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Removing Lube from the case

popeyecop

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 19, 2008
143
0
Chester, Illinois
Whats the best way to remove the lube from the case once it;s been sized? I've been wiping them with a rag but its to slow and leaves lube on the case. Has any one ran hot water over them?
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dksd39</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The easiest way I have found is to leave it alone. A little lube is not going to hurt anything. </div></div>

You can tumble them in media, wash them (but you'll have to let them dry before reloading), or you can use a light detergent and spritz them, as I do, and get em squeaky clean.

It's a bad idea to fire greasy rounds: it increases pressure and backthrust, and doesn't make the bullet go faster
grin.gif
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I don't tumble after sizing, i'm afraid of it dinging my freshly sized necks up, if i don't feel like wyping them, i'll mix up some birchwood casey case cleaner and give em a quik dip, rinse and toss em in the oven on 170 for 20 minutes or so..
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: queequeg</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dksd39</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The easiest way I have found is to leave it alone. A little lube is not going to hurt anything. </div></div>

You can tumble them in media, wash them (but you'll have to let them dry before reloading), or you can use a light detergent and spritz them, as I do, and get em squeaky clean.

It's a bad idea to fire greasy rounds: it increases pressure and backthrust, and doesn't make the bullet go faster
grin.gif
</div></div>

You are not firing greasy rounds- the minuscule amount of sizing lube that may be transferred to the bullet when seating does not affect the bullet. I have loaded tens of thousands of rounds and do not re-tumble or take any extra steps to remove lube after sizing. I am not saying not too- just that I do not and have never seen an issue or noticed any indication of variations over a chrono. If you are using so much lube on your cases that it is actually noticeable then you are wasting lube and I would agree it needs to be removed.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I use Simple green and Boilng hot water. Put the brass in a strainer and spray the simple green and let it sit for a few and then pour the water over then put on a towel to dry. or you can use a hairdryer to speed it up.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

If you want to get all of the lube off, you can pour some white gas into a container & then throw your re-sized shell in the container. Let them sit for about 5 minutes & then pull them out & let them dry. The nice thing about white gas is it will evaporate from the shell casing in about 10 minutes & leave no residue. All that being said, I agree w/ DKSD39 & I would not worry about it.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

white gas/alcohol... same principal. Cleans off the lube & then evaporates leaving no residue.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

We tumble with cob and brasso before lubing and sizing to clean.
After loading, 2/3 cob 1/3 walnut (both virgin), nothing, or just a quick wipe.

I've started playing with a couple of ultrasonics in the mix, but not sure if it's worth the time yet.
First was after resizing to remove lube and carbon deposits.
Second was with alcohol to remove, and displace cleaning solution. (Both work, but not quickly) I can do this at work;)

Hope this helps
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I get an old onion bag, and put the cases in it and off to the dishwasher they go. Short wash, and heated dry, all done. You may have to keep an eye on the bag,it may get to hot during dry cycle. My wife had no problems with it as long as it is a water soluable lube.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I use a little 409 and warm water. Then roll them around in the media strainer and let dry on a towel. If I need them right away, I use an air compressor and blow inside and outside dry. Only take a few minutes.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I washed them off with hot water then put them in a card board box then set them in on my dash board of the truck with the windows rolled up. left them in there for about two hours and they were dried.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dksd39</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The easiest way I have found is to leave it alone. A little lube is not going to hurt anything. </div></div>
Thats not a very good idea. When you fire the pressure causes the brass to expand and "grip" the wall of the chamber. This reduces the back pressure on the bolt. This is why you shouldn't polish the chamber on a center-fire rifle. It is ok to lightly polish burrs and such out, but not a fine polish. The same goes with lube, if you put something slick in there you're not allowing the brass to grip the chamber. You're causing undue stress to your bolt, and if you ever have an oops with reloading, your gun is more likely to kaboom!

Do as you wish, but in an activity where people try to take every precaution they can, why would you simple be too lazy to clean the lube off?

My method of cleaning is to soak in some type of alcohol, spirits, naptha, paint thinner. Then I strain (shaking the cases a lot to flip them over and get it all out) then I dump it into a large flat cardboard box to dry. After a couple hours I can load. I'm still using the same naptha after about 10k .223 & .308 cases. Its still cleaning the lube off just fine. If you use excessive lube you may need to replace it more often.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I use Acetone to get the lube and other things like oil from handeling off.

I use and old frying pot and basket to dip them in and out shake em and put them on a clean towell to completely dry.

I use gloves for every step after that so the cases stay clean and want tarnish.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

If your not in a rush to load the powder. just wash in water with Sunlight liquid dish soap and let dry. Liquid dish soap can cut bacon grease off a frying pan, so it works for me.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

Personally, I use lighter fluid. But rubbing alcohol will do a fair job in a pinch.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I re-tumble mine. If you just wipe them off, what about the lube inside the case neck? Doesn’t case neck tension effect accuracy?
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I feel that Country Boy is right.
I tumble the lubed cases in whatever media is available at the moment, with no polish added. With the addition of some mineral spirits, I tumble them for about 15 min.. Cleans them right up.
A quick inspection of the flash hole with a paper clip in hand, and they are clean, dry, and ready to load.
This may not be an acceptable method for those that load 500 rds at a time, but works for me.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

What kind of lube are you using? Some wipe off easier than others. If I had to go through a washing routine after sizing I would find another lube. Using chemicals is also out of the question for me. I am surprised so many of you put up with the chemicals. Hornady one shot is amazing stuff and I'll never go back to anything else. RCBS and Redding case lube is crap and I'm shaking my head about using it for so long. I spray it on 50 cases at a time and load them. I then wipe off the loaded rounds. I use carbide expander balls in my dies so that scrubs most of the lube from the inside of the neck. Per my chronograph, this has improved my SD's.

A side benefit of leaving the lube on through the load process and wiping at the end is that my rounds don't seem to tarnish from fingerprints when stored.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I use the RCBS goo and its hard to wipe off. I like to make sure that I have a lot of lube due to getting a case stuck.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I use Lee Case lube and retumble after to get the lube off. But because it's water soluable, you can leave it on without effect.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I use RCBS Water Soluble Lube, and hand wipe the cases clean and dry using a cloth diaper dampened on one end with rubbing alcohol. Wipe until it's squeaky, then dry with the other end of the diaper.

I believe it takes me a fair amount less time to hand wipe 50 or 100 cases than to tumble/polish and sift the same number, and I like the inherent factor that involves a rather intimate inspection of each completed case. Further, my resize operation includes decapping and priming (Dillon RL550B), and I refuse to tumble primed cases with media due to the potential for blocking flash holes with media crumbs.

My loading sessions are typically runs of 50 or 100 rounds, as I don't especially hold with storing completed rounds for any significant periods of time. I feel it tends to cause inaccuracy due to neck tension issues. I keep batches of primed brass bagged with dessicant, and only combine the components when I have a specific purpose on the schedule. I get lots of dessicant capsules in my VA meds, so that does me an additional service.

My only non-factory ammo onhand right now is 50 rounds I made up Saturday for this coming Saturday's FV200 match.

Greg
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I have switched over to Imperial Die Wax for resizing. Once I got done, I just wiped the round down with a rag and it seems to remove it. It's definitely not slick to the touch anymore.

I used to use Hornady One Shot and it also seemed to come off with a wipe down.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I like rubbing alcohol. I soak a spot on a towel and throw 10 rounds at a time or so on it. Just roll back and forth a couple of times and its good enough for me.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

I use Imperial, and have found that a microfiber cloth will get all the lube right off the case. Before I found the microfiber, I would tumble again, and now this is much easier.

Give it a try and you'll never do anything else...
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

Buy Lee collet dies and throw away the cases when they wont chamber. Cheaper and no nasty work required.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

You can get microfiber from just about any cheap "polarfleece" style throw blanket at wallmart. It's not fuzzy like fleece, it looks like little cilia all over the blanket, kinda like a synthetic terrycloth towel would.

I just throw my cases back in the tumbler for 20 minutes.
 
Re: Removing Lube from the case

i size mine with dillon spray lube. then soak and agitate in a hot water, simple green mix. strain, and lay out on a towel to dry. i try to keep all my brass ready to load.