Easy to remove bullet sizing lube?

[Mitty38]

Just now getting into experimenting with sizing down different .357 type bullets at the heavier weights, for experimental use in the 9 mm. Plus I have a .380 90 grain die that casts a little big to chamber right, in my gun, after powder coating.

What I am trying to do is find a Non costic , environmentally friendly, bullet lube that I can wash off with water and Dawn. After sizing down.

Have found that a wash with Dawn and water, cleans slightly contaminated bullets well. Leaving a clean surface that powder coats great. However it does not remove alox well, or wax at all. Trying to get away from MEK and, mineral spirits if I can. For cost and exposure reasons. Since a lot of my work goes on, in, or close to the house.

I understand that water base agents will draw moisture and will rust your dies. But I am willing to go that route. Followed by cleaning and oiling a sizing die after use.
Any thoughts on this?

 

[Joshua]

Why don’t you just use the dawn dish soap. Try a few drops in a plastic baggie, and about ten bullets. I’m pretty sure that if it works as tire lube, it will also work as bullet lube.

In fact soap based lubes are very common in the pipe and tube bending industry.

Josh

 

[Mitty38]

Why don’t you just use the dawn dish soap. Try a few drops in a plastic baggie, and about ten bullets. I’m pretty sure that if it works as tire lube, it will also work as bullet lube.

In fact soap based lubes are very common in the pipe and tube bending industry.

Josh

Some times the answer is staring you in the face. Thanks will give that a try, Probably a little messy, but just might work.

 

[Ian]

Ivory soap dissolved in distilled water or melted snow works too. BAMA did a whole thing on this, using various wire cable pulling gels and found one that if applied thinly didn't even need to be washed off before powder coating. He posted his results here and I dug them up recently and linked the thread to I think one of yours, Mitty.

 

[fiver]

that lee lube stuff was basically re-packaged wire pulling lube.
dish soap works pretty good if you wash it off and get the powder coat on before the oxides start to form on the bullet.

 

[Ian]

For sizing bullets, I run them through the Lee-style sizing dies bone-dry before and again after coating if needed. Easy to take them down .002-3" each time.

 

[RBHarter]

The VO5 styling cream was a great case lube I've read .
I've been reading labels on the assorted cheap hair products for sticking down unruly curls compared to Imperial sizing wax and assorted stearic something lanolin glycerin distilled water products . They're all about the same , by label anyway . Got 2 b brand is cheapest at the moment but I really need to take a list of what's in what if I go that way on a clearance bin sale ......

 

[Mitty38]

Thanks guys....A lot....Sometimes one just needs a little push.
Ok no Dawn around, but used Ajax dish soap. Worked ok a lot easier then dry. Just a little slippery on the hands. Now to get them dry and try PC.
Not as nice and smooth as alox or Bee's wax based lube , but functional.
First a little iffy when sizing to .002 less, But then put one thru with a little pure carnuba wax to put a light coating on the inside of the die. Then went back to sizing with the Ajax dish soap. Like hot knife thru butter. Went prettysmooth after that, sized 35 or so.

Now to
See if can repeat the success the one time I washed with Dawn then PC'd. Last time I washed some bullets that had gotten a little case lube on them, the laid them on a clean towel overnight before I PC'd, going to try that again.

 

[Mitty38]

Ivory soap dissolved in distilled water or melted snow works too. BAMA did a whole thing on this, using various wire cable pulling gels and found one that if applied thinly didn't even need to be washed off before powder coating. He posted his results here and I dug them up recently and linked the thread to I think one of yours, Mitty.

Going to have to dig back to that wire pulling lube thing BAMA did, If I can get away with sizing and not even washing ....much the better.

 

[Brad]

Like Ian I size dry. When sizing down .003 it isn’t a big deal with the push thru type sizers using your reloading press.

 

[Mitty38]

Could not wait have my small test batch in the oven,now. Stood them up on parchment for you OCD guys, but 2 fell over since I can not find my little pan and just parchmented the grate.

 

[Mitty38]

Like Ian I size dry. When sizing down .003 it isn’t a big deal with the push thru type sizers using your reloading press.

Ye going to have to try in dry. I have just been a little paranoid about sizing since my press ended up in my lap one day with a big chunk of work bench on it. Guess I need to get over that.

 

[Mitty38]

Came out pretty nice. A little thin but full coverage. I did not pre heat before swirling just because I figured I would give it the least possible chance to work out. Plus, wanted to see if just drying on a towel would be good enough.
So at least I learned today, that it will not hurt any thing to use dish soap as a lube. And they coat just as well as they would straight out of the mould.

 

[Mitty38]

Ok @Brad and @Ian
I just sized the rest of that run dry. Nothing feel apart or got stuck and the world did not end. LOL So I guess I will leave the dish soap alone unless I get something on the bullets as I have enough sizing dies to go in small increments. At least from .355 to .360
Thanks for the input, been really helpful.
Guess I will be putting the PC to those dry sized ones in the morning.

 

[popper]

I've used just a tiny bit of BLL for sizing, pre-PC and after - for rifle bullets. PC was good, Lee sizer stays clean (and barrel shiny after a lot of rnds). OneShot even works - no cleaning. I prefer to pre-size as IMHO the bullet is deformed less, couple thous oversize and another couple thous PC and something has to move. Lube prevents the 'streaks' on the bands my moulds don't have L.G.s..

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

Mitty i did a limited test on BLL and PC. I like to lube any bullets before sizing. The small amount i use on bullets has no affect on the PC being applied. I lube and size the bullets. Let them dry overnight. Apply powder and bake. The bullets pass the smash/ wash test no problem. Kevin

 

[Mitty38]

Mitty i did a limited test on BLL and PC. I like to lube any bullets before sizing. The small amount i use on bullets has no affect on the PC being applied. I lube and size the bullets. Let them dry overnight. Apply powder and bake. The bullets pass the smash/ wash test no problem. Kevin

Thanks you guys are putting a lot of good options in one place. Nice to know I have viable options to switch between as- when required.
I have plenty of BLL around.

 

[fiver]

I read parchment and thought wax paper when I seen the pic.
I thought well the paper base protectors worked fine the first time I tried P-C soo..... LOL.

 

[Mitty38]

Got a silicon sheet on order. Had a basket that fit in the toaster oven but could not find it or my tray. So work with what you got, as they say.
However wax paper would have been a bit more interesting. Now how would I know that?

 

[4and1]

I use RCBS Case Lube II, on a lube pad. Same thing I use for sizing brass. I wipe the brass with a paper towel while reloading, but for PC, I wash with Dawn and warm water and rinse. Never had a problem with PC sticking.