Case lube part 2

[B. Miville]

I hit on something today that I want to discuss and don't want to clutter up the other thread.

Ok, so I was digging around the bench today and happened upon a tube of Lee case lube I forgot I had (I got it with the Lee reloading kit I bought years ago and just tossed it in a box to sit till now.)  I started using it, and found it was a bit longer lubing it by putting a dab on the back of my hand, touching the case body to the dab, and then spreading with my thumb and index finger.  Then something stirred in the brain box of mine.  I remember reading a couple years ago some guys diluting the Lee in water and spraying it on cases with good success.  So I decided to try a variation of this (using rubbing alcohol instead of water).  I took an 11oz spray bottle that was left over from the RCBS case lube, I cleaned it out, and added about a tablespoon, perhaps a bit more, and filled it up with rubbing alcohol and shook it till mixed.  I may have to adjust the mixture ratio a bit since it took a decent soaking to get proper coverage, but the mixture worked great!!!!  No sticky mess, at worst it was a bit damp, but I did not let the alcohol evaporate before working...just spray and go to it.

So then I remembered someone here saying that the Imperial Sizing die wax is water soluable too.  I already have a tin coming soon, so I am thinking of using up the tube of Lee and then taing this experiment on with the Imperial instead of the Lee lube.  So now comes the fun part of the post: Do you folks think this could work as well as the Lee dilution?  If no, why not.  If yes, what kind of ration do you think might be a good place to start?

Brian

[stimpylu32]

BM

I have not been able to find anywere that says Imperial is water soluable , I know that the RCBS pad lube is , but did find that when it ( Imperial ) is warmed up and thins out it does NOT work as well as it was designed to . ( stuck cases )

stimpy

[charles p]

I like the Lee sizing lube.  I do exactly as you described - I put a dab on one finger and touch the case to it as needed.  I've tried spray lubes, and oil type lubes, and I like the Lee product best of all.  I also like the Lee primer seating tool.  Those are the only Lee products I have ever used.

[B. Miville]

BM

I have not been able to find anywere that says Imperial is water soluable , I know that the RCBS pad lube is , but did find that when it ( Imperial ) is warmed up and thins out it does NOT work as well as it was designed to . ( stuck cases )

stimpy

Lloyd Smales wrote this in the other thread:

"anymore i use nothing but anyhydrous lanolin. You can get a big tub of it at your pharmacy for about 25 bucks. Even a smaller tub will last you a lifetime but i use it in making bullet lube too. It is the same thing that is used in lee lube and imperial sizing lube. But it is the lubricant used in them in full strenght. What i do is dip my fingers slightly in the tub and as i pick up the case i give it a quick rub do distribute the lube. Now i can load at about full speed on a 550 dillon doing it like this. Ive found nothing that lubes cases better. I dont get any stuck cases like i did with hornady one shot or other lubes. Even when forming wildcats it is smooth as silk. The only draw back to it is you need to clean it off. When im cranking out a ton of ammo what i tend to do now is size and prime on the 550 then throw them in the tumbler and when there clean put them back on the 550 and finish. For the 6 to 8 dollars a can of one shot cost you can probably buy enough lanolin to last your lifetime"

I perhaps may have erroniously made the conclusion that since lanolin is the basic ingridient for both the Lee and Imperial, and that the Lee stuff is water soluable, that the Imperial is too.  Perhaps further investigation on my part is needed.  At worst I guess I can just use lanolin and the Lee stuff from now on.  The sprayed on Lee solution really did work incredibly......

Brian

[jsoukup]

Just how sparingly are you supposed to use imperial? I got dents on the shoulders on the first 6 cases, then I broke the decapping pin and realized the expander ball was missing, so it was back to the reloading shop to basically rebuild the die, then I was out of town on business, I just haven't tried again.

[Graybeard]

The only Imperial I've used came from Redding and in the short time I used it I got the majority of the total stuck cases I've had in over 40 years of reloading. Thanks but no thanks I'll pass on Imperial. Perhaps it's as Stimpy says it's cuz it's hot as blazes down here in Bama and I reload in my garage with no AC.

For the last 20+ years I guess I've used nothing but RCBS spray lube in the pump bottles but that's no longer an option. RCBS decided to change something exactly what I'm not sure. The first I noticed it was a bottle change. I bought three of them and got the new bottles. Since I still had some from the old clear bottles left I set it on a shelf to use later when I used up all the old stuff. When I pulled it out to use there was nothing there but the sticky goo in the bottom all the liquid had evaporated out of the still sealed bottles.

I contacted RCBS and they admitted yeah some leaked. Mine didn't leak it evaporated. They promised replacements post haste. That's coming up on a year ago soon and I'm still waiting on the replacements. That's the second time in a row I've asked RCBS for customer assistance and failed to get it. They used to be the best but now seem to have fallen to second rate on customer assistance at least in my opinion.

Cabela's has a bottle of spray lube that looks very much like the old RCBS bottles and next order I place I'm gonna get some and try it. I've already switched from RCBS to Hornady dies and now it looks like I'll be switching to Cabela's lube.

[davem270win]

I've tried a number of lubes, but always seem to come back to Imperial. You don't need to glob it on - a little goes a long way. You also have to keep your sizing dies clean, and if you're getting stuck cases, it could be some dried up lube in the die, or other dirt (when I used mica for the necks, I found that would build up on the sizing ball).
Some of the spray ons I've tried say "no skin contact" which means I have to do the whole process wearing gloves?

[corbanzo]

I'm not sure what in sizing lube could be harmful to your skin...?   You just gotta make sure you wash your hands well so you don't get it all over everything else you touch.   

[Tom W.]

I've used the Lee white stuff, the RCBS STP looking stuff and the Imperial, and I like the imperial the best. I've had the nozzle pop out of the RCBS container and had one glorious mess on my lube pad. Plus I get way too many lube dents with the RCBS stuff...I'll
 stay with the Imperial, thank you.