Howdy folks,
Does any one know of a homemade (cheap) case lube. I have had terrible luck with the lube pads. Dented shoulder abound. I know it is my fault I am getting lube on the shoulders. Don't know how but it happens. Anyway, used the hornady spray on stuff. Absolutely love it. Works great. EXPENSIVE. Thought of using pam spray on grease used to do kitchen pans. Any other ideas? Has anyone tried the pam?
It is just vegetable oil. Remains should wash or tumble off very easily I guess. If you can help I am mighty grateful.
Crookedshot

Find a small,(maybe 2oz.) tin of Imperial sizing die wax. It will work better than ANYTHING you have ever used . Dosen't cost much & will last practically forever. I've used less than two cans in the last 15yrs or so, while loading many thousands of rounds. It's available from Brownell's Inc . at Montezuma Ia. or contact Le Clear Industries P.O. box 484 Royal Oak MI 48068

I remember Herrett and Milek using Vitalis to form cases for the 30 Herrett.

They also sent it up to the front in Korea for cold weather service in small arms.

Never tried it myself.

Regards

Try the Dillon case lube. It's lanolin & alcohol. You spray it on and let the alcohol evaporate. Since it's a pump bottle and not an aerosol can, seems like you get a lot more for your money.

Also, if you have just a few cases, you can get a tube of lanolin, rub some on your fingertips, and be in business pretty quickly.

A little rubbing alcohol on a cloth and the lanolin comes right off.

Make sure the vent hole in your sizing die isn't blocked, if it has one. Sometimes you have to move the lock ring to find them. Not all brands have them.

Don't know about the Pam.... think it would be pretty greasy, though.

I tried Pam once, and only once. It's not anywhere near slick enough, but it's hard to wash off. If you've got some Smiling Mink Leather Waterproofing, try it. A little goes a long way.

I love Hornady One-Shot, but we can't get it in Canada now. I'm on my last can, and it's reserved for emergencies, like when I need some loads right now.

Bye
Jack

I might be really wrong here, but I clean each case with WD-40 on a rag. Before sizing, I brush inside the case neck with powdered graphite (sold as car lock anti-freeze in the hardware store in a little tube).

These were quick and dirty substitutes when I began and the results have been perfect, so I haven't felt a burning need for Imperial, etc. (I always forget to add it to my Brownell's orders...)

I do try to be careful cleaning the case head area with the rag and I haven't had any primer-oil problems.

Still have a couple cans of Hornady One-Shot under the loading bench. Started using the Imperial sizing wax several years ago and never looked back. I'd say at least 2/3 of the can is left, and I've reloaded thousands of rounds with it.

I use a mixture of 10% Lee's case lube and 90% of alcohol (70%). I put it in a spray bottle and shake up. This is listed in Lee's manual. Works very well! I grab some brass in my left hand and spray on the mixture with my right. It's not very messy and it is a fast way to do it.

Like PaulTX, I use Richard Lee’s recipe of mixing the Lee Resizing Lubricant with alcohol. I squeeze a complete tube into a 16 oz. Bottle of alcohol (70%). I use a little alcohol bottle to store the solution but work out of a 2-oz. spray bottle. That bottle was left over from an odor-eliminating product that I use for hunting.

During storage the solution will settle so just shake before spraying. Spray inside the neck also. No stuck cases or bent necks in 10,000+ rounds. You do not have to remove the residue.

A tube of lube is about $2 and the alcohol about 50 cents. It will lube thousands of cases.

http://www.baitshopboyz.com/forum/uploads/leelube.jpg

Sometimes a picture helps...

I tried Pam once, and only once. It's not anywhere near slick enough, but it's hard to wash off. If you've got some Smiling Mink Leather Waterproofing, try it. A little goes a long way.

I love Hornady One-Shot, but we can't get it in Canada now. I'm on my last can, and it's reserved for emergencies, like when I need some loads right now.

Bye
Jack
Jack Monteith,
What da ya mean you can't get it? Illeagal? Or just not stocked? I would be happy to send you a can, but I do not want to end up in the pokie!
Crookedshot

Thanks guys for the advice. I will try the lee mixture and the wax too. Ain't sure about the wd-40 though. I think I will try it and see what happens just so I know.
Crookedshot

Hi, crookedshot:
It has to do with some obscure regulation about shipping aerosols across the border. It wouldn't matter if it was One-Shot or skeeter juice. Of course, mailing aerosols is a no-no, since they might go airmail. Funny thing is, I can drive across the border and bring it back myself, and the next time I'm down to Havre, MT, I will. Thanks for the offer, but it's best we pass.

Bye
Jack

STP- more than just "The Racers Edge". One can lasts FOREVER!!!... Kinda messy though. I make my own version of Dillon case lube too... ==Bob

I believe I misled the forum as to where to buy" Imperial Sizing Die Wax". A search of Brownell's current catalog & a search of thier website turned up nothing. Apparently they no longer carry it. I think there is a new manufacturer also, I believe it is - E-Z WAY SYSTEMS P.O. Boz 4310 Newark OH 43058-4310 740-345-6645. It is also available from Sinclair International, Item #IMP 2oz. $4.75 Order line 260-493-1858 or www.sinclairintl.com
I will restate. This is the BEST sizing lubricant on the market. Anyone not using it dosen't know what they are missing! A 2oz. tin will last for years, & is easily wiped off the cases with a clean rag or paper towel.

I believe Redding took over production on the Imperial Lube:

http://www.reddingreloading.com/pages/accessories.html

Regards

I believe Redding took over production on the Imperial Lube:

http://www.reddingreloading.com/pages/accessories.html

Regards
Gentlemen: I don't think that there is any case lube cheaper than good old "STP" automotive oil additive for your car. Bought a can to use at my lathe for a lube on deadcenters, steady and follower rests. Ran out of RCBS case lube and just started to use it on the old lube pad. Still on the same can. I would imagiine that if you used it on a wiping rag or anyother method it will work. After you've loaded your ammunition jsut remember to wipe it off with a clean rag or paper towel.

Any good synthetic oil or grease if you prefer. Most often you can get a tube of synthetic marine use grease. Use sparingly like the STP it is slippery.

AND the Imperial WONT tip over and spill oll over your work bench! Most of my loading is with Carbide dies but My tin had been used when a friend gave it to me in 1977 and I'll pass it on to my grand kids when I kick off. Once you've had to remove a stuck case you'll readjust your frugality. Pepe Ray

I tried Pam once, and only once.

Jack, does your wife know about this? :)

P.S. The Hornady and RCBS lubes are no longer aresol, so you should be able to attain them.


I use the Hornady or RCBS spray lubes for general work and the Imperial Wax, which is marketed by Redding as was previously suggested, in certain instances. The Imperial is about $5 for 1oz or $7 for 2oz, I reccomend it for case forming or the use of small base sizing dies. As mentioned, it lasts nearly forever.

I know from experience that you can size about 5000 rounds of .223 with a 4oz bottle of the RCBS lube and the Hornady seems to work about the same. 4oz RCBS cost about $6, 8oz of Hornady around $8-9. Works out to about 1/10th of 1 cent per case, in my book THAT IS cheap. Bigger cases take more of course. If you can load 100 rounds of rifle ammo for $.20 at a max for lube with something that is purpose made for the task and easy to use and remove, I don't see messing with other stuff as it doesn't come close to 1% of the loaded ammo cost, and it's easy and convenient to use.

If you take your cases and lay them on a cookie sheet(s), which might have happened to dissapear from the kitchen, give them a light spray and rotate the cases 180 degrees and then repeat, you can lube a LOT of cases in a very, very short time. You can even buy a couple of the newer non-stick cookie sheets for about $1 each and be seen as doing your good deed for the day, and the old ones will never be missed.:)

Sounds like the vent hole thing or something else to me since all lubes seem to work fine. I have only used the RCBS pad and case lube for the outside and the Lee Resizing lub for the inside of the neck. I cut the lee lube with water.

Here are 3 ideas I've heard of - but I have only tried one of them:

Crisco - the plain, white solid stuff. I've used this before, and it works.

GB Wire-Aid lubricant. This is a lube made for those who pull wire through a reducing die (to decrease the diameter of the wire). I bought a 16 oz bottle of the stuff at our local Eagle home improvement center for about $7 - but I haven't tried it yet.

Silicon spray - I heard that this is a replacement for those aeorosl spray lubes - but again, I haven't tried it.

I like Imperial Sizing Die Wax. Its inexpensive, a little goes a long way and its easy to control how much your putting on. When your done it wipes right off. It is a manually applied lube and may be more time consuming than you would like.

Made by:

E-Z Way Systems
P. O. Box 4310
Newark, Ohio 43058-4310
740-345-6645

I have been using the Dillon lanolin and it is slick. Doesn't take too much.

I have been concerned about getting the slick stuff on the primer pockets and inside the case throat. I have been thinking maybe the primer might too easily back out or the bullet slip if those surfaces had lube on them.

So I have been priming the cleaned cases before lubeing, then standing them on the case mouths so the case opening is covered when I spray the lube. I was concerned this might be DANGEROUS and I might pop a primer on resize. But since I use a single-stage press and carefully place the case on the shell holder, I haven't had any go off. Plus, since I have already removed the spent primer, I removed the decap rod from the sizing die so there is a big open hole above the case being sized, just in case a primer pops.