Home made case lube - denatured alcohol?
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Potatohead
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My wife found some of the lower % at Rite Aid for me if that helps you out any.
Schwing
Member
My understanding has always been (and fee free to correct me if I am wrong), that the higher alcohol content is desirable because it allows it to evaporate much more quickly. I dissolve my lee case lube in alcohol and spray it into a baggie of cases. I like the 91+% because it doesn't take all day to evaporate.
In theory, I suppose you could use warm water and lanolin... it would just take a much longer time for your case prep.
In theory, I suppose you could use warm water and lanolin... it would just take a much longer time for your case prep.
Yes, the higher percent alcohol will evaporate a little faster but it's negligible. Especially if I put the brass out on the driveway, It is too hot to handle in 10 minutes
I use the LEE lube diluted with either kind, I a few light spritz and leave it while I set stuff up. It's dry.It separates in the spray bottle so it needs to be shaken well.
LEE actually says you can use just water and even use it wet as long as you do not get too much in the case mouth. The LEE lube is water soluble so it does not need to be removed or if you want it off just use a dry cloth.
For the OP,
The pharmacy grades are 91 and 70 not 99%
Go to Lowes or Homer Depot and find some wire pulling lube in the electric contractor section, Use it for lube (It's what LEE lube is) 1 container will be enough for the whole forum.!
I use the LEE lube diluted with either kind, I a few light spritz and leave it while I set stuff up. It's dry.It separates in the spray bottle so it needs to be shaken well.
LEE actually says you can use just water and even use it wet as long as you do not get too much in the case mouth. The LEE lube is water soluble so it does not need to be removed or if you want it off just use a dry cloth.
For the OP,
The pharmacy grades are 91 and 70 not 99%
Go to Lowes or Homer Depot and find some wire pulling lube in the electric contractor section, Use it for lube (It's what LEE lube is) 1 container will be enough for the whole forum.!
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RetiredUSNChief
Member
I don't know what would be "ideal" in terms of the percentage of alcohol to cut lanolin, but any reasonable cutting down of the alcohol down with water won't significantly affect the ability of the drying, except maybe to take slightly longer for everything to evaporate.
Alcohol bonds will carry a LOT of water away with it as it evaporates...you won't have any problem at all with, say, the alcohol evaporating and leaving behind water.
You can buy isopropyl alcohol at any Walmart which is 91% alcohol. You can also buy 70% there. Likely, for your purpose, either will do.
But for a buck and a half a bottle, it would be dirt cheap to buy either and do a little experimenting on your own to see what would work.
Just be aware, however, that alcohol is a powerful desiccant that will not only remove the water from your skin, it will also remove the oils. It's very damaging to the skin, especially for routine or concentrated use, so use nitrile gloves when handling it.
Alcohol bonds will carry a LOT of water away with it as it evaporates...you won't have any problem at all with, say, the alcohol evaporating and leaving behind water.
You can buy isopropyl alcohol at any Walmart which is 91% alcohol. You can also buy 70% there. Likely, for your purpose, either will do.
But for a buck and a half a bottle, it would be dirt cheap to buy either and do a little experimenting on your own to see what would work.
Just be aware, however, that alcohol is a powerful desiccant that will not only remove the water from your skin, it will also remove the oils. It's very damaging to the skin, especially for routine or concentrated use, so use nitrile gloves when handling it.
I kind of remember that denatured alcohol has problems when used to mix with lanolin but I have slept since then so I could be wrong.
The general thinking is 99% Isopropyl alcohol is the best with 91% next. Some say 91% does not work well but I have been having good luck with it. I try to remember to spritz the cases first thing and let it dry as I am setting up to resize.
70% isopropyl alcohol is difficult to get it work but maybe it is the extra drying time needed to get the alcohol/water mix to dry off. I have seen enough negative comments about using 70% isopropyl alcohol to bother with a test.
The gasoline dryer Heet in the RED bottle, not the YELLOW bottle, is a high percentage isopropyl alcohol. I have some to try but have not used up my first mix of lanolin/91% isopropyl yet.
Hope this helps.
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NeuseRvrRat
Member
you've got it backwards. HEET in the yellow bottle is 99% methanol.
what he wants is ISO-HEET in a red bottle. here's the MSDS that says it's 99% isopropanol and 1% proprietary additives: http://www.imperialsupplies.com/msds0055120.shtml
Officers'Wife
Member
Swan Pharmaceuticals sells a 99% mix that we have in our first aid kits. Like as not any drug store could order it for you. Or when in doubt there is always Grainger.com.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Isopropyl Alcohol
Yep, got it backwards, see what happens when you sleep. My post above is corrected. Thanks
FROGO207
Member
When I want a high % isopropyl I go to the local auto parts store and get the ISO-HEAT branded dry-gas in the red container it is pure isopropyl alcohol. For what I want the mix is 10 to 1, alcohol to liquid lanolin. That gets er done.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
At the cost of pure lanolin & high grade alcohol??
Why bother making case lube in the first place??
A small bottle or tube costs less then 10 bucks.
And will last you several years.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/794104/lyman-quik-spray-case-lube-5-1-2-oz-aerosol
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/204960/frankford-arsenal-case-lube-8-oz-pump
A tin of Imperial will last most reloaders a lifetime!
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/519525/imperial-case-sizing-wax-2-oz
In the grand scheme of all things reloading you must buy?
The cost of high quality case lube has to be at the very bottom of the barrel!!
rc
Why bother making case lube in the first place??
A small bottle or tube costs less then 10 bucks.
And will last you several years.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/794104/lyman-quik-spray-case-lube-5-1-2-oz-aerosol
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/204960/frankford-arsenal-case-lube-8-oz-pump
A tin of Imperial will last most reloaders a lifetime!
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/519525/imperial-case-sizing-wax-2-oz
In the grand scheme of all things reloading you must buy?
The cost of high quality case lube has to be at the very bottom of the barrel!!
rc
Curiosity.
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Mmmm?
I still have a little curiosity about that girl I dated a couple of times in High School.
I never was very curious about making case lube though!
Why spend more money making something when you can buy a better product for less money??
rc
I still have a little curiosity about that girl I dated a couple of times in High School.
I never was very curious about making case lube though!
Why spend more money making something when you can buy a better product for less money??
rc
RetiredUSNChief
Member
^^^
In a word (or phrase, rather): Because you CAN!
Heck, you can buy gunpowder cheaply. But it was far more FUN to make it myself as a kid!
(Well...up until the point where Dad got ahold of me for blowing up the trash barrel at five years of age. There's a blank spot in my memory after that that probably wouldn't have any "fun" memories in it, and understandably so according to my older brothers...)
In a word (or phrase, rather): Because you CAN!
Heck, you can buy gunpowder cheaply. But it was far more FUN to make it myself as a kid!
(Well...up until the point where Dad got ahold of me for blowing up the trash barrel at five years of age. There's a blank spot in my memory after that that probably wouldn't have any "fun" memories in it, and understandably so according to my older brothers...)
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quartermaster
Member
I just bought some 99% alcohol from Amazon. I forgot what I paid for it, but it was cheap. It was listed as an add-on item, which means it qualifies for free shipping when you order $25 of some other merchandise with it.
It was interesting to me that a poster said to use the yellow bottle of iso-heat. I thought the red bottle had more alcohol. I guess I will have to check it out.
It certainly makes some of the best case lube I have ever used. I just full length sized 2700 .223 cases in my Dillon die without cleaning it. No dents in the cases at all and I use it a bit more liberally than I need to.
My reason for using it as opposed to buying something else is it's ease of use. Put 200 cases in an old baking pan, spray a few shots on them, mix them up, spray a bit more, let them dry and start to re-size. It cleans off with a little tumbling. I use imperial sizing lube when forming from one caliber to another. It is great stuff but quite a lot of work to apply and clean off.
Just my 2 cents
It was interesting to me that a poster said to use the yellow bottle of iso-heat. I thought the red bottle had more alcohol. I guess I will have to check it out.
It certainly makes some of the best case lube I have ever used. I just full length sized 2700 .223 cases in my Dillon die without cleaning it. No dents in the cases at all and I use it a bit more liberally than I need to.
My reason for using it as opposed to buying something else is it's ease of use. Put 200 cases in an old baking pan, spray a few shots on them, mix them up, spray a bit more, let them dry and start to re-size. It cleans off with a little tumbling. I use imperial sizing lube when forming from one caliber to another. It is great stuff but quite a lot of work to apply and clean off.
Just my 2 cents
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Lee S. Forsberg
Member
99% Isopropyl alcohol try Safeway.
With about 4 oz of lanolin and a 32 oz bottle of alcohol, I have about the same or a little more invested as an 8 oz bottle of Midway lubricant. I will have about 4x the mix.
If my local source of lanolin at the health food store dries up, then it is not worth it.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
Most pharmacies like CVS will order 99% Isopropanol Alcohol for you and have it within a few days. Also any Pharmaceutical supply house will have it.
That said when making case lube the only purpose the alcohol serves is a transfer agent to get the lanolin onto the cases, evaporate and leave a thin film so as mentioned, even a mixture like 70% will work but the cases will have a longer drying time. The lanolin will dissolve just fine.
Ron
That said when making case lube the only purpose the alcohol serves is a transfer agent to get the lanolin onto the cases, evaporate and leave a thin film so as mentioned, even a mixture like 70% will work but the cases will have a longer drying time. The lanolin will dissolve just fine.
Ron
primalmu
Member
Someone else mentioned Amazon. Here's all they offer. And if you haven't done it already, just go ahead and spring for the $80/year Prime membership. You'll EASILY save many times that in shipping costs if you shop there as often as I do.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=isopropyl+alcohol
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=isopropyl+alcohol
Jesse Heywood
Member
Here are instructions.
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#Sizing
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#Sizing
Elkins45
Member
There is a statement on that page regarding case lube making that I would disagree with: the one about the use of liquid lanolin. The little bit of solids that remain at the bottom of the bottle isn't problematic at all, just give it a good shake before spraying. Otherwise, that's a very interesting page overall.
99% alcohols are not something I see at the local drugstore, but the 91% variety is usually pretty easy to find. There's some extra processing that needs to be done to get that last few percent of dissolved water out of solution, and for most purposes the little bit of water remaining is inconsequential. One of the reasons the gas drying solution is recommended is because that's one application where getting all of the water out really matters.
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Potatohead
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RC cracks me up
The Midway stuff is only 5 oz - not exactly a whole lot. It's also an aerosol - not my preferred method. I'm looking for a gallon worth that I can mix up and pour into my spray bottle. A couple of squirts into a zip-loc bag and roll the cases around in it is the plan.
91% is what we use to get blood out of fur after surgery - if that works well enough, I can use that.
I've been using Hornady One Shot and really like it, but the cheapest 32 oz bottle I've seen is $30 delivered. That makes it $120 a gallon. Not exactly where I want to go. If I can make the same stuff for $30 a gallon, that would be much more desirable.
91% is what we use to get blood out of fur after surgery - if that works well enough, I can use that.
I've been using Hornady One Shot and really like it, but the cheapest 32 oz bottle I've seen is $30 delivered. That makes it $120 a gallon. Not exactly where I want to go. If I can make the same stuff for $30 a gallon, that would be much more desirable.
243winxb
Member
Ethanol/alcohol effect on cartridge brass??
Not sure if alcohol would have an effect on long term storage of cartridge brass or not ???
The test fluids selected for this investigation were Fuel C, CE10a, CE17a, and CE25a. Fuel C was
selected as the control since it is representative of premium gasoline and is a standard test fluid widely
used for studying material compatibility to gasoline. CE10a represents an aggressive formulation of E10,
and as such, it can be viewed as a baseline test fuel since E10 is currently available in many, if not most,
fuel dispensers. Dawn dish detergent contains as much as 5% Ethanol. Ethanol may cause stress crossion cracking??
Not sure if alcohol would have an effect on long term storage of cartridge brass or not ???
The test fluids selected for this investigation were Fuel C, CE10a, CE17a, and CE25a. Fuel C wasselected as the control since it is representative of premium gasoline and is a standard test fluid widely
used for studying material compatibility to gasoline. CE10a represents an aggressive formulation of E10,
and as such, it can be viewed as a baseline test fuel since E10 is currently available in many, if not most,
fuel dispensers. Dawn dish detergent contains as much as 5% Ethanol. Ethanol may cause stress crossion cracking??
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