Mineral Spirits as Bullet Sizing Lube?

steve4102 · July 10, 2013, 04:05 PM

I read on the Cast Boolits site that some are coating their fresh cast bullets in plain Mineral Spirits before sizing them.

A little air dry and then a tumble in Alox or 45/45/10.

Anyone here try the Mineral Spirits lubing?

Mike / Tx · July 10, 2013, 05:46 PM

I can't see whee it would hurt, but I really hate the smell of the stuff.

I grew up with it around about every day with the amount of wood work we built and put together being stained and varnished. Even the unscented stuff stink to me.

I just lube them with 45/45/10, size and run them through again. Heck even that Alox has a bit of a rank to it, least compared to Felix lube or Carnuba Red.

CS86 · July 11, 2013, 08:16 AM

Never tried plain mineral spirits. I didn't think it would have much of a coating to apply any slickness. I use either 45/45/10 or spray some One Shot on them and tumble them around a bit. I let them sit for a few min and size them. I like using One Shot to size but its a little more expensive I think.

I have some bullets to size and I might try it with Plain MS and see what happens to a few.

steve4102 · July 11, 2013, 08:49 AM

I just tried it. They all sized fine, the smell sucked, they were much harder to push through the die and I did not see any evidence of galling or leading in the die.

Mike / Tx · July 11, 2013, 06:28 PM

Quote:

the smell sucked,

^^^ Yea what he said......

Beagle333 · July 11, 2013, 09:33 PM

I read about some guys on the cowboy forum spraying them lightly with WD40 before sizing and I tried it, and it seemed to work well. I tumbled them in LLA later.
But I do get better results and easier sizing from tumbling them very lightly first in the LLA, then sizing and tumbling again just a little heavier for loading/shooting.

snuffy · July 12, 2013, 12:40 PM

The bottom line here is; running a bare lead boolit through a lee sizer will require,1 a lot of force, 2 will "lead" the bore of the die, 3 will distort the boolit.

One trick for lubrication is to mix up a batch of lube using detergent and water. Mine uses Dawn dish soap and water 50-50. It's so slippery that it's difficult to pick up the boolits. After sizing a rinse in straight water and a drying time is all that required. STOP! don't say that takes too much time to dry, you'd have to wait longer for a coat of LLA to dry!

steve4102 · July 12, 2013, 01:51 PM

Snuffy, could you do me a favor and try the Mineral Spirits as a first lube and see what you think? Do you think the MS is not an adequate lube?

I tried it and I'm not convinced either way whether it is a good idea or not. I have sized about 200 10/40 this way and I do not see any galling or lead in the die, It does take more force to size the bullets, and I would not know a deformed bullet if I saw one.

Thanks

Mike / Tx · July 12, 2013, 04:17 PM

Hey Steve,

If you REALLY want something that works out great, don't cost an arm and a leg, isn't stinky, and isn't overly bad for your hands, just go pick up some lanolin or mink oil from either your drug store or from Wally world. Cut it with some denatured alcohol, and put it in a spray bottle. Might have to play with the portion of lube added to the alcohol to get it right, but it works great and don't stink to high heavens. Just remember to shake it up before you mist your bullets, spray, wait a few minutes, and go to sizing.

It will work about as well as Imperial Sizing Wax does on cases if you have ever tried that. Only the alcohol will carry it out then dry away leaving he lube on the bullets. They will slide right on through the Lee die.

steve4102 · July 13, 2013, 04:04 AM

Thanks Mike, would that mixture later affect the ability of the 45/45/10 to work/stick to the sized bullets?

Mike / Tx · July 13, 2013, 01:01 PM

Well I can only say this, I poured up some solids a while back and decided to water quench some and air cool some. The alloy used was 1/3/96 or the Lg Iso Core stuff. I poured up around 50 or so of each. I dropped a few of the harder ones in my 45-45-10 bag and lubed them up to see how they were going to size compared to the air cooled. Since I have only water quenched around 50 in the past, I was sizing these quick as I hear they size easier, (yea right) within the first hour or so after pouring. If thats the case, I doubt I could have run them through if I had waited a week like I usually do.

Anyway, what I found was that the WQ's were hard enough that I had to use my Rock Chucker in order to size them. Even doing that I ended up using some of the Imperial Sizing Wax on them as the already applied 45-45-10 simply wasn't working out very well. So I hand l lubed them as I ran them through with both.

After that I simply did the remainder with the Sizing Wax and it was much easier. I cleaned the die afterwords as I usually do with a rag and some of the stinky MS. After sizing I rolled them through the 45-45-10 and it seemed to have stuck as well as it ever had.

This was with a straight coat of the Sizing Wax. While I know it has been said that it is almost a straight lanolin mix, I haven't had it tested to be sure. I do however know that if your diluting the lanolin with alcohol it will be a much lighter coat to begin with. I have read a lot of reports of folks using a similar lube on their cases with good result. I have personally used Mink Oil several times for case lube and it works just as good as the Imperial has.

As for putting it on the bullets, well the thought just came to me as I was reading your last post wondering about the Mineral Spirits. Since I also have tried the WD-40 thing, but prefer not to use it either, I figured the lanolin mix might solve two things at once. No stink and slick bullets.

Since you will be controlling the amounts of each, you might look around at the dollar store or something similar and pick up a cheap spray bottle that is graduated. Pour in a few ounces alcohol, then add in a measured amount of the lanolin. shake it up and test for results. If needed add in a bit more lanolin. The spray should dry pretty quickly, as soon as the alcohol dries up. They should be ready to size within a few minutes.

Tell ya what. I have both and will do a simple unmeasured test here ral quick. I'll holler back ASAP.

OK well never mind on the lanolin and denatured alcohol. You will just end up with a mess.

I still got one more place to look before I give up though, so hang on.

Ok well I found the link I was looking for right off the bat. Much better luck than I had with my mixing. LOL What a mess....

Anyway here is the link,
Sizing Lubricants

After reading through that, can you guess which type of lanolin I have.....

I would try it with the Mink oil I have but it is up at the country. Anyway, if you give it a try be sure to post up how it comes out. I'm just glad I didn't mix mine up int he wife's plant sprayer.

steve4102 · July 14, 2013, 10:47 PM

Thanks Mike, great link!!!

Super Sneaky Steve · July 16, 2013, 06:53 PM

A slight squirt of rem oil does well.

But I've since quit using the LLA and gone to traditional pan lubing. If you pan lube first you don't have an add anything extra when you size.

gwpercle · July 16, 2013, 06:55 PM

For pushing through a Lee sizer die mineral OIL would make more sense than mineral spirits. Use Johnson's baby oil and your boolits will smell real nice.

July 10, 2013, 04:05 PM	#1
steve4102 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,952	Mineral Spirits as Bullet Sizing Lube? I read on the Cast Boolits site that some are coating their fresh cast bullets in plain Mineral Spirits before sizing them. A little air dry and then a tumble in Alox or 45/45/10. Anyone here try the Mineral Spirits lubing?

July 10, 2013, 05:46 PM	#2
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	I can't see whee it would hurt, but I really hate the smell of the stuff. I grew up with it around about every day with the amount of wood work we built and put together being stained and varnished. Even the unscented stuff stink to me. I just lube them with 45/45/10, size and run them through again. Heck even that Alox has a bit of a rank to it, least compared to Felix lube or Carnuba Red. __________________ LAter, Mike / TX

July 11, 2013, 09:33 PM	#6
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	I read about some guys on the cowboy forum spraying them lightly with WD40 before sizing and I tried it, and it seemed to work well. I tumbled them in LLA later. But I do get better results and easier sizing from tumbling them very lightly first in the LLA, then sizing and tumbling again just a little heavier for loading/shooting. __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.

July 12, 2013, 12:40 PM	#7
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	The bottom line here is; running a bare lead boolit through a lee sizer will require,1 a lot of force, 2 will "lead" the bore of the die, 3 will distort the boolit. One trick for lubrication is to mix up a batch of lube using detergent and water. Mine uses Dawn dish soap and water 50-50. It's so slippery that it's difficult to pick up the boolits. After sizing a rinse in straight water and a drying time is all that required. STOP! don't say that takes too much time to dry, you'd have to wait longer for a coat of LLA to dry! __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

July 12, 2013, 04:17 PM	#9
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	Hey Steve, If you REALLY want something that works out great, don't cost an arm and a leg, isn't stinky, and isn't overly bad for your hands, just go pick up some lanolin or mink oil from either your drug store or from Wally world. Cut it with some denatured alcohol, and put it in a spray bottle. Might have to play with the portion of lube added to the alcohol to get it right, but it works great and don't stink to high heavens. Just remember to shake it up before you mist your bullets, spray, wait a few minutes, and go to sizing. It will work about as well as Imperial Sizing Wax does on cases if you have ever tried that. Only the alcohol will carry it out then dry away leaving he lube on the bullets. They will slide right on through the Lee die. __________________ LAter, Mike / TX

July 11, 2013, 08:16 AM	#3
CS86 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2012 Location: South Dakota Posts: 224	Never tried plain mineral spirits. I didn't think it would have much of a coating to apply any slickness. I use either 45/45/10 or spray some One Shot on them and tumble them around a bit. I let them sit for a few min and size them. I like using One Shot to size but its a little more expensive I think. I have some bullets to size and I might try it with Plain MS and see what happens to a few.

July 11, 2013, 08:49 AM	#4
steve4102 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,952	I just tried it. They all sized fine, the smell sucked, they were much harder to push through the die and I did not see any evidence of galling or leading in the die.

July 12, 2013, 01:51 PM	#8
steve4102 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,952	Snuffy, could you do me a favor and try the Mineral Spirits as a first lube and see what you think? Do you think the MS is not an adequate lube? I tried it and I'm not convinced either way whether it is a good idea or not. I have sized about 200 10/40 this way and I do not see any galling or lead in the die, It does take more force to size the bullets, and I would not know a deformed bullet if I saw one. Thanks

July 13, 2013, 04:04 AM	#10
steve4102 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,952	Thanks Mike, would that mixture later affect the ability of the 45/45/10 to work/stick to the sized bullets?

July 13, 2013, 01:01 PM	#11
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	Well I can only say this, I poured up some solids a while back and decided to water quench some and air cool some. The alloy used was 1/3/96 or the Lg Iso Core stuff. I poured up around 50 or so of each. I dropped a few of the harder ones in my 45-45-10 bag and lubed them up to see how they were going to size compared to the air cooled. Since I have only water quenched around 50 in the past, I was sizing these quick as I hear they size easier, (yea right) within the first hour or so after pouring. If thats the case, I doubt I could have run them through if I had waited a week like I usually do. Anyway, what I found was that the WQ's were hard enough that I had to use my Rock Chucker in order to size them. Even doing that I ended up using some of the Imperial Sizing Wax on them as the already applied 45-45-10 simply wasn't working out very well. So I hand l lubed them as I ran them through with both. After that I simply did the remainder with the Sizing Wax and it was much easier. I cleaned the die afterwords as I usually do with a rag and some of the stinky MS. After sizing I rolled them through the 45-45-10 and it seemed to have stuck as well as it ever had. This was with a straight coat of the Sizing Wax. While I know it has been said that it is almost a straight lanolin mix, I haven't had it tested to be sure. I do however know that if your diluting the lanolin with alcohol it will be a much lighter coat to begin with. I have read a lot of reports of folks using a similar lube on their cases with good result. I have personally used Mink Oil several times for case lube and it works just as good as the Imperial has. As for putting it on the bullets, well the thought just came to me as I was reading your last post wondering about the Mineral Spirits. Since I also have tried the WD-40 thing, but prefer not to use it either, I figured the lanolin mix might solve two things at once. No stink and slick bullets. Since you will be controlling the amounts of each, you might look around at the dollar store or something similar and pick up a cheap spray bottle that is graduated. Pour in a few ounces alcohol, then add in a measured amount of the lanolin. shake it up and test for results. If needed add in a bit more lanolin. The spray should dry pretty quickly, as soon as the alcohol dries up. They should be ready to size within a few minutes. Tell ya what. I have both and will do a simple unmeasured test here ral quick. I'll holler back ASAP. *OK well never mind on the lanolin and denatured alcohol. You will just end up with a mess.* I still got one more place to look before I give up though, so hang on. Ok well I found the link I was looking for right off the bat. Much better luck than I had with my mixing. LOL What a mess.... Anyway here is the link, Sizing Lubricants After reading through that, can you guess which type of lanolin I have..... I would try it with the Mink oil I have but it is up at the country. Anyway, if you give it a try be sure to post up how it comes out. I'm just glad I didn't mix mine up int he wife's plant sprayer. __________________ LAter, Mike / TX Last edited by Mike / Tx; July 13, 2013 at 03:22 PM.

July 14, 2013, 10:47 PM	#12
steve4102 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,952	Thanks Mike, great link!!!

July 16, 2013, 06:53 PM	#13
Super Sneaky Steve Senior Member Join Date: August 9, 2011 Posts: 1,250	A slight squirt of rem oil does well. But I've since quit using the LLA and gone to traditional pan lubing. If you pan lube first you don't have an add anything extra when you size.

July 16, 2013, 06:55 PM	#14
gwpercle Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2012 Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Posts: 1,752	For pushing through a Lee sizer die mineral OIL would make more sense than mineral spirits. Use Johnson's baby oil and your boolits will smell real nice.