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Hi is there any thing else you can use as case lube that works half decent,I know this sounds funny but I have been out of work for a while and every little bit helps. I swear if it wasn't for shooting I would have lost my sanity a long time ago.
thanks Dean
Set aside $6 for a can of Imperial Sizing Wax. It will last you for years and you won't ruin a set of dies trying to improvise.
I hope things turn around for you soon.
I swear if it wasn't for shooting I would have lost my sanity a long time ago. I think that pertain's to alot of folkes these day's including me. ::)
I've been using ..............
Ah, excuse me for a minute. My dogs are talking about me again behind my back , I told them before to say what they had to say to my face.
I'll be right back.
I use Frankford Arsenal Case Lube 8 oz Pump ~$6.49, works fine, easy to clean off. I've tried Imperial Case Sizing Wax 2 oz ~$7.79 works fine as well; like BrentWin said it will last a long time. The cheapest I think is Hornady Unique Case Lube 4 oz Tub ~$4.09, I have not tried it however.
There are tons of products anymore that will work fine (I hated the old stuff got everywhere on everything).
I hope things turn out better for you and yours soon. Remember: it's the environment, not you; don't get down on yourself - your still the same person, just not as well funded.
I expect my Imperial Wax to last 5 or 6 years, and that's only because my friend uses it too and puts about 3x too much on the case. It's also very easy to use. I doubt I'll ever use another case lube, unless I start volume reloading.
I use the Lee brand lube, 2 or 3 bucks for a tube that lasts for thousands and thousands of cases, have never had a dented shoulder or stuck case with it either.
Mike
There is a lube formula you can make at home with over the counter/household goods that works super. I dont have the link, but saw it searching online a few months back.
I have used motor oil in the past and it works fine. I read that some people like to use the pump spray butter. I been told Imperial sizing wax is a combination of the wax seal ring used to seat a toilet, and Vaseline, It was originally mixed up and put into imperial margarine bowls, this is also how it got the name.
82boy, I've been waiting for someone to come up w/ a "down home" remedy for this poser. Now I know why my 40 yr. old tub of Imperial has such a strange aroma. They must have been sourcing used toilet bowl rings when they first started making the stuff. ;) Seems like KY jelly ought ta work and its water based (my girlfriend tells me) so wouldn't contaminate primer pockets. Just smear some on a stamp pad. If spray butter (never heard of such a thing) works why not PAM? Just trying to be creative here, the other answers required a cash outlay, postage or a trip to a gun shop. There have to be more creative ideas about to be posted.
Every woman carries case lube in their purse......but they call it Chap Stick.
Thanks for all the replies everyone, ya know it's funny all those powders and bullets I bought that were not my usual stuff when reloading supply's were scarce.
IE: bullets that were to light or heavy or powders that the container had an inch of dust on it, well let me tell you I am very glad to have them now.
Thanks Dean
I tried petroleum jelly to see if it would work and it did a great job. I did about 100 cases and saw no ill effects from using it. No cases got stuck. I wouldn't hesitate about using it myself in a pinch.
I also made a lube pad out of a 1' square piece of wood then covered it with some fuzzy material. More fuzzy than felt yet doesn't seem to give off any fibers, you can buy felt for cheaper but didn't see that until after the fact. I put rubber feet on all four corners. I think total cost was less than $15, $2 for a scrap piece of wood from Home Depot, $3 for the rubber feet, $5 for the material only because you have to buy a yard at a time. With the materials I had left over I made another for a friend and only had to buy another set of feet.
I tried loading it with imperial wax but it was a pita so I added a some petroleum jelly to make the imperial wax easier to work into the material. It took a little while to work it all into the pad. I probably used less than an 1/8th of a can of the imperial wax and 1/8th of PJ jar but I haven't used any since.
Since then I have done at least a few thousand cases without reloading the pad. I can roll around over 100 223 cases at a time. You have to "warm" it up a bit by rolling the brass around before the lube really covers everything well. I have yet to stick a case using this method. After sizing I put the cases back in the tumbler for about 10-20 minutes to get rid of any lube left on the cases.
Dolomite
Case lube recipes and mixes
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#Sizing
http://www.tacticoolproducts.com/caselube/
Bag Balm
The active ingredients of Bag Balm are 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate 0.3% (antiseptic) in a petroleum jelly and lanolin base.
Bag Balm was taken to the North Pole by Admiral Byrd, it was used by Allied troops in World War II (to protect weapons from rust), it was used at Ground Zero in New York after 9/11 for the paws of cadaver-sniffing dogs, and it has been used by American troops in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.[2]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bag_Balm
Bag Balm case lube.............? (utterly fantastic)
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=74473
Mink oil shoe polish, Dubbin, don't even have to wet a whole ink pad, just stick a Q-tip in it and run Q-tip one turn around the neck and another around the shoulder. Once the first few cases are sized you get a feel for how little is required when it is applied in the right place. Easiest stuff to wipe off too.
Exactly what I thought the first time I opened the tin of Imperial....sounds like a great backup.Quote:
Originally Posted by sharpshooter
Thanks Fred!
STP MOTOR ATTIVE, WORKS GREAT .
I usually use water thinned Lee Lube and it works great. Went preloaded to a 2 day match and that evening when I began to prep the cases for the next day I found I had forgotten my case lube. Another shooter recommended Chap Stick as an alternative so a quick trip to the 7-11 and a couple of tubes of chapstick later I found that it did indeed do quite a good job. A little more difficult to wipe off the case but sufficed and got me shooting the next day. I personally used the cherry flavor but I feel certain any flavor would work... ::)
Slim
I don't know how many cheap ba$tards like me we have in this forum but I use Hornady "Unique" case lube.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...1/IMGP7191.jpg
You can also use it to waterproof your shoes. ::) (read the last line, it rates as a duel function survivalists bullet lube) ;D
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...1/IMGP7190.jpg
+1 on the mink oil, all ive ever used. Only problem is that the dog wants to sniff around on my cases and steals one every now and then.
Bag Balm case lube.......? (utterly fantastic) I believe that should be....udderly fantastic
Minks oil for me too...used it 40yrs ago and still do...don't have to go to a gun shop..can find it anywhere..I put it on my forefinger and thumb and rub it in to each and and then just rub the case or neck....It's also great for your skin...just not good for the girls that don't want to get their fingers dirty...works great
I use Gardner Bender Wire-Aide™ Wire-Pulling Lubricant. It is a non petroleum-based wax lubricant works like a champ and you can thin it with whatever solvent you choose. Quart bottles at big box hardware stores are very inexpensive. I think I paid about $5 for a quart.
(Poster's note: I would be wary of using petroleum-based lubes (STP, Vaseline, oils) as I would worry that any residue in the case might affect the powder or primer. (Remember, the way to neutralize a live primer is to soak it in WD-40.) Again, your mileage may vary.)
Here's the link to the GB Catalog.
http://www.gardnerbender.com/pdf/pro...GB_Catalog.pdf
The product I use is marked page 91 in the catalog, but is actually the 93rd page of the pdf file.
It is a wax-based lubricant so its residue will not affect primers or powders.
Here's the MSDS on this product: http://www.gardnerbender.com/pdf/msd..._Wire-Aide.pdf
Here's another thread discussing GB Wire Aide as well as other homemade case lubricants: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/arch...hp/t-5650.html
More discussion of homemade case lubes here: http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/i.../t-478879.html
Even More discussion here from lanolin to GB wire aide: http://www.hipointfirearmsforums.com...q0h3cb1df8pbc7
And yet another thread on this subject: http://forums.handloads.com/archive/....asp?TID=13793
Enjoy!
All the best.