Project Appleseed

Foamed diswashing detergent makes an excellent brass case lube.

NOTE: If you use detergent to lube your casings, do not allow detergent to remain inside your reloading dies, or shell holder, or they will rust.  Detergent and steel should not remain long in contact.  Take the dies apart, water wash and dry to prevent rust.

I have been using Dawn Direct Foam to load 5.56 with good results.
I have not tried to use liquid detergent (not foamed).  Liquid detergent should work, but I expect it would require substantially more time to distribute satisfactorily in contrast to foamed detergent; explained later.

Basically, this product consists of a reservoir full of liquid dish detergent, with a pump dispenser that propels 1.6cc of liquid,  changing it into a foamed state which is a very efficient state for distribution over brass casings.
I have used this with 500 pieces of range pickup brass to date.
No stuck cases, no hydraulic denting.

The basic procedure & setup-
Get a robust container (I used an empty large juice bottle) capable of holding at least 250 5.56 casings when at most half full.  I shake the casings onto a towel to dislodge rocks, and then place the cases into the plastic container; fill container 1/2 full of casings.  Pump in foamed detergent; one complete 1.6cc pump sufficiently lubed 250 casings.  I suspect that one pump will do even more than 250 casings, but have not yet tested to that upper limit.  Place lid on container, and agitate for a minute.  I didn't get any stuck cases, but I agitated for awhile, two minutes, by rotating the container end over end.  Pour out casings into a pan, and resize.  No need to wait. 

If you're getting hydraulic dents, review your procedure and either decrease the foam to brass ratio next time and/or agitate the brass longer to even out the distribution. 
If you get a stuck case, review as above, and decide if you need more agitation, more detergent, or both. 

Wash the lube off by warm water; I debulked the detergent from the resized cases by spraying them in a veggie collander (thanks, Honey!) and then rinsed them several times in a pot.  Dont' short the rinse cycle, you need to remove the detergent which is now also inside the cases.

Sun dry and tumble. 
The detergent does a great job of cleaning and shining up the brass during the rinse cycle, especialy if you mix and stir the submerged brass with a veggie brush. (thanks, Honey!)

I haven't heard this one before. Is this like the foam hand-soap dispenser?

I've heard of using anhydrous lanolin and rubbing alcohol - but could never find anhydrous lanolin anyplace.

anhydrous lanolin and rubbing alcohol
Hmmm, that sounds like Dillon's $8/8oz bottled stuff.......

FM, your wife loves you!!!

Hope your veggies taste ok at dinner time......

I'm kind of a $.99 store rat for those kind of things....she -never- sees them, and has no idea what sort of mischief I'm up to at home when she's at work.......

Where did you locate your Dawn Direct Foam? Wally World? Target? Big box store?

Fill us in, I'm always for reducing costs on this stuff.....

LLP

I 've been using the liquid dish detergent and a non-inked ink pad. Just dump some on smear it around then roll the case in it.

It would not be practical for progressive presses.

Just ran out of my preferred case lube and can't get any more.

It was from Herters and looked and felt like STP but per the label had lanolin mixed into it and did not claim to be STP, just a petroleum product.

Used it on a new, clean stamp pad.  Applied it with a paint brush.  Three jars (each about the size of an old fashioned glass) lasted more than 30 years.

Next best I have found is the Imperial Sizing Die Wax but it is a PITA to apply.

Buckshot

I've used the stuff from Lee, but, since I'm a kind'a newbie, I just never gave it a 2nd thought.

shaking the brass in a jug seems like it would make a lotta racket

 

Sometimes you just gotta make some noise!!

Where to get Dawn Direct Foam? Target for sure, and I'd think also at any supermarket.  (edit- Albertson's has 13.5 oz- 400cc bottles for $2.99, 250 pumps per bottle, which lubes at least 62,500 casings, 1 penny per 209 cases.  What a value.)

Yes, it's a racket shaking the casings; but they're not shaken so much as tumbled, though, inverting the container end over end.  And only two minutes of racket to lube a large batch of casings.
You want a partially filled container so the casings can easily slip past one another and distribute the foam through this interaction.  Too many casings means not enough slippage/inefficient foam distribution.
I like Lee lube also, have used it for years.  It's not sold in any of my local stores, and I'm always looking for reloading innovations, especially in this economy.

Bar soap remnants work well as a case lube, also; put a bar of soap on top of a green scotchbrite pad in a shallow dish with enough water to saturate the scotch brite.  The soap will soften as it absorbs water, and acquires the consistency of Lee lube; just scrape some off with a fingernail or smear some on a finger tip.  

Lab grade boric acid does not work so well for 5.56; I have tried this in saturated solutions of water and of various concentrations of alcohol, all to unsatisfactory result.  The dried film of boric acid does not cover the cases either in sufficient quantity or uniformity, resulting in many stuck cases per batch.  
Boric acid would be a great lube, though, I think, for non-bottlenecked pistol cases if you're stuck with steel resizing dies.  It's extremely cheap, slick and water soluble for application and removal.  

Quote from: gunville on July 10, 2009, 06:10:26 PM
I haven't heard this one before. Is this like the foam hand-soap dispenser?

I've heard of using anhydrous lanolin and rubbing alcohol - but could never find anhydrous lanolin anyplace.

Yep, both are similar, I used a dish detergent dispensing product that dispenses and foams the liquid detergent in the reservoir.

Hello Group; I like to save a nickle when I can. Case sizing when speed and high quality matter, not down time pulling stuck casings out of your tooling  , If that works for you  < Stick with it.
The case sizing lube I use is made by Rooster Labs, it is a very good lube, it is marketed by many of the big name supply houses as there own brand but it comes from Rooster Labs. Call Dwayne up after you look at the web sight, The owner will tell you about the latest in LUBE for cases or  bullets, He is a good fellow and knows his trade. The first lube I got from him was in a large tub, and he said just a dab or less as it was a very high grade lube, he was right and it lasted 20 years and many thousands of casings. it did not just sit on a shelf in that time. I use a knife to spread a very yery thin amount on a case lube pad for Large case sizing ala bmg, for .308 or 06 or anything smaller, a case lube bag made from a gallon freezer bag is quick and easy a small dab in the bag before the cases and rub the bag back and forth between your hands to apply the lube to the insides of the bag fil the bag half way with clean brass
SEAL  and roll bag about for a min or long enough to get the lube on all the cases. The bag can be reused or tossed away when done. You can do thousands in a hour if you need to or just a small batch. I have used STP with good results on straight wall pistol cases years ago we tumbled a 5 gallon bucket at a time with a piece of wooly sheep skin with the STP on it as a carrier worked like a champ. NO STUCK CASES, Thats the point. I use a wash with dish soap warm water, rinse cold water, drain, cob, all in a tumbler, before the brass sees my dies, I also use the tumbler to remove the case lube after sizing, cob with a solvent to cut the lube from the casings, they come out looking new. Quality, is what you want!   Pappy   

Pappy,
What -is- the website for the Rooster Labs??? Curious George, he wants to know.......

FWIW, I used to do the pad with Lee "stuff" on it, then "discovered" the Dillon spray lube.....a large coffee can with a few "squirt, squirts", wait 5 minutes & you're good to go.....only thing is....lots of dish soap soaking & rinsing to get the "slimy" feel off.....then cob only in the tumbler, which leaves my cob feeling kinda slimy.....(ohhhh, my.....this is soooo -NOT- good!!!)

I'm liking this foamy dish soap thing ....that -will- rinse off easily, and if it neither dents, or "sticks" cases, I will be willing to try a "new thing"...... <

I do enough stuff in the kitchen Mama doesn't know about when she is at work......you'd think I'd get a job or something.....

Come on, Pappy, 'fess up!! Where is this Rooster at??

LLP

Hello Group; ROOSTER Laboratories Is located in K.C. Mo. P.O. BOX 414605 816-474-1622
Or you can contact them at    roosterlabs@aol.com  Ask for Duane, he is the only one that I have ever talked to and he is the owner.  Web Site, www.RoosterLabs.com

To remove the lube from cases after sizing or after loading put a small amount of white gas or paint thinner, in with the cob and tumble 30 MIN KEEP THIS COB SEPERATE FOR THIS JOB ONLY, the cob will darken a bit but it still works great....... then use clean cob to polish as a final finish, they will shine..
Pappy

One more thing to add here.  I have noticed that it is a bad idea for steel and detergent residue to have prolonged contact.  Detergent residue probably attracts moisture from the air, but for sure, if allowed to remain long in contact, detergent will rust your dies and shell holder. 
Take appropriate action to clean the detergent out of your dies and shell holder if you use this method.

Detergent is an extremely slick lubricating agent and does a great job in that capacity, but must be washed off steel soon, and dies must never be stored having detergent residue.

One thing I have found for reducing stuck cases  is to use Redding shell holders.  They fit much more "snugly" and I haven't had a stuck case since.

FM, I'm going to try your Foamed Dishwater detergent for a few and try it myself.

I use the RCBS water soluble lube and just smear it on my hands and fondle the cases (roll 5-8 cases between my hands) before sizing them.  My Rock Chucker gets a gooey handle, but it wipes off easily.  I just rinse and sun dry in the Southern California sun.

I use the Imperial Size Die wax for the serious stuff (6PPC, 6.5x47 Lapua, 6 x 47 Lapua, and 300 RUM) but it is a PITA as stated above.

Cheers

Something else that works...STP..bought a bottle years ago, and haven't made a dent in it. can't tell it from the bought lubes..D-451

Quote from: Determined451 on October 16, 2009, 07:14:42 PM
Something else that works...STP..bought a bottle years ago, and haven't made a dent in it. can't tell it from the bought lubes..D-451

"STP" the gas treatment?

Original STP (Scientifically Treated Petroleum?) Oil Treatment is a 'sticky' synthetic oil I believe was developed by the Germans during WWII (from butane gas?) as an alternative oil for aircraft engines.  It was marketed as a motor oil additive starting in the 1950's.  When I first started reloading I successfully used it as a case lube and later I found it feels a bit like RCBS (gooey) case lube.   STP Oil Treatment worked as a case lube but I found it to be a bear to remove from the brass: I used mineral spirits (paint thinner) on a rag and that's hard on the hands as thinner removes skin moisture.

As new engine tolerances have tightened considerably, STP Oil Treatment fell out of favor.  Back then 10W-40 was the standard multiweight oil; I'm told the new engines now use 5W-20. 

The gas treatment is something else entirely; it's designed to clean fuel system deposits. 

Hey guys Lyman and others make case lubes that are made for this application. It is cheap, last a long time and cleans up easily. You don't have to clean up the dies or even get them wet and the lube will not dry up between uses. Lyman makes a ink pad applicator that puts a very thin layer of oil on the case and you only get one hand dirty, use the clean hand to work the press.   

I've always had great luck(?) with Dillon's Spray On Lube.  You do have to follow directions, though!

Tom

Quote from: gunville on July 10, 2009, 06:10:26 PM
I haven't heard this one before. Is this like the foam hand-soap dispenser?

I've heard of using anhydrous lanolin and rubbing alcohol - but could never find anhydrous lanolin anyplace.

Try the local drug store for anhydrous lanolin. You'll have to ask the pharmacist for it.

You can get it online as well http://www.soapgoods.com/Lanolin-Anhydrous-p-1115.html?gclid=CPfG7vyS9aECFRJYbQodGB6NCw

I use it to make black powder lube as well as case lube.

Some good ideas on here. I've been using RCBS case lube-2 with good results. I don't know for sure but I'd swear it's nothing more than thick KY jelly. Possibly it does have another use?  Insert your own jokes.  ....O.L.

Why mess around with trial and error....

Use what WORKS.... This stuff is the best, pump spray, and can use right away.

When done sizing, just lay a towel down, line up about 10 or so, and quick spray cases with carb cleaner and roll them on the towel. ready to use right away... no second run through the media to clean off the lube.

JMHO...



http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productnumber=160333

Rooster Labs, makes the spray on lube for almost all the Company`s and other Lube as well for the bullet casters. They will make it with your name on it also if you want. So give Rooster Labs a Try, you will find you may have been using there stuff for years and never knew.... Pappy

I have had very good luck using two products from CRC... the first was "Industrial Food Grade Silicone Multi-Purpose Lubricant" (#03040 Green 10oz. spray can) the other is "Heavy Duty Silicone Multi-Purpose Lubricant" (#05074 Red 7.5oz spray can)... From my experience they are both just as good as One Shot and quite a bit cheaper.....

If you are having a difficult time finding lanolin, most stores that have an infant section will have some with the breast feeding area... http://www.lansinoh.com/products/hpa-lanolin  While I do not use it as much as the sprays now, the same tube has lasted me for about 2 years now...

Quote from: gunville on July 10, 2009, 06:10:26 PM
I haven't heard this one before. Is this like the foam hand-soap dispenser?

I've heard of using anhydrous lanolin and rubbing alcohol - but could never find anhydrous lanolin anyplace.

http://www.google.com/search?q=anhydrous+lanolin&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=ivs&source=univ&tbs=shop:1&tbo=u&ei=203oTJ_0C4j6sAPjmbmxCw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CD4QrQQwAg