Case lube for resizing/forming?

BHuij

Active Member
I've been happily using a mix of 99% isopropyl alcohol and Lanolin (about 8:1 or so) for case lube. Works great, super easy to apply to a big batch of cases, and comes right off in the wet tumbler.

I just ran out of Lanolin, and before I order more, I was curious if anyone has ever tried substituting Vaseline/Petrolum Jelly for Lanolin in this mix? I can get Vaseline a lot cheaper and find it more easily locally, so if it does the job just as well, I'd rather use that.

I also have a bunch of .223 that's getting chopped and formed to .300 BLK in the near future, so trying to find a good solution for that as well.
 

waco

Springfield, Oregon
I also use Lanolin/alcohol as a case lube.
Hornady’s Unique case lube works quite well. A four oz tub is only a couple bucks. It will last a LONG time.
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
Hornady’s Unique case lube works quite well. A four oz tub is only a couple bucks. It will last a LONG time.

Unique is also what I use. Also use it for sizing bullets when not lubing, just a tiny amount on your finger tips while handling bullets to place in the die is all it takes. A LONG time is an understatement.
 

Hawk

North Central Texas
I use Imperial Sizing Wax.
I bought a small container years and years ago. Still have 99% of it left.
A little bit goes a long way and washes off easily.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I have been using Unique for many years now. Does everything I need.
For really extreme forming anhydrous lanolin with a bit of castor oil mixed in works well. Fiver can probably give proportions. Castor oil is an excellent barrier film lubricant.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
2 parts lanolin to 1 part castor oil.
[a lot of guys use lanolin and Vaseline/castor at that 2-1 mix to swage with and even go up to 1-1]
I generally add a bit of neetsfoot oil to thin the mix down even more so I can use even less.
you can still cut the 2-1 mix with alcohol and I quite often pour a cap full in the baggie to make sure I get a super thin coat on the cases.

I use the spray mix to give bullets a spritz when I'm sizing but not lubing, and quite often when I am lubing too just to keep the star running along without a hitch.
 
F

freebullet

Guest
I'd be concerned about using a petro product as case lube. Would wanna remove it after. I leave the lanolin on them.

We use liquid lanolin/alc and/or unique. Liquid lanolin can be found in most nutrition type stores.
 

Elkins45

Active Member
If I could only have one case lube it would be the Lee wax lube dissolved in alcohol in a pump spray bottle.
 

dale2242

Well-Known Member
Call me old fashioned. I still like the sticky stuff.
I use a 50/50 mix of STP/ Light oil.
I lube sparingly the old way. On a pad.
I wipe each case on a rag after sizing to remove what lube I can and tumble in walnut shells for an hour to remove the rest.
I haven`t stuck a case in a die in over 50 yrs of reloading.
Kinda slow and somewhat messy but works for me...dale
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
I don't cut my STP . On seasoned dies that have 150-200 cases through them I'll run about 1 in 6-8 or so dry to pick up any excess lube . STP engine oil treatment is what the original RCBS case/swage lube was so if it's good enough for Fred Huntington it's good enough for me .
 

Ian

Notorious member
The STP that Fred Huntington used is nothing like the STP you can buy today, unfortunately. Comp cams break-in concentrate is a lot closer to old STP.
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
Yeah it's a lot thinner , it comes out of the can in a reasonable length of time until like the old stuff that seemed to come out of the old pull top in one glop . Dad always said it was hell knives getting into the steel end paper cans .
 

rodmkr

Temecula California
Do you live anywhere close to horse country?
Go to a saddle shop and get a container of Mink oil used to clean and waterproof leather.
Best case lube I have ever used and I have tried them all at one time or another.
Just barely rub your index finger on it and then rub the case.
Works as slick as I have ever seen.
The can I have is 10 years old an has done 10,000 or more cases as well as a couple
of pairs of boots being water proofed and still will last the rest of my life and probably
the kids too.

Jim
 

BHuij

Active Member
So I tried just rubbing a little Lanolin into my hands and then rolling handfuls of cases in my hands. It's a little messy, but seems to work faster and better than spraying down cases with Lanolin/alcohol. Even for forming .223 into .300 BLK it made things work very smoothly and with a minimum of force needed. I think that's going to be my go-to until the two cans of Lanolin I ordered run out in a decade.

That said, I have some mink oil for shoe care. May give it a shot sometime.
 

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
I put a tiny bit of anhydrous lanolin on my hands and roll 10 cases or so between my hands, then
put them in a loading block, roll 10 more. If I am doing a large quanty, I spray some lanolin alcohol
mix into a big bag with the brass, shake them around, gives a thin coat to all of the case.

Bill