removing year old lube from brass

[bootcamp]

Started up reloading again after a year long break from it...

When I reloaded heavily a year ago, I would keep the cases lubed and then tumble the loaded rounds for 10 mins to get the dillon lube off. The end result was clean quality accurate ammo.

Last April, I left some fully processed lubed brass in a bucket. Well last night I loaded almost 700 cases and went to tumble them but the lube wouldn't come off. I had to take an alcohol drenched towel to manually remove lube from about 150 cases. Not sure I wanna do that to the remaining 550 rounds.

[joelogic]

Did you tumble them for more than 10 minutes?

[pdq_wizzard]

Dump a little mineral spirits in your media turn on the tumbler for 5 min then add the cases and tumble

[kurac]

I always tumble the lube brass and then wet wash and dry it for a few days before loading. I don't think exposing loaded cartridges to liquids is a good idea.

[bootcamp]

Did you tumble them for more than 10 minutes?

Tumbled for 30 mins and all it did was capture dust and make the lube more visible.

I just put about 5 capfuls of polish in there to 'wet' the media a little. I love and hate Dillon lube. Works lovely but a pain to remove.

[joefreas]

One Shot Case Lube

It works better than the Dillon lube and you don't have to remove it. It's very dry and doesn't gum up the press. I recently switched and will never go back to the Dillon lube.

And I'm sorry to say that you are probably going to be stuck wiping each case with a solvent if you want them clean. Once the Dillon lube dries on the cases it is pretty tough to remove.

[Bill Steele]

I lube my cases ahead of time with Dillon. All my cases have "dried" (that is the alcohol solvent in the Dillon lube is long gone, leaving only the lanolin) before I load them, many times months later.

I usually tumble my finished rounds about an hour and a half in my mix of corn cob and walmut media. They come out shiney, like new.

I do have to say that for handgun brass, Hornaday One Shot doesn't cause as much powder mess, as the Dillon lube is stickier and powder tends to start sticking to the belling nose of the powder die, then flaking off occassionally. Not a big deal, but One Shot is a little tidier.

For bottle neck rifle case sizing, I only use the Dillon, if I ran out, I still wouldn't use One Shot.

[OldShooter32]

What Bill Steele said: I tried One Shot on rifle cases...bad idea! Three stuck cases later, I went back to RCBS pad lube. Vibrator tumbler cleans it all off with walnut media.

[joefreas]

Ahh yes. One Shot for pistol and I use Dillon for bulk rifle and Imperial for match grade ammo-

[adrenalinejunkie]

Maybe heating them to loosen up the lube, kind of like heat to loosen red loctite, then soaking them in mineral spirits for about an hour, then tumbling them after they dry? That'd be the route I take at least. Good luck either way!

[thompson pump]

Boil them on very hot water then let them soak in a mix of water and bleach for about 30 minutes wont hurt the brass but will save a lot of hassle

[rsrocket1]

The lube is simply pure lanolin dissolved in 91-100% isopropyl alchol. Put your cases in a tub, fill it with rubbing alcohol (even cheap 70% would work) or mineral spirits or paint thinner and soak, swirl, soak, swirl. Shake them off and wipe them down or tumble them.

I've cleaned off a couple hundred .223 with a mineral spirit soaked towel and the Dillon lube does eventually come off, but the longer the stuff soaks, the easier it comes off.

[bootcamp]

The added polish in the media took the lube right off. Done in 15 mins.

Geeze, stop reloading for a year and you have to re-learn everything again lol. Thanks for all the input guys.

I used to use one shot but I had one too many stuck cases at 2am in the morning, ready to go postal.

[Sunwolf]

I still have Dillon lube sitting on the shelf,will never use it again.

[HIGHRPM]

Removing case lube

It might be a little unconventional, but being a retired Master auto tech, I use a spray brake cleaner like the Gunk brand. It dissipates quickly while leaving no film. A super parts- brass cleaner. Not all products we use need to be firearm related to work wonders!