Cleaning brass of lubrication

[dae06]

I'm new to reloading and plan on starting soon.

When you lube the brass to resize, how do most of you clean the brass afterwards? I will not have a tumbler right away, so please suggest other methods. I've seen videos on reloading, but none show anyone cleaning the lub off of the brass. I assume that this should be done to each shell. Just wondering if wiping with a simple cloth works or if a solvent is needed?

 

[jcwit]

I'll open the dance with what I do. After resizing and before priming I slosh the brass in White gas or gasoline OUTDOORS. Then let it dry off, only takes 15 to 30 minutes.

Now we'll probably here how dangerous this, could be, but its also dangerous to fill your lawn mower.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

although I have done jc's method when in a hurry a couple times (and it works well) I dump the sized brass into a plastic butter jug and fill with hot water and a little 'mean green' and put the lid on and shake real good. rinse with hot water and drain then onto an old towel and dry some then into old pie tin and atop the water heater until I'm ready to prime them. if in a rush I stick 'em in the oven at 300d till dry, just few minutes.

 

[243winxb]

Wiping with a simple cloth works http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=744565

This excellent lubricant is water soluble, non-toxic and easily wipes off with no sticky residue. For best results, use with RCBS Lube Dies or RCBS Case Lube Pad (sold separately). Non-toxic. Will not harm powder or primers.

Warm water with some detergent works. Let the brass dry.

 

[jcwit]

Hey thats right, I done that too, usually in the summer time with the sun out. I don't use the water heater trick because is not near my reloading area. But you're absulutely right.

 

[mkl]

I just wipe it off with a rag, but then again, I'm not into high volume reloading. I use a single stage press and process a batch of about 50-60 cartridges at a time.

 

[moooose102]

just depends on how many i am reloadng. if it is just a box or two, hot soapy water on a wash cloth and a dry towel works fine. but if i am going to load a hundred or more, i have a big plastic container with a screw on lid i dump all the brass into, add hot soapy water to, and gently roll it about for 5 minutes. rinse a couple of times, wipe them reasonably dry using a bath towel and stick them in the oven (or outdoors in the sun if it is available ) for a while. if i do the oven trick, i set it to 250 degrees, let it warm up, and shut it off just after i close the door of the oven. also, all of the towels i use are stricktly for gun use. i hand wash them (outside in a 5 gallon bucket) , and keep them completely seperate of our regular stuff. i have 2 small kids i do not want to make sick.

 

[rfwobbly]

DAE -
I take a different tact. By pro-actively not putting much lube on the case to begin with, then you don't need to deal with excess. I see a lot of people here dabbing on case lube, but I prefer to roll the cases on a lube pad. This applies an ultra thin coat evenly all over the exterior. By doing this I've never found a reason to wash the cases.

 

[Newcatwalt]

Pay a few extra bucks and buy carbide dies and save yourself some work and aggravation.

 

[jcwit]

Still is a VERY GOOD idea to lube 30 cal. carbine cases.

Its definitely not like sizing pistol brass. And Yes I have carbide dies.

This last summer I reloaded a little over 8,000 rds of .30 cal. carbine. It makes life alot easier to lube the cases.

 

[RustyFN]

I tumble it in the tumbler for five minutes then load it. I'm going to start tumbling after it's loaded in the future.
Rusty

 

[dwave]

I throw mine in the tumbler for a few mins. after they are loaded.

 

[WNTFW]

I hate getting cases wet, sometimes that is the best approach.
A media separator filled with soap & water is pretty effective. I have some stuff that is a "surfactant" and it rinses off easily inlike dishwashing detergent.
Various heat methods to aid in drying. The sun is the cheapest.

Normally I do the RFWobbly approach: Use very little case lube, but tumble afterwards

I use mink oil as a case lube (very little is needed), Size, trim/debur/chamfer, them tumble a little while with corncob. It comes out pretty well polished if the cases are clean enough before sizing. The lube seem to act as a cleaner to a degree.

 

[Historian]

I use Imperial Wax as lube. Very little is needed and it wipes off with a damp cloth. I usually size 250 cases at a time but have found that it consumes very little time and effort just to run a damp rag over them and set them aside to dry up any moisture that might remain. Since our thread starter does not have access to a tumbler this might be a good way to go. Now that I have a tumbler, I have found that an hour rolling them around in crusched corn cobs works just fine and gives my cases a "like new" shine. If you're going to take the time to hand craft ammo, it might as well be pretty.

Historian

 

[NuJudge]

I usually use Imperial wax, and let my tumbler clean the stuff off.

CDD

 

[jcwit]

One reason I started to use the solvent cleaning method was because I shoot cast lead bullets with my own concoction for a lube and I get alot of it back on the cases. Its a waxy type of lube and with the amount I use it contaminates my corn cob media. Therefore for me its better to use the white gas to clean the lube "both kinds" off.

 

[WNTFW]

JCWit,
I figured you had to have a good reason other that you liked the smell of the stuff. There is a lot in reloading that is "context sensitive". I like learning about what others do.
Thanks,
WNTFW

 

[Walkalong]

I will not have a tumbler right away, so please suggest other methods.

RCBS Case Lube II works great and is water soluble. You can use hot water to rinse the lube off. Then just dry in the sun. Inside out of the sun will work, but it takes a good while. You can towel it off as well.

 

[GTS Dean]

I roll rimless cartridges on a lube pad. I pick up one, then 3 more dry cases and roll all 4 between the palms of my hands. After sizing and decapping, I just wipe them off with a towel and brush the primer pockets clean.

With rimmed cases, I put some drops of case lube on my hands and roll them between my palms.

This *IS* handloading, isn't it?

 

[SyberShooter]

I use the spray on one-shot dry lube and don't clean it off. seems to work fine. wait until midway has a sale on one-shot or the franfurt equivilent and buy several cans. lasts a long time too.

 

[qajaq59]

I use a pad and BreakFree for a lube. When the case comes out of the die I just give it a wipe with a clean rag and then check it for any flaws. Works fine for me, but I use a single stage press.