Make your own case lube?

I am about to, and would like to know if I can substitute denatured alcohol for 99% IPA. I can get denatured alcohol locally, not so for 99% IPA.

i use motor oil as case lube.

I would like to try methyl alcohol and lanolin instead of isopropyl alcohol but do not know what the difference between the two is, for now I will stick to impartial sizing die wax, or straight lanolin applied with my fingers until I get an answer myself!

To my knowledge, "Denatured" alcohol simply means alcohol that has been made undrinkable for recreational purposes.
If by 99% IPA you mean 99% Isopropyl Alcohol, rest assured, it is definitely denatured!

If you are referring to common 70% "rubbing alcohol", it is usable for making case lube, but be advised that it will not be a very satisfactory substitution.

The alcohol in this instance acts as a "carrier", its only function is to dilute the lanolin, allowing it to evenly coat your cases before quickly evaporating away.

If your alcohol is 30% water, it won't evaporate quickly and won't evenly coat the cases with lube.

It's not the cheapest way to buy it, but Iso Heet gas drier from your local auto parts store works very well and evaporates quickly.

Make sure you get ISO Heet and NOT regular Heet.

I would strongly advise that methyl alcohol NOT be used in anything that will likely be in contact with with any liviing thing that you care to preserve.

The method of mixing the two ingredients is mixing when warm. You need to heat them in a hot water bath----not directly on the heat. I would not do that with methyl alcohol. FYI I use 95% IPA with good results here as that was what was available at my local drug store the last few times. Tried the lower percentage IPA (75%?) and it would settle out almost immediately and clog the sprayer so not worth the bother IMO. I just give the pump sprayer a couple quick shakes and start to spray---works well.:)

You should be able to get the 99% from the pharmacy counter. They usually keep it locked up for some reason.

Why? For a few bucks you can get all you'll need of about any of the best lubes ever made without fooling around.

Denatured alcohol has no oils. Don't really know about the drink ability, and would not try it. Isopropyl has oils added to it does not dry skin as badly. We use Denatured on aircraft all the time for cleaning parts and flushing engines to avoid freezing up here in Alaska.

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I am about to, and would like to know if I can substitute denatured alcohol for 99% IPA. I can get denatured alcohol locally, not so for 99% IPA.
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To much water in denatured alchol I believe. Can you get Everclear down there in FL?

Can you get Everclear down there in FL?


LOL!! Yup, but it ain't cheap!

Thanks, Mike. That's the answer I was looking for. I can get denatured alcohol easier than 99% IPA (isopropyl alcohol)

From what I learned in chemistry, back when the teachers wore tall pointy hats and carried wands, denatured alcohol is simply ethanol (grain alcohol) with methanol (wood alcohol) added to make it poisonous and discourage it being consumed. I have a gallon of 99% IPA so I used it to make the Dillon Lube clone and it worked very well. The answer to the OP's question is TRY IT. The most you will lose is a couple of ounces of alcohol and a fraction of an ounce of Lanolin.

I used a 4 oz mixing bottle and put the mixture in an old Zycam spray bottle (http://www.zicam.com/ourproductsdetail/detail/9). It holds 1 ounce which is enough for many hundreds of cases. I do the Ziplock bag thingy and just a couple of squirts is enough for a hundred cases.

For those wondering about using denatured alcohol, here is your answer

http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#Sizing

As cheap as Unique is why not just use it?

Please note my signature line.:)

Don

I understand doing something just for the heck of it ---- but it still makes no sense to me to make your own case lube.

I shoot about 30,000 rds of metallic cartridges a yr ...and I don't think I've used up one spray bottle of Dillon case lube ...in the last 3 or 4 yrs...( for about $ 9 ) a bottle....

so call it one $ 9 -- 8 oz bottle ....to lube 100,000 cases ..../ and even if I've forgotten, and bought a bottle ...call it $ 9 for 50,000 cases...???

I started making my own after I bought a bottle of Cabalas case lube it stuck 3 out of 5 223 cases they sized like they were dry I've been using the 70% alcohol with great results but the next batch will be the 99% alcohol like Swampman explained ...
So the reason I make my own is because I dumped the cabalas lube and I had the empty bottle ...

Look, people like to try things just to see if it works. It's their time and so long as it doesn't pose a danger to them (like making "Purple Dot" shotgun powder by mixing Red Dot and Blue Dot), why complain?

Purple Dot: I heard that one back in 1977 at a shotgun range where 2 old coots were talking about their loads. I was just a kid back then and I think they were saying it just to fill the air.

Other case lubes:
STP Oil treatment
Bag Balm
Vaseline
Pam cooking spray
K-Y jelly
Crisco
Shampoo
Olive Oil
leftover drippings from an oil change (new oil, not used)
Slick 50
Silicone spray
Rain-X

Kiwi - brand mink oil shoe waterproofing.
Made of Mink Oil, Lanolin and Silicone.
Best stuff ever. Not a stuck case ever since I started using it sizing 223 brass.

IPA (iso-propyl alcohol) is nothing more than rubbing alcohol sold in any drug store or super market. :)

Water-based wax case lube is mighty cheap and lasts a long time if used frugally.
It is also not detrimental if a little gets 'inside' the case.

Did any of you read the rest of the link I provided earlier? One can even use liquid dish deturgent on a pad for case lube.

I have had no success using 99% IPA and. Anhydrous Lanolin.
I warmed up both ingredients to 130 degrees in a water bath and mixed them together.
The 2 parts quickly separated and as it cooled the Lanolin clumped up in the bottom of the container.

I made a second attempt with the only difference being that I tried to homogenize it in a laboratory grade blender with the same result.

I guess I will need to get some liquid lanolin and try again unless someone has a better suggestion.

Thats what the directions I posted say to use.

I make my own by placing a couple drops of vegetable oil, a drop of dish soap, and a teaspoon of rubbing alchohol in an gallon zip lock bag. Throw in 50 223 cases and shake well until everything is coated. Set out in a case tray and let dry, typically about 20 minutes in the dry Utah air.

There are better case lubes but this works fine for me. Nice and thin which prevents dents.

Yeah the liquid lanolin is what you need. Do NOT have to heat it either, well if using the 99% iso it's not needed anyways. I just mixed measured amounts in a spray bottle and shook. The mixture has stayed in suspension for months when not in use. Actually I've never seen it settle out. Hope that helps...



I have had no success using 99% IPA and. Anhydrous Lanolin.
I warmed up both ingredients to 130 degrees in a water bath and mixed them together.
The 2 parts quickly separated and as it cooled the Lanolin clumped up in the bottom of the container.

I made a second attempt with the only difference being that I tried to homogenize it in a laboratory grade blender with the same result.

I guess I will need to get some liquid lanolin and try again unless someone has a better suggestion.

Denatured alcohol has no oils. Don't really know about the drink ability, and would not try it. Isopropyl has oils added to it does not dry skin as badly. We use Denatured on aircraft all the time for cleaning parts and flushing engines to avoid freezing up here in Alaska.

I have 3 different Isopropyl alcohols sitting here in front of me, 50%, 70% and 91% all 3 say the ingredients are alcohol and purified water, no oils listed.

It was very interesting reading how they make Isopropyl alcohol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol

Michael Grace

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Look, people like to try things just to see if it works. It's their time and so long as it doesn't pose a danger to them (like making "Purple Dot" shotgun powder by mixing Red Dot and Blue Dot), why complain?

Purple Dot: I heard that one back in 1977 at a shotgun range where 2 old coots were talking about their loads. I was just a kid back then and I think they were saying it just to fill the air.

Other case lubes:
STP Oil treatment
Bag Balm
Vaseline
Pam cooking spray
K-Y jelly
Crisco
Shampoo
Olive Oil
leftover drippings from an oil change (new oil, not used)
Slick 50
Silicone spray
Rain-X
Im glad to know that there are a lot of substitutes. I sprayed a light coating of air filter oil on an old mouse pad and rolled my cases across it. Seemed to work like a charm.

One other idea I've had that I think I will try now is Birchwood Casey Barricade. I've used this for 40 years (used to be called Sheath) to wipe down guns after use. Best rust preventative I've ever seen. When first applied it has a strong odor (that I've learned to appreciate) but when it dries you can feel or smell it.

here are some nobody mentioned yet
Wire pulling lube
Pam cooking spray - unflavored

I have seem some that I would not fool with.

For bottleneck rifle I care, for straight pistol it is not critical.
My favorite:
Sof sole mink oil - as opposed to kiwi

I have 2 other products that look like it would work well but have not tried.

Never thought about air filter oil.

A few months ago I ran out of Imperial before I'd finished sizing a bunch of .308s. I looked around for a "field expedient" substitute and decided to use some Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. I smeared some in a Ziplock bag and rolled the cases around for a few seconds like I do with the Imperial. It worked pretty well but did require a little more force on the press handle.

One aspect of reloading that I enjoy, in fact most of my hobbies, is trying new things. So, a home brewed case lube fits right up that ally.

Some "experiments" work for me (emphasis on ME), some do not. Two home made elixirs that I have made and like are Ed's Red bore cleaner and Gunny's Paste. Part of the success criteria is how easy it is to obtain the components as well as performance. The former was easy as I have all the ingredients in inventory in my car/machine shop. The latter was a bit more difficult finding suitable beeswax.

The home made case lube is turning into a real failure in that pure lanolin is not on the shelf in my part of the universe. Yes, I could order lanolin on line, but I question whether the home made lubricant is significantly better than the reloading case lubricants that I am currently using and shipping on small quantities would drive the price of the lanolin through the roof.

When I do buy reloading case lubricants, I add it to a larger order and the additional shipping costs are negligible.

Also, I have not had success with Hornady One Shot (surprise, surprise) but am still intrigued by the various methods folks use with the various spray lubricants so i have a couple bottles of Dillon's product on order. Originally, this was to use as a comparison but I will use it to experiment with the different methods. If I am pleased, i may resume my search for lanolin.

So, the folks that can easily find the lanolin, great.

Otherwise, USSR is correct.

someone already mentioned wire pulling lube
i have heard this is very similar if not the same as the Lee case lube / paste

3006mv,
Surplusrifle forums had an article and it was one of the GB brands. They gave the stock number. I think that site is NLA.
Lee lube reminds me of a product called liquid glove or similar. I like an oil based lube. Dead mammal fat to be more exact. I don't even want to know how it gets in the can.

When I see "IPA" I think of beer...

Seriously, why bother buying ingredients to make case lube? Just buy it.

Why bother buying ingredients to make ammo? Just buy it...

Half the fun is making it yourself...

When I see "IPA" I think of beer...

Seriously, why bother buying ingredients to make case lube? Just buy it.
I go through 3-4 bottles a year.
Locally it costs me $13.95 for an 8 oz. bottle.
So my cost is approximately $42.00 for 24oz.
A 4oz. bottle of liquid lanolin can make me over 36oz. at an 8:1 ratio of isopropyl alcohol and liquid lanolin for less than $10.00

More importantly I like the fact that I can keep 1-2 bottles in stock and not worry if my local Dillon dealer has any in stock when I need it.

An update to my quest.

I found some liquid lanolin at the local health food store. Works fine wit 223 Remington sized cartridges but I have not tried my home brew mixture on 30-06 sized cases. i am still working on the ratio of lanolin to alcohol though.

I am finding the resizing effort a bit higher with the lanolin/alcohol mix versus my previous methods.

I have some Dillon lubricant on order to try.

I have found Kiwi mink oil shoe polish as a suitable substitute for Imperial Sizing Wax.

Huberd's Shoe Grease and Sno-Seal work well. So does high temp wheel bearing grease. I tried all three the same night not long ago because that stuff was close to hand from recent work/projects.

I have a gallon of Fluid Film that I use for rustproofing, actually its nothing more than unrefined "wool grease" AKA lanolin. Mayhap I should try some to find out how it works.

Fluid Film is available at many John Deere dealers in spray, qts, gals, and drums. It is a heavy substance.

Really, life's too short to make my own case lube. I buy the big can of OneShot for around $12 and let it go at that. Next year I'll repeat and move on.

If I'm gonna screw around with mixing liquids just to save a $ or two, it's definately gonna be beer or maybe wine; not something as cheap as case lube.

I went through my first spray can of One Shot in less than 2 weeks ditto for the second and third. Do you really wonder why I make my own case lube?:D If I used a can a year then I would buy it also, same thing with cast bullets-----as long as they remain available.:) I like being able to switch gears on the fly with anything reloading related. That is why I experiment with many things/techniques and keep records of what worked or didn't work so well. YMMV

If I'm gonna screw around with mixing liquids just to save a $ or two, it's definately gonna be beer or maybe wine; not something as cheap as case lube.

For me, re-read post #31. It is not about the money.

Whether I continue with using the lanolin/alcohol case lube, i can now comment from a position of experience.

Mink oil shoe wax works great, and a can of it will last awhile.

10% warm anhydrous lanolin
90% anhydrous (99%) isoproypl alcohol

Drug stores, even compounding pharmacies, here in this area do not sell any alcohol excpet 70%. Walmart has 91%, but it does not work for case lube.

http://www.first-aid-product.com/industrial/isopropyl-alcohol.htm

The reason we experiment is to find a better way.

I have found case lube to be non-critical in certain applications.

For resizing in certain applications the case lube needs to work for all of your needs.

I have found One-Shot and similar to be great for certain things and I don't like it for others. You won't get any better than Imperial without trying. I have tried and I have come up with something better, at least for me.

The thread and site should be more about achievers and less about naysayers.

I have experimented some with air rifle pellet lube. While I have not reached any conclusive details in general I see some potential for increase accuracy.

I have a friend that has played with .22lr lube a little and found the same potential.

Guys, I have found a winner!!!!!

I have a product called Fluid Film that I use for rust proofing the undercarriage of my vehicles, works fantastic, stops rust dead, period. It was developed for the Navy as a rust proofing for ocean going ships and is basically unrefined wool grease/oil AKA lanolin.

During the above discussion I remembered the Fluid Film and this afternoon tried it. One of the hardest rounds I have to resize is .30 cal. Carbine, especially so if using a Lee Loader, the one using a mallet. This Fluid Film takes the effort right out of the resizing. Now I'm not suggesting going the route of the Lee Loader, I used it because its so much harder than using the press, and walla it works, even better than my old standby Unique Case Lube.

Fluid Film is available at John Deere dealers in spray, quarts, gallons, and 55 gal. drums. Here in my area the spray can costs approx $10.00 and is probably more than one would need for years/decades.

"unrefined "wool grease" AKA lanolin"
I think I've got about four lbs. of this.I used it as a base for making lure when I was trapping.Almost gave it away.I think I'll bring it in and give it a try.Thanks
Mike

wit, I think three guys already said that.

wit, I think three guys already said that.

Really? I referenced Fluid Film in post #39, that is the only post I could find any mention of Fluid Film. If I'm missing them, please point them out. If you're referring to lanolin, I'm sure that Fluid Film has lanolin in it and what else? No idea.

Check here

http://www.fluid-film.com/

Really? I referenced Fluid Film in post #39, that is the only post I could find any mention of Fluid Film. If I'm missing them, please point them out. If you're referring to lanolin, I'm sure that Fluid Film has lanolin in it and what else? No idea.

Check here

http://www.fluid-film.com/
Doh! My mistake, I guess I saw wrong or something.