Imperial wax question

[Clark]

I don't want to share my tin of wax with other reloaders, they might have dirty fingers.

 

[GaryL]

I remember reading here about how worthwhile Imperial Sizing wax is, and buying a tin at the reloading store thinking it looked like a pretty small can to last very long. I still have that little tin, it's about half gone, and I use it for everything - even pistol cartridges (every fifth or tenth, depending on the caliber). That would be about 6 or 7 years now on that little tin.

I have used one shot, it works pretty well, but not as well as Imperial IMHO. One shot is great for snow shovels though. Discovered that this last winter. Snow is a lot easier to shovel when it doesn't stick to the shovel.

 

[DM~]

I've been useing Imperial since the 70's ?, and i haven't seen anything that works as well.

Back when i was big time into wildcatting and HEAVY case forming, it was the only lube that i could depend on to not have stuck cases or turn out reject cases from lube related problems.

It's still the best case lube i've found...

DM

 

[rajbcpa]

OK - so I looked at my tiny tin of Imperial Sizing wax and it says "SAMPLE"

It must have been a component that was included in a SS or progressive reloading kit.

Anyway, the tin is about 1 inch in diameter and as tall as 4 quarters stacked. It does not say how much the contents weigh.

 

[USSR]

The tins you buy are a lot bigger than that, rajbcpa.

Don

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The tins you buy are a lot bigger than that, rajbcpa.

Don

Yes they are and they are inexpensive for what you get.
The 1oz tin is ~$7.29 and the 2oz tin is ~$8.19 so you see why I said above that the 2oz tin is the best buy.

The 1oz tin is marked Imperial Sizing Die Wax by REDDING (green label)
The 2oz tin is marked Imperial Sizing Die Wax by Imperial Lubricants, A Redding Company (white label)
Both contain the same lube...

 

[frankenstein406]

you can try bag balm

 

[KansasSasquatch]

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.

I never thought to try this method before but I did it earlier tonight. I put about 1/2 teaspoon worth in one palm and grabbed a handful of 9mm brass with the other (I don't normally lube handgun brass but this stuff was so clean it was unnecessarily tough to size). 1/2 teaspoon worth is apparently too much for 75 pieces of 9mm. I dropped those into a bowl, grabbed another handful, lubed those 75, and did it a third time. Then I tumbled the bowl around to make sure it spread evenly. I used one of those about every tenth round on my LNL and it ran smooth as silk. Loaded up about 600 rounds and used less than 1/2 of the lubed cases. I still have about 800 more rounds to load up tomorrow. I'll definitely remember this technique next time I load up some .223 as I prefer Unique (or Imperial) to my RCBS Case Slick but it gets tiring lubing every case one at a time with wax. Thanks for the tip!!

 

[stubbicatt]

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 use this technique with the Lee toothpaste tube case lube. Works great and wipes off easily with a moist towel. Best of all, some of the lube gets inside the case mouths to make expander ball drag a thing of the past.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I've been on one can for 3 years now and there is just now a noticeable dent in the lube. I figure 5-6 more years at least.

I prolly load 700-800 rounds a year of centerfire rifle.

 

[thump_rrr]

Another great case lube which I find works as well is Hornady Unique.
It has the same feel as Imperial and you get a 4oz little tub for around $5.00.
I haven't put a dent in it after 5,000 rounds.

 

[kerreckt]

I started using Imperial wax after trying just about everything else available. I even tried some recipes for case lube I read about. Nothing compares to Imperial wax. For the way I reload it is perfect. I have not had any stuck cases or even the threat of one since using Imperial. Great stuff. Wish I had started using it sooner. I know this sounds like a testimonial for Imperial wax and it should because it is.

 

[Kevin Rohrer]

Imperial Sizing Wax is The Bomb!

To answer your question, expect to lube at least 5,000 cases per tin--provided you use it correctly.

To use correctly, smear a tiny amount between your thumb and forefinger, then rub it on a case. If you can see the wax on your case, you are using too much.

And use their Dry Neck Lube for the inside of the cases.

 

[Bruno2]

Imperial is it! A 2 oz tin is a lifetime supply for a lot of people

One shot is good too , but you have to follow the directions or it doesn't work very well.

That imperial case mouth lube looks great. I bet it is very similar to mica. A lot of shooters use mica for the inside of the case neck. The technique I was told to try was to put some bird shot in a tin like altoids come in. Then put about 1/8 tsp of the mica in it and shake it up well. Then just push the neck into the shot and it will lube it nicely.