Is there an alcohol-soluble lubricant suitable for application to neck turning cutting mandrels?

[Webster]

Anhydrous lanolin is a common base ingredient in alcohol based case lubes as well as bullet making lube. I've used it for neck turning in the past. It's really slick and works well.
I wash new bullets in lacquer thinner or acetone all the time. I'm sure alcohol will do the job but acetone or thinner are much more aggressive.

You can by acetone anywhere that sells paint, but I think it's considered a hazardous solvent. Alcohol evaporates very slow. I used hexane a lot at work for cleaning parts. It evaporates fast. We had to wear nitrile gloves when handling any solvent no matter what it was and work in a hood. I use a light vis petroleum oil and clean with a cotton swab. Fortunatley I only do about 100 cases a month.

I cannot remember if it was Lee or RCBS case lube. It was water based. I put some on a piece of paper and let it dry. It became very hard like plastic. I don't want water in my expensive dies.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

You can by acetone anywhere that sells paint, but I think it's considered a hazardous solvent. Alcohol evaporates very slow. I used hexane a lot at work for cleaning parts. It evaporates fast. We had to wear nitrile gloves when handling any solvent no matter what it was and work in a hood. I use a light vis petroleum oil and clean with a cotton swab. Fortunatley I only do about 100 cases a month.

I cannot remember if it was Lee or RCBS case lube. It was water based. I put some on a piece of paper and let it dry. It became very hard like plastic. I don't want water in my expensive dies.

I don't doubt any of that but we've all gotta die of something. I've probably had my hands in worse things.

 

[skeeljc]

Just use Imperial wax and clean it out with a Q-Tip with laquer thinner on it.

 

[Walt Krafft]

I used Hobo oil on the last ones I turned. Then sized with Dillon spray lube and tumbled in fine corn cob to clean it all off. Acetone would work too but I like my cases to sparkle like gold.

 

[Ray123]

I saw a commercial lube for the hand neck turner to lube the mandrel ...but a lanolin/ alcohol mix might work..
I dont have to worry about the lube as I use a Hardinge lathe and turn the mandrel in a collet, to the correct size...then neck turn into the shoulder with a carbide form tool, ground on the diamond grinder. Very fast no sore fingers, one pass and done. I did 800, 50BMG cases that way...wouldn't want to do that with hand tools.

 

[big5ifty]

Normal machinist cutting fluid is water soluble.

 

[Firearmsunlimited]

Tap Magic Cutting Fluid

 

[Longtrain]

Just use Imperial wax and clean it out with a Q-Tip with laquer thinner on it.

+1 “Just a dab will do ya”.

Who remembers that tag line?