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Old January 6, 2013, 01:01 AM   #1
mohr308
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Do you use Imperial sizing wax?

After reading a recent thread about Hornady one shot, I decided to try out Imperial sizing wax. So today I sized a few hundred cases of LC 223 with the Imperial wax, AWESOME! I do have a question, should I tumble the cases clean, wipe them? Not sure what the best way to clean the brass is. What do you do?
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Old January 6, 2013, 01:44 AM   #2
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Been using Imperial for a few years now. Awesome stuff! Since I started using Imperial I have not had a singel stuck case. With that said, after I size/decap my cases I tumble them for about 15-20 minutes in crushed walnut shells to remove the lube. Works like a charm. I then inspect and trim.
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Old January 6, 2013, 02:50 AM   #3
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Imperial sizing die wax is great stuff I have been using it for 30 years.
I only load rifle rounds in small numbers so I just wipe lube off with soft cloth, either way works fine.
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Old January 6, 2013, 03:34 AM   #4
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I usually tumble it off.

Sometimes, I just wipe it off with a clean rag.
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Old January 6, 2013, 04:12 AM   #5
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You can also try Hornady Unique which is very close to Imperial but you get twice as much for 1/2 the price.
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Old January 6, 2013, 04:38 AM   #6
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I use Kiwi Mink Oil boot polish which I understand is similar to Imperial. It does work well when I'm only sizing a dozen or so. For more than that I get out the lube pad.

I did see a Youtube video of a guy lubing a large pan of .223 brass with Imperial very quickly. But I'm not sure he got lube on all the cases and he was digging quite a bit out of the can in the process.
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Old January 6, 2013, 04:55 AM   #7
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Imperial is about all I use anymore, it's great stuff. Usually I just wipe the case with a rag after sizing, because I hate clearing media from the flash holes and primer pockets of deprimed brass.
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Old January 6, 2013, 05:30 AM   #8
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I use Imperial with the pan method, you don't use near as much as it looks like in that video. I figure you could easily lube 10K or 20K cases per tin and I am being conservative here. I am still on the same tin I bought 3 years ago and it is 3/4 full. I have done several thousand .223's with it now and because it is so easy I recently started lubing my pistol stuff also, so figure 1000 9 mm's in that count also.

I wash cases, soap, water and citric acid before lubing and after depriming. It is quick, easy and it works. I would rate the cases cleaner than what they used to be when I tumbled dry but leaves some of the residue in primer pockets and in the bottom of the cases so not quite as clean as the wet pin method. It also works well when doing large quantities, 800 9mm won't even make a dent in a 5 gal bucket
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Old January 6, 2013, 07:03 AM   #9
Sure Shot Mc Gee
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All those semi soften resizing wax tubs have been around in one name or another throughout reloading history. Nope not for me. I have been using a RCBS lube pad & their brass lube longer than I care to think about on my bench. Easy quick roll on the pad and done. No wrinkled shell shoulders or excessive amounts of resizing wax seen built up over time on my dies de-capping stems. Unlike those wax tubs are known to do. Since Hornadys One shot is airborne. Who knows where that stuff ends up. Or for that matter whats exactly in it. (Chemicals) At my bench I try to keep things simple that work for me. The RCBS lube pad just does.

Quote:
Staying on point:: Re-size your cartridges case's first. Then drop them into your brass vibrator or tumbler type cleaner for a good cleaning. Media in cleaner will remove the Imperial wax from the brass.

Last edited by Sure Shot Mc Gee; January 6, 2013 at 03:08 PM. Reason: Add a quote
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Old January 6, 2013, 07:39 AM   #10
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Ya I bought some after that one shot thread I made. Midway had it on sale too.
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Old January 6, 2013, 10:09 AM   #11
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I've been using this stuff for about 2 years. I have no complaints with it, it does what its supposed to do quite well. I used to use lube and a pad prior to the Imperial and while this isn't scientific, resizing seems to be slightly easier nowadays. I've done a few thousand .223 and maybe 500 .308 and it barely seems to have made a dent in the tub.
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Old January 6, 2013, 11:26 AM   #12
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It is the only thing that I can find that will keep 5.7x28 cases from sticking in the sizer.
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Old January 6, 2013, 11:40 AM   #13
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I first clean fired cases tumbling them in rice mixed with BB's in two 40-ounce coffee cans taped together on a Thumbler's Tumbler.

Then decap them and put 'em in a terry cloth bag about a foot in diameter and 4 feet long that had some laquer thinner sprayed around its inside. Shushing that bag with each end closed gets all the media dust off the cases making them squeaky clean for lubing.

My case lube's a 40-60 mix of Hoppe's No. 9 bore cleaner and STP engine oil treatment. A few drops of that go on the foam liner inside a 40 ounce coffee can that goes on a Thumbler's Tumbler. I put in as many cases as I can full length size in about 20 minutes. That's enough time to evenly coat the cases such that bottleneck rifle cases full length size consistantly. Those sized cases have no more than a .002" spread in headspace; good enough for best accuracy. No other lube (including ISW and others marketed as "case sizing lubricant.") has done this as efficiently or as good as that Hoppe's-STP mix I got from someone decades ago.

Then those slippery sized cases go back into the terry cloth tube with more laquer thinner on its inside. They clean up very nice and dry quickly sushing 'em back and forth several times.
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Old January 6, 2013, 11:49 AM   #14
Kevin Rohrer
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Quote:
...should I tumble the cases clean, wipe them?
Since it is a wax and not a grease, Imperial will not contaminate anything. You can wipe it off, tumble it (what I normally do), or do nothing (as long as you can't see it on the cases).

I am resizing 1k .30 Carbine cases right now using Imperial. As the brass doesn't have primers in them, if I tumbled them, the primer holes would be filled with media, so I will wipe off the wax when it comes time to trim them with the Giraud.
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Old January 6, 2013, 02:37 PM   #15
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Longtime fan of Imperial. I just dump my cases in my tumbler ... turn it on and go back to depriming/FL sizing the next batch. An hour later ... clean brass in the tumbler ... dump it out ... repeat the cycle ... over and over and over and over!
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Old January 6, 2013, 03:30 PM   #16
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No,I use mink oil shoe polish,for I feel its the same and cheaper.Been useing it for about 12 years now,I'll even say the same can still has more in it than a can of the high priced stuff.
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Old January 6, 2013, 03:41 PM   #17
Bart B.
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Kevin's comment about ISW:
Quote:
You can wipe it off, tumble it (what I normally do), or do nothing (as long as you can't see it on the cases).
Wouldn't that invisible wax on cases allow excessive back thrust on cases as pressure peaked when the round's fired and the case body slides back in the chamber against the bolt face? It sure does with grease or oil on them.
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Old January 6, 2013, 05:16 PM   #18
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Quote:
As the brass doesn't have primers in them, if I tumbled them, the primer holes would be filled with media,
I've seen this stated dozens of times but I've never had a problem with media in flash-holes. I use walnut media that I get either from the pet store or from Harbor Freight, and I've never had problem with media plugging the flash-holes.

I even tumble .223 brass in the tumbler with the walnut media, and it pours right out of the little cases.

Am I doing something wrong?
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Old January 6, 2013, 05:44 PM   #19
Kevin Rohrer
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I am loading 1k 7.62mm in the Dillon right now, and am having to inspect and clear media from most of the primer holes. I wish I were doing the same wrong thing as are you.
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Old January 6, 2013, 06:15 PM   #20
hounddawg
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when I used to dry tumble I used the "lizard litter", never had any issues with media in the primer holes either
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Old January 6, 2013, 06:23 PM   #21
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Quote:
Wouldn't that invisible wax on cases allow excessive back thrust on cases as pressure peaked when the round's fired and the case body slides back in the chamber against the bolt face? It sure does with grease or oil on them.
Not in my experience.

Quote:
I am resizing 1k .30 Carbine cases right now using Imperial. As the brass doesn't have primers in them, if I tumbled them, the primer holes would be filled with media, so I will wipe off the wax when it comes time to trim them with the Giraud.
Then it obvious your media is to large, right?

http://www.drillspot.com/products/52...bs_blast_media

This will not clog your primer pockets nor your flash holes and comes to your door with free shipping, no gas expense to get it. All this for less that $1.00 a lb, and there is alot in 1 lb.
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Old January 6, 2013, 07:53 PM   #22
hk33ka1
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I use Imperial a lot also use RCBS 2 on a lube pad.

If I load 10-20 cases I wipe off as I go. If I am sizing 50-100-500 I just throw them in the tumbler for an hour then load later.
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Old January 6, 2013, 08:16 PM   #23
Bart B.
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jcwit, if your experience with Imperial Sizing Wax on your loaded round's cases does not cause excessive back thrust in pounds on the bolt face, how did you measure it to ensure it's not too much? And how much back thrust do you think is the maximum for safety?
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Old January 6, 2013, 09:04 PM   #24
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I'm another wiper, not a tumbler-- I would say that ISW is the only lube I use, except that one of my kids gave me some Hornady Unique for Xmas or B'day or something and I use it every now and then to lube 30-30 cases or other non-match cases. The Hornady stuff is not a patch on the ISW--and it smells funny too..........................with either one a little bit goes a long way--it's just that the ISW goes longer and wipes off more easily--dies clean up more easily--and did I mention it does not smell funny?
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Old January 6, 2013, 09:25 PM   #25
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Been using for as long as it's been available. I use a paper towel because I've primed before the sizing step.
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