This is just advice!!! That it or leave it!!
With my 40+ years of being a precision reloader, I have tried all types of case lubes and end up throwing them all away and going back to the original bottle of high pressure oil I bought over 40 years ago!!! Most paste wax lubes and some spray lubes use wool oils or wool wax!!! Almost all mammal oils and fats contain Stearic Acid!!! This acid is more acidic than petroleum based pressure oils!!! I was an engineer and I check chemical and physical properties of fluids used in my home and in my former company's facility!!!
Rubbing wax or pastes onto cases is a big waste of time at the bench!! Plus, it involves more time to remove it!!! Sprays cost more with the wasted overspray!!
The secret to using high pressure lubes is feeling the diff ended of the press handle movement, both up and down!! Apply 2 or 3 drops of oil onto 1/2 of the width of the lube pad and quickly, but lightly, trowel the oil over the pad surface with a plastic coated play card!!! Using a 5/8" thick strip of wood butted up to pad, will allow lubing of the upper third of the neck and body of the case!!! Take 5 dry cases, lube the case and then, take each case and lightly scrap the neck on the pad while rotating the case!! This will lube the inside of the mouth of the case!! Size those cases to lube the die and expander!!! Size dry case until slightly more resistance in press handle movement in either direction!! Any resistance requires 2 more lubed cases to relube the die and expander!!
I'm still on my 1st bottle of Bonanza HP lube with over 15000 cases being sized!! Around 80% were same cases!!! 223 and 22-250!!
The picture below shows how much I have left of that $2.00 bottle!!!
Now, we get into my field of engineering profession!!!! Solvents and oil viscosity!! The higher the viscosity, the more work required to degrease!!! Light oils, such as the HP oils only require immersion and possible agitation in the right type of solvents while heavier viscosity oils (grease, pastes, or waxes) requires physical scrubbing and solvents!!! I use old modified plastic stadium cups and place upside down case fitted into the cup with holes drilled in the bottom of the cup!!! The cup with the cases is immersed in a half gallon container with enough acetone to more than cover the cases!!! Give the cup a few twists after letting the cases soak for 5 minutes!! Let them soak for another 5!! A few more twist and remove the cases!! Scatter the cases onto a towel laying inside a tray!! Move the cases outside and let the sun total evaporate the acetone!!! The cases are now degrease both inside and out!!!
With my 40+ years of being a precision reloader, I have tried all types of case lubes and end up throwing them all away and going back to the original bottle of high pressure oil I bought over 40 years ago!!! Most paste wax lubes and some spray lubes use wool oils or wool wax!!! Almost all mammal oils and fats contain Stearic Acid!!! This acid is more acidic than petroleum based pressure oils!!! I was an engineer and I check chemical and physical properties of fluids used in my home and in my former company's facility!!!
Rubbing wax or pastes onto cases is a big waste of time at the bench!! Plus, it involves more time to remove it!!! Sprays cost more with the wasted overspray!!
The secret to using high pressure lubes is feeling the diff ended of the press handle movement, both up and down!! Apply 2 or 3 drops of oil onto 1/2 of the width of the lube pad and quickly, but lightly, trowel the oil over the pad surface with a plastic coated play card!!! Using a 5/8" thick strip of wood butted up to pad, will allow lubing of the upper third of the neck and body of the case!!! Take 5 dry cases, lube the case and then, take each case and lightly scrap the neck on the pad while rotating the case!! This will lube the inside of the mouth of the case!! Size those cases to lube the die and expander!!! Size dry case until slightly more resistance in press handle movement in either direction!! Any resistance requires 2 more lubed cases to relube the die and expander!!
I'm still on my 1st bottle of Bonanza HP lube with over 15000 cases being sized!! Around 80% were same cases!!! 223 and 22-250!!
The picture below shows how much I have left of that $2.00 bottle!!!
Now, we get into my field of engineering profession!!!! Solvents and oil viscosity!! The higher the viscosity, the more work required to degrease!!! Light oils, such as the HP oils only require immersion and possible agitation in the right type of solvents while heavier viscosity oils (grease, pastes, or waxes) requires physical scrubbing and solvents!!! I use old modified plastic stadium cups and place upside down case fitted into the cup with holes drilled in the bottom of the cup!!! The cup with the cases is immersed in a half gallon container with enough acetone to more than cover the cases!!! Give the cup a few twists after letting the cases soak for 5 minutes!! Let them soak for another 5!! A few more twist and remove the cases!! Scatter the cases onto a towel laying inside a tray!! Move the cases outside and let the sun total evaporate the acetone!!! The cases are now degrease both inside and out!!!
Acetone is not bad for you as long as you use it in a well ventilated area!!! I have gone through gallons of acetone both in Bondo and boat repair!!! I used around 10 gallons of Bondo to fill exterior steel door frame mounting dimples in the jambs!!! Used over 5 gallons of acetone to clean the mixing and applicator knives and adhesives off of metal and glass surfaces!! 10 years of exposure over ten years ago!!! EPA and OHSA standards are severely over spec for most hazardous materials!!! Just like lead exposure specification in battery plants!!! 35 years ago, blood lead permissible levels were 100 ppm!! 25 years ago, 75ppm!!! 15 Years ago 50ppm!! WHY!!! INCREASED FINE REVENUES AND BUREAUCRATIC CONTROL!!
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