Imperial wax question

[rajbcpa]

I bought some of this a few months ago and I first tried it out on a few rifle cases yesterday. It seems to work pretty well too.

The wax came in a VERY small tin and when it was shipped to my house I was surprised that the container was so tiny.

Anyway, how many rifle cases should I expect to be able to lube with the tiny tin? My local gun shops do not carry this item and I'm not going to incur a big shipping charge for one small item.

Is there any substitute that is similar to Imperial sizing wax? Frankly, it looks like clear shoe polish.

Will shoe polish work to lube brass cases? How about bees wax that can be bought in a hobby store? Will that lube cases?

I have been using a generic gun and lock spray lube from Depo that works but it is not ideal for case lubing.

 

[noedge515]

You will be able to lube alot of cases with one tin. I buy at three at a time and it helps if you can wait until you need other items. Then you can place a decent sized order. I can't find it locally either. Check out youtube and see some pretty inventive ways to use it.

 

[Searcher4851]

One tin will lube many many many cases. It doesn't take a lot at all. Just add a tin or two to your order the next time you are buying other stuff and the shipping becomes negligible.

 

[SlowFuse]

I've been using a tin for almost three years and haven't made much of a dent. One dab on my finger lubes about 5 or 6 cases at a time.

 

[USSR]

rajbcpa,

You will get thousands of cases out of that little tin. I have been reloading for 35 years, and I am only on my 3rd or 4th tin. Sure, you can use something like Kiwi Mink Oil shoe polish which is similar, but I have to laugh at guys who are trying to save money with a case lube. There are savings to be found in reloading, but it is not to be found in case lubes.

Don

 

[Walkalong]

Yea, saving a buck a year on lube isn't going to dent the shooting budget much.

 

[dsm]

Imperial lube is awesome stuff. Every case that I single stage uses imperial. One can will last thousands of cases.

 

[rajbcpa]

So to apply the wax, you put some on your fingers? Do you wax the entire case or avoid any parts like the shoulder? What about inside the neck where the bullet is seated?

 

[mtrmn]

I have used Imperial for about 5 or 6 years now and am only about halfway into my first can. Have sized AT LEAST 3000 rounds of 223 and 308.

Get a little on your fingers and spread it around with your thumb. One of these one-handed applications will do half a dozen or so cases. Roll a case around between your thumb and fingers making sure to get some on all the portion of the case below the shoulder. A light application on the outside of the neck and shoulder, and about every 5th or 6th case gets a little smeared inside the case mouth.

If you get a case put up a LOT of resistance going into the die--STOP NOW. Lower the case from the die and re-lube, you must have missed a spot. If you continue to force a stubborn case into the die it will stick and you will NOT be happy. I'm sure you can figure out how I know.....

 

[SlowFuse]

I use my fingers. Wax the case body, skip the neck and shoulder and scrape the case mouths lightly with residual lube left after doing the case body. This works for me. Never had a stuck case.

Everyone probably has a different technique.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Did you buy the 1oz tin or the 2oz tin? The 2oz tin is just a dollar or so more than the 1oz tin so it's a much better buy.

I have been using the current tin for several years now and I hardly but a dent in it. Like said above, rub 2 fingers across the wax and you can lube 5 or 6 cases, a little goes a long way for sure. Yes, avoid the shoulder like with any lube and I usually drag my finger across the top of the case just before I relube my fingers for the next batch. That seems to be plenty of lube for inside the case necks. (same as I said above, every 5 or 6 cases)

 

[mookiie]

Trust me stick with imperial. I barely made a dent in my can either and have sized at least 5000 I expect to get 10000 - 15000 lubed with this tin. You just need to touch your finger to it and you can lube 5 to 10 cases with the smallest amount.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[rondog]

For small cases like .223 and .30 carbine, I put a little in my palm, rub my hands together to spread it around, then I'll rub handfuls of cases all at once in my hands. This seems to work well for me, I get a very thin film on most all of them. Any that I miss seem to get what they need from the coating on the sizing die.

 

[918v]

Take your trigger finger and touch the Imperial. Thake your thumb and touch the Imperial. That amount of imperial will lube one case. That tiny tin will last you for years.

 

[Dframe]

As the others have said. That tiny tin will last for a LONG LONG time. I've been reloading for well over 40 years and have never found a better product for it's purpose. I've also never stuck a case in a die. Imperial sizing die wax simply has to be the greatest bargain ever found in reloading

 

[Romeo 33 Delta]

I do a LOT of wildcatting and serious case reforming and have always used Imperial. I do pretty much what SlowFuse does, the case mouth "scrape" every-so-often will get just a little lube inside the case mouth and you will feel the difference. However, I do not skip the neck and shoulder ... but then again, like he said, everyone's got a "system" that works.

 

[iiranger]

#1 & #2

If you must be cheap, cheap, cheap... the traditional high pressure lubes are lanolin and castor oil. Get them at a drug store. You can mix them. Getting them off is a bit of work but not much.

Imperial is about the best I have ever heard anyone talk of. Hodgdon's used to sell a red, waxy material. Long gone.

Go to the office supply store and buy and "uninked" stamp pad. Work some into the surface. You might need a whole 2 oz tin. Don't lose it. This should last you a lifetime unless you lose it or get into a flood or other disaster. It takes almost nothing and lasts and lasts and getting it off isn't bad either. One old phart used to talk of nailing a folded towel to a board and soaking that, probably the castor oil, lanolin or mixture. If you do, I would keep it in a plastic bag. Stout plastic bag. Luck. Happy trails.

 

[rondog]

There's also the lanolin and alcohol mix. Take pure lanolin (the gooey paste-like stuff, looks like grease, you can get it cheap on eBay), 91% isopropyl alcohol, and a spray bottle. Put 12 oz. of the alcohol in the spray bottle, melt 1 oz. of the lanolin and add to the alcohol. Shake it up, spread your cases out on a cookie sheet, and spray them. Or you could put them in a big ziploc, or large plastic tub, etc. and spray them, then spread them out to dry. When the alcohol evaporates, they're ready to go. This is good for lubing large numbers at once.

 

[cfullgraf]

Will shoe polish work to lube brass cases? How about bees wax that can be bought in a hobby store? Will that lube cases?

Some folks use Mink oil available at the shoe polish display at your local big box store. It seems to work ok.

Case lubricants like Imperial Sizing Wax go a loooooooooong way and are pretty cost effective.

For the most part, trying to use lubricants not specifically designed for case sizing and resizing is being penny wise and pound foolish.

As USSR says, "Never underestimate the amount of toil and angst a cheap SOB will put himself thru to save 50 cents."

 

[mtrmn]

There's also the lanolin and alcohol mix. Take pure lanolin (the gooey paste-like stuff, looks like grease, you can get it cheap on eBay), 91% isopropyl alcohol, and a spray bottle. Put 12 oz. of the alcohol in the spray bottle, melt 1 oz. of the lanolin and add to the alcohol. Shake it up, spread your cases out on a cookie sheet, and spray them. Or you could put them in a big ziploc, or large plastic tub, etc. and spray them, then spread them out to dry. When the alcohol evaporates, they're ready to go. This is good for lubing large numbers at once.

I tried this same thing and it worked really well. I was not happy with the resulting mixture though. The Lanolin would solidify again and you had to really shake it up a lot to re-mix it. I went back on ebay and bought LIQUID lanolin which had much better results for me. Used IsoHEET fuel treatment from Wallyworld for the alcohol.

 

[cwbys4evr]

I'm a new Imperial user too and the stuff is great! I bought the 2 ounce tin and the way its going so far I expect it toast a good long while. I barely run my finger across it and it lubes 2 or 3 cases. I have done a couple hundred I guess and you can barely tell I used any.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Certaindeaf]

Yep, that Hornady One Shot is the bomb.

 

[rfwobbly]

Typically you can "stretch" the period between orders by applying Imperial with a "lube pad". That's been working good for my situation.

 

[stavman11]

I sue Imperial for all my handgun loads... real easy to use and works Great... and less residue on the case since i am usualy doing all steps of reloading at once..

With .223 I prep so many at Once kits easier to use One Shot.. and hit the 1st case with Synthetic motor Oil... and Go ta Town... I size and de-prime all my cases in 1 step.. usualy 300-500 in an hour

Love the imperial.. good stuff

 

[CD8226]

I spray all my cases with one=shot first. Then I use Imperial sizing wax on every 10th case. No problems, I also lube the die and expander ball and depriming pin before I start and then again after every 100 or so rounds. Works like a champ for me.