What to use to remove case lubricant

[martyd]

Hi,

What to use to remove the "Alcohol & Lanolin Mixture" case lube off the brass?

Thanks,
Marty

[ShooterAZ]

I use one of those smallish mesh laundry bags. I put the brass in it and wash in the sink in dish soap and water. I then rinse the brass and put it in a baking pan outside in the AZ sun for a couple of hours. I've been doing this for years and it works very well. I've also used my tumbler, but your media won't last very long that way.

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[bob15]

If you are referring to removing sizing die lube, I just tumble it with my walnut shells after resizing, trimming & cleaning the pocket primers. Casing come out clean....

[kayala]

I dry tumble to remove sizing lube. That's the only reason I dry tumble, regular brass cleaning is done with SS pins.

[Conditor22]

Add a little mineral spirits (paint thinner) and drier sheets to the media to help it last longer

[greenjoytj]

Hi, What to use to remove the "Alcohol & Lanolin Mixture" case lube off the brass? Thanks,
Marty

I don’t use your lanolin mixture. I use Imperial Sizing Wax it has the look, feel and texture of Vaseline.
To remove the Imperial lube I dry wipe with sheets of paper towel, no wet solvent of any kind is required. Sometimes I’ll dry wipe with microfibre cloths, but they need washing after.

I’m processing just 50 to 100 cartridges case at one time. Lube, size and wipe off.
If I was processing more cases than that quantity in one session I would search for a faster removal method, even if that required me to change sizing lube. I don’t mine hand wiping the cases individually because I it gives me another chance to examine the cases for damage.

I’ve read some like to use a spray lube but I was worried the lube would get inside the cases, getting it out would add more work to the already labour intensive case processing operation.

[Winger Ed.]

I’ve read some like to use a spray lube but I was worried the lube would get inside the cases.

I've switched over to 'One Shot', and spray it into the case neck as well as outside.
In the past, I've worn down a few expander balls by them being dry and dragging too much as they come out of the case.

After sizing, the de-primed cases get washed in lacquer thinner, and laid out to dry.
So far the expander balls slide right out with little or no drag, and there is no 'tough ones' that make me think the case is being stretched.
The thinner rinse washes away all the lube that got inside the case.

[kayala]

I dry tumble to remove sizing lube. That's the only reason I dry tumble, regular brass cleaning is done with SS pins.

[country gent]

I tumble in corn cobs with about 2 ozs of mineral spirits added, if your are applying the thin coat of lube recommended it dosnt take very long to remove ot. I use Imperial sizing die wax.
It can be removed with a rag and solvent also.

[BamaNapper]

I use the lanolin/alcohol mix for lube and I think I know what you mean. It left a dullness after dry tumbling. When I wet tumbled with Dawn, citric acid, and SS pins they were still kind of dull. I tried adding the orange citrus cleaner to the mix. Nope. I tried Simple Green. Nope. I picked up a jug of Purple Power degreaser concentrate at Walmart. I put a splash of that in the wet tumble along with the other ingredients/pins and it did the trick. $5 well spent. It got the lanolin off the brass.

They say Woolite works also, as it is made for wool, which is where lanolin comes from. Kinda makes sense.

If you're just looking to clean the cases without dry or wet tumbling, I'd bet the Purple Power and hot water in a bucket would work. If you're looking for a dry tumbling solution I can't help you. I tried the car polish and chrome polish in the media. Brass was shinier but some of that dullness was still there. If I just dry tumble now it's because I'm doing 9mm brass that's going to be my plinking ammo and I really don't care about shiny cases. I see the rounds as they go into the magazine, and then see them as dirty empty brass when I pick them up. Not worth the time and trouble to make them shiny in my opinion.

[DocSavage]

Lanolin/alchohol mix dry tumble for 20-30 min.

[RickinTN]

A shot of starting fluid then wiping them down with a cotton cloth always did the trick for me way back when. I would be it would still work very well today.
Rick

[country gent]

The woolite keeps your delicate brass from shrinking LOL

[honus]

Hot water and Dawn detergent removes lanolin.

[farmerjim]

Hot water and Dawn detergent removes lanolin.

Plus I put it in the HF ultrasonic cleaner to speed up the process.

[Shawlerbrook]

I also use Imperial and load small batches( usually 50 or less at a time) . I just wipe each case after sizing with a cloth wetted with non ammonia window cleaner from a spray bottle.

[Wayne Smith]

Woolite should not work - it is designed to wash wool clothes without removing the lanolin.

[Larry Gibson]

I've been tumbling lubed, sized cases in sawdust for years to remove either Dillon's or my own alcohol/lanolin case lube. Takes 15 - 20 minutes in a "Thumbler". I use sawdust I use sawdust I make with a chainsaw from well dried out lodgepole or Tamerac. Other works well as long as it is dried out and "seasoned" and pitch free.

[243winxb]

Water & 2 drops of DAWN Ultra to remove = RCBS Case Lube 2 is an excellent lubricant that's water soluble and convenient to wipe off easily with no sticky residue and non-toxic.

Use to size bullets in Lee push thru die, wash off before oven heat treating.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

Hot water, dish soap and a little citric acid. Rinse well and dry in the oven at 250. Just did about 1000 .223 cases this way over the last month. After annealing, sizing, trimming, chamfering and cleaning the primer pockets washing off the sizing lube was the easy part.

[hoodat]

I've gotta say this --- When I started reloading, almost NOBODY even had a tumbler, or ever even cleaned their brass. Now about half of the "how to" threads on reloading forums have to do with various tumbling techniques.

No real point to my post, I just think it's kind of interesting. jd

[405grain]

Using the lanolin/alcohol mix to spray on case lube is great because it gets inside the case necks and the expander ball pulls out smoother. It's quicker than rolling the cases on a lube pad. Everything about it is convenient except for removing it after it's done it's job. I tried the Dawn & hot water wash, and also the Woolite too. There's still a slight residue on the cases. For a couple of reasons, tumbling both before and after sizing isn't that great either. What I did find that works really well is to boil the brass in a solution of water and about a teaspoon of trisodium phosphate, then rinse with hot water. This works well, and removes all of the lanolin residue, but is also a lot of extra work. The RCBS case lube is water soluble and completely cleans off with the Dawn & hot water wash. Because of this I've decided that for reloading batches of 100 rounds or less I'll use the RCBS lube and a pad, and for batches above 100 cases I use the lanolin/alcohol spray.

Here's a tip (for what it's worth); I looked up the properties of annealing brass. Documents and phase change diagrams show that the properties of brass don't begin to be altered until the temperatures start to go above 400 degrees F. Water boils at 212 degrees F. After washing my brass I toss them into a pan and place them into the same toaster oven that I use for powder coating bullets. I set the temperature to about 225 degrees F, and all the moisture turns to steam and dries off. In about 15 minutes all the brass is dry and ready to process. I know that some people are going to be leery of cooking the brass, and will think that heating the brass will soften it or have an effect on the annealing. If you feel uneasy about it, don't do it: the sun will dry it just as well (except in winter maybe). But so long as I keep the temperature below 250 degrees there is no possibility that there will be any change in the brass whatsoever. I have reloaded thousands of rounds doing this, and never had any problems. If you want to try this or not it's up to you, but remember; if you accidentally over heat the brass to 400 degrees or more you'll have to throw out that whole batch of brass.

[Rich/WIS]

Use the alcohol/lanolin spray and after sizing lay the brass on an old T-shirt and hit it with a few squirts of Brake-Kleen. Roll it around and give a quick wipe with the shirt and then tumble with walnut hulls with some mineral spirits and pieces of dryer sheet. After tumbling, checking flash holes and a quick wipe with a dry cloth to remove any walnut dust.

[DAVIDMAGNUM]

I throw them in the vibratory case cleaner with Lyman corn cobb media. The Imperial case lube and treated corn cobb media polish the brass to a like new finish. I just set the timer and walk away, easy.

[John Boy]

Marty ... forget about all the proposed gyrations. Just wipe the cases with a shop rag coated with pure mineral spirits. And you don’t have to drown the cases with the spirit wipe.
After reloading, all rounds are wiped down when putting them in the ammo box

[Randy Bohannon]

Sharpshooter lube easily wipes off with a paper towel still clean and bright,it is the best case lube I have ever used. Minimal amount makes it easy to remove and very pleasant to use.

[gwpercle]

Wipe it off with a clean rag .
Lee case lube is water soluble ... the dry waxy film wipes off easily ... helps protect the brass case .
Gary

[C.F.Plinker]

I've tried both alcohol and mineral spirits on a paper towel. They worked OK. Now I use WD40. Just very lightly spritz one end of a half sheet of paper towel with WD40 keeping the other end dry. Wipe the lube off with one end and the WD40 with the other end. You have a clean, dry boolet and no WD40 to oxidize and get sticky.

[Harper]

I've gotta say this --- When I started reloading, almost NOBODY even had a tumbler, or ever even cleaned their brass. Now about half of the "how to" threads on reloading forums have to do with various tumbling techniques.

No real point to my post, I just think it's kind of interesting. jd

and now thanks to covid you can't even buy a tumbler.......

[ElPistolero]

A shot of starting fluid then wiping them down with a cotton cloth always did the trick for me way back when. I would be it would still work very well today.
Rick

I do something similar. A shot of hexane-isopropanol and a bit of manual "tumbling" in a shop rag.
(Yes, I read Birchwood's disclaimer but, used in moderation, it works a charm.)

[brassrat]

I don't wanna clean the coating that is on my shiny brass from the extensive tumbling in walnut and car polish, so no brake cleaner, which does the job.

[Sprue]

Wow...it's been years since my last visit/post on this site. As for cleaning I use Lacquer Thinner

[tunnug]

I use the homemade lanolin/alcohol mix and have never had a problem with sticky or lube left on the brass, you might be using too much, when you're done you should hardly tell there's lube on it after sizing, try using less paying attention to how the force needed to size changes.

[15meter]

I've been tumbling lubed, sized cases in sawdust for years to remove either Dillon's or my own alcohol/lanolin case lube. Takes 15 - 20 minutes in a "Thumbler". I use sawdust I use sawdust I make with a chainsaw from well dried out lodgepole or Tamerac. Other works well as long as it is dried out and "seasoned" and pitch free.

May want to steer clear of lumber that have lots of tannin in also, oaks for one. They will tarnish brass if left in contact for too long.

Like when you forget them in the polisher for a couple of days(or weeks). I've heard rumor of people doing such a thing, I certainly would never do such a thing.:rolleyes:

When I first started reloading I made my own loading blocks because I didn't like the little short blocks that were commercially available. I made mine ~ 1-1/2" deep. Cases CANNOT be tipped over and you can put the cases in upside down. My cases are always in the loading blocks upside down until I put powder in them. Every other step they are upside down.

The first blocks I made were made out of white oak from a tree I had sawn into lumber. They were gorgeous. Until I left cases in them for a couple of days. Top portion that was out of the block was nice and clean and shinny. Portion down in the block was well tarnished and took several load/tumble cycles to get the two tone finish off them.

Current load blocks are made from what is called Mahogany Perfect Plank. Patternmakers laminated stock that is awesome. Got it years ago, I don't know if it is even still made. Not many wood patterns made anymore with the direct CAD to tool stuff.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

This is a good thread to bring up again, as I didn't see it the first time.

Thanks, Larry.
I never would have thought of using chainsaw chips. I guess it's one of those things that's just so inexpensive and simple, I wouldn't think of it. I have some bushel baskets of Pine and Maple aging in my garage attic, that I use for another purpose.

I've been tumbling lubed, sized cases in sawdust for years to remove either Dillon's or my own alcohol/lanolin case lube. Takes 15 - 20 minutes in a "Thumbler". I use sawdust I use sawdust I make with a chainsaw from well dried out lodgepole or Tamerac. Other works well as long as it is dried out and "seasoned" and pitch free.

[Jim22]

I just went through this today. I tried tumbling in a vibrating tumbler with new walnut shell media. Let it run for two hours. Took the cases out and the media had stuck to the one shot case lube. So I tried using a cotton cloth - no good. Put some laquer thinner on the cloth - still no. Then paint thinner. That worked. The red shop towel was stained when finished. I think the lube comes off easier when it is fressh. In my case It had been on the brass a couple of days.

Jim

[JohnH]

I put Mean Green or Purple Power in a spray bottle. Get a bath towel dump 30 or so cases out, spritz 'em down, fold the towel over and give 'em a good rub down. FWIW I use Dillon Case Lube and this gets 'em clean. Both these cleaners are an alcohol base cleaner so it works really good.

[John Boy]

Wiped down with a shop rag wetted with Eezox…. Been doing each reload for years before they are put in ammo cases
I use Bag Balm for all my case lubing … no alcohol

[DAVIDMAGNUM]

Another vote for dry tumbling/vibratory case cleaner. I clean my brass in my Thumlers Tumbler with crushed walnut shells. I will not shove dirty brass into any of my reloading dies. After sizing using Imperial Sizing Wax I put them back in the Thumlers Tumbler with corn cobb media. They come out shiny and dry. This method works well and is easy. Pour in the brass and media, turn it on, walk away.

[36g]

For years I've used an old bath towel, dumped a layer of lubed/sized shells on half and folded the other half over the top. Splash on some denatured alcohol (sold by the gallon in the paint aisle as stove fuel), and rub back and forth a bit. Cases come out de-lubed and dry.

[1hole]

and now thanks to covid you can't even buy a tumbler.......

How 'bout this:

"Thanks to Democrat politicians and their "news" media lackeys trying to scare liberals half witless in order to show the little people how hard the innerlechul librul govmint was "just trying to help them" and succeeded beyond anyone's expectations. In doing so they have seized and damaged or destroyed large swarths of our economic system. Meaning C-19 was just a signaling "dog whistle".

The political effort was to better establish swamp govy control over the public and we really need to see it for what it has been.

[greenjoytj]

Wipe the cases with a microfibre cloth to remove sizing lube.

I charge my RCBS foam lube pad with Imperial Sizing Wax.
I smear a thin coat of wax onto the pads surface, roll a case up the pad then size it.

To get the wax off I first wipe with a paper towel that gets most of the wax off.
Then switch to a microfibre towel to get off any wax that might still be on the case.

I tried the tumbler removal with corn cob media but then I had to wash off tumbler dust and dry the cases again.

It was easier and faster to to just wipe the was lube off the cases.
Plus I get to do addition case visual inspection and inspection by feel.
If the microfibre cloth snags on anything I can take a second look for the cause of the snag.
Caught a few tiny case mouth splits and rim burrs during the microfibre cloth wipe down.

The heavily wax coated paper towel get tossed out but the towel is not so soiled so it get machine washed and reused.
Don''t use fabric softener in the wash or any dry sheet softener on the microfibre towel and they will continue to work well.

[pworley1]

When I used the alcohol mixture I would clean by dry tumbling. For the last twenty or so years I have used Kiwi leather conditioner for lube and just wipe it off with a soft cloth.

[lightman]

I usually lay them on an old folded up towel and spray them with either brake cleaner or contact cleaner and roll them around good. I have washed them in hot soapy water and I have tumbled them but mostly I use brake cleaner.

[kavemankel]

Been using spray mixture of lanolin and alcohol for years and found the best way to clean off batch sizing amounts of brass fast and effectively is to put it in small 1 gallon bucket ,run tap water un-till hot, then mix a half cap of orange oil and dawn into the bucket . let sit for 5 minutes pour into my own noodle colander (because i value my life), rinse off in colander with same hot tap water, spread on kitchen table under ceiling fan and dry in hours. Looks like brand new bagged brass. I'm kind of a clean snob anymore when it comes to my brass.

[Charlie Horse]

I've gotta say this --- When I started reloading, almost NOBODY even had a tumbler, or ever even cleaned their brass. Now about half of the "how to" threads on reloading forums have to do with various tumbling techniques.

No real point to my post, I just think it's kind of interesting. jd

Hey that's me! Dirty brass used to be the proud badge of a reloader!

[Tazman1602]

However you do it don’t use wife’s dishwasher and then forget about them……..they’ll be hell to pay. Last time she caught me with a set of TRW 11:1 racing pistons in it and darn ne’er hit me with one….

Art

[trapper9260]

I use Unique to case lube and then I put in the tumbler add round up corn cobs and the cases comes out shiny, I do at first tumble them in ground walnut , then do the sizing and depriming.

[Rapier]

Just dump the fired brass into the cleaner as you come in. A good habit to get into. Clean gun, clean brass…… If you have no build up on brass or in the gun.

[beemer]

The woolite keeps your delicate brass from shrinking LOL

If I don't use Woolite will my 30-30 brass turn into 25-20 brass?

[Baltimoreed]

I don’t understand or I’m trapped in the past but I roll my dry tumble cleaned .30-06-.303 or .30-40 brass on a lube pad with some lyman case lube on it, size/deprime the case then roll it between a towel on my leg and my palm and put in a Dillon bin until that batch is sized. Hand prime them and put them upside down in a block. I inspect the brass as they get processed. Cracked cases get recycled.

[popgunbpcr]

I use one shot to size with then put brass in my tumbler which has ceramic media in it, with 1 teaspoon of turtle wax car detergent and 2 table spoons of CLR. the turtle wax car detergent leaves my brass spot free once they dry laying on a towel. Brass comes out like new. 3 hours tumbling. 45-90,45-70 brass.

[tctender]

I dampen a spot on a shop rag with cigarette lighter fluid and wipe the case.Dont take much and squirt a little more every 10-12 pieces. Has worked well for years for me. Helps with case inspection also.

[barrabruce]

Could always go old school and dip necks in graphite powder and not worry about the grey ring.
Or extra cleaning.
I just wipe my brass down as well.
Guess I’m in the "unwashed" unconverted category.