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Thread: What to use to remove case lubricant

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold martyd's Avatar
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    What to use to remove case lubricant

    Hi,

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

    Thanks,
    Marty

  2. #2
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    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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  3. #3
    Boolit Bub
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    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....

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    I dry tumble to remove sizing lube. That's the only reason I dry tumble, regular brass cleaning is done with SS pins.

  5. #5
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    Add a little mineral spirits (paint thinner) and drier sheets to the media to help it last longer

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by martyd View Post
    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.
    Last edited by greenjoytj; 05-15-2021 at 08:30 AM. Reason: Adding info, spelling & grammar

  7. #7
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by greenjoytj View Post
    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.
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  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    I dry tumble to remove sizing lube. That's the only reason I dry tumble, regular brass cleaning is done with SS pins.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master

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    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.

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    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.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    Lanolin/alchohol mix dry tumble for 20-30 min.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master


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    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

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master

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    The woolite keeps your delicate brass from shrinking LOL

  14. #14
    Boolit Bub
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    Hot water and Dawn detergent removes lanolin.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by honus View Post
    Hot water and Dawn detergent removes lanolin.
    Plus I put it in the HF ultrasonic cleaner to speed up the process.
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    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    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.

  17. #17
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    Woolite should not work - it is designed to wash wool clothes without removing the lanolin.
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  18. #18
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    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.
    Larry Gibson

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  19. #19
    Boolit Master 243winxb's Avatar
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    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.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    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.

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