Lubricant for brass in tungsten carbide die?

[nueces5]

I have tungsten carbide dies on the dillon 550, but I lubricate the 9mm brass a little with wd40 so that everything flows better.
Today I had lanolin and isopropyl alcohol prepared, and I decided to put some on them.
Then I regretted it, since everything is a little sticky and I don't know if it will influence the cycling of the gun.
Do you use any lubricant?

[Finster101]

Guns should cycle fine. What was the make up of the mix? I use a 10 to 1 ratio. I spray the brass very lightly in a bowl or tub and shake them around then let them sit for a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate. I have found it takes very, very little spray to accomplish what I need. I use empty eyeglass cleaner bottles for application.

[Winger Ed.]

WD-40 is evil, and should be punished.

[reddog81]

I use Hornady one shot case lube spray for all pistol cases even when sizing in a carbide die. It helps a bit to keep the press operating a bit smoother.

[Kestrel4k]

WD-40 is evil, and should be punished.
People are evil, and so are punished with WD-40.

[nueces5]

I had put it 10 to 1, but now that I think about it that was months ago, I should add alcohol again.
wd 40 doesn't fix anything, but it improves everything hahahaha

[nueces5]

People are evil, and so are punished with WD-40.



in the eyes!

[Texas by God]

WD-40 is great for cleaning Tru-Oil from your hands and helping your arthritis at the same time…..
Multitasking!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Winger Ed.]

WD-40 is great for cleaning Tru-Oil from your hands and helping your arthritis at the same time…..
Multitasking!

Yeah, it does come in handy for a few things.
An old friend would use it and a butane lighter to chase fire ants around.
He even shot down a few mosquitos too.

[georgerkahn]

I have tungsten carbide dies on the dillon 550, but I lubricate the 9mm brass a little with wd40 so that everything flows better.
Today I had lanolin and isopropyl alcohol prepared, and I decided to put some on them.
Then I regretted it, since everything is a little sticky and I don't know if it will influence the cycling of the gun.
Do you use any lubricant?

I am not a fan of WD40 for use in my reloading room. For brass I use only Imperial wax, 320418 currently distributed by Redding.

[Kai]

Skip the lube all together. Especially for little 9mm cases. Just don't need it with carbide. But if you continue to lube and don't like the stuck just tumble your loaded rounds in corn cob media.

[cwtebay]

WD-40 is great for cleaning Tru-Oil from your hands and helping your arthritis at the same time…..
Multitasking!


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkAlso works fantastic on frozen squeeze chutes and steelhead bait (when they're running a little rough that is).
But gun stuff......no.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[poppy42]

WD-40 is evil, and should be punished.

+1 on this! WD-40 was never meant to be a lubricant! And if the loud to dry it will gum up everything!

[Kriek]

You can try castor oil and alcohol as well. Works the same as lanolin.

1:5 ratio. 1 spray for 500 x 9mm cases. Thay is for both castor and lanolin.

Sent from my BV8900 using Tapatalk

[trapper9260]

+1 on this! WD-40 was never meant to be a lubricant! And if the loud to dry it will gum up everything!

That is my gun smith told me about it . The evil use on a gun . It is know for a no no use on firearms . There is better things to use s a lube on cases. Some re stated already on here.

[RJM52]

I use Hornady one shot case lube spray for all pistol cases even when sizing in a carbide die. It helps a bit to keep the press operating a bit smoother.

...found exactly the same...

While I LOVE WD-40, and clean all my guns with it, would never use it around anything for reloading...

Bob

[ioon44]

I use Hornady one shot case lube spray for all pistol cases even when sizing in a carbide die. It helps a bit to keep the press operating a bit smoother.

Works good for me also, keeps the expander on my 550 running smooth.

[Froogal]

I use the Lee sizing lube which is basically lanolin. Mix it 50/50 with water. I apply it to the brass, deprime and resize, and then tumble the brass which removes all traces of the lanolin.

[baogongmeo]

WD-40 is great for cleaning Tru-Oil from your hands and helping your arthritis at the same time…..
Multitasking!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It will also work as starting fluid... probably is easier on the cylinder walls than ether too.

[45_Colt]

There is a long thread about this on the reloading equipment forum here. Most folks that use lube on carbide dies just do every 5th case or so. Just enough to keep the die & equipment running smoothly. Without having to lube every case.

45_Colt

[Castaway]

Sorry to hijack this thread but have to chime in about WD 40. I had an uncle that bought a brand new S&W revolver. I doubt it had ever fired more than a cylinder’s worth of cartridges while he had it. Monthly, and religiously, he’d spray the pistol down with WD 40. Not sure how long he had the gun, but it was passed on to his son. It was so gummed up from years of the stuff it was difficult to cock the hammer or pull the trigger through for double action shooting. A cleaning made it right.

[charlie b]

The gunsmith I knew LOVED WD-40.

It gave him so much business he could keep his shop open. He made up a bucket washing jig for guns and parts. Remove the grips and just put the gun in the jig. After a few minutes pull it out and blow it off. His solution was interesting but I think the current ones on the market are the same kinda thing.

PS I also lube my 9mm brass for resizing in carbide die. I think my chamber is a little on the large side so it takes quite a bit of force to resize. So far I have been using Hornady One Shot, like I do for my rifles. After sizing I 'tumble' them in a largish towel.

[TNsailorman]

The only problem I ever heard of from WD40 was in the early spray cans. It seems the propellent used in the early can could cause rust under the right conditions. Never had that trouble myself and I have used WD40 for many, many years. james

[Dancing Bear]

I now wet tumble my brass using citric powder ( GunTap's) with ArmourAll wash and wax in cool water. The w&w seems to decrease the effort needed during sizing.

[Froogal]

If you've ever spent considerable time trying to remove a case that got stuck in the sizing die, and I mean REALLY stuck, you WILL lube ALL of the cases from that point forward.

[daleraby]

I have never used any lube in any carbide sizing die. That is why I paid extra for the carbide die set. Been reloading since the early 1980's or so if memory serves.

[Shawlerbrook]

When I use lube, like GeorgeKahn it’s Imperial Sizing Wax, period !

[Rapier]

Just started reloading, in 1962, so am still learning on my few presses, I use a 1-10 ratio, on carbide dies, except for the first three cases after the dies have set for a while. Ever 10 rounds I stick a lubed case in the straight wall carbide sizer. I use a lube pad with RCBS case lube. I also use the case lube pad to size and lube my powder coated bullets, comes in handy several ways. I do not process dirty brass.

The wax lube is OK for a single stage, but on my progressives, used for speed, to get that speed, I use a pad.

[ACC]

I make my own and it does not include lanolin.

ACC

[John Guedry]

A little dab of Imperial makes it sooo much easier to do.

[upr45]

Another for imperial, however i rarely lube with carbide, rather i perodically !ike every 300 to 400 give the dies a spray of silicone.

[Slugster]

I never lube cases when using carbide dies. If I wanted to lube I would have bought cheaper steel dies.

A pox on WD-40 in the gun or reloading room. It's a different story with my lathes and mill.

[rcslotcar]

Another for Hornady one shot case lube spray! it makes sizing effortless.

[gwpercle]

I have tungsten carbide dies on the dillon 550, but I lubricate the 9mm brass a little with wd40 so that everything flows better.
Today I had lanolin and isopropyl alcohol prepared, and I decided to put some on them.
Then I regretted it, since everything is a little sticky and I don't know if it will influence the cycling of the gun.
Do you use any lubricant?

Yes !... A little lube helps carbide run much smoother .
My lube of choice is the non greasy , water soluble , Lee Case Lube , in a small spray bottle use Lee Case Lube dissolved in alcohol (speeds drying) spray on and let dry a minute . The dry lube isn't greasy and will not contaminate anything ...it doesn't hurt functioning of ammo and doesn't need to be removed .
The stuff is clean and dry ... you can apply the lube with fingers but a spray application of liquid alcohol - lube is better .
Gary

[M-Tecs]

For a 550 without a case feeder any of the traditional case lubes will decrease force required to size making it run smoother. I have never used WD-40 as a case lube so no comment on it for that application. WD-40 is a great product that works very well for some applications. As a firearm's lube it leaves a sticky residue when it dries in places like trigger and lock works. The claim that is feeds gunsmiths families is very real.

While the price is becoming an issue I love Hornady One Shot Case Lube but I mostly load on 650's and 1050's with case feeders. Lanolin and isopropyl alcohol lube get everything too sticky for my applications. When I used it I always lightly tumbled in corn cob to remove the lube.

[Kenstone]

Here's my post in a recent/ongoing thread:
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?449339-Do-you-lube-handgun-brass-with-carbide-dies&p=5516651&viewfull=1#post5516651
Lanolin will work too, and I think Bag Balm is mostly lanolin.
jmo,
.

[Kosh75287]

I'll dip a Q-tip in ATF or Marvel Mystery oil and touch it to 1 case in about 20-25, IF I feel something that seems to be dragging. THEN, I pull the sizing die apart and inspect at the first available stopping point.

[M-Tecs]

Here's my post in a recent/ongoing thread:
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?449339-Do-you-lube-handgun-brass-with-carbide-dies&p=5516651&viewfull=1#post5516651
Lanolin will work too, and I think Bag Balm is mostly lanolin.
jmo,
.

https://thedermreview.com/bag-balm/
What’s Inside Bag Balm?
The Original Bag Balm Skin Moisturizer has a very simple formulation of only four ingredients:

Petrolatum
Lanolin
Paraffin wax
8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate

[TNsailorman]

Why pay extra for Carbide dies if you are going to lube. Just pay less for steel dies and put the savings into powder or primers. I used Imperial Wax for years on bottle neck brass but it got expensive. I found some lube wax at Brownells called "Royal Case & Die Lube" that feels and does same job as the Imperial Wax. It comes in a 3.7 oz. tub where the Imperial now comes in 1 oz. tubs. The Royal cost about the same as Imperial, which means I get almost 4 times the wax with the Royal as the Imperial and I can't tell the difference in using on my brass sizing. Both are slick in the dies sizing and I use an old used bath towel to wipe the wax off of the brass. Just my .02 and experience anyway, james

[jaguarxk120]

Put the cases in a plastic shopping bag, give them a spray of furniture wax in a can, the cheap stuff.
Then tumble for a few seconds, spread out to dry. That light coating of wax will
make the cases slide through your carbide dies as if they were greased.

[LeonardC]

From the RCBS RELOADING DIES instructions:
"CARBIDE SIZER DIE
...When using a Carbide Sizer Die, it is not necessary to lubricate a pistol straight-wall case. However, the 30M1 Carbine is heavy-walled, tapered, and must have some lubrication. The .500 S&W and .480 S&W need occasional lubrication as well. We recommend lightly lubricating ever fourth or fifth case for best results..."

I think they meant to say .480 Ruger. I follow the above instructions for .500 S&W and .480 Ruger. I use RCBS lube. I haven't had a problem with other handgun cases in Carbide Dies.

[alamogunr]

I use my one and only mixture of lanolin/alcohol. The lanolin doesn't want to stay in solution so I have to shake it every time I use it. Then I only lube about every 5th case. For bottleneck cases I use Imperial Sizing Wax.

As for WD40, I only use it to spray my toilet auger after use. Take advantage of "water displacement"

[nueces5]

thanks for all the opinions
I think I had forgotten to use furniture polish, I'm going to try that again.
As for the wd 40, I don't think it is as bad as they say, a while ago a friend did an analysis of the wd40 and it had a small amount of oil.

[bimus]

I think the spay RCBS sales work better than anything I have made or bought over the years once I bought some lube from Cabela's ended up pulling the carbide insert out of my die.

[Jtarm]

The whole point of carbide is so you don’t have to lube.

Keep your brass clean if you want it to run smoothly.

If you’ve been using the WD40 on even mildly dirty cases, I’d recommend giving your sizing die a good hosing with carb cleaner, mineral spirits, something. There’s probably a good bit of gunk built up in it.

[justindad]

I have a bar of Felix world famous lube. When I convert .40S&W brass to .357Sig, I will lightly roll every 4th case over the block of FWFL.

[Winger Ed.]

As for the wd 40, I don't think it is as bad as they say, a while ago a friend did an analysis of the wd40 and it had a small amount of oil.

That's kind of the issue with it being used on guns. 'A small amount of oil'.
Plus, it dries rather quickly and leaves a stiff, gummy, sticky-- dirt attracting goo in places you don't want it.

It's about the fastest way I've seen to gum up a trigger group, and even more or less seize everything in a pump shotgun.

[Froogal]

The whole point of carbide is so you don’t have to lube.

Keep your brass clean if you want it to run smoothly.

If you’ve been using the WD40 on even mildly dirty cases, I’d recommend giving your sizing die a good hosing with carb cleaner, mineral spirits, something. There’s probably a good bit of gunk built up in it.

Supposedly yes, but I was loading brand new brass and got one seriously stuck in the die. I've been using the Lee sizing lube ever since.

[Jtarm]

Supposedly yes, but I was loading brand new brass and got one seriously stuck in the die. I've been using the Lee sizing lube ever since.

I’d look seriously at another die then.

I’ve been running carbide sizers almost 50 years and have never lubed a case.

[20:1]

+1 on this! WD-40 was never meant to be a lubricant! And if the loud to dry it will gum up everything!

My old neighbor was an electrician, he was a very interesting old guy with a lot of great lessons to pass on. One involved when he was working in a factory and an expensive electric motor failed. He ordered a replacement motor, then checked the service history for the machine that used the motor. It had been serviced a month earlier, so he asked the guy who serviced it if he remembered oiling the bearings in the motor. The guy did, and showed him what he used. It was WD40. So he autopsied the motor and found the bearings were fouled with a substance that resembled dried varnish. WD40 was banned from the premises after that. I've had similar experiences with it when I used it on guns in my younger days. It's quite a pain to remove when it hardens.

[Clyde Wadsworth]

Another vote for One Shot.

[glockshooter]

I use Dillon case lube and will make my own when that runs out using 99% isopropyl alcohol and liquid lanolin. I run my processed brass through a FA pin tumbler sans pins to clean the lube off. The best price/availability for the alcohol was Amazon.

[charlie b]

FWIW, the reason I use a lube for my 9mm. HK uses a 'stepped' chamber. Resizing the bottom half takes a lot of effort, even with lube in a carbide size die. .45, .357, etc, no problem with carbide and no lube.

[jules]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iYkDaW5bWcM

[BobT]

WD-40 is evil, and should be punished.


People are evil, and so are punished with WD-40.

Amen!

When it comes to guns I only use WD-40 for one thing and that is for wiping down the bore on a muzzle loader after cleaning with water. Over the years I have found 2 sure fire ways to ruin a tank of bluing salts, one is WD-40 and the other is red Dykem, I don't know about blue Dykem but I won't take a chance with it after the experience with the red.

[bcraig]

That's kind of the issue with it being used on guns. 'A small amount of oil'.
Plus, it dries rather quickly and leaves a stiff, gummy, sticky-- dirt attracting goo in places you don't want it.

It's about the fastest way I've seen to gum up a trigger group, and even more or less seize everything in a pump shotgun.

There is an old saying that all you need on a farm is WD-40 and Gray Tape.
If it wont move and you want it to move use the WD-40 and it moves and you dont want it to move and it does use the Gray Tape .
And if working on Farm equipment in some situations there is some truth to that.

As far as guns go, almost everyone I knew in Central AR that deer hunted used either a Lever action 30-30 or a Remington 740 or 742 chambered in 30-06.

Almost all cleaned their gun 'maintained' their gun by pulling the Bolt back on the Remington and spraying WD-40 inside the the action for a second or two and then spraying the 'clip' and then some who were Very meticulous would take the Forend of and spray the action bars and where the rode until dripping wet.
Same with Remington Pump and auto shotguns.
With the Lever actions open lever and slobber it inside the action.

As a teenager in our old deercamp was always interested in guns was always eager to keep everybodys gun running like it should.

I FINALLY got MOST of my Farmer Friends to understand that my way which was to take a wrag with a little gas or alcohol on it and clean all the WD-40 off of Everything and not to use it again went a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOng way to prevent Jams.
Run them dry
Also taught them to stop Farmer tightening the scope mount screws !

Old saying is "you live and you learn'
I learned long ago ,I dont want a Can of WD-40 anywhere close to my guns.

All Malfunctions were for the most part gone.
There were very very occasional instances where a bad 'clip' was responsible for a jam.

[Polymath]

WD-40 = Water Displacement - version 40. Not meant for guns. It was meant to dry out and protect electronics.
Contains a shellac that will gum things up. Try it. spray some on a piece of glass and lay it down in the sun. a day or so later you can take a razor scraper and peel it right off. I use this to kill primers in live ammo, when I want to save the cartridge for display purposes.

[Anchorite]

https://thedermreview.com/bag-balm/
What’s Inside Bag Balm?
The Original Bag Balm Skin Moisturizer has a very simple formulation of only four ingredients:

Petrolatum
Lanolin
Paraffin wax
8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate

This. I used imperial die wax too, but Bag Balm for the win. Your wife/GF will let you reload more if you use Bag Balm than Imperial.

[.429&H110]

Per kit instructions, I roll every 10th case on the RCBS lube pad, makes old brass go smooth.
I am still using the first bottle of lube that came with the kit 19 years ago. You don't need much.
It does get crud in the carbide die that has to be wiped out.
My brass is not at all shiny, just shaken in dawn and citric acid, rinsed and dried in the hot sun on tinfoil.
I shot that brass and saved it, let me say factory load Federal will not fly straight out of my Super Redhawk.
So I have here a few thousand brass that almost convinced me I could never hit anything. Old boxes say $19.95.
I retire them after 50 cycles, haven't split one yet, they do get grubby looking.
This forum taught me the how and why. Thank you.
I think that carbide die will outlive me.

[Kevin Rohrer]

This has been asked and answered too many times.

No lube is needed for reloading straightway pistol cases (M1 Carbine is the exception), especially something as minuscule as the 9mm Punibellum.

[nueces5]

This. I used imperial die wax too, but Bag Balm for the win. Your wife/GF will let you reload more if you use Bag Balm than Imperial.

hahahahahaha
My wife is the queen of creams, she has one for every use! I would never have thought that there are so many types of cream!

I think if you keep the Die clean, you can use a little wd40
Now reading everyone, it might be good to look for a lubricant that doesn't leave much of an oily residue. I also use lanolin with alcohol, but it is also sticky. I have a spray with liquid Vaseline, which at least doesn't dry so quickly, so I'll try which one is best.

[Rapier]

Continue using WD on your guns, keep the gun smiths in business. Never, ever, seen a new gun come from a factory sprayed with WD.... Dad was a WD guy, I was constantly cleaning rust off his tools and shop equipment. Love that crap, keeps a steady flow of repairs and refinishing coming in.

[gwpercle]

If you are not going to wipe off the lubricant from each case ... what I do ...
You might try Lee Case Resizing Lube . It is a water soluble , non-sticky , non-greasy , non-messy , wax like case lube ... it is used in industry as a metal forming lubricant .

What I do is dissolve as much Lee Case Resizing Lube in alcohol , as will dissolve , strain it and place it in a small spray bottle . Lay cases in shallow container , mist / spritz cases and agitate them around untill all are coated ... pour out on a towel and let them dry ... alcohol evaporates fast 2-3 mins and they dry .
I resize with no mess and if you want to leave the thin wax on after reloading ... you can because there isn't much on them and it's not greasy or messy ...
Just a thin dry wax film . Honestly ... most of comes off by just handling the cartridges ... it would be Just the Ticket for Your Needs !
Gary

[nueces5]

If you are not going to wipe off the lubricant from each case ... what I do ...
You might try Lee Case Resizing Lube . It is a water soluble , non-sticky , non-greasy , non-messy , wax like case lube ... it is used in industry as a metal forming lubricant .

What I do is dissolve as much Lee Case Resizing Lube in alcohol , as will dissolve , strain it and place it in a small spray bottle . Lay cases in shallow container , mist / spritz cases and agitate them around untill all are coated ... pour out on a towel and let them dry ... alcohol evaporates fast 2-3 mins and they dry .
I resize with no mess and if you want to leave the thin wax on after reloading ... you can because there isn't much on them and it's not greasy or messy ...
Just a thin dry wax film . Honestly ... most of comes off by just handling the cartridges ... it would be Just the Ticket for Your Needs !
Gary

your idea is a very good idea
The problem is that here in Argentina it is difficult to get, and very expensive, around 28 dollars a knob
If I knew what it contained I would copy it and it would be a great solution