The friction and heat created by the passage of the wire through the die will wear or break the die eventually, so these wires and dies are submerged in a lubricant or the lubricant is sprayed on the wire and die to reduce the damage or wear.

Lime has been found to be the most suitable coating for grease drawn bright finishes on carbon steel stock. However, it may be necessary to vary the weight of the lime coating in order to obtain the best balance between bright surface finish, die life, speed, and cleanliness. In fact, actually mixing lime with the grease in the die box may be helpful, or even necessary, depending on the number of reductions and finish required.

With lime coated rod continually running through a die box, the grease eventually becomes contaminated with excess lime, and tends to stiffen. At this point, it is often advisable to cut the grease with a small amount of oil or water to regain a good rolling consistency, and periodically the die box should be cleaned out entirely, and the compound replaced.