Die Scratching Brass

[Lilfry]

Looks like the inside of my die started scratching my brass when sizing. Not sure how the die got scratched inside. I clean my brass prior to sizing. I tried cleaning the inside of the die with a nylon brush but it didn’t do anything.

Whidden die for reference. Am I going to have to buy another die?

 

[Rio Precision Gunworks]

Can probably just light polish the inside of die.

 

[spife7980]

If it’s brass galled on, soak it in some solvent and scrub the shit out of it.
And then use more lube.

If it’s really that scratched then polish the hell out of it like rio said

It’s likely going to take some elbow grease or powered spinning to more easily clean it up

 

[Supersubes]

Might actually be galling. Hard to tell from the pics but the die could have picked up small flecks of brass which are now doing the scratching.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

How do you lube your cases when you size em?

 

[DownhillFromHere]

Looks like brass galling to me. A LOT of it. Probably caused by insufficient lube on the cases... tiny flakes of brass get scraped or sheared off and essentially pressure-weld themselves to the die wall. Ask me how I know. And ask me whether anything like steel dental implements will pop the flecks off the die wall... and I'll tell you nope, won't work.

If there's a solvent that will break it loose... that would be great. I never tried that approach. I used 1500-grit automotive wet-lap sandpaper spinning on a dowel. Royal pita to get the brass out. Afyer which I never underapplied lube again.

 

[Lilfry]

Looks like brass galling to me. A LOT of it. Probably caused by insufficient lube on the cases... tiny flakes of brass get scraped or sheared off and essentially pressure-weld themselves to the die wall. Ask me how I know. And ask me whether anything like steel dental implements will pop the flecks off the die wall... and I'll tell you nope, won't work.

If there's a solvent that will break it loose... that would be great. I never tried that approach. I used 1500-grit automotive wet-lap sandpaper spinning on a dowel. Royal pita to get the brass out. Afyer which I never underapplied lube again.

Damn, are you me in an alternate universe?

I think you guys are right. I usually put my clean brass on a loading block and use one shot. I think the one shot was not reaching far down the body of the brass. Sounds like over time it might have caused galling like you guys predicted.

I just used some flits and a shotgun bore cleaner to polish the inside. It seemed to work until I loaded like 5 pieces of brass and it came back.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

Damn, are you me in an alternate universe?

I think you guys are right. I usually put my clean brass on a loading block and use one shot. I think the one shot was not reaching far down the body of the brass. Sounds like over time it might have caused galling like you guys predicted.

I just used some flits and a shotgun bore cleaner to polish the inside. It seemed to work until I loaded like 5 pieces of brass and it came back.

That's why I asked how you lubed your cases. You can see the bottoms of the cases aren't being lubed enough and the resulting galling.

Do the flitz thing again then clean it really well, then do flitz, then clean it again, ect... polishing compound will work with the right sized bore mop and a drill

 

[DownhillFromHere]

I usually put my clean brass on a loading block and use one shot. I think the one shot was not reaching far down the body of the brass.

There's not a thing wrong with One Shot (I'm waiting for the first "One Shot sucks blah blah blah" rant; pfft, whatever, rant away...). You do have to make sure it's applied to the entire case. Early on, I tried to speed up the loading process - I've been reloading for over half a century and I regard it with the same affection as swabbing toilets (necessary chore) and it bit my backside with a stuck .223 case with the rim torn off followed by galled brass.

So now I line up my brass in a plastic bin, spray it, and, as I pick up each case to resize, I spread the lube evenly with my fingers. Slow as hell. But I'm retired so I have the time. And it beats the crap out of galled cases.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

There's not a thing wrong with One Shot (I'm waiting for the first "One Shot sucks blah blah blah" rant; pfft, whatever, rant away...). You do have to make sure it's applied to the entire case. Early on, I tried to speed up the loading process - I've been reloading for over half a century and I regard it with the same affection as swabbing toilets (necessary chore) and it bit my backside with a stuck .223 case with the rim torn off followed by galled brass.

So now I line up my brass in a plastic bin, spray it, and, as I pick up each case to resize, I spread the lube evenly with my fingers. Slow as hell. But I'm retired so I have the time. And it beats the crap out of galled cases.

Why not just use sizing wax then? Once you try the rcbs lube mixed with 99% alcohol in a spray bottle, you won't ever do it another way again. It coats the whole case good and then washes off with warm water and a little soap or you can dry tumble it off. Rcbs lube will dissolve in water unlike lanolin, so it cleans up super easy. Definitely the best method IME.

 

[DownhillFromHere]

Why not just use sizing wax then? Once you try the rcbs lube mixed with 99% alcohol in a spray bottle, you won't ever do it another way again. It coats the whole case good and then washes off with warm water and a little soap or you can dry tumble it off. Rcbs lube will dissolve in water unlike lanolin, so it cleans up super easy. Definitely the best method IME.

So do you just spray enough of the solution onto the brass to ensure coverage without smearing the stuff around like I do?

My time sink is lining up the brass in a plastic tub - visualize a belt of machine gun rounds without the links - and spraying one side of it. I bought four cans of One Shot when I started seriously handloading precision rifle about six years ago. I've loaded somewhere around 10,000 6.5CM, .223, and 6BR rounds since then and I'm just finishing the second can.

I'm all for speeding up the chore....

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

My time sink is lining up the brass in a plastic tub - visualize a belt of machine gun rounds without the links - and spraying one side of it.

I use the Dillon lube, but I just dump the brass in a cardboard box, spray, shake, spray, shake. I stole the idea from a buddy who uses one shot in a paper bag.

 

[Supersubes]

So do you just spray enough of the solution onto the brass to ensure coverage without smearing the stuff around like I do?

My time sink is lining up the brass in a plastic tub - visualize a belt of machine gun rounds without the links - and spraying one side of it. I bought four cans of One Shot when I started seriously handloading precision rifle about six years ago. I've loaded somewhere around 10,000 6.5CM, .223, and 6BR rounds since then and I'm just finishing the second can.

I'm all for speeding up the chore....

Put them in a zip lock back, spray into the bag, shake them around, dump the cases out.

If four cans lasted 10k rounds, youre not using enough.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

So do you just spray enough of the solution onto the brass to ensure coverage without smearing the stuff around like I do?

My time sink is lining up the brass in a plastic tub - visualize a belt of machine gun rounds without the links - and spraying one side of it. I bought four cans of One Shot when I started seriously handloading precision rifle about six years ago. I've loaded somewhere around 10,000 6.5CM, .223, and 6BR rounds since then and I'm just finishing the second can.

I'm all for speeding up the chore....

Yeah I used to do that because I didn't want it getting inside the neck but with the rcbs mix, it's not an issue and so I just put em in a gallon ziplock and spray em, then mix em around a little and rock and roll. You have to put them out in a bin or something for the alcohol to flash off but it doesn't take long and the rcbs lube is just so good even if it isn't all flashed off, it makes sizing so much smoother and better.

 

[Aftermath]

Ziplock is the way

 

[HerCoStarNTheBeaverPictur]

I’m no expert but I’ve just been using plastic grocery bags

 

[Supersubes]

I’m no expert but I’ve just been using plastic grocery bags

That works too, but our grocery bags are shitty around here and frequently have holes in them. The zip lock gets resealed when finished for cleanliness, and re-used over and over.

 

[Lilfry]

Thanks for all the help yall. I’m going to try some of these methods for lubing.

Are these pieces of brass with burrs safe to shoot or should I toss them?

 

[AllenOne1]

Thanks for all the help yall. I’m going to try some of these methods for lubing.

Are these pieces of brass with burrs safe to shoot or should I toss them?

Shoot-em

 

[Ledzep]

Can usually either scrape out the deposits carefully with a hard steel tool (be careful not to engrave your die), or strip the die down and let it soak with something like BoreTech Eliminator. It will eventually dissolve or at least partially dissolve the brass so you can scrape it away, give it a light buff and carry on.


Or.... more often than not, I just buy a new die. Sucks but the time and headache involved isn't worth it for me. If you don't completely remove the spots they grow back in a hurry IME.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

Thanks for all the help yall. I’m going to try some of these methods for lubing.

Are these pieces of brass with burrs safe to shoot or should I toss them?

Choot-it. Won't hurt anything and if you get your die fixed up you won't even notice it again

 

[Aftermath]

That works too, but our grocery bags are shitty around here and frequently have holes in them. The zip lock gets resealed when finished for cleanliness, and re-used over and over.

After a year or more, all you gotta do is add a little isopropyl and cases...there's plenty of lube built up inside the bag.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

After a year or more, all you gotta do is add a little isopropyl and cases...there's plenty of lube built up inside the bag.

Yeah, I use the same bag for a while then chunk it and move on to the next one. It takes so little to do it, I think my spray bottom made from not even a whole 2oz bottle of rcbs and 1 bottle of alcohol last me a year or more

 

[Lilfry]

Alright yall, tried out the JB and Dremel method. Die is looking really good now. Thank you all for the awesome advice!

 

[smoothy8500]

How is Whidden's customer support? Even RCBS will take back a die to clean and polish for a small fee.

 

[AllenOne1]

Alright yall, tried out the JB and Dremel method. Die is looking really good now. Thank you all for the awesome advice!

That look great. I would consider using the Creedmoor or Imperial sizing wax.

 

[DHDeal]

Too much lube can put a dent in the neck/shoulder junction but I'd rather have that than an underlubed case causing problems. I err on the side of more than less.

I've delt with similar issues before making wildcat cases and will use a stiff nylon brush (Brownells heavy duty), a large patch, and flitz. Chuck it up, spin it fast, and check it often. A PITA for sure but it works. I use One Shot more because it works good enough and is cleaner to use but SharpShooter, Dillon, or Midway spray is slicker. One of the lube pads and their lube saturated in the pad is also super slick.

Glad you got your die smoothed out cause it ain't a cheap one....

 

[JerkyFreak]

I have seen something similar with other dies; usually dies I bought secondhand. Most of the time it was caused by corrosion. Once was caused by someone trying to remove a stuck case with a screw driver and drill.

For some reason plenty of people do not see the need to keep their sizing dies clean and protected against rust.

 

[MO Fugga]

I use mink oil. Little tubs at dollar general for $3. Smells good too! Grab em, smear em, get a little inside the case mouth, GTG. Never stuck a case in 8 years.

 

[Lilfry]

Too much lube can put a dent in the neck/shoulder junction but I'd rather have that than an underlubed case causing problems. I err on the side of more than less.

I've delt with similar issues before making wildcat cases and will use a stiff nylon brush (Brownells heavy duty), a large patch, and flitz. Chuck it up, spin it fast, and check it often. A PITA for sure but it works. I use One Shot more because it works good enough and is cleaner to use but SharpShooter, Dillon, or Midway spray is slicker. One of the lube pads and their lube saturated in the pad is also super slick.

Glad you got your die smoothed out cause it ain't a cheap one....

When I first started reloading I was using lanolin and alcohol in a spray bottle. It was really easy for large batches but I noticed my dies were getting gunked up real quick. Also, someone told me about too much lube messing with the shoulder like you mentioned. That’s when I started using Hornady one shot for my wildcat cartridges. It’s much cleaner but kinda expensive.

 

[Lilfry]

I have seen something similar with other dies; usually dies I bought secondhand. Most of the time it was caused by corrosion. Once was caused by someone trying to remove a stuck case with a screw driver and drill.

For some reason plenty of people do not see the need to keep their sizing dies clean and protected against rust.

I’ve been having to keep my stuff in the garage but I’m hoping to set up a bench in the house. I usually keep my dies clean and leave a light coat of oil on them. Haven’t had any rust issues in two years. Also keep them sealed in containers.

 

[MO Fugga]

I have seen something similar with other dies; usually dies I bought secondhand. Most of the time it was caused by corrosion. Once was caused by someone trying to remove a stuck case with a screw driver and drill.

For some reason plenty of people do not see the need to keep their sizing dies clean and protected against rust.

Without moving the die, I'll back out the decapping pin and do a quick swab out every hundred or so rounds. Shit builds up quick.