Cleaning dies

[Foul Mike]

A few of us that reload a lot may become complacent about cleaning our dies, especially the sizing die.
It is easy to take them apart now and then and clean them up.
Not so easy when they suddenly start scratching your brass and it takes more force than usual to run them through and you realize there is shit and gundgeon built up in there causing those scratches.

I learned that the hard way and I knew better, I was just not on the ball.

It doesn't need done too often I think, but put it on your To Do list. FM

 

[spife7980]

I dont do it often but when I do Ill take a paper towel, wrap it around a bic pen or something softer unlike a screw driver and wrap the paper towel so that its a tight fit in the die and spin that around inside. Ill then do the same with a tad of 0000 steel wool just for a bit of a polish and then a wash/rinse and paper towel again to dry them off and finish up with a spritz of oneshot to prelube them.

 

[El Cid 92]

About once per month, I use a solvent soaked patch mounted on a pistol cleaning rod. Get it nice and clean then use a dry patch to follow. This seems to keep everything in great shape.

Andrew

 

[Ryridesmotox]

I just throw them in my dry tumbler

 

[Foul Mike]

I spray them out with Carb. Cleaner and go from there.
This weekend last I did a .45 chamber brush on an elec. drill with JB Paste to clean up my 6.5 Creedmoor die.
Took a while and I knew better than to let it get so bad., hence this thread.
Lots of carb cleaner and comp. air and most of all a lot of foul words.

 

[Stellawood]

I run all my cases through a universal decapper then tumble my cases before they go in the sizer. Haven’t had an issue with my dies getting dirty doing it that way.

 

[ditter]

I use a universal decapping die to remove primers. Man, those things are full of gunk. Then I wet tumble. Before sizing, I do a quick spray of brake cleaner into the die and then follow up with Hornady case lube. After sizing, another shot of brake cleaner. Dies are pretty much spotless.

 

[jetsurgeon]

I just throw them in my dry tumbler

How long to you tumble the dies? Walnut or Corn? Any additives in the mix?

 

[DIBBS]

You might be able to send them back to the manufacturer for a polish. I have had issues in the past with embedding material in the sizing die and scratching the cases... and I've inherited some dies that may not have been taken care of like they should.

 

[Ryridesmotox]

How long to you tumble the dies? Walnut or Corn? Any additives in the mix?

Walnut shell, cap full of nufinish car polish, and some brake cleaner when I get them out. I dont put nufinish in every time. Usually when I change out the media, I'll tumble it without anything in the tumbler for a while. To rub the nufinish in, then I'll throw in dies or whatever.

And inforgot the most important part... dryer sheets. They help keep the media and the dies clean.

 

[jetsurgeon]

Walnut shell, cap full of nufinish car polish, and some brake cleaner when I get them out. I dont put nufinish in every time. Usually when I change out the media, I'll tumble it without anything in the tumbler for a while. To rub the nufinish in, then I'll throw in dies or whatever.

And inforgot the most important part... dryer sheets. They help keep the media and the dies clean.

Ok great, thanks for the info, I’ll give it a try sometime soon.

 

[scatterbrains]

I clean my dies in an ultrasonic cleaner after every 1000rds roughly.
I'll quick n dirty with brake clean if I notice any oddities while reloading.

 

[Snuby642]

Big fan of universal decap and tumble clean first with nufinish and mineral spirits.

Everything runs slick then , no stuck brass since and opportunity to see defects before sizing.

Several thousand rounds of cleaner than average range brass done that way with no stuck brass in a cheap Lee die set.