLS

[W.R.Buchanan]

Dillon Case Lube is nothing more than Lanolin mixed with Alchohol. Obviously the Alchohol is the "vehicle" that distributes the Lanolin, and evaporates after it is exposed to the air.

You might try mixing some with alchohol and spraying it onto your brass. It works really well, and is much easier than smearing it with your fingers!

The other advantage to using a liquid like this is it automatically migrates to cover the entire case so you don't have to get you fingers greasy.

Another hot tip is using the spray stuf as rust preventative. I spray all my dies and exposed steel parts of my reloading tools with the stuff.

I also spray it all over my guns and then wipe it off after the alcohol evaporates. This leaves a non greasy layer of protectant similar to what wax does on a car. When you wipe it off it stays in the pores of the metal.

My RGS 77 magazines and all Ruger Mini 14 metal magazines rust instantly. Coating them with the lonolin fixes this problem. It works much better than oil.

Try it out see if it works for you. I personally just buy the Dillon product as it comes ready to use in a spray bottle and one bottle lasts for along time. I use it as rust preventative more than I lube cases with it.

One last tip. If you deprime and size your cases before you tumble them, you don't have to wipe off the case lube. They are ready to load as soon as they come out of the tumbler.

Randy

[rda72927]

I use Lanolin 2oz to 16oz of 99% alchohol. WW Granger has been to best place to find the 99%. DO NOT use anything less, dosen't work well at all. The lanolin will seperate out of 91 or 95 % alchohol and just be sitting at the bottom of your spray bottle.

[GRUMPA]

That's the stuff I make for my swage lube, that Lanolin (mixed with Vaseline) is some pretty good stuff, works so well that's all I use when I do my case conversions.

[Lizard333]

I use Lanolin 2oz to 16oz of 99% alchohol. WW Granger has been to best place to find the 99%. DO NOT use anything less, dosen't work well at all. The lanolin will seperate out of 91 or 95 % alchohol and just be sitting at the bottom of your spray bottle.

I used 95%. Worked fine. I have one bottle that is old, and it settled in. A good shake and it's good as new. Lasts for months.

[cajun shooter]

If you do a search of this forum you will find that this subject has been discussed in length. It also will show you several ways to use alcohol to make a great spray lube. The standard drug store kind is only about 87-91% pure. I found and ordered the 99% pure and the lube stays together and does not have the separation problems that I had with the 91% product. Later David

[Kraschenbirn]

I use 91% (locally available and cheap!) and pop my spray bottle into the microwave on 'defrost' for about 30 seconds before using. A couple of shakes and any remaining precipatated lanolin is redissolved.

Bill

[runfiverun]

mix the lanolin 2 to 1 wth some castor oil.
it makes a smoother friendlier case/swaging/lubricating lube.
lanolin is also a good ingredient in boolit lubes [weird huh]

[GT27]

mix the lanolin 2 to 1 wth some castor oil.
it makes a smoother friendlier case/swaging/lubricating lube.
lanolin is also a good ingredient in boolit lubes [weird huh]

Thanks for the input,will do! GT27

[Wayne Smith]

I use Lanolin 2oz to 16oz of 99% alchohol. WW Granger has been to best place to find the 99%. DO NOT use anything less, dosen't work well at all. The lanolin will seperate out of 91 or 95 % alchohol and just be sitting at the bottom of your spray bottle.

If you know much about EOTH you know that almost as soon as you open that bottle in any humidity it's not 99% any more! EOTH is highly hydroscopic, that's why it rusts your tank and engine when added to gas.

[Lloyd Smale]

its about all i use for lube anymore.

[SOFMatchstaff]

I have been using a tub of stuff called Blue Magic, hair dressing that I found at wally world in the Ethnic hair care section. $1.99 a tub of 12oz. It consists of petrolatum, lanolin, lechithin,and mineral oil, some smell good stuff, and it works on everything except nickle plated 50AE cases. Even the 50BMG full length stuff. I apply it lightly with my fingers as needed and its easy on the tumbling media too..

[quasi]

91% will work well if you drop 2 or 3 .357 dia. cast boolits in the spray bottle and shake vigorously before use. It works for me.

[sthwestvictoria]

I use a dab on the finger for the outside of the case and a cotton bud for the inside of the neck for full length sizing.
I also use it in 60% beeswax, 37.5% vaseline, 2.5% lanolin for pan lube.

Using it inside case necks - use very little or tumble the cases after sizing. Lanolin is so sticky the grains of powder will stick in the neck and not flow down into the case when charging.

[John Boy]

The ACID TEST as to how well any variation of case lube works is to reform a thick wall 348 case to a different caliber. If the 348 doesn't bind and lock up in the full length sizing with the lube your using - that is one you want to use for normal FL sizing of your cases.

NONE of the commercial alcohol based lubes are worth a damn to use to reform cases! Accordingly they are expensive and PP lubes to use for normal FL sizing

After many trial & errors using different lubes-IMHO the lanolin based lube that slides the cases in the die like hot butter (consistently) is

Bag Balm (http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/bag-balm-protective-ointment/ID=prod10744-product?ext=gooPersonal_Care_PLA_Moisturizers_prod 10744&adtype={adtype}&sst=1a932150-8a4e-5068-c35a-00002a30a1e9)

[Good Cheer]

Use it for case lube, in LOOB (lanolin-olive oil-beeswax) muzzleloading lube and in cast boolit lube. Got a five pound bucket from a soap making warehouse outlet type place that used to be east of Houston over in Urban Cowboy country.

[Lance Boyle]

Uh, lanolin is the main ingredient in most of the commerical lubes;

Imperial; mostly (or all) lanolin solids
RCBS and others pad lube; liquid lanolin
Alcohol spray lubes; liquid lanolin in alcohol.

ETA- the price you paid is the outstanding part. I think Imperial 2 oz costs 6.99 here.

[WVHunter129]

My problem is I can't find the lanolin around my local area. One we have no health food stores around.

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

[Elkins45]

I have been using a tub of stuff called Blue Magic, hair dressing that I found at wally world in the Ethnic hair care section. $1.99 a tub of 12oz. It consists of petrolatum, lanolin, lechithin,and mineral oil, some smell good stuff, and it works on everything except nickle plated 50AE cases. Even the 50BMG full length stuff. I apply it lightly with my fingers as needed and its easy on the tumbling media too..

There used to be a particular brand of nonstick cooking spray (I have long since forgotten which) that came in a pump sprayer instead of a pressurized can. The aerosol cans are just canola oil, but it was lecithin. It was a fantastic spray on case lube.

Alas, I don't think it's on the market anymore. Seeing that this blue stuff you described contains lecithin AND lanolin I can see how it might just be an awesome lube.

Looks like I'm off to Wally World for some ethnic hair products!

[GT27]

I think its one of those things basically kept as a trade secret,that when found,you buy it one time! I've now done over 6,000 223 cases with this,barely made a dent in the 1 lb. jar with no problems at all!!This is all I will ever use now,I'm a believer! GT27

[Lizard333]

My problem is I can't find the lanolin around my local area. One we have no health food stores around.

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

Go to your local pharmacist. they either have it or they can order it for you.

[azrednek]

I have been using a tub of stuff called Blue Magic, hair dressing that I found at wally world in the Ethnic hair care section. $1.99 a tub of 12oz. It consists of petrolatum, lanolin, lechithin,and mineral oil, some smell good stuff, and it works on everything except nickle plated 50AE cases. Even the 50BMG full length stuff. I apply it lightly with my fingers as needed and its easy on the tumbling media too..


Years ago an ol'timer told me in the 40 and 50's the pump-spray hair tonics for men were used as sizing lube. What my generation called "the greasy kid's stuff". Vitalis and some of the others were simply rubbing alcohol and lanolin.

[Moonie]

I hear VO5 works well, never used it myself though, I use 91% alcohol/Lanolin 10-1 or so.

[TAMU74]

I use GO-JO hand cleaner which is mostly lanolin, its cheap and works like a charm.

[azrednek]

I use GO-JO hand cleaner which is mostly lanolin, its cheap and works like a charm.

Back in the 70's I bought two tubes of STP lube in a tube. I've been using it since for re-sizing lube. After tossing out one tube after the plastic cracked and started leaking. I still have plenty left. At 61 years of age I doubt I'll never need to buy more unless the current tube I'm using breaks or starts leaking.

I haven't seen STP lube in a tube in years and don't know if they still package it in a tube. After mis-placing the tube years ago and not finding it for sale anywhere I contacted STP. Their email response was to try Auto Zone and if they didn't have to try bicycle shops.

Before finding the missing tube I tried working with STP out of a can. It is very difficult and messy to use it out of a can. Once I discovered my original tube what I had left in the can went right into the garbage.

Back in the early 70's when I worked as an outside salesman for an automotive supply warehouse. We were told STP and competitive products such as Bardol, Motor Honey and numerous others whose names I can't recall. The sticky gooey stuff is simply paraffin. The same stuff used in paraffin based motor oils.

To jump slightly off subject. After the govt came down on STP and their advertising claims. The truth is all STP and the others do is thicken the oil it is mixed with. Been to long to remember the exact numbers but I believe using the thicker 1970's formula. One pint of STP in 4 qts of 30 weight oil would raise the viscosity making it nearly the equivalent of 40 weight oil.

[BachelorJack]

We cut and form 300 AAC Blackout cases from .223 once fired cases. Usually 20-40k a day---6 days a week.

For case lube we use 91% isopropyl and lanolin in a spray bottle.

It works. If there is something better, we would be all over it. We are currently investigating vegetable based oils....