Case Lube

[dangerranger]

I know this is a bullet lube forum but I couldn't find a better fit.

I have run out of case lube and cant find any locally. Is there anything I can make that will work till I can get some in? I do have an old dry tube of Lee paste, is there a way to rehydrate it? I even thought of using WD40 and washing the cases well before loading. What do you all think? Thanks DR

[country gent]

If its the lee sizing die lube it is water souluable and a little water added shoud rejuvenate it. Stp is said to work, Bag Balm has a high lanolin content and I have heard of it being used,Electrical supply shops have wire pull lubes That are about the same as the lee, but you have to take a large quanity of it. Alot mix lanolin with 90%+ alcohol for a spay on case lube also. Have also heard of mink cream being used.

[mj2evans]

For "normal" case lube (not case forming to another round) I only use home made lanolin and alcohol spray - its great. Now getting lanolin locally, NOT hand cream, could be an issue. I have heard of the cable pulling lube being used and I think Lowes sells it.

[Love Life]

Mink oil.

[w5pv]

Mystery oil is very good,I have yet to stick a case.Just use a small drop between fore finger and thumb and rub it on the brass,what wetness shows on finger I scrape the end of brass with that seems to lube the throat also.

[Idz]

For pistol brass I just lay my cleaned and primed cases in a box lid and give them a very light spray of furniture wax taking care not to spray down inside onto the primer. A little shaking rolls the cases around to spread the wax. Just that light spray makes a big difference in resizing force required.
For rifle brass I discovered the Lee dies are kind of rough so I polish them with some 600 grit sandpaper and then use the Lee resizing lube. If things stick a bit I retract the case and re-lube it.

[dragon813gt]

Mink oil.

This is what I use all the time. I can't see paying the price for case lube when mink oil works so well and is cheap.

[btroj]

Anhydrous lanolin.

Ever wonder why sheep don't need lube?

[jmort]

"Ever wonder why sheep don't need lube?"

No, and for sure don't want to know.

[nicholst55]

Someone said that Alberto VO5 Hairdressing would work in a pinch; it does, although it's just a bit thin. It contains glycerin and lanolin, and acts like a thin version of Imperial Sizing Die Wax. It will creep up the case if it's warm in your loading area, and give you hydraulic dents on the case shoulder if you're not careful.

[dangerranger]

Thanks so much! I have a couple of gallons of wire pulling lube in the garage. I had not even thought of that! That will get me through the weekend. I have a daughter-in-law that makes designer hand products. Ill see what she has in pure lanolin. I like the spray on application best. I can just spread them out on a tray and spray lube a bunch at a time. I thought I had an extra bottle in the cabinet but no. Thanks again DR

[Ehaver]

I take a can of wd40 and spray lightly inside the die every 20 or so rifle cases. But, I also polish them with lemon juice, dish soap, very hot water and two rolls of pennys after they have been sized.

[btroj]

2 rolls of pennys? Do they leave a fresh cent?

I suppose the pennys would work to help scour the brass. Interesting idea.

[Changeling]

STP works Great, get it at Wall Mart. I've even used it for mild case forming!

[marvelshooter]

I use the same lube I use for swaging: lanolin and castor oil mixed 50 - 50. A little bit on your finger tip does several cases.

[220swiftfn]

Another user of "Bag Balm" here.


Dan

[runfiverun]

I use the lanolin and castor oil too, but mix mine 2 parts to 1.
I also mix the lanolin and rubbing alcohol as a spray on as a precursor to the hand wipe, it just allows me to use less of the wipe on mix, and keep my fingers a bit cleaner.

[Bullshop Junior]

I mix a little synthetic oil with some beeswax or use the oil by its self. I send to use sythetic 2 stroke oil since i always have a bunch of it around because of my motor toys.

[zxcvbob]

Kiwi Mink Oil, or castor oil. (Castor oil dissolves completely in alcohol, so it should make a good spray lube too)

[tygar]

Anhydrous lanolin.

Ever wonder why sheep don't need lube?

You don't wear hi top rubber boots do you?

[tygar]

Another user of "Bag Balm" here.


Dan

Dam, no sht!

Been using bagbalm on livestock for 60 yrs. Has lanolin & is thick. good idea.

[TexasBubba]

I use JPW to size my brass. I use it like the tube of LEE sizing lube.

It's cheap and always on hand.

[jonas302]

Another for mink oil- boot dressing works so nice I am happy to lube cases just smear your finger in it every few cases and rub them on the way to the press

[fcvan]

A buddy of mine talked me into trying lanolin and and alcohol in a spray bottle. It worked very well but I found I was paying a lot for lanolin in a small town. Sure,it lasts quite a while but mixing up the lanolin and alcohol required some heat as the lanolin I could get was thick whereas his was more of a liquid.

When I decided to do a very large run of resizing some .223 brass (more than 1000) I switched gears. I wasn't about to pad lube like my dad taught me say back when and I didn't have a spray lube/oil. Well, here goes . . .

I deprime all of my brass and wash with soapy water because I don't like handling dirty brass or getting grime in my dies. After drying, I put the brass in a plastic container with a very small amount of olive oil. After shaking around for a bit the brass is evenly coated. I've never had an issue with necks getting dented or brass getting stuck. Olive oil works very well for me.

After sizing, I wash the brass with warm soapy water (Dawn dish detergent) and then rewash with dawn and a squirt of lemon juice, and let stand for 5 or so minutes. After straining the brass (no rinsing) they cases go straight into the Lyman 1200 with ground walnut. After an hour they are shiny as new. Every 4 or 5 runs I put a table spoon of Turtle Zip Wash in the media. The Zip Wash has a small amount of wax in it which acts as a sealer that keeps the brass from oxidizing as quickly. Every 20 or so runs I wash the ground walnut in a zippered burlap sack and let dry in the sun. The walnut swells from getting wet and becomes course again but remains kind of dark in color. It's not that I'm too cheap to buy new media, I ran out once and it was 100 miles to the nearest pet store that sells ground walnut. I replace the media once a year or so and the old walnut gets used for bulk smelting.

Anyway, olive oil has been working well for me and the dish soap makes quick work of removing the oil. I did use some regular vegetable oil a couple of times but I generally use olive oil for cooking and so that's what I have on hand. You don't have to go to the extremes of re washing several times and using lemon juice (something I learned from this site) but I like how fast I can make the brass look like new. I've taken brass I've found that was almost black and made it shine like new.

[44 WCF]

I purchased Anhydrous lanolin from my local pharmacy, then found it is much less expensive through industrial outlets.

[44 WCF]

Make sure it is Anhydrous lanolin, I mixed with methanol. I still have a 300 Weatherby die with seized case from dummie here using lanolin cream.........I've read that 91% rubbing alcohol works also, but my original recipe called for methanol, other alcohols may work just fine....Friend makes his own lube brew and seems he said he gets it from Amazon.

[Love Life]

You can get Lanolin delivered to your door from member RandyRat. Good stuff and makes great case lube.

[geargnasher]

Anhydrous lanolin.

Ever wonder why sheep don't need lube?

Wow. I don't know whether to think Jack Handey or Deliverance.

Gear

[dtknowles]

STP works Great, get it at Wall Mart. I've even used it for mild case forming!

I use STP thinned with kerosene on my lube pad. Tried it straight and it worked but was less messy when I thinned it.

Tim

[btroj]

Wow. I don't know whether to think Jack Handey or Deliverance.

Gear

I will leave that entirely up to your imagination. Sometimes not knowing is worse than knowing.....

[no-bama in 2012]

STP and an office ink pad for 35+ years

[boltons75]

I use liquid lanolin and 99% rubbing alcohol mixed into a spray bottle, works great.

[JDBrowning]

Bullshop Junior

I want to give the 2 stroke oil a try for case lube, can you recommend the brand that works for you?

[Bullshop Junior]

I never have the same brand stuff laying around. I run a lot of 2 stroke toys, so when ever i see any at a desent price I buy it.

[dale2242]

I use a mix of 50% STP -50% light oil.
I single load, so I wipe the cases after sizing and run them through the tumbler for a few to remove the remaining lube....dale

[gunoil]

walmart, dupont dry-wax formula on a flat tshirt, spray and roll.

http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k511/putt2012/null_zps221ea866.gif

Three paragraphs below:

http://www2.dupont.com/Consumer_Lubricants/en_US/products/multi_use_lubricant.html

[atr]

old cotton gym sock for a "pad"...then 3-in-one oil....been working for me for 50+ years.

[Elkins45]

old cotton gym sock for a "pad"...then 3-in-one oil....been working for me for 50+ years.

This one surprises me a bit. I wouldn't have thought a thin viscosity oil like 3 in 1 would have enough film strength to work as a case lube.

I'm a big fan of the pump spray lubes, but I prefer the Lee wax dissolved in alcohol over the lanolin lubes because it dries to a film. The lanolin leaves your brass sticky unless you wipe, wash or tumble after resizing.

[bangerjim]

Thanks so much! I have a couple of gallons of wire pulling lube in the garage. I had not even thought of that! That will get me through the weekend. I have a daughter-in-law that makes designer hand products. Ill see what she has in pure lanolin. I like the spray on application best. I can just spread them out on a tray and spray lube a bunch at a time. I thought I had an extra bottle in the cabinet but no. Thanks again DR

"Wire pulling lube" is just KY jelly for wires!!!!!!!!!!!!

Works.

banger

[Hawkeye45]

Since Bag Balm is a " cure all" for topical application, it should cure any accuracy problems caused by the cases. :violin:

Mr. Ed