Lee lube spray

I

Ian Robertson

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I am rediscovering so old new ideas. Everyone is on the band wagon about copying Dillon lube. I have been doing it for years but never getting a really clean job. Lanolin is sticky stuff and it will dent your cases and create other problems as well because ultimately it is grease. It is also an excellent hi pressure lube.

Okay, done singing the praises of lanolin and all the other greased out there.

Stage two. I bought a couple of tubes of Lee lube. I have not used it in probably 40 years. It worked back then but you know, if you don't use lanolin your #### will fall off. Lee lube, according to Lee, it is water soluble which means that it is alcohol soluble as is alcohol in water.

The plan, about 60cc of isopropyl alcohol and about 5g of Lee lube. Shake well. I used 99% isopropyl and perhaps with a bit of water it may mix better. Spray bottle time. Shake well dump, 100-200 cases in a plastic bin, spray a few times and shake a bit, let dry. In my Dillon 650 with a case feeder I can go flat out (in this regards anyway) and it is extremely smooth and better than lanolin. Cleaning loaded cases is up to you but much easier than lanolin.

Okay I hear all the pros winding up all ready, if you don't like it then don't do it. It works great for me and if all I had was lanolin I would use it but this is miles ahead, for me anyway.

All this was done with 308 Win.
 
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This sounds pretty darn good to me. If nothing is sticking in the dies and cases aren't dented, I'd call that a success. Btw, I'm totally stealing your idea.
 
Ian Robertson said:
I am rediscovering so old new ideas. Everyone is on the band wagon about copying Dillon lube. I have been doing it for years but never getting a really clean job. Lanolin is sticky stuff and it will dent your cases and create other problems as well because ultimately it is grease. It is also an excellent hi pressure lube.

Okay, done singing the praises of lanolin and all the other greased out there.

Stage two. I bought a couple of tubes of Lee lube. I have not used it in probably 40 years. It worked back then but you know, if you don't use lanolin your #### will fall off. Lee lube, according to Lee, it is water soluble which means that it is alcohol soluble as is alcohol in water.

The plan, about 60cc of isopropyl alcohol and about 5g of Lee lube. Shake well. I used 99% isopropyl and perhaps with a bit of water it may mix better. Spray bottle time. Shake well dump, 100-200 cases in a plastic bin, spray a few times and shake a bit, let dry. In my Dillon 650 with a case feeder I can go flat out (in this regards anyway) and it is extremely smooth and better than lanolin. Cleaning loaded cases is up to you but much easier than lanolin.

Okay I hear all the pros winding up all ready, if you don't like it then don't do it. It works great for me and if all I had was lanolin I would use it but this is miles ahead, for me anyway.

All this was done with 308 Win.
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I've had a tube of Lee lube since I started reloading 8 years ago, and up until a couple months ago, I had moved onto sizing wax for reloading bottle neck cases. I have since started reloading .223 on a progressive (that darn AR is a hungry gal), and I didn't really want to hand lube 500+ cases... lo and behold the humble Lee lube. Now, I used mine as the Lee instructions say, (sort of) put some in a big freezer bag, dump in brass, shake and bake, and done. I like the idea of diluting it a bit though, I'll have to try that.
 
I use Ganderite's method of a plastic tub, a pile of cases and a dollop of Lee lube. Shake for 15 or 20 seconds and they're ready to go. Cheap, fast and easy. Just remember to clean and oil your dies since the water based Lee lube will rust them in storage.
 
I am still playing with it. At one point I thinned it out too much. You should have a white haze on the cases after they dry. I have added a bit of water to the brew and I do think it helps mix it in .
 
I tried this yesterday and it works well.

1- 2oz tube of Lee lube +
1- 16oz bottle of 50% alcohol.
I used a spray bottle.

Shake well, spritz a few time in a coffee can of brass and shake the can with the lid on. Wait for it to dry.

It settles out by the time the brass is done but a few shakes and it's good to go. It looks opaque white in the bottle and there is a dry white film on the brass when finished.
 
Then after lubing the cases and running them through the press I have an old sweat shirt that I had the neck and arms sewn shut to shake the finished rounds in removing any excess lube. The blue catch bucket at a time works well.
For lube I put a little dollop of lee lube and a shot of lyman quick spray in the bag and 400 45acp brass and mix it up. Smooth operation.
 
The Lyman quick is actually lard. Does it feel greasy because that is what I don't want. The Lee lube is exceptional as is. The whole point I am trying to make is just application, the material is great the way it is. If you like mixing then go for it!!
 
These tips are excellent.

I load straight walled cases with wax, and was looking for something 'better' to lube the bottleneck cases that I would like to reload.
 
You should be able to find carbide dies for anything straight walled. What cartridge is it? Even with carbide a spritz of Lee lube will make it operate much smoother.
 
Ian Robertson said:
You should be able to find carbide dies for anything straight walled. What cartridge is it? Even with carbide a spritz of Lee lube will make it operate much smoother.
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I like my straight walled cases 'cuz there is only a bit of lube required for 38/55 and 45-70.

The ones that I hesitate to reload are .30-30 and 6.5x55. I either get too much lube on the case (and me) and get striations on the case below the neck, or it gets stuck with too little lube. A local guy muttered something about lanolin in alcohol for a carrier. I think that I will try it, rather than scrunch more cases.

Thanks again.
 
Not sure if those cart are really straight walled, maybe tapered. Part of the bonus of Lee lube is to let it dry before sizing so you can't have dented cases from greased.
 
I take a 500ml bottle of 99% isopropyl alcohol with the full tube of lee case lube in a spritzer bottle. Shake before use and for my bulk loads spray into a freezer bag, shake brass and dump in to a baking tray to dry. Smaller batches get a misting on each side.

If it looks like the brass has water marks all over they are good to go. Haven’t had any issues with stuck cases since I’ve switched to this.
 
Bring this one back to life.
I started testing Lee lube and I had good results with diluting and spraying it.

Now I have some problems with it. I was using a Dillon 650 so I tried my CO-AX, which is more powerful and it took some effort as well. I started putting some Imperial very very sparingly around the bottom inch with my finger. It was like the sun came out in Ottawa.
I believe the Imperial is a wax as well and it looks like it will dissolve in alcohol and it won't hurt powder. It does cost about three times as much but the chase is on, again.
 
The imperial lube dissolved in lacquer thinner worked great. I would normally use acetone but I guess we will rot in jail if we buy it. Miles better than the Lee stuff.
 
Okay, I think I have tried them all. Imperial wax and One shot wax are excellent. Lee is not good like I thought. I think if you put it on too thick and dried it actually increases drag. Lanolin as the Dillon lube is far from the best as wellm

The absolute best most fantastic lube has been discovered, until something better comes along. It is so good that you would think that you could push them into the die with your thumb.

Eezox is it which has been one of my favorites for years. Just tried it with nothing to lose in this app. I use a refillable spray bottle but it does come in a spray can as well. I dump over 100 308 into a plastic tray sort of thing. Spray as lightly as possible only on one side and then shake around. Size right away or wait for the carrier solvent to flash off. It is flipping fantastic and beats everything. I clean it off with plain walnut in my tumbler for 20 min. No dents!!
 
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