BEST WAY TO CLEAN DIES????

[ZakAttackMan]

How do you guys clean your sizing dies?

Would a Ultrasonic cleaner be a good way to go?

I have a Dillon .223 trim die that began scratching by brass thought I would give ultrasonic cleaning a try before sending it back.

[smokingloon]

I just use a q-tip and solvent.

[swerv512]

i think there's a way to buff the inside. i'm no expert, i use the solvent on a q-tip method, but i do still see metal inside the sizing die....

[joelogic]

I took the advice from a fellow calgunner and bought a bore honing brush. I bought the 800 grit SC brush in .223 and I will order the brush in .308. These brushes are expensive solution to a modest problem. I feel the scratches to the neck are just comestic but others may say differently. I bought the honing oil from Brownells. If you can use someone else's that may be the best but I figure not a lot of people have the need for them. My dies did not start scratching the brass until around 10k pieces processed, YMMV. With the honing brush, I just stuck it in a drill, put some honing oil on it, and started honing (I use to hone engine blocks). I did try the bore mop on a drill and car paint scratch remover and that worked fine for another 1-2k pieces but then you would have to bore mop hone it again. (Waste of time). I also tried foaming bore cleaner and a bore mop on a drill, not too much luck there either.

http://www.brushresearch.com/brushes.php?c2=183

[swerv512]

looks like i'll be borrowing yours when the time comes, neighbor...

[Fire in the Hole]

How about tumbeling them in the media, then blowing them out with an air compressor?

[swerv512]

How about tumbeling them in the media, then blowing them out with an air compressor?

i wouldnt think that any type of media i'm thinking of would have a fine enough polish.... i could be wrong though.

[Fire in the Hole]

i wouldnt think that any type of media i'm thinking of would have a fine enough polish.... i could be wrong though.

Don't take my post as expert advice, I'm an admitted novice. I had a die with some exterior black colored corrosion, a rusted de-burring champhering tool, and two snubbie screwdrivers. One day I thought what the heck, and tumbeled them in walnut shell media for 2 days. They came out clean as a hound's, tooth.

[1moa@500]

take a rifle chamber mop and coat it with jb compound put it on a fixed piece of cleaning rod and chuck it up in a cordless drill.

[LGB Loader]

tumble a bit to get any big particles and then Spin some 0000 steel wool or 600 or finer grit sandpaper inside them with a bit of Kroil.
Make sure you keep them nice and lubed between uses. Will keep the rust down at the same time.

Working with clean brass helps as does regularly cleaning the dies.

My Dad used to brush em with Hoppes #9 Bore solvent and then follow up with Rem Oil while changing dies.

My uncle used Kerosene and then follow up with Rem oil.

LGB

[ZakAttackMan]

Well no luck so far I think I will send it back to Dillon rather than buy a honing brush and oil.

[Mstnpete]

I spray mine with Carb cleaner and works good.

[CSACANNONEER]

For cleaning, disassemble, use Q-Tips and cleaner. I have used Goof-off to remove wax build up from cast bullets with great success. For a scratch, you should have cleaned your brass and dies more often and it might not have happened. Other than that, I don't want you to do what I've done to "fix" the problem. But, I'll tell you. I've used a Dremel and a buffing wheel to buff the scratches out. BUT, I needed to use the die right away. Again, I do not suggest this if you want to keep your dies as perfect as can be.

[cassius]

Well no luck so far I think I will send it back to Dillon rather than buy a honing brush and oil.

oh ffs, scrub it out with a cleaning brush or toothbrush. Treat it like a chamber, solvent, scrub, clean, then oil the whole thing to forestall corrosion.
Surely you can visually inspect for the burr or embedded bit of grit and remove it, instead of abusing a warranty over a cosmetic issue.

/once again surprised at the seemingly high incidence of compulsive behaviours in reloaders

[LexLuther]

dremmel

I thought the dremmel would be the perfect fix. Do you think the dremmel would remove too much material? I used it to polish my case mouth expander/powder funnel for .45 and it worked great, it is the smoothest my machine has run yet, and I was thinking that polishing the sizing die would be just as helpful. Would like to hear more from anyone who has tried...

For cleaning, disassemble, use Q-Tips and cleaner. I have used Goof-off to remove wax build up from cast bullets with great success. For a scratch, you should have cleaned your brass and dies more often and it might not have happened. Other than that, I don't want you to do what I've done to "fix" the problem. But, I'll tell you. I've used a Dremel and a buffing wheel to buff the scratches out. BUT, I needed to use the die right away. Again, I do not suggest this if you want to keep your dies as perfect as can be.