Improvised Case lube

[Bcwitt]

Has anyone made your own case lube? I've read a few recipes, but never waded into those waters. I was to understand glycerin was used in some of them. I use lee lube, rcbs w pad & hornady spray lube, they all seem to work fine. I desire to sorce it some other way.

 

[AJC1]

Almost anything will work from bacon grease to synthetic motor oil.

 

[algaeguy]

I have become a huge fan of the liquid lanolin and 99% isopropyl/Isoheet recipe at 12:1. I even use it to clean and lube my mec. Easy to mix, easy to apply and no gunk build up in the die. All the other case lubes i have tried got repurposed. Make sure you use the RED isoheet not the yellow, which is methanol. That is nasty stuff.

 

[Ironicaintit]

I’ve used stp/30w mixed at 1:1 and it’s slicker than snot. Easiest sizing ever.

 

[JJFitch]

99% Isopropyl alcohol and anhydrous lanolin liquid are both available at hardware stores and compounding pharmacies and on line.

Mix at approximately 30:1. Mine is mixed in a 16 oz. spray bottle and sprayed as other sprayed on lubes. Let it dry before sizing. The lube wipes off easily!

You can also use the liquid lanolin on a lube pad like the RCBS style.

If using anything besides tried and true case lube recipes be sure to have a stuck case remover handy. You'll need it!

Smiles,

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

I have become a huge fan of the liquid lanolin and 99% isopropyl/Isoheet recipe at 12:1. I even use it to clean and lube my mec. Easy to mix, easy to apply and no gunk build up in the die. All the other case lubes i have tried got repurposed. Make sure you use the RED isoheet not the yellow, which is methanol. That is nasty stuff.

This is exactly the recipe I'm using, and it's been great. Doesn't take much, either.

 

[AJC1]

Testing

 

[algaeguy]

This is exactly the recipe I'm using, and it's been great. Doesn't take much, either.

Yep! I put it in a spray bottle, the brass in a shoebox, a squirt, roll em around, another squirt, roll and let them dry. Done.

 

[Skeptic13]

I have become a huge fan of the liquid lanolin and 99% isopropyl/Isoheet recipe at 12:1. I even use it to clean and lube my mec. Easy to mix, easy to apply and no gunk build up in the die. All the other case lubes i have tried got repurposed. Make sure you use the RED isoheet not the yellow, which is methanol. That is nasty stuff.

Another fan of lanolin and alcohol. Easy to make. Works great. I think I invested about $20 and have enough to last 8 - 10 years.

 

[derek45]

Google "case lube for cheap bastards"

home brew Dillon style case lube, cheap

 

[milsurpguy]

Have used vegetable oil, I don't know, since the 1990s.
It will cause some hydraulic dents if you use too much.
And you should always have a stuck case remover.

 

[edwardware]

Yes. Isopropyl alcohol (you really want 99%, not 91%), and liquid lanolin at 10:1 or 12:1. Easiest in the manual spray bottle that some pharmacies sell for isopropyl. Drop in a ball bearing or bullet to help mix.

It's NOT as reliable an application method as by-finger, but once you get it down it's 100x faster. Use your case racks to stand up cases in a cookie sheet by the 100s, lightly mist into the necks, knock them down, spray the bodies, shake a bit and you've lubed 200-400 cases.

 

[milboltnut]

I use Lanolin and alcohol on lube pad. Lanolin/alcohol can't be over/under applied, and cause stuck cases. I used motor oil but it tends to build up in die and come through the vent hole, even when I apply sparingly. I use Burts bee's lip balm for the expander mandrel, very sparingly, works better than Imperial wax in my opinion. I apply Burts on the mandrel instead of inside the case neck.

 

[forrest r]

All good lubes posted above.

Myself I over kill with what I use, it 50/50 caster oil/ lanolin. I use this simply because that is the lube I make to swage bullets with. Typical batches are 15 to 16oz at a time & 1 batch lasts 10 years+ swaging all the bullets + all the brass I use. In a normal year I swage 3000 to 5000 bullets and the cases for those bullets along with +/- 2000 more rifle cases a year for cast bullets.

Basically I batch will make 30,000+ bullets and lube 50,000+ cases for sizing that costs $20 a batch

 

[Rule3]

I think there as many threads about this as there are brass cleaning!

Wonder if it will turn into a lanolin and alcohol thread??
Of course there is the correct ratios, brand of lanolin and % of alcohol.

 

[FROGO207]

I have become a huge fan of the liquid lanolin and 99% isopropyl/Isoheet recipe at 12:1. I even use it to clean and lube my mec. Easy to mix, easy to apply and no gunk build up in the die. All the other case lubes i have tried got repurposed. Make sure you use the RED isoheet not the yellow, which is methanol. That is nasty stuff.

I also use this same mix and it works well. You do have to clean off the brass if you use enough to assure positive no stick brass though. When my present batch runs out I am going to switch the lube to wire pulling lube and see if it works any better. I find the best way to lube the cases is to put a couple handfulls into a gallon ZipLoc freezer bag spray a couple times close the bag and massage the brass around some then dump it out and let the alcohol evaporate. Been using the same bag for most of a year now.

 

[Bfh_auto]

Cooking spray works well
I primarily use rcbs lube pad for bottle neck and imperial wax for straight wall.

 

[Dale Alan]

I use alcohol/lanolin a majority of the time . I also use Burt's Bees hand salve and also Burt's lemon butter cuticle cream . I do a lot of loading and my hands get dried and cracked bad so Burt's kills two birds with one stone . One other I came up with is 50/50 Marvel mystery oil/Purple Royal synthetic motor oil .

 

[JFrank]

I bought a small tub of sizing lube about 7 years ago, after hundreds of cases I still have about 90% left.
I may never run out..

 

[DukeConnor]

Mink oil when single staging, lanolin mix when using the progressives

 

[AK Hunter]

I think there as many threads about this as there are brass cleaning!

Wonder if it will turn into a lanolin and alcohol thread??
Of course there is the correct ratios, brand of lanolin and % of alcohol.

Yes it will, this is what I use. I have used spray cooking oil before when I ran out. LOL

 

[JFrank]

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I use spray on olive oil.

 

[lightman]

I've used most of the stuff sold as case lube, and it all works. Some of it requires more work to remove it than others do. I've pretty much settled of Lanolin and Alcohol.

In the past I have used STP, Pam, Mink Boot Dressing, Ideal Wire pulling lube and probably a few other things that I'm forgetting. And yeah, if you plan to experiment very much you should invest in a stuck case remover!

When using the Alcohol and Lanolin I put the brass in a gallon ZipLoc bag, give them a squirt or two, roll them around good and dump them out to dry.

 

[Rule3]

View attachment 1004071

Anything??