Thread: Cleaning lube off cases

What do you use? Do you bother? I find white spirits works well, then leave it for a while to dry


Unfortunately I'm out of white spirits and tried boiling water. HURRY UP AND DRY I NEED TO LOAD THIS STUFF NOW. And also it's still covered in lube.

"Tork"paper towel (but I use "Lee Lube")

I use spray lube, some stuff in a squirt bottle. Throw 50 cases in a bag, squirt in some lube, shake it around, size. Easy as.


But it gets inside them so I like to clean it out as it's quite sticky.

Lee lube on the body of the case and dip the neck in graphite , just wipe the lee lube off with a paper towel and run a cotton bud round the inside of the neck after sizing.
Used to wipe the lube off with meths but no need really.

Lee lube is a pain being water based you have to clean your dies every time you use them or they rust.
Imperial size die wax is my choice a little goes a long way
Spray lube is fast but if your not careful it gets everywhere

A quick tumble in the walnut media after sizing does the trick.

Best thing is not to put to much lube on in the first place.

I use a stamp pad from the warehouse soaked with a few drips of Bonanza (Forsters) case sizing lube. A light roll over this is all you need.

I dip the necks into some #7 lead shot coated with graphite powder (Locksmiths Lube).

A quick wipe of the case body with the fingers and into the die it goes.

I hardly ever have to remove lube using this method.

Tumble the ammo loaded for 20 mins - no lube left.
I dont bother tumbling pistol ammo as I only give 500-1000 cases a couple of sprays in the case feeder -- pistol + carbide dies dont really need lube, but it cuts the effort by about 80% even though prob only 1 or 2 in 10 have lube on them - lube builds up in the die and is sweet.

We're not going to go into powder breaking down blah blah blah as its a load of shite.

I just pour a bit of meths into a cloth and dump the brass into it, tumble it around like I did with the lube and brass.
Meths and cloth action removes the Dillon lube and dries fast.

If I bother removing lube from the inside neck, I use a bore mop soaked in meths, again dries nice and fast.

Lee stuff in the neck, water based for a reason Who cares about the outside?

Originally Posted by Wirehunt

Lee stuff in the neck, water based for a reason Who cares about the outside?

Rust inside your die isn't good and Lee lube is bad for this if not cleaned out.

Interesting ideas... I use imperial sizing wax/graphite powder and I just sit there with a paper towel and clean them one by one as I'm in no rush. I run a brush down inside the neck as well.

Probably easier ways...meh.

Originally Posted by Terminator

Rust inside your die isn't good and Lee lube is bad for this if not cleaned out.

The guy that put me onto it had been reloading commercially for 30 odd years +, I've been at it over 20 years and neither of us have had this problem.

Originally Posted by Wirehunt

The guy that put me onto it had been reloading commercially for 30 odd years +, I've been at it over 20 years and neither of us have had this problem.

Water based lube, humidity, metal surface, result rust funny that?

As a lube for reloading though it works okay

Originally Posted by Wirehunt

The guy that put me onto it had been reloading commercially for 30 odd years +, I've been at it over 20 years and neither of us have had this problem.

It will rust the inside of your dies, it has rusted some of mine.

Great lube though, use it for forming the 416B brass.