In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Dirty Lube Pad
sirgknight
Member Posts: 109 ✭✭
I recently purchased a used lube pad off of the auction site. It is in very good condition but it is very dirty. It has little pieces of "trash" all over it. Can the pad be cleaned to get all the old lube out of it and trash off of it or do I have a pig in a poke?
Comments
Imperial sizing die wax to the rescue.....
Greystone, do you apply the mink oil to the pad?
No, you "wet" your fingers and thumb that pick up the brass and wipe a little lube on the case as you put it in the shell holder. I lube the inside of the necks with an old .38 wool mop screwed into an RCBS utility handle. I swipe the mop over the top of the lube to pick some up on it, and use the mop to wipe excess lube off the shell holder after a half dozen rounds, recycling it.
A little bit of this kind of lube goes a long way. I just got through full length sizing about 900 cases and hardly made a dent in the Kiwi.
A 2 5/8 oz tin of Kiwi Mink Oil leather preservative costs $4.50 at Wal-Mart, and should last the average reloader for decades. You don't have to wait or pay shipping to get it.
Im about to save you alot of time.......Hornady One Shot
A friendly suggestion: search "One Shot" on any reloading forum and read all the horror stories about cases stuck in the sizing die. Many use it with no problems, but the #1 culprit in stuck cases by far is One Shot.
Dumpster, I thank you for the great tip. I just hope our wallyworld sells the mink oil. You wouldn't believe how horrible our store is when it comes to carrying certain items.
Keep your fingers crossed as you cruise the shoe department looking for the shoe polish rack!
[:p]
My Son is a U S Army RANGER, 5 trips to the sandbox and 'ghan. Also injured. I do every thing I can to support those who serve. NOW YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY!!!
EDIT: Forgot to mention that I have also flown on both aircraft!
It now sets on the shelf with a note that states--DO NOT USE--
.....and the mink oil. Is it easily removed from the brass? Will the tumbler clean it all off?
No, it won't tumble off - it's a greasy wax that will have to wiped off by hand or washed off.
I've found the quickest and easiest way is to put a few hundred sized and greasy cases in an old cook pot, cover with several inches of soapy water, bring to a low boil, and then dump the hot water and brass into a metal colander in the sink. Before I dump out the wash water I stir them around real good to make sure all buildups of lube in the rims gets knocked out.
I then rinse them in the sink with the hose thing, and dump them back into the cook pot, cover with several inches of hot water, bring to a low boil again, stir around, dump out into the colander.
I then dump the washed and rinsed cases onto an old bath towel on the counter and rub them around real good in the tower. The cases are clean but need the insides and primer pockets dried out. Either leave them sit to dry out or put them back in the cook pot on a top burner set as low as it will go. After a while the cases are dry inside and out.
I think I've cleaned and dried up to 500-600 full sized rifle cases a day this way, without even half trying. I've cleaned over a thousand pistol cases a day this way without half trying.
Tumbling only works on the "lubes" that spray on, and frequently get cases stuck in the sizing die. I've never seen or used a lube that could safely get the sizing job done and still be water soluble or could be easily rubbed off in a tumbler.
I've found the only sizing lube I'm going to use from now on.
[:p]
My wife just got back from Wallyworld and brought me a can of Mink Oil....$5. I'll be trying this next time I reload.
You won't regret it. Just use it sparingly. It doesn't take much, and if you get too much on the neck and shoulder of a rifle case you might get some hydraulic dents. All you need is a very thin film on the case, and mostly on the straight sides.
Occasionally stick a case mouth down onto the wax to pick up a little inside, to lube the expander button. Or just use a Q-tip with a little lube on it. Lube will start to build up on the shell holder, so just use the swab to pick that up for use in the case mouth.
[8D]
M Bruce_ I have had exactly the same experience and also have a bottle of the Frankford Arsenal lube on the shelf that I do not use. The texture and feel of that lube reminded me of the "Gear Lube" type case lubes that were so popular 30 years ago. Do you use Imperial for everything? If so how do you get it off the case? I like it alot but find my self wiping each case with a rag, damp with rubbing alcohol. Do you have a better way that you would like to share. Thanks!
It goes right back to Bounty paper towels doing the clean up, and I still use them for cleaning bores instead of buying patches.
The towels wipe the Imperial off with hardly any effort, but I only use a touch between my thumb and fore finger to apply it...
I have washed the pad a number of times, and have never had a stuck case, or any marks on the cases.
Vic