Solvent to clean off stubborn case lube?

[Charlie Horse]

I got several pounds of 38 cases. Some of them have a very stubborn lube on them. It appears to be sizing wax. A lot of it. I tried cleaning with Dawn, and I tried rubbing alcohol. Neither worked.

I don't tumble my cases, so that is out.

What solvent should I use to get these cases clean? Is gasoline out of the question?
Thanks in advance.

[country gent]

Id the wax is dried out and old it may take a soaking to remove it. I would try acetone soak over night then rinse in fresh.

[Minerat]

You might try putting some cases in a old pan containing water and boil them for a while to ser if the heat will soften or release the gunk. If not add a little dawn to see if that cuts it. Might also try using a rag with some kerosene on it to wipe the too. It that works you could soak them a while the wash with soapy water to get the kerosene off. I'd even try gas. I grew up using it to clean car parts and it didn't hurt anything. But I did not smoke either.:smile:

[Gunor]

Zepp - Citrus Degreaser…

[hoodat]

My main way of cleaning skanky cases, is in an old stainless pot on the stove with boiling water and auto-dish detergent. Grease, wax, carbon -- it all comes off. jd

[redhawk0]

Give them a swish with Denatured Alcohol. (Home Depot or Lowes sells it by the gallon) It will strip wax...and will evaporate quickly.

redhawk

[243winxb]

acetone

[Freischütz]

Put them in the silverware holders, and run them in the dishwasher.

[Shawlerbrook]

Hot water and soap first . If that doesn’t work, try the solvents. I still remember from my college organic chemistry classes.... like dissolves like .

[Winger Ed.]

Hot water and soap first . If that doesn’t work, try the solvents.

^^^this^^^

For a solvent, gasoline works pretty well. Just keep your hands out of it.

[uscra112]

As a final resort, methyl-ethyl-ketone. (MEK at Home Despot).

Don't breathe the fumes. I mean REALLY don't breathe the fumes.

[Slugster]

Acetone or lacquer thinner, then wash with Dawn and water. Use extreme caution with solvents.

[Bent Ramrod]

I use that spray CRC Brakleen Brake and Parts Cleaner. The chlorinated kind. I save the liquid after I've poured the shells into a funnel on a glass bottle; slosh later cleaned shells in it and pour them into the funnel again with a final spray after most has dripped off. The chlorinated stuff takes up a lot of grease and oil before it gets saturated, and (of course) I'm always adding some fresh with the final spray.

[45_Colt]

To be honest, I would use gasoline, outside, in a safe area, no smoking or ignition sources. Then save, pour back into gas can, to use for the lawn mower or pour it into a cars/truck gas tank. The lube isn't going to hurt an engine, and gasoline is about the cheapest solvent you can buy.

As case in point is mineral spirits. I just 2 weeks ago paid $10 USD for a QUART! I remember the last time I bought it, it was less than that for a gallon. I use it in the vibratory tumbler, so it is what it is.

So, even at $4 USD a gallon, gasoline is being my brass and case de-lubing solvent. And it also isn't wasted, but still used in an engine.

Just use some sense, gasoline is both lighter and heavier then air and is easily ignited. So be safe.

45_Colt

[Winger Ed.]

The lube isn't going to hurt an engine, and gasoline is about the cheapest solvent you can buy.

I'd heard various residues from washing parts can foul spark plugs or a catalytic converter.
I use gas for washing parts, and have another container of it for a rise if needed.
When the dirtier one gets really nasty, I pour it on fire ants or the really big weeds.
As cheap as it is I just don't put it back in a vehicle.

[rbuck351]

Gasoline is my #1 hard parts cleaner. However it doesn't work very well on wax. Try gas first, if it doesn't cut the crud it's probably a wax. For wax, boiling water with a bit of dawn.

[Wayne Smith]

Ammonia takes wax off of floors. Probably most of us have forgotten that or have never waxed a wood floor. If it is wax that's probably the cheapest solution.

[Finster101]

Ammonia takes wax off of floors. Probably most of us have forgotten that or have never waxed a wood floor. If it is wax that's probably the cheapest solution.

Not to hijack, but if you have ever lived in Uncle Sam's house you have waxed a floor. Likely more than once!

[pertnear]

Zepp - Citrus Degreaser…

+1 ^^^this^^^

Tractor Supply carries it.

[OzzieDoc]

Ammonia takes wax off of floors. Probably most of us have forgotten that or have never waxed a wood floor. If it is wax that's probably the cheapest solution.

Ammonia causes season cracking of brass cartridge cases. Its a big no no'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season_cracking

[dillonhelp]

To remove lanolin based case lube, you probably need a stronger alcohol. 90% alcohol should do it. Most grocery stores sell 60-70% alcohol, with a higher water content. A pharmacy should have it.

[Three44s]

I buy 99% isopropyl acolhol from Livestock supply outlets. I add some to my diesel engine fuel supply in the winter. At auto and truck parts supply outlets it is sold in small bottles as a fuel treatment.

I use the product for disinfecting animal working tools and some goes to fuel treatment.

Three44s

[GONRA]

GONRA sez don't forget the SPARK HAZARD for gasoline in plain sheet steel vesssls.
(Tin plated steel is OK.)
.

[Tall]

As a final resort, methyl-ethyl-ketone. (MEK at Home Despot).

Don't breathe the fumes. I mean REALLY don't breathe the fumes.

The stuff we have at the local Home Depot is labeled "MEK Substitute". It smells exactly like MEK and works the same. MEK can still be bought from the industrial supply places (like https://dallasgrp.com/products-applications/) but for whatever reason it's not sold in retail locations any more.

[uscra112]

The stuff we have at the local Home Depot is labeled "MEK Substitute". It smells exactly like MEK and works the same. MEK can still be bought from the industrial supply places (like https://dallasgrp.com/products-applications/) but for whatever reason it's not sold in retail locations any more.

Doesn't surprise me. The stuff is hellishly destructive to your liver.

[Charlie Horse]

My main way of cleaning skanky cases, is in an old stainless pot on the stove with boiling water and auto-dish detergent. Grease, wax, carbon -- it all comes off. jd
I bought some automatic dishwasher detergent. I'm going to boil the cases in my oil-changing pan over the propane cooker.

Give them a swish with Denatured Alcohol. (Home Depot or Lowes sells it by the gallon) It will strip wax...and will evaporate quickly.
redhawk
Tried alcohol. It got some of the lube off but not the waxy stuff.

^^^this^^^

For a solvent, gasoline works pretty well. Just keep your hands out of it.
I'll try gas if the D-W boil doesn't work.

[uscra112]

Better than dishwasher powder, buy a box of TriSodium Phosphate from the paint section of the hardware store. TSP used to be the main ingredient in dishwasher and laundry powders until about 40 years ago, when some greenies in Washington (state) convinced the EPA that it was a nationwide pollution hazard. The EPA ban is why both detergents don't works as well anymore. Add some to the laundry, or the dishwasher, and see for yourself.

[Green Frog]

I was going to suggest using a rag dampened with mineral spirits and manually wiping down each case then I noticed how many you had to do and how much somebody said MS costs these days.

The main time I had to use it was after sizing (to remove the waxy sizing lube I used to use) and when my cases got contaminated with the relatively soft bullet lube I used. A 1-2 oz bottle in my range box with a piece of an old T shirt and I was good to go.

Froggie

[Minerat]

Be sure you get "real" TSP. I got some what turned out to be a substitute, it won't clean **** off shinola

[jetinteriorguy]

3M wax and grease cleaner would probably work, if you can find it. They usually have it in Auto Body supply stores. It’s made for cleaning car waxes off vehicles when body shops are prepping them. Or their adhesive remover works about the same too, last time I got it was on Amazon.

[kywoodwrkr]

I got several pounds of 38 cases. Some of them have a very stubborn lube on them. It appears to be sizing wax. A lot of it. I tried cleaning with Dawn, and I tried rubbing alcohol. Neither worked.

I don't tumble my cases, so that is out.

What solvent should I use to get these cases clean? Is gasoline out of the question?
Thanks in advance.
I have a similar situation, nickel plated cases that were in house fire and plastic bags melted on the cases along with black smoke.
Was told, manufacturer, to use baby oil at about 300 degrees and bag plastic would melt and come off.
Have not tried this solution, don't like heating things like that.
Have had good luck using hydralic brake fluid as solvent and intend to try it on the cases.
Its to-it just hasn't come up yet!
I may try a hand full tomorrow and see if the brake fluid removes anything.
thanks

[Charlie Horse]

It took gasoline.
Then I cleaned them with dish washer soap.
I will leave the gas in an open can and let it evaporate.
I think whatever was on there was very old.
Thanks for the help.

[groovy mike]

Next time jus load and shoot them, they will likely come out clean enough to load again!

[David2011]

Charcoal lighter fluid on a towel works well for me.

[EOChief66]

I tried some of the wax case lube. It left a soft gooey stuff on the cases after they were fire, Hoppe's #9 worked to take it off! Went back to grease to lube the cases!

[farmbif]

put em in a strainer and dip them in a pot of acetone. acetone has removed all kinds of coatings, grease and grime that ive ever tried it on. if it is wax styrene will probably work. if acetone won't remove it I have no idea. I'm no chemist but if you have any way of finding out what exactly is on them there might be any easy answer of what will clean them.

[GWS]

Gasoline is the most dangerous way, glad there was no explosion from the vapors. Lot's of people have paid a serious price cleaning parts with gas. All it takes is a pilot light or a lit cigarette nearby or a static spark......next time start low and safe.

I'd start with Googone professional with an alcohol rinse and wipe down. Stronger would be mineral spirits with the same wipe down. Stronger still, lacquer thinner. But Googone Pro will usually be enough with just wax. Lemishine dishsoap mixed, work for wax, carbon and other crud but require some agitation.

As you were doing a lot, and just a soak and a rinse would be an advantage, then a soak in mineral spirits usually works as good a gasoline, but not explosive like gas....or lacquer thinner which IMO is a faster solvent than either of the other two, and still not as explosive as gas... both rinse well in water with a squirt of Dawn, then another rinse with just water.

[fatnhappy]

woolite