mass case lubrication question.

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Detritus

Detritus

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I have around 1k once fired .223 cases and need to find a way to streamline lubing them.
the case lube i have on hand is the LEE brand lube. so does anyone know of a way make application of this lube to a buttload cases easier than dobbing a small amount on each case by hand??

TIA
 
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I am aware of folks who mix Alox 3-1 or 4-1 with alcohol for spray use. I have not tried it myself.
 
Put a dab on the first case and wipe it on/down the case w/ thumb forefinger
- Size case
Lube the 2nd case w/ residual lube on thumb forefinger
Lube the 3nd case w/ residual lube on thumb forefinger
Lube the 4th case w/ residual lube on thumb forefinger
Lube the 5th case w/ residual lube on thumb forefinger
MAYBE another dab on 6th case by this point
- Repeat sequence again


As to ALOX . . . until ALOX is dry, it ain't even close to being a good lube.
 
Detritus said:
I have around 1k once fired .223 cases and need to find a way to streamline lubing them.
the case lube i have on hand is the LEE brand Alox based type. so does anyone know of a way make application of this lube to a buttload cases easier than dobbing a small amount on each case by hand??

TIA
Click to expand...
all i can say is that when i was watching a video on reloading, the guy put the cases into a plastic bag, sprayed some lube into that bag, closed it up and shook it.

he seemed satisfied they were lubricated.
 
Haven’t loaded rifle in ages but in the day before the fancy sprays one lubed using an oversized stamp pad The kind that held ink for rubber stamping. Any way Lyman lube in a toothpaste type tube was squeezed onto the pad, a little Went a long way and the cases, five to 10 at a time were simply rolled across the pad. Some pads were quite large. Viola lubed cases. Went very quickly once a technique was developed.
 
MEHavey said:
As to ALOX . . . until ALOX is dry, it ain't even close to being a good lube.
Click to expand...

I used that label more out of habit than anything else, Lee use to mark(et) it's case lube as an Alox based lube, but that's not the only thing in it. it's actually a product developed for "deep draw" stamping processes in the auto parts industry and repacked by Lee. it works well wet or dry.

and the procedure you describe is actually what i usually do for lubing rifle cases. but with the prospect of having to do 1,000 or more... I'm looking for time and labor savers so that I'm not sitting around with case lube on my fingers for the next three days in front of the TV.
 
Lanolin lube mixed with isopropyl alcohol is what you want. It's perfect for that application. Lanolin mixes better when the alcohol is warmish...110-120F. Put it in the sun; not on the stove!

A suggestion: once the cases have been mixed well in the bag, open it up and let the alcohol evaporate.
 
I use the lanolin/alcohol mix and spray 2 pumps into gallon bag and lay it flat and roll everything around, then dump them out onto a cookie sheet and let them dry, second load gets 1 pump, a little goes a long way
 
I have a bankers box lid that I dump enough in so there is only one layer and all are flat, and squirt 3 pumps of Dillon lube on them, in a fanning motion and shake, so they roll. Might take an extra squirt or two until you get your cardboard “seasoned”.
 
I use the Dillon spray lube. Load a bunch of brass in a Walmart plastic bag, spray a few times , roll them around , then dump them on a tray to let the alcohol evaporate...works great.
 
I make my own lanolin/alcohol lube.
A solution of 1 part liquid lanolin and 4 to 5 parts parts 99 percent isopropyl alcohol (4 oz of liquid lanolin to16 - 20 oz of isopropyl) works well.

Isopropyl - think red bottles of HEET found at the auto parts store (they're 99% alcohol).
CAUTION:The 71% alcohol found in first-aid kits has way too much water in it.
Lanolin - I found mine on amazon.

I put a couple hundred cases in a gallon zip lock bag.
5 or 6 pumps of lube, mix well & be on your way.

Good luck & watch for stuck cases - go slow in the beginning
 
Dollar General - 4- 8oz. $1 spray of your choice, dump it, and flush the bottle.

Mix 1 part Mobile1 (15w50) and 4 parts Heet- red bottle formula (that's 20% Mobile1 and 80% Red Heet). That leaves plenty of Heet for future batches. Wally World and auto parts stores all carry Heet. The Mobile1 also makes a good gun oil.

Keep Unique, or Imperial case lube handy for any individual (small number of) cases that need sizing.
 
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If you want to use the Lee case lube that you have, here is what I do.

I have a small spray bottle, probably 4 ounces. I squeeze about an inch of Lee case lube (the white waxy stuff) in.
Then fill with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol (available at your druggist, or on Amazon).
Shake shake shake.
The Lee lube won't dissolve, but it will go in to suspension.

I pour out some cases on an old cookie sheet, spray a few strokes from the mix over them. Let the alcohol flash off for a minute or two.
Roll the cases around on the sheet, do another few sprays.
Let it flash off.

The cases will have a wax coating on them. Works fine, no mess. No need to clean the wax coating off. Just load and shoot.
 
I use a 10:1 90% IPA to Lanolin in a spray bottle. Put my cases in a gallon zip lock bag, a few squirts of the lube and roll the bag around for a minute. Dump them into a bucket and let them sit for 15 minutes or so while I do another bag. I left that on some 300 HAM'r cases for 2 weeks and ran them through the resizer with NO issues. Ran 1 prior to that with no lube and got my first stuck case.
 
I have been reloading for a long time and while I have used alox as a bullet lube, I have never heard of it being used as a case lube and I don't think I'd want any on my brass.

For lubing a lot of brass I usr the plastic bag method and have on occasion used a plastic tupperware type tub. Put brass in bag, add a little lube (I use Mink Oil Boot Dressing) liquid home mix or evwen some lanolin cream, and squish around for a while...
 
I also use the Dillon lanolin spray lube.
Lay an old bath towel out and spread the cases on it,
Give 'em a couple sprays, then grab each end of the towel and roll it back and forth a few times.
that distributes the lube and also allows it to dry quickly.
As stated, a little goes a long way.
 
I solve this with lanolin in 90%+ isopropyl, in the isopropyl spray bottle from CVS. I've never stuck a case.
 
I started out with Imperial wax then went to the lanolin and isopropyl mix. Lately it is the wire pulling lube in 10 to one mix instead of lanolin. It comes off the brass with less cleaning I find. The key is to lube well. I use a gallon ZipLoc freezer bag and dump in a couple big handfuls of brass. pump a couple sprays of lube in and close the bag with zipper. Massage the brass around well to coat it all. Then dump it on an old cookie sheet or similar to let the alcohol evaporate. Second bag full might only need one pump if you keep it closed to keep stuff inside from evaporating. There will be some trial and error but you need to find a better way than wiping lube on for volume processing to gain any speed.
 
FROGO207 said:
I started out with Imperial wax then went to the lanolin and isopropyl mix. Lately it is the wire pulling lube in 10 to one mix instead of lanolin. It comes off the brass with less cleaning I find. The key is to lube well. I use a gallon ZipLoc freezer bag and dump in a couple big handfuls of brass. pump a couple sprays of lube in and close the bag with zipper. Massage the brass around well to coat it all. Then dump it on an old cookie sheet or similar to let the alcohol evaporate. Second bag full might only need one pump if you keep it closed to keep stuff inside from evaporating. There will be some trial and error but you need to find a better way than wiping lube on for volume processing to gain any speed.
Click to expand...
Dam I already behind. I just got my lanolin. ;)
 
With 223 I do not have any problem using the Hornady One Shot. I dump the brass in a box or zip-loc bag spray mix the brass up and spray again. As long as you follow the directions on the can to shaking the can for a FULL 1 min, spray, let it fully dry after the 2nd spraying you will not have any problems. The problem accours when you do not get it mixed well and don't let it fully dry.
 
I never had a problem with One Shot either. I am just too cheap to continue buying it for the amount of casings I process every month. Mixing my own makes the cost drop down in the static as far as spending on reloads goes. Did I ever tell you I was a cheap SOB?:D
 
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