Sizing lube alternatives?

[harringtondav]

I'll have some 45-120 brass this week and am ready to size it. It has been a looong time since I've had my RCBS press on the bench. My lube pad has some goo, but probably not enough, and I haven't found my lube container.

Is there an acceptable automotive lube that will work? High viscosity gear lube, etc.?

[Winger Ed.]

You might soften up the pad with mineral spirits.

I've tried various spray can lubes, motor oil, and after a few rifle cases got stuck--- I just went and bought the right stuff.
I'm a big Hornady 'One Shot' fan now.

[osage]

I've used lanolin for converting 5.56 to 300 black out. I found some lanolin at Walgreens. Staff knew where to look for it. Nursing mothers nipple care product.

[Winger Ed.]

I've used lanolin for converting 5.56 to 300 black out.

That's probably all that's in the little tub of sizing lube tub Hornady sells.
I got one in the 007 kit I started out with in the early 80s.
I'm not sure how many thousand cases I lubed with it, but it lasted about 10 years until the plastic tub fell apart.

[fcvan]

Well, here goes. Some years ago I switched to vegetable oil for bottle neck cases. I de-prime and hot water/dawn dish soap wash and rinse. I generally don't dry my cases, just size. Trust me, I check to ensure the dies did not show oxidizing/rust.

Anyway, I put the cases in a plastic nut jar with screw on lid, drizzle a small amount of vegetable oil, screw on the lid, and shake about 30 seconds. Oil spreads nicely, water gets displaced. During sizing, every 4 or 5 cases, I swipe the end of my finger across the case mouth to lube the expander ball, YMMV.

Once sized, cases get a hot soapy wash, followed by a separate soapy wash with some lemon juice added, and then strained. Soapy lemon juice fluid is retained for future use. Brass goes wet into the tumbler with ground walnut media. Media has about 1 tblsp. of Turtle Zip Wash added which helps seal the pores of the brass from oxidizing. Wet brass causes the walnut to swell up, revives the Zip Wash, helping with the polishing. I have brass loaded 10 years ago that has not tarnished or discolored.

Dawn dish soap cuts grease and oil, Wal-mart brands does the same. Cleaning vegetable oil comes off quickly. Old media is placed into a burlap bag with a zipper closure, some brand of rice IIRC, makes washing the media a breeze, drying just as easy. I use my media for about 5k of cases, and then change it for the clean stuff I have in a similar burlap bag that has had the same 'wash, rinse, hang to dry' cycle. BTW, cases and media are dry in an hour, and of course, shiny like new.

[15meter]

Never used it but I've read numerable recommendations for mink oil. The boot oil stuff. You may have that on the shelf. Just go slow, a little on you fingers then sparingly on the case just like Imperial is what I've read. Most of the time I try to only post what I've done but I've read about mink oil enough times that I suspect there's probably some truth to it.

[RickinTN]

Imperial sizing die wax has worked well for me for many many years. I'm not sure how long but I still have 30% or better of the tin left. It doesn't take much!
Rick

[Three44s]

Lyman Unique in a tub. It goes as far as the great Imperial die sizing wax but there is three times the product for the money.

Three44s

[gumbo333]

If you are clear out maybe shortining, tiny amount of lithium grease, STP or that boot mink oil if you have any. Might need to clean your dies later of too much lube staying on them. I've used Imperial for years and years, just a tiny amount. Sure there will be some left in the jar when I'm 6 feet under.

[JimKirk]

Imperial Wax is my first choice ....Mink Oil in the shoe department at Wal-Mart is second

[5Shot]

Lanolin is my choice

[wrench man]

Learned on the RCBS goop pad, then took abut 87 steps BACKWARDS to Hornady "One STUCK"!!, Imperial Sizing Die Wax has been on my bench for about 15 years now, NEVER an issue with it.

[David2011]

Imperial is my go-to as well for small batches. For large batches, I like Dillon’s spray lube which is lanolin in alcohol. You MUST give the alcohol a few minutes to evaporate or you will get a case stuck in the sizing die. Just ask any of us that are pretty good at removing stuck cases. For difficult cases, pure lanolin is fantastic.

[jdfoxinc]

Bag balm also for swagimg.

[Mk42gunner]

Lots of semi slick stuff will work for sizing cases, its just that some work better than others.

I never really liked using lube pads so I've tried several alternatives.

The first aerosol can of Hornady's One Shot did great, the second I had a bunch of stuck cases so I don't buy it anymore.

WD-40 will work, use it just like any other spray lube, spray shake let sit for a few minutes. You do need to clean it off and out of the cases, I tumbled in Walnut.

Imperial Sizing Die Wax is about the best I have found, can be a bit expensive, but even the small can will last years.

STP from the blue bottle works well. A slightly oily rag that you run your fingers across every few cases does well.

Like I said, lots of things will work. The down side to trying off the wall sizing lubes is the potential of a stuck case.

Robert

[414gates]

Lanolin.

https://ysterhout.net/images/rifle123/lanolin.jpg

Dillon case lube and Imperial die wax are lanolin.

[30calflash]

I've heard that Crisco works, but haven't tried it yet.

[Froogal]

I have used PLEDGE in a spray can. Worked just fine on .38s and .357s.

[txbirdman]

Use canola all the time. Spray a very small amount ina ziplock bag; dump in brass; shake around a bit and I’m ready to size.

[1hole]

There's a sticky on Case Lube Types, commercial and substitutes, at the top of this forum. It's not an exhaustive list of case lube options but it does have quite a few, including some pros and cons of each type.

I've never had a stuck case with any commercial lube if I used it according to the instructions AND if I applied it well to the heads of the cases; after all, that is where they get stuck!

[BigAlofPa.]

I spray my lube pad with cooking oil.

[Harter66]

STP was good enough for Fred Huntington when he was swaging bullets on his brand new prototype Rock Chucker Bullet Swage press (see how I worked in RCBS) , it's good enough for me . It's not the same as it was then but the only cases I've stuck with it were the ones I either ran 1 to many to pick up the over lube or I didn't lube a case .

[gwpercle]

I'll have some 45-120 brass this week and am ready to size it. It has been a looong time since I've had my RCBS press on the bench. My lube pad has some goo, but probably not enough, and I haven't found my lube container.

Is there an acceptable automotive lube that will work? High viscosity gear lube, etc.?

The absolute best resizing / reforming Lube to use is STP Oil Treatment . Clean off your lube pad and give it a smear on of STP ... I swear the RCBS case sizing lube had to have been STP ...it feels , smells and looks like the stuff . I've never had a case stick with STP or the old RCBS pad lube .
You can also smear a light film on with your fingers or wipe a film on with a cloth pad that has a little STP soaked into it ...if you don't have your lube pad .
Get rid of the Hornady One Shot ... it isn't worth doodly-squat and not fit for heavy-duty resizing jobs .
Gary

[curdog007]

I needed to size some big cases a little while back, and didn't have any lube left. Spied a quart bottle of 0W-20 Full Synthetic engine oil on the shelf.
I won't be using anything else from now on......

[1hole]

.... I swear the RCBS case sizing lube had to have been STP ...it feels , smells and looks like the stuff . I've never had a case stick with STP or the old RCBS pad lube .

It was - maybe still is? - STP. IMHO, it's the stickiest, gooeyest, hardest stuff to remove from hands and cases I know of. After I tried one of the waxes and finger application I tossed my STP and nasty old green lube pad; that was 25 years ago.


Get rid of the Hornady One Shot ... it isn't worth doodly-squat and not fit for heavy-duty resizing jobs .

I read and follow instructions fairly well; used as directed, I've had very good results with One-Shot. I really don't care for spray lubes but I've done things like reforming surplus GI .30-06 cases into .22-250 with One-Shot and I don't think anyone else's "heavy duty" resizing is any more demanding than that. Fact is, I believe that any commercial case lube will work fine IF it's used correctly.

I never had a stuck case with STP because I always made sure I'd smeared a bit on the lower case, down where the side metal is thick. But I did have a lot of shoulder dents because it was so easy to apply too much lube up near the shoulder.

[HWooldridge]

I spray canola oil on a paper towel and lightly roll each case using my fingers and palm, which also get a bit oily. Never stuck a case but I have experienced small dents if the film gets too heavy.

[jetinteriorguy]

I love the Lanolin/alcohol mix. Just go light, a couple of spritz’s on 50 or so rifle cases of any size in a plastic container, roll them around for half a minute, let the alcohol flash off and your good to go. Clean it off afterwards in my wet tumbler with a small squirt of Dawn and tumble for half hour. And the nice side effect of how good the lanolin is for your hands after handling the brass. Just make sure it’s anhydrous lanolin, and use Heat gas treatment in the red bottle for your alcohol, and don’t over apply it to avoid dents in the shoulders.