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Old October 3, 2010, 06:56 PM   #1
hnm3355
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home made case lube?

well i have seen a few people talk about home made case lube. from 1 part 99% rubbing alcohol to 4 parts pure lanolin. does any one know were i could get these items, and if any one has home made lube?
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Old October 3, 2010, 07:10 PM   #2
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I find silicone spray works really well. A whole can costs about $4.
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Old October 3, 2010, 07:16 PM   #3
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A bottle of case lube is so cheap and lasts so freakin long....I just don't understand why folks would bother.

But if you really have to (say in an emergency) this might help
http://nyshooters.net/forum/showthre...made-Case-Lube
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Old October 3, 2010, 07:20 PM   #4
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i was just kinda curious cause i have seen people use some crazy stuff like pam spray.
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Old October 3, 2010, 07:34 PM   #5
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Here is one that all you have to do to get is go into the pharmacy section of a grocery store. Silicone personal lubricant. $5 for a 4.5 oz bottle. 2 drops on a pice of a shop towel, and a drop or two on a pipe cleaner. Rub you index finger on the towel every so often, then wipe the case neck, and shoulder. use the pipe cleaner to lube inside the case neck. When done sizing wipe with a touch of denatured alcohol, or tumble for a few minutes. Use a dry pipe cleaner to wipe inside of the case neck. I gaurentee it wipes clean quickly, and no lube dents at all. I can 200 cases in about 30 minutes without rushing it.
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Old October 3, 2010, 07:53 PM   #6
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I've had good luck using straight mineral oil. I posted a thread about this a while back; I didn't do this because I'm too cheap to buy purpose specific case lube- I had it on hand, and it works.

Also, depending on how much you shoot, 2oz of case lube may not last "forever." I shoot hundreds of rounds of 223 a week, and I don't imagine 2oz of case lube would last longer than the amount of mineral oil I get for the same cost.
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Old October 3, 2010, 08:01 PM   #7
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Here's one article on making home made case lube:
http://www.frfrogspad.com/homemade.htm#Sizing
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Old October 3, 2010, 08:16 PM   #8
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Although I would never do this, because I live in a big city and supplies are readily available, this is some very good information, especially to someone that lives way out in the country. A lot of great suggestions have been offered here. It's amazing the vast amount of knowledge that the members of this forum have.
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Old October 3, 2010, 08:21 PM   #9
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99% alcohol:

http://www.amazon.com/Isopropyl-Alco.../dp/B000FVWH6O

make sure you get anhydrous lanolin:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lanolin-Anhydrou...item5637be06ae

I have used the lanolin in making Ed's Red bore solvent.
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Old October 3, 2010, 08:54 PM   #10
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well i couldn't find the lanolin crap so im probably just going to go buy some lee oil. i was thinking of trying some mineral oil since i have 1500 rounds to size.

but i still need to make or buy the work bench first.
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Old October 3, 2010, 09:29 PM   #11
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99% alcohol is correct , here Safeway has it. The lanolin , I got at a health food store ; the stuff you want is a clear amber liquid about like honey.
Use 1 part lanolin to 5 or 6 parts alcohol ,
I started useing it when there was no lube available locally and I had a few thousand 5.56 and 7.62 to do. The 5/1 ratio works perfectly through a small spray bottle.
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Old October 3, 2010, 09:38 PM   #12
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You can also use wire pull lube. You can get it in most large hardware stores.
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Old October 3, 2010, 10:32 PM   #13
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STP

For years I used nothing but STP oil treatment. Now I prefer the convenience of spray lubes.
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Old October 3, 2010, 10:53 PM   #14
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what about gun oil is that usable
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Old October 4, 2010, 01:37 AM   #15
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Instead of looking at Wal-Mart for something to make a case lube out of, just go to the shoe department and pick up a can of Kiwi Mink Oil shoe polish. I hear it works the same as Imperial sizing wax. No mixing required.
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Old October 4, 2010, 07:45 AM   #16
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For a case lube, what you are looking at is a lube that has a high film strength. Something like STP, lanolin , Mink Oil, any heavy wax type lube.

Gun oil is NOT sutiable for case lube, it will fail and you will have stuck cases.

The Mink Oil or any wax type lube is easier o use and comes off the cases.
The lanolin/alcohol mix will work well but you have to spray it on then let the alcohol evaporate.

Lastly get a nylon/plastic bore brush for cleaning the case necks. The brushing thakes out some of the carbon and makes it easier pulling the neck over the expanding button.
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Old October 4, 2010, 09:03 AM   #17
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ok sounds good. well since i don't have my set up complete yet, im still going to have to wait a bit. ill probably try some of the lee stuff aswell see which one is better, im not really looking at price i just rather not have to go to the store more that once to go get case lube. i know i could just buy tons of it at once, but making your own sounds a bit more fun and easier.
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Old October 4, 2010, 10:55 AM   #18
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A tin of Kiwi Mink Oil polish will last you a few years loading bottleneck rifle cartridges. If you weren't aware, you don't need case lube for most handgun cases if you get carbide (common) sizing dies.

I bought a bottle of Lyman case lube that I use on an old-school lube pad. In the last 5 years I've used less than half of that little 2-oz bottle. So I'm not thinking you'll be doing a lot of running out looking for case lube.

Powder, primers, and bullets, on the other hand...
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Old October 4, 2010, 11:50 AM   #19
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Quote:
does any one know were i could get these items, and if any one has home made lube?
Since this is the question the OP asked, I will answer it. Go talk to your local pharmacist for the lanolin. Get the alcohol in the paint department at the hardware store (Home Depot or other of your choice). Or just dispense with the hassles and buy some GoJo waterless hand cleaner (no pumice, no orange scrub stuff, just the old-fashioned white goo), it works very well.

And if you get tired fooling around with gooey lubes, get some Imperial Case Sizing Wax (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct...tnumber=519525). Not as good for forming cases, but you don't have to clean it off; just put it on with your fingers, size the cases, and you're done.
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Old October 4, 2010, 09:04 PM   #20
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get some Imperial Case Sizing Wax ... Not as good for forming cases, but you don't have to clean it off
Are you sure about that? There aren't many guns that require case lubrication and usually lube left on the case is a bad thing in terms of bolt thrust.
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Old October 4, 2010, 10:30 PM   #21
hnm3355
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"I've had good luck using straight mineral oil. I posted a thread about this a while back; I didn't do this because I'm too cheap to buy purpose specific case lube- I had it on hand, and it works.

Also, depending on how much you shoot, 2oz of case lube may not last "forever." I shoot hundreds of rounds of 223 a week, and I don't imagine 2oz of case lube would last longer than the amount of mineral oil I get for the same cost. "

i think im going to try some mineral oil since i got a bottle for under 2 buxs
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Old October 6, 2010, 09:56 AM   #22
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The way I use mineral oil is to wear a rubber glove and just put a couple drops on the fingers I'm using to pick up brass and place into the press. I put it in a little dropper bottle and just "refresh" the glove as needed, starting with just 2 or 3 drops.

Now, as others have hinted at, it DOES require that you clean the mineral oil off afterward. There are many ways to do this; for me it wasn't an extra step compared to what I was already doing.
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Old October 6, 2010, 10:26 AM   #23
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Kiwi Mink Oil. Castor oil also works good if you want to use a lube pad. And Alberto VO5 hair dressing contains enough lanolin that it ought to make a good case lube. So head to your drug store, and there are lots of ready-made high-film-strength lubricants.

You could also try gear oil, like for a manual transmission (do not use automatic transmission fluid unless you just really want a stuck case)
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Old October 6, 2010, 11:55 AM   #24
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I too use Mink Oil Boot Dressing for case lube. And it leaves my hands so soft . If I had a lot of brass to process, I'd go with the Lanolin/Alcohol spray. Pharmacy for Lanolin and paint store for alcohol.
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Old October 6, 2010, 08:04 PM   #25
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Small spray bottle, tube of Lee Resizing Lub, 99 cents bottle of alcohol. 99% alcohol two squizes of lub and shake well. Spray the cases and let dry. This keeps me going for 6 months before I need more lub.


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