Mica case lube

Oakie

Anyone use this???? pop told me about it. Reloading 257 and cases getting stuck. I lubes the outside and the inside neck and now everything is good. I use some stuff from Hornady, but dad told me to try mica powder. Never heard of it

charliemeyer007

Hard to argue with success. I like the Lee lube, a q-tip to do the inside of the neck - doesn't kill powder or primers.

For serious case forming I like the Redding Sizing die wax.

asphalt cowboy

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Mica-Wad-Slick-8-oz-jar/productinfo/MICA/

I've never tried it on rifle cases, but found sizing shot shell hulls easier with my MEC presses.

nononsense

Oakie,

My grandfather used mica for its lubricity qualities when I was young, watching him while we worked in his shops. He kept a small container of it in most of his tool boxes.

Mica has been around as a mineral for a thousand years. It is unique in that it it is found to be perfectly sheet-like in nature. However it can be found in granular form as well. These days it is used most in joint compound for seams in drywall, on rolled or shingle roofing and surprisingly in paint.

In the finely ground form it behaves like many other powdered minerals, as lubricant. It is inert so it can be used in reloading. But...

Mica dust in the workplace is regarded as a hazardous substance for respiratory exposure above certain concentrations.

This same warning is applied to nearly every airborne particle. This does not diminish the potential harm but is simply a fact.

Best.

Smitty500mag

The next batch of rifle rounds that I reload I'm trying this home brew lube. You mix up 12 ounces of HEET which is 99% alcohol and 2 ounces of liquid lanolin and spray it on the casings in a freezer bag. For years I've used Lee lube and it's slow. It's good but it's slow applying it by hand on each casing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olahEwJMUi8

charliemeyer007

I try and avoid all contact with Yellow bottle Heet, it's methanol a suspected carcinogen. Isopropyl might be a safer choice. Everclear even safer.

Smitty500mag

quote:Originally posted by charliemeyer007
I try and avoid all contact with Yellow bottle Heet, it's methanol a suspected carcinogen. Isopropyl might be a safer choice. Everclear even safer.


It's the red bottle which is 99% isopropyl alcohol. What you buy at the drug store is 96%.

Toolfogie

It is what I use. Ought to live a lifetime.



[url][/url]https://www.amazon.com/MakingCosmetics-Mica-Powder-4-4oz-125g/dp/B01LW5MC19/ref=sr_1_23_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1483289857&sr=1-23&keywords=mica+powder

Okie743

I've tried mica for case necks, but best stuff that I've found is Imperial Application Media with dry neck lube for lubing the case necks inside. Midway sells the Imperial neck lube and Imperial sizing wax and both of them will last forever.
Place the Imperial dry neck lube small container inside another small wider bottom bowl when it's on the reloading bench because if you ever tip it over and have a spill you have a big mess.

Dip the case neck into the dry neck lube as the FIRST step because it will stick to the case if the case is lubed first. Usually only have to dip the case once even though you have to full size a case in steps several times.

I also use the Imperial sizing DIE wax most generally BUT

sometimes I encounter some caliber cases that wants to stick in the dies,(and the dies are good)243 is one that comes to mind and I first make sure the cases are polished and then I get out the OLD reloading sizing lube pad and use RCBS CASE LUBE-2 CASE SIZING LUBRICANT ON THE PAD and then clean the inside of the sizing dies real good to remove other lubes and then go by feel doing the case sizing in steps little at a time instead of just ramming in full size in one shot. May have to take as many as three sizing steps gently lubing the case each time in the area of the tight area on the case. If you see a small indent at the shoulder after or during sizing it's from too much lube or the vent hole in the die is stopped up, it will fire form. The reason I don't use the RCBS case lube and pad all time for full sizing is it's harder to remove the lube afterwards as compared to the Imperial sizing die wax. I've tried STP and several others, the sprays don't cut the mustard either, and the RCBS works for me on the hard ones.
I always remove the case lubes using a degreaser and wiping rag BEFORE throwing them into the polishing media. (case lubes shorten the life of the polishing media)

Sticking hard to size cases are aggravating issue that takes patience sometimes and even worse if you have to go to the stuck case remover constantly. Some calibers seem to be harder to full size than others even with good clean dies and sometimes hard full sizing is due to the chamber of the gun the case was fired in. (look at the case very close with a magnifying glass and see if you see anything that makes the case look like it was fired in a rusty chamber, case will look like it was pressing against very fine sandpaper when fired. (slightly pitted dirty chamber)