Removing case lube

C

C7AR15

New member
Normally I only reload 40 - 60 rounds of. 308, but now I have 300 rounds to load.
I'm using Imperial wax case lube . It's easy to put on, wiping off with a cloth my fingers get kind of knarly! And tired.
Anybody have a way of doing this an easy way ? I was thinking of using my tumbler, but I don't want to ruin the walnut media. $

ALSO, the case trimming process is going to have to be powered up too.

Thanks jd
 
I do not want anything between the chamber and case but air' I want clean air and I do not want a lot of air, I doubt I could ever chamber a round with enough air between the case and chamber to blow my hat off but I am the fan of cutting down on all that case travel.

I have no ideal what it would be like to worry about contaminating tumbler media, I tumble after sizing. And then, there is always 'and then' there are the liquid like soap, detergents and acids. There is a preputial thread running about etching and case structure, there is nothing I have done that qualifies for worthy mention but I started out cleaning cases by etching. When I started cleaning cases I did not have time to answer the door, phone or go plow, if something distracted me after starting the cases disappeared. There was a limit on time that was less than 2 minutes. Today I would have trouble finding someone that knows what I am talking about.

F. Guffey
 
Wipe it off with a cloth/rag dampened with regular bore cleaning solvent.
You only have to trim if the cases are longer than 2.810". Lock your vernier calipre at that and use it as a gauge. Once fired cases will likely need chamfering anyway though. Done in front of the TV with the case over a shoe box to catch the shavings.
 
Tumbling menia is cheap, and absorbent. You can add paint thinner to rejuvenate it. Your media will become contaminated with nastier stuff than case lube. It is cheap enough to replace when contaminated (after at least several runs). If you aer only tumbling lube off of otherwise very clean cases, your media will last a very long time, and the cost of replacing it will be immaterial: $1.13 per pound (around a bowl full+) for FA corn cob at Midway, that will last for more than 1,000 rounds. The math comes out to less than one tenth of one cent per round.
But specifically, hot water and dish washing detergent work wonders. I prefer d/w machine detergent, but wash before lubing for sizing.
Depending on the order of your processing steps (I prefer to size only very clean cases, with tiny amounts of lube), you could hot/wet wash after sizing to remove just the lube.
I tried the Case Cleaning and Polish solution that came with my FA SS pin wet tumbler, and liked the result so much that I ordered a bottle of it:
Frankford Arsenal Brass Cleaning Solution
You add it to water, and it is designed for use in ultrasonic or wet SS pin cleaners. This is a different product than FA case polish for dry tumbling media (which I have not used), which will also rejuvenate dry media (as paint thinner does).
 
I use a rotary tumbler with stainless steel pins , Sun Oxygen liquid detergent & very little LemiShine. I remove the primers first, cleans the pockets , inside & out of the cases are like new. I size then back in the tumbler with clean water , Sun & LemiShine to remove the lube. Trim & chamfer. Canged to wet tumbling after 30+ years of using corn & walnut media. Never liked the idea of water in cases but I'm glad I did.
 
The first bunch of cleaner media, cob, I put in my vibrator cleaned I used over 10 yrs. Always got the case's clean for me but at the end I hand to let it go all night. Then spotted a bag of it and though I might change it. I did, couple hour's and it was cleaner than ever! Yes it was inexpensive my I am cheap! I never allow rifle brass hit the ground and always size before cleaning. No problem's at all. I've read that the wax lube is water soluble and come's right off with a damp rag, I don't know it that's true but I use a Q-tip and Hornady's wax lube to lube inside the case neck's recently to side and to trim. Seem's to work alright in sizing and definitely help the trimmer. After I size or trim the case I clean out the neck with a damp Q-tip. Most of the case stretch come's from pulling the case back over the expander and I think it help's some. I also spray One shot on the case's and get the neck. Does wax inside the neck when sizing really help? Not a clue, but I feel better! Getting to where I'm going to Lee collet sizer's for sizing, pretty much eliminates case stretch.
 
My process will most likely not help you and many others. I deprime and resize prior to running my brass through my ultrasonic. It cleans the brass to include the primer pocket and removes any resizing lube.
 
lamarw,
There are three things I, personally, do not like about your method:
1. I do not like to handle dirty cases. Look at your hands after you do. That black residue contains lead from the priming compounds and it gets everywhere. I prefer to wear latex or nitrile gloves when deprime.
2. I refuse to put a dirty case into my sizing die. It may scratch your die, or add dirt to the lube residue.
3. Lube sticks to dirty cases. Shiny cases require much less lube. In fact, with 223 in particular, I find it works well to only lube every other case. Enough lube will stick inside the die for the next case.
 
I simply stopped bothering to wipe off Imperial lube - I use a very light amount and the cases are just barely greasy after sizing. By the time I've finished priming and loading the cases it's not really even noticeable.
 
"By the time I've finished priming and loading the cases it's not really even noticeable."

Considering the nearly magical claims of the stuff, even that wee bit of residual Imperial, is too much.
I keep separate tumbling media for cleaning dirty cases and for removing case lube. In fact, I often just keep two tumblers charged: one with media for cleaning and one for lube removal.
 
Marco Califo, I respect your two major points. First point is undue wear on dies from dirty brass. I do have a tumbler and do tumble dirty brass. I admit it does have to be rather nasty prior to taking this action on my part. I have loaded thousands of round through most of my various dies without having any die issues. All of my reloading equipment for 8 handgun calibers, 6 rifle calibers, and 3 shotgun gauges are in good operational condition.

The second point deals with hazardous substances. You well could be correct about wearing protective gloves. My reloading deals with brass recovered on my own property. I simply recover brass by picking it up off the ground. Probably unfortunately for me, I do not wear latex gloves when I pick-up brass. So, I am already doomed. I assume most of the reloaders do the same. I do reload in a very large room with plenty of ventilation. I have been reloading for about 45 years now. I just saw my family doctor for my semi-annual check-up. This always includes a review of my blood work. The numbers seem to indicate and he agrees I am in good health. My largest concern is Agent Orange exposure while in Nam. I was with a jungle clearing unit and spent a lot of time in some bad areas in more ways than one.

I am in agreement with you that my reloading practices are not the healthiest. I commend you for your personal diligence.
 
lamarw
I also spent a lot of time in the bush 67-68 VA is the place to go for your AO screening. Im in a screening now for the river fluke parasite. For your piece of mine get tested. Good luck

Chris
 
Although I wet tumble now I did use dry tumbling prior to getting my F.A.R.T . I used Hornady's unique case lube which is like a sizing wax . My dry tumbler removed it all no problem and did not leave clumped up media or anything . When you think about it , It's wax right . Likely not to different then the polish you already put into the midea to shine up the brass . I'll add I only used corn cob media . I have since went to the home made lanolin oil and alcohol lube . Works great , a few squirts from a spray bottle will lube 500 - 308 cases . The down side is the residue left behind . No just wiping that off , I have to tumble it off in my wet tumbler .
 
Anyone got any empirical data on the % increase of bolt thrust from a nominal amount of residual case lube, versus a spotlessly clean case....?

(...and whether it really matters?)








postscript: SlamFire, you're not allowed to say anything... least someone invoke the last line in Liberty Valance ;)
 
Something you might want to consider: Lee Cartridge Case Lube goes on as a "cream" and dries to what appers to be a powder. When a case is sized, the "powder" seems to be scraped off the case just leaving some near the head of the case where the die does not make contact. The residual powder does not adhear all that strongly to the case and with handling or even being "massaged" inside a large plastic bag with a rag, the remaining powdery lube comes off easily without water or any solvant. That is however, if you can bring yourself to give up using Imperial Sizing Die Wax.
 
versus a spotlessly clean case....?

(...and whether it really matters?)
Click to expand...

It goes back to "only me", I do not want anything between the case and chamber but air, the air between the case and chamber (for only me) must be clean air. And then there is the matter of how much air; I choose not to use a lot of air, I do not want to risk blowing my hat off when the case expands 'rapidly'. And then there is all that case movement, I am the fan of cutting down on all that case travel. Dirt, grit and grime can be abrasive and most of that foreign matter is abrasive.

Foreign matter introduces another problem, the case is embeddable, I choose not to embed my cases with foreign matter, I choose to use clean air between the case and chamber.

There was a 60+ page thread on a bench rester forum, I was so proud of myself; I did not get involved. It started out with bench resters that could not form cases, instead of forming cases they greased their cases, chambered them and pulled the trigger; it was one of those 'Wall-aw' moments as in; "that is all your 'gotta' do. It was as thought they thought they discovered something new.

And then? the forum found 'grease your cases' is a trigger phrased for one member; he went off on everyone. Members had to agree with him, meaning they were not allowed to disagree.

In the big inning there was an offending bullet, I have called the offending bullets 'streakers' because? They streaked the barrel as they pass through the barrel. 100 years ago cleaning the streaks was not easy, shooters found to reduce the streaking they could lube the bullet, and then? They got carless, and then came the Japanese, they had machineguns that would not operate without greasing there ammo.

Things rocked along and shooters were cautioned about streak-er ammo, the last advise I have found was in 1954. There was noting about the miracle of fire forming by packing the chamber with grease. Cleaning the streaks could not be done with know remedies, the 1954 article had to do with cleaning barrels after shooting streakers. I have a few rounds from the old days and I have streaker ammo that was loaded before 1940. I have it, I do not shoot it and I do not greases my bullets. I choose not to have anything between the case and chamber but air; clean air and I choose not to have a lot of air between the case and chamber.

F. Guffey
 
cw308. Yes it is. I think if they made it to bump the shoulder and not the whole case, the case would bulge just enough the base of the shoulder and case body that it wouldn't go into your chamber and let the bolt close. There are some thing's about reloading in fact shooting that people have given cute little nic names for. Some are miss leading. Reloader's, most of them, that partial size with FL dies mention just bumping the neck. You cannot do that without bumping the whole case at the same time. You can neck size with FL dies but then the case never get's into the die far enough to reach the bottom of the neck.
 
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