My "New" lube for loading equipment, Good idea or not?

ipscchef · July 16, 2011, 06:57 PM

Hi guys.

I just wanted to tell everyone here, and get feedback from those of you who may know more than I about this sort of thing. I have been using "Universal Hydraulic Fluid" for lubing the ram on my old Rockchucker and my Lee Classic Turret for a while now and it seems to be working really well so far. A buddy of mine who is a machinest and ex- Marine reccomended it a while back. I also wipe down the outside of some of my older dies with it very sparingly, and then wipe it off mostly. Like I said, so far so good. It is the same thing I use in the HST tranny of my tractors and my UTV, (All Kubotas, BTW). If you buy the 5 gallon buckets, it becomes dirt cheap as lubes go. I have not used it on any firearms yet, but my buddy thinks that it is what KEL- Lube is, and thinks that the military uses it in many applications for light to medium lubrication. Any thoughts or problems that may arise? It does not seem to gunk up at all so far.

The only thing is that I really have no idea what it is made of, it feels like a synthetic oil to me.

Thanks,

Willy

Longdayjake · July 16, 2011, 07:32 PM

It should work fine for anything except lubing your cases. It probably doesn't offer as much rust protection as an actual machine lube would. My guess is that it will work awesome for your application though.

WANT A LCR 22LR · July 16, 2011, 09:03 PM

Regular hydraulic / tractor transmission oil can be considered generic "oil" when it comes to general lubrication. If it was a emulsion ( water based ), fire resistant fluid or some sort of super secret used in the SR70 Blackbird hyd oil, I'd stay away.

For the record standard automotive brake fluid is hydroscopic ( absorbs water ) so don't use that for lube as things will be rusty in a short time.

TXGunNut · July 16, 2011, 10:51 PM

Automatic transmission fluid (atf) is similar to universal hydraulic fluid other than the chemicals added to make it perform in a specific transmission. Conventional automatic trannies are hydraulic pumps with clutches and other cool stuff but we're going to leave it at that. Universal fluid doesn't have a lot of additives so it costs less. I watched bullseye shooters use a concoction based on atf several years back, suspect they still do. Atf usually has detergent properties, if it helps keep trannies clean it may do the same with your reloading equipment. Keep it away from primers, it could have penetrating properties as well. There's so much chemistry in the petrochemical business these days I prefer to buy oils formulated to do the job at hand.
If you use up that whole 5-gallon bucket anytime soon I suspect you're using too much.

FrankenMauser · July 16, 2011, 11:57 PM

Hydraulic fluids are very good at penetrating into places you don't want oil.

...And even better, at stripping paint and other metal finishes. Follow the old recommendation of "Try in an inconspicuous place".

...And not the best lubricants. They're great at rust prevention, but crap for lubrication. I stick with lubricants that are better suited to the need at hand. (Grease, when needed. High viscosity oils, when needed. Low viscosity oils, when needed. And anything else that may be required.)

"WANT A LCR 22LR" - It's hygroscopic. You're mashing up 'hydrophobic' and 'hygroscopic'.

sc928porsche · July 20, 2011, 05:58 PM

I lube my press ram and pivot points with STP.

July 16, 2011, 06:57 PM	#1
ipscchef Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2008 Location: South Central Pa. Posts: 427	My "New" lube for loading equipment, Good idea or not? Hi guys. I just wanted to tell everyone here, and get feedback from those of you who may know more than I about this sort of thing. I have been using "Universal Hydraulic Fluid" for lubing the ram on my old Rockchucker and my Lee Classic Turret for a while now and it seems to be working really well so far. A buddy of mine who is a machinest and ex- Marine reccomended it a while back. I also wipe down the outside of some of my older dies with it very sparingly, and then wipe it off mostly. Like I said, so far so good. It is the same thing I use in the HST tranny of my tractors and my UTV, (All Kubotas, BTW). If you buy the 5 gallon buckets, it becomes dirt cheap as lubes go. I have not used it on any firearms yet, but my buddy thinks that it is what KEL- Lube is, and thinks that the military uses it in many applications for light to medium lubrication. Any thoughts or problems that may arise? It does not seem to gunk up at all so far. The only thing is that I really have no idea what it is made of, it feels like a synthetic oil to me. Thanks, Willy __________________ Don' keep shooting them until you think they are dead, Keep shooting them until they think they are dead.- Clint Smith

July 16, 2011, 07:32 PM	#2
Longdayjake Senior Member Join Date: August 11, 2009 Posts: 619	It should work fine for anything except lubing your cases. It probably doesn't offer as much rust protection as an actual machine lube would. My guess is that it will work awesome for your application though. __________________ If you need bullets for reloading give my website a look. www.rmrbullets.com

July 16, 2011, 10:51 PM	#4
TXGunNut Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: If you have to ask... Posts: 2,860	Automatic transmission fluid (atf) is similar to universal hydraulic fluid other than the chemicals added to make it perform in a specific transmission. Conventional automatic trannies are hydraulic pumps with clutches and other cool stuff but we're going to leave it at that. Universal fluid doesn't have a lot of additives so it costs less. I watched bullseye shooters use a concoction based on atf several years back, suspect they still do. Atf usually has detergent properties, if it helps keep trannies clean it may do the same with your reloading equipment. Keep it away from primers, it could have penetrating properties as well. There's so much chemistry in the petrochemical business these days I prefer to buy oils formulated to do the job at hand. If you use up that whole 5-gallon bucket anytime soon I suspect you're using too much. __________________ Life Member NRA, TSRA Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call Lonesome Dove My favorite recipes start out with a handful of used wheelweights. Last edited by TXGunNut; July 17, 2011 at 12:04 AM.

July 16, 2011, 11:57 PM	#5
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	Hydraulic fluids are very good at penetrating into places you don't want oil. ...And even better, at stripping paint and other metal finishes. Follow the old recommendation of "Try in an inconspicuous place". ...And not the best lubricants. They're great at rust prevention, but crap for lubrication. I stick with lubricants that are better suited to the need at hand. (Grease, when needed. High viscosity oils, when needed. Low viscosity oils, when needed. And anything else that may be required.) "WANT A LCR 22LR" - It's hygroscopic. You're mashing up 'hydrophobic' and 'hygroscopic'. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

July 20, 2011, 05:58 PM	#6
sc928porsche Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2008 Location: now living in alabama Posts: 2,433	I lube my press ram and pivot points with STP. __________________ No such thing as a stupid question. What is stupid is not asking it.

July 16, 2011, 09:03 PM	#3
WANT A LCR 22LR Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2010 Posts: 389	Regular hydraulic / tractor transmission oil can be considered generic "oil" when it comes to general lubrication. If it was a emulsion ( water based ), fire resistant fluid or some sort of super secret used in the SR70 Blackbird hyd oil, I'd stay away. For the record standard automotive brake fluid is hydroscopic ( absorbs water ) so don't use that for lube as things will be rusty in a short time.