Easiest and safest way to remove Imperial Sizing Wax ?

Munkey1973

Munkey1973

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As I so often do, I am crowd-sourcing a solution to a problem.

I am looking to speed up my reloading routine.

I de-prime and then wet stainless steel tumble my 308 brass before annealing and bump & neck sizing.

I was thinking that I could anneal and bump & neck size BEFORE I annealed the brass... but then I thought I shouldn't run the risk of having all that carbon scratching the hell out of my Redding dies.

While I use Imperial Sizing Wax sparingly (as recommended right on the tin), I really don't care for having to re-clean each case thoroughly with rags and Q-tips.

Can anyone recommend a safe and effective degreaser to soak the cases in to strip away the wax ?
 
yomomma said:
Acetone comes to mind
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's a good idea... it should have been obvious to me.

Acetone wouldn't leave any of its "own residue" when it dries out -which is precisely why Cerakote finishers use it to clean and prep before applying the Cerakote.

I wonder how safe it would be on the finish of the brass though ?
Would it corrode/pit ?
 
I dry tumble my brass after I have used the sizing wax. When I got my wet tumbler I recharged the dry vibratory tumbler with fresh media and some once a year car polish.


45 minutes in the dry vibratory tumbler spreads wax all over the rest of the case and makes them (and any other cases in the tumbler) shiny.


I thought that the small tub of wax would only last a few weeks - 7 years ago when I bought it. I only put a tiny amount on the 38/55 rifle cases.
 
Munkey1973 said:
Thanks. That's a good idea... it should have been obvious to me.

Acetone wouldn't leave any of its "own residue" when it dries out -which is precisely why Cerakote finishers use it to clean and prep before applying the Cerakote.

I wonder how safe it would be on the finish of the brass though ?
Would it corrode/pit ?
Click to expand...

If you breathe in acetone over time will eat your brain, just ask any glue sniffer with a peach inspediment with drain bamage caused by sniffing glue.

I would use alcohol, it won't melt your brain and only kill you if you drink it.
 
Acetone is pretty hard core stuff. Mineral spirits, or lacquer cleaner?

In his last years my father liked to swap paint in parking lots. Too proud to get a handicapped sticker, he would circle until he found any none handicap spot near the door. Lots of different paint colours came right off with lacquer thinner and rags. Note to self, dont take 1.5 parking spaces intentionally in a fancy car, to "protect" it, near superstore.
 
Munkey1973 said:
As I so often do, I am crowd-sourcing a solution to a problem.

I am looking to speed up my reloading routine.

I de-prime and then wet stainless steel tumble my 308 brass before annealing and bump & neck sizing.

I was thinking that I could anneal and bump & neck size BEFORE I annealed the brass... but then I thought I shouldn't run the risk of having all that carbon scratching the hell out of my Redding dies.

While I use Imperial Sizing Wax sparingly (as recommended right on the tin), I really don't care for having to re-clean each case thoroughly with rags and Q-tips.

Can anyone recommend a safe and effective degreaser to soak the cases in to strip away the wax ?
Click to expand...

Corn cob tumble
 
I lay 15 to 20 brass on a rag , spray with parts cleaner or brakleen and lay a rag on top and roll them back and forth
Have never used Imperial inside the neck, just a quick dip in mica lubes the inside. Mica is cleaner to use than graphite
 
I've loaded thousands of rounds using Imperial sizing wax and never cleaned the wax off after sizing. If they feel a little too greasy I might wipe with some paper towel but I don't use any sort of solvent or tumble the cases, although I have in the past while using different lubes. Usually, I use a small amount and after the first 10 or so cases are sized I only put a small smear on every second or third case. I use the Imperial dry lube to lube the case necks.
 
Munkey1973 said:
As I so often do, I am crowd-sourcing a solution to a problem.

I am looking to speed up my reloading routine.

I de-prime and then wet stainless steel tumble my 308 brass before annealing and bump & neck sizing.
Click to expand...


I follow the same routine and after I anneal and resize I put them through corn cob to get the lube off.
It's slow but works and I generally throw some in and go do something else while it's running.
 
bigedp51 said:
If you breathe in acetone over time will eat your brain, just ask any glue sniffer with a peach inspediment with drain bamage caused by sniffing glue.

I would use alcohol, it won't melt your brain and only kill you if you drink it.
Click to expand...

FYI, I decided to experiment with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol.
Put some Sizing wax on a case and let it soak for 12 hours.
It did not dissolve the wax on its own.
 
Gatehouse said:
I've loaded thousands of rounds using Imperial sizing wax and never cleaned the wax off after sizing. If they feel a little too greasy I might wipe with some paper towel but I don't use any sort of solvent or tumble the cases, although I have in the past while using different lubes. Usually, I use a small amount and after the first 10 or so cases are sized I only put a small smear on every second or third case. I use the Imperial dry lube to lube the case necks.
Click to expand...

I do the same. A little Imperial Sizing Wax goes a long way.
 
yomomma said:
Acetone comes to mind
Click to expand...

Previously I experimented a with very small dab of wax in 70% Alcohol over 24 hrs to see if it would dissolve and breakdown on its own.... no (luck the dab didn't change in size).

Thinking that Acetone would be for sure strong enough, I repeated the experiment with another small dab in sitting Acetone... again no luck.
The dab shrank a bit with agitation and stirring after a while.
 
Arctic said:
Hot water with a squirt of Blue Dawn dish soap, ..... rinse with hot water and dry over a furnace vent or in the oven.
Click to expand...

I currently switch between this method and just using rags/q-tips.

I am effectively looking for a solution that a simple (lazy method) that requires a soaking then letting them dry on their own.

Nice Sheppard BTW !
 
HeliMD said:
May be a stupid question why not just wet tumble again with or without the stainless pins for 30 min to get the wax off?
Click to expand...

I used to do this when I started.
It is by far the most effective at getting rid all of the greasy film.. but is also the most time consuming for me (load the tumbler, empty the tumbler, tap water first rinse, distilled water second rinse, then dry them out). Which is why I am currently wiping them off.
 
I use Hornady One Shot it is a dry film lube and does not have to be removed.


Even the U.S Army Marksmanship Unit uses Hornady One Shot
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2020/06/efficient-big-batch-case-lubrication-best-methods/

biglube01.jpg


usamutop01.png


biglube1605.jpg
 
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