case lube

[giericd]

I've read a million posts on bullet lube and didnt see this mentioned any where, I just met a man in the reloading section of BP and he said he has been using Moble 1 motor oil for years to lube cases for resizing. Any one hear or try this? I'm just curious, I don't know why people get all creative and try to reinvent the wheel some times, I can understand it you live very far from a supply source or to save money but the RCBS resizing lube in a little bottle was a little over $4 and is some super slick stuff! Cases went through the die effortlessly, the rolling pad held a lot of lube with just a few little drops. I probably deprimed/resized 1,000 cases and only used 15 drops of lube. that would equal out to close to a 500,000 rounds per bottle at that rate all for $4.50 Why would any one want to try something different?

[btroj]

Some people use different stuff just because they can. For a lube pad I like STP oil treatment. A bottle will last a few hundred lifetimes.

Casters are often people with a need to tinker, case lube is one more thing to tinker with.

[44man]

I swear RCBS lube is STP!
It depends on the case, my .500 JRH brass is very hard to size with most case lubes so I went to Lanolin. Then found Hornady Unique works good.
I want a lube I can just wipe off with a rag.

[btroj]

I like the Hornady Unique lube. Easy to apply, easy to control how much is used, cleans off my hands easily. I tumble cases after sizing to remove case lube so that isn't an issue but I hate stuff that doesn't easily wash off my hands. STP, which I think is RCBS lube, is miserable stuff to wash off my hands.

Lanolin works well, I just don't want a spray. I use lanolin like any other tub lube, just apply by hand.

[smokesahoy]

Case lubing with lee's bundled white stuff and the highest % alcohol work great. Take a tiny dab on your finger and mix into alcohol, pour a little all over your brass in a plastic bag the night before mix good and lay out on newspaper.

When you come back to it it's ready to roll. That free bottle will last forever like this and it makes a huge difference. Especially on magtech "CBC" marked brass. They just glide right thru. You almost wonder if they are sizing, but they are.

[pworley1]

I take my STP bottles and turn them up side down over a small glass jar and let them drain. I have used this to lube for years and it is free.

[mdi]

Yep, heard of using motor oil for case lube. My problem with it is it works quite well; but is difficult to remove (I don't like tumbling to remove oil). Same with STP and some other petroleum lubes. I really like Mink Oil Boot Dressing. I put it on with my fingers, never had a stuck case, and it wipes off (pretty much) with a paper towel, especially my hands. Jes my .02...

[microage97]

I use spray Pam. Awesome!

[Chili]

I have started using Froglube paste and like how easy the cases run into the die. So far clean up has been easier too.

[fredj338]

I am still working on a RCBS bottle of lube, I see little reason to reinvent the wheel but doesn't mean one shouldn't try. Lanolin & 95%+ alcohol makes a great case lube. Start @ 10-1 alcohol/lanolin & add alcohol as needed.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Lyman, back in the day , used to sell small tins of what they called E-Z lube. It was just lanolin. A 2 ounce tin was cheap and it lasted years. Since then I have been using straight anhydrous lanolin; I started out with a one pound jar and it has lasted decades. Never bothered to cut it with alcohol....sometimes a pain to get off the cases, but nothing ever got suck either. I just put a spoon on an RCBS lube pad and roll the cases on the pad. What Lee sells is good stuff too...whatever it is. Got a couple of tubes with some Lee equipment once, same with C&H and RCBS stuff, but always went back to the lanolin. LLS

[Taylor]

Some people use different stuff just because they can. For a lube pad I like STP oil treatment. A bottle will last a few hundred lifetimes.

Casters are often people with a need to tinker, case lube is one more thing to tinker with.

Ain't that the truth,sometimes I just can't leave well enough alone.

[mdi]

Ain't that the truth,sometimes I just can't leave well enough alone.
Yep, and without fiddlin', experimenting, changing stuff around, life (or at least reloading) would get pretty boring...

[Socal147]

Hornady Unique is amazing. I can't believe how well the stuff works.

[Big Z]

I just tried lanolin/iso-heet (99% isopropanol) in a spray bottle after years of using one-shot. It's excellent. I prefer a spray lube for convenience.
Try mink oil if you're into wax.

[dromia]

I have been a Hornady Unique convert for a few years now, as good if not better than anything else out there sold for the purpose and cheap to boot.

[myg30]

I am still working on a RCBS bottle of lube, I see little reason to reinvent the wheel but doesn't mean one shouldn't try. Lanolin & 95%+ alcohol makes a great case lube. Start @ 10-1 alcohol/lanolin & add alcohol as needed.

Same Here with the lanolin lube, 1 or 2 spray's into a baggy, dump in the brass handful, Shake or just move it around. DONE ! No need to wipe off. Loaded ammo stored for years looks like new still. Way to easy to change now. Cheep to make and will last my life time.

Mike

[bhn22]

Dillon Case Lube spray. It's what the cool kids use.
http://www.dillonprecision.com/content/p/9/pid/23666/catid/8/Dillon_Case_Lube__8_oz__Bottle_

[btroj]

The spray stuff works, I just don't want the hassle. My system works better with a tub of lube like Hornady Unique.

[Taylor]

Well I have a tub of lanolin,a tin of mink oil and Imperial wax,plus various spray's.I reckon I'm good for quite a while.

[Themayor]

I just tried lanolin/iso-heet (99% isopropanol) in a spray bottle after years of using one-shot. It's excellent. I prefer a spray lube for convenience.
Try mink oil if you're into wax.


How long is this mixture good for once you make it? I have the ingredients, can I do half a bottle at once or only if I am going to use it quickly?

[DLCTEX]

One method I use is to put a small amount of lanolin on my hands (small dab on one palm, rub palms together) grab a few cases and roll the between hands a few revolutions. Dump in container and repeat. It only takes a very thin film of lanolin. When finished wipe hands on paper towel and you have the benefit of softened skin. It is only necessary to add more lanolin if hands become dry.

[MUSTANG]

How long is this mixture good for once you make it? I have the ingredients, can I do half a bottle at once or only if I am going to use it quickly?


Stuff lasts for many years. Mix whatever is convenient size. Only concerns I have found are:

1. Keep the lid on tight so the alcohol does not evaporate.
2. Solids will settle out below ~ 65 degrees temp. You can just shake in temps of 65 degrees and higher and it will go back in solution.

[John Boy]

Am I the only reloader that uses Bag Balm made with lanolin?
Bag Balm was born in 1899. The salve was created to help milking cows be comfortable.
And I have the softest fingers of any reloader!:happy dance:

[Bullwolf]

Am I the only reloader that uses Bag Balm made with lanolin?
Bag Balm was born in 1899. The salve was created to help milking cows be comfortable.
And I have the softest fingers of any reloader!:happy dance:


You're not the only one, I use it as well. That little green can lasts a long long time.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FdukGXInL._SL500_AA300_.jpg





- Bullwolf

[Big Z]

How long is this mixture good for once you make it? I have the ingredients, can I do half a bottle at once or only if I am going to use it quickly?

I've not heard any reports of short lifespan. Feel free to mix a half batch. A full batch is a 12oz bottle of iso-heet and 1.5oz liquid lanolin. About $3-4. I was running range brass 40s thru a g-rx die last night (all my 'new' range brass gets a ride in the g-rx its first reloading), and 3-4 squirts for ~500 was plenty to keep dirty brass running just fine thru the die, and I could feel the lanolin accumulate on my hands fairly quickly. I put some handfuls in a gallon Ziploc, lay the bag down and pat the brass flat inside it. Then spray some lube in and roll the brass around in the bag.

[dbosman]

Unless you load commercially, I'd expect the plastic spray bottle will wear out or break down or the alcohol to evaporate before you use it up.

[dbosman]

Lanolin is available in 1oz tubes at many pharmacies.
I've had one tube for almost two decades and it's still half full.

[Big Z]

I just did a test of lanolin/isopropanol vs one-shot...the lanolin home-brew was easily the winner. I used a bow scale on my press arm for about 20 223 brass each, then repeated without the scale. It was easy to tell.

[runfiverun]

if you wanna see a bigger gain add a titch bit of castor oil to the mix.
I make swaging lube from 2 parts lanolin to 1 part castor oil and know a few that use a 1-1 ratio.
the 2-1 does just fine, even when making argie brass from 30-06 it's a one pass easy deal.
and it mixes into the alcohol easy enough.

[Big Z]

I've seen castor oil recommended several times. Sometime I might have to add an ounce and another 8-12oz of alcohol, as I'm a bit too strong on the lanolin (the excess won't dissolve) but just the lanolin is working very, very well for case lube.

[sprinkintime]

if you wanna see a bigger gain add a titch bit of castor oil to the mix.
I make swaging lube from 2 parts lanolin to 1 part castor oil and know a few that use a 1-1 ratio.
the 2-1 does just fine, even when making argie brass from 30-06 it's a one pass easy deal.
and it mixes into the alcohol easy enough.

That's a + 1 on the castor oil. Sprink

[geargnasher]

I've read a million posts on bullet lube and didnt see this mentioned any where, I just met a man in the reloading section of BP and he said he has been using Moble 1 motor oil for years to lube cases for resizing. Any one hear or try this? I'm just curious, I don't know why people get all creative and try to reinvent the wheel some times, I can understand it you live very far from a supply source or to save money but the RCBS resizing lube in a little bottle was a little over $4 and is some super slick stuff! Cases went through the die effortlessly, the rolling pad held a lot of lube with just a few little drops. I probably deprimed/resized 1,000 cases and only used 15 drops of lube. that would equal out to close to a 500,000 rounds per bottle at that rate all for $4.50 Why would any one want to try something different?

There's a sticky here called "Case lubes: chapter and verse". In the reloading section I think.

I use lanolin and castor oil on an RCBS pad. Another good one is Coastal engine assembly lube, very high in zinc, much better than STP is these days since the $^*#&$*#@&ing EPA made them take all the good stuff out of it.

Gear

[runfiverun]

he's talking about ZDDP
zinc di sumthin/sumthin phosphor it's still found in some oil additives, [rislone and Z-max] but nothing with the little EPA approved seal [blue ribbon looking mark] on the bottle.

[Elkins45]

The spray stuff works, I just don't want the hassle. My system works better with a tub of lube like Hornady Unique.

What is your system?

[btroj]

Tub open next to me. Cases in a small plastic basket. Get a bit of lube on fingers, wipe some on case, put in shell holder. Size, place in another basket, repeat with next case. Only need to apply more to fingers every few cases.

Doesn't get all over. Isn't sticky on hands. Cleans off cases easily.

Runs lanolin/castor oil would work the same way but it isn't washing off the hands as easily. Castor oil is a bear to wash off but man o man does it make an awesome thin film lubricant under pressure.

[w5pv]

I've read a million posts on bullet lube and didnt see this mentioned any where, I just met a man in the reloading section of BP and he said he has been using Moble 1 motor oil for years to lube cases for resizing. Any one hear or try this? I'm just curious, I don't know why people get all creative and try to reinvent the wheel some times, I can understand it you live very far from a supply source or to save money but the RCBS resizing lube in a little bottle was a little over $4 and is some super slick stuff! Cases went through the die effortlessly, the rolling pad held a lot of lube with just a few little drops. I probably deprimed/resized 1,000 cases and only used 15 drops of lube. that would equal out to close to a 500,000 rounds per bottle at that rate all for $4.50 Why would any one want to try something different?
Not trying to change anyones mind on their loob,I think Mobil One would be good.Probably any pure synetic oil will work equally well.I have yet to stick a case with Marvel Mystery Oil when I run out, if I am still loading, I may try some Mobil One.I know it is good oil,I worked at the plant where they were developing it in the sixties.