Sizing problem

[Windyvista]

I cast my first 38 caliber boolits a couple of weeks ago and based on another threat I had started this week on the best way to lube, I was advised to use WD40 on the bullets rather than Alox, size them and then pan lube. So today, I mounted the Lee single stage press I had purchased and installed the 0.358 Lee sizing die. I sprayed the boolits with WD40 and put my first boolit on. It got stuck in the die. I pushed it backwards and thinking maybe I didn't have enough lube, I made sure I had the boolit well sprayed. Tried again and got real resistance. I thought maybe this is just me and tried to push harder to get the boolit through. Didn't happen. It is stuck midway up the die. I will probably have to drill out the core to get it out of the die. I checked the boolit mold, a Lee 6 cavity mold (C358-158-SWC), and it shows 0.358. The sizing die shows 0.358. I calipered some of the boolits and they are coming out 0.362.

So is seems like the boolits are larger than the mold states if my caliper is right but is that far enough off to cause the boolit to get stuck in the die. I am pressing so hard on the press handle that I am concerned about it breaking off the pressboard top on my bench and I have to believe these should be going through with less force.

Thanks for comments in advance.

[Echo]

Well - WD40 is not much of a lube. Mainly a penetrating oil for Water Dispersement. Most folks tumble lube first, then size, then TL again.

[runfiverun]

you have found out that sizing down that much ain't easy.
you have also learned wd-40 is a water displacer not a lube.
you might also learn that 358 on the die means 357 sumthin and that you have no lube grooves when you get the boolit out.
you might have to pan lube first then size down to retain them.

[jlala504]

Put a light layer of alox on them first, works wonders.

[44man]

Let me see, what is WD 40 good for---------------------------------------------------------[smilie=l:[smilie=l:

[462]

Measuring boolits with calipers is iffy, given their .001" accuracy, and measuring a round hole with a square device is even less accurate.

Downsizing a properly lubed boolit a minimum of .004" (given your iffy measurements) will still require some effort.

If, after using a micrometer to measure the boolits, they are, indeed, .362", you may want to return the mould. Those boolits should be .360" maximum. No sense making things more difficult that need be.

[Ben]

Let me see, what is WD 40 good for--------

Making your guns rust.

[ColColt]

Alright-you asked for it...

1) Protects silver from tarnishing.
2) Removes road tar and grime from cars. also is safe for any plastic!
3) Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4) Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery.
5) Keeps flies off cows.
6) Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7) Removes lipstick stains.
8) Loosens stubborn zippers.
9) Untangles jewelry chains.
10) Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11) Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12) Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
1 3) Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14) Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots. also is safe for any plastic!
15) Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
16) Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17) Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes
18) It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD- 40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19) Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!
20) Gives a children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21) Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on Riding mowers.
22) Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23) Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to Open.
24) Spraying an umbrella stem m ak es it easier to open and close.
25) Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as Vinyl bumpers.
26) Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27) Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28) Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy Handling.
29) Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running Smoothly.
30) Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31) Removes splattered grease on stove.
32) Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33) Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34) Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35) Removes all traces of duct tape.
36) Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis Pain.
37) Florida 's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and Bumpers.'
38) The favorite use in the state of New York WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39) WD-40 att rac ts fish. (see end comment) Spray a LITTLE on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the Chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40) Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41) WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and Wipe with a clean rag.
42) Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and re-wash. Presto! Lipstick is gone!
43) If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start. Boat owners take note!!!
44) Keep a can of WD-40 in the kitchen, it is good for oven burns or any other type of burn. It takes the
burned feeling away and heals with NO s carr ing.
**The basic ingredient is FISH OIL

[Mooseman]

Let me see, what is WD 40 good for--------

Making your guns rust.

Thats NOT true at all....WD-40 was made to stop corrosion , etc from forming on Nuclear missiles. When used properly, it protects metals and prevents rust.

[geargnasher]

The problem with WD-40 is that it doesn't last. People who have rusting problems with it have too much faith in the lifespan of the coating it leaves, which is measured in days rather than months.

It was developed for either the Mercury or Gemini program (I forget which) to disperse condensation from switch panels on the space capsules and thus prevent electrical "shorts" or falsely closed switches. This was a problem during extended spaceflight in craft with insufficient climated control to remove sweat and respiratory humidity from the atmosphere. It was never intended to be a lubricant, and there are always better choices for rust prevention and lubrication than a water dispersant.

The basic ingredient is NOT fish oil. Nice try, though.

Gear

[stubert]

The only thing that WD 40 is good for, is starting a diesel engine. I am a mechanic and you will NOT see WD 40 in my shop. Now, Kroil on the other hand....................

[geargnasher]

The only thing that WD 40 is good for, is starting a diesel engine. I am a mechanic and you will NOT see WD 40 in my shop. Now, Kroil on the other hand....................

That's not as true anymore since the greenies made them take the propane out as a propellant and use CO2 instead. It USED to be a good starting fluid for any engine. But that's ok, most of the ether blends now have upper-cylinder lubes in them now so they're not so dangerous. Unfortunately, they have 50% or less actual ether now, so they don't work worth a flip anymore for seating tubeless tire beads.

Gear

[JMtoolman]

One more thing it is good for is as a tapping fluid for alum. As a machinest, have used it for thirty years. The toolman.

[41 mag fan]

They call me creamy at work...at one time I used to drink enough white lightning, I could pee in a cup, throw it in the breather of our getmans and use it to start them up in the winter if some moron left them outside over the weekend.....:holysheep

We started calling it Creamy's magic Wonder Fluid:bigsmyl2::kidding:

[blikseme300]

Let me see, what is WD 40 good for---------------------------------------------------------[smilie=l:[smilie=l:

WD 40 is excellent for killing primers.

[500MAG]

Tumble lube with Alox first then size then, if needed, tunble lude again. Nuff said

[Char-Gar]

How come nobody has asked him if he water dropped those bullets ? Sizing rock hard bullets .004, sprayed with wd40 Ina cheapo press probably is the issue.

[44man]

I admit that I use it when cutting a mold with a cherry. [smilie=p:
But I believe all the hype long ago so when I cleaned my bases for the radial saw or band saw, both painted, I used WD-40 and wiped the dirt off. In a few weeks the painted surfaces were rusted badly.
Even soap and water would not have done that.
Farmers in PA used it by the 55 gal barrels on farm equipment. They also sprayed hunting rifles. It gets in the bolts and dries so hard it freezes the firing pins. I find noting that dissolves it and it needs scraped out. Guns rust bad.

[Ben]

44man

For any of those that think WD - 40 has any rust preventative qualities, they are going to end up with the same experiences you've had.

If I ranked the top 25 rust preventatives that may serve good duty on a blued firearm , WD - 40 would be at number 99.

Ben

[44man]

44man

For any of those that think WD - 40 has any rust preventative qualities, they are going to end up with the same experiences you've had.

If I ranked the top 25 rust preventatives that may serve good duty on a blued firearm , WD - 40 would be at number 99.

Ben
I use Sheath or Barricade for rust prevention. For long term or ML's I use LPS-3.
I had friends spray WD-40 in sticky locks.:bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2: I had to change the tumblers after scraping the holes out. Yes, I am a locksmith too and even figured out how to make keys for the Nix-Pix locks. I have a system to find the combination for combination locks without looking them up.

[oldfart1956]

I cast my first 38 caliber boolits a couple of weeks ago and based on another threat I had started this week on the best way to lube, I was advised to use WD40 on the bullets rather than Alox, size them and then pan lube. So today, I mounted the Lee single stage press I had purchased and installed the 0.358 Lee sizing die. I sprayed the boolits with WD40 and put my first boolit on. It got stuck in the die. I pushed it backwards and thinking maybe I didn't have enough lube, I made sure I had the boolit well sprayed. Tried again and got real resistance. I thought maybe this is just me and tried to push harder to get the boolit through. Didn't happen. It is stuck midway up the die. I will probably have to drill out the core to get it out of the die. I checked the boolit mold, a Lee 6 cavity mold (C358-158-SWC), and it shows 0.358. The sizing die shows 0.358. I calipered some of the boolits and they are coming out 0.362.

So is seems like the boolits are larger than the mold states if my caliper is right but is that far enough off to cause the boolit to get stuck in the die. I am pressing so hard on the press handle that I am concerned about it breaking off the pressboard top on my bench and I have to believe these should be going through with less force.

Thanks for comments in advance. Windy this is probably such an idiotic sounding question but....did you put another boolit in the press and continue trying to size. See, the first boolit in the sizer won't exit. I have to run 4 boolits in before the first one exits the top of the sizing die. (Lee also) After the first one exits each succeeding boolit will push one thru. That short spud that attaches to the ram will not push a single boolit all the way thru the die. Admittadly your downsizing quite a bit but I saw a feller on here ramming .44 cal boolits thru a .41 cal sizing die! I takes a little (!) grunt but it'll go. Put some stank on that lever! My Lee .357 casts .360/.361 (125gr. rfn) and I got them thru. Now if them boolits is hard hard hard lead...it might take a puddy good shove! :) I recently ran .457's thru a .452 Lee sizing die. Audie...the Oldfart...

[Big Cholla]

I'm a home shop machinist. I use WD-40 for one purpose...........it is a great preliminary hand cleaner as the first step when headed for the lavatory and LAVA soap. KROIL is the real deal for everything mentioned above except baiting fish. :-) ............... Big Cholla

[44man]

The most fun I have had was opening my friends locker at work. I made a super ugly dummy with a paper mache (spelling) head and a deer tail for her crotch. He was on vacation when I put it in his locker.
He almost had the big one when he opened it. :mrgreen:
The next time I stuffed his locker with balled up newspaper! :drinks:
I loved the guy but he would not quit smoking and cancer got him. So sad to lose friends.

[popper]

Try canola (cooking) oil. WD40 has solvents to dry off before it works for sizer lube. If the CB is really stuck, use a propane torch to get it out. Hard to drill and not score the die.

[EDK]

Miscellaneous size and lengths of brass bar stock sure are handy to knock out a stuck boolit or some other screw up! I liked brass bars while working as what they called a power plant machinest....a mill wright to most people.

KROIL is the greatest stuff in the world. IF KROIL won't work on a rusted nut and bolt, it's time to try heating..or cut the d*** thing off if possible.

:redneck::cbpour:

[mpmarty]

Let me see, what is WD 40 good for---------------------------------------------------------[smilie=l:[smilie=l:

Drying out wet ignition systems

[popper]

mpmarty forgot about that one - haven't had to do that for 30 yrs.

[ColColt]

I had a car that would not start when it was raining. I couldn't figure it out so one day I took the distributor cap off and looked at it closely. Holding it up to the light you could barely see a faint hairline crack. I put some electrician's tape over it and sprayed the inside as well as the points with WD-40 and she fired right up. Needless to say the next opportunity I bought a new distributor cap and rotary button along with a new set of points.

[Char-Gar]

Drying out wet ignition systems

That is the truth. I had a 1950 Ford PU and every time I went through a puddle, the ignition got wet and that was it. I would dry out the inside of the distributor cap, spray some WD40 and away we went.

[mdi]

WD-40 has a zillion uses, just not so good on firearms, as we all here know. I have used WD 40 as an engine starter (it wasn't the propane it was the pertoleum oils that ignite under compression). But as a bullet lube it don' work so good; it feels slick but the WD 40 seems to "squeeze out" under pressure. Alox is pretty messy as a lube for sizing so I use Mink Oil Boot Dressing (the sams stuff I use as case lube). More "body" and stays on/with the bullet as it is sized...

[Char-Gar]

I was living in Houston, Texas about the time WD40 hit the market and was thought to be the miracle lube and cure all. Houston PD Officers had problems with rust on their service revolvers, and some began to spray their loaded weapon with WD40 at the end of their shift, leave it over night, and wipe it off in the morning. They began to have some failure to fire issues of the rounds and the discontinued the use of WD40 PDQ.

[Windyvista]

Windy this is probably such an idiotic sounding question but....did you put another boolit in the press and continue trying to size. See, the first boolit in the sizer won't exit. I have to run 4 boolits in before the first one exits the top of the sizing die. (Lee also) After the first one exits each succeeding boolit will push one thru. That short spud that attaches to the ram will not push a single boolit all the way thru the die. Admittadly your downsizing quite a bit but I saw a feller on here ramming .44 cal boolits thru a .41 cal sizing die! I takes a little (!) grunt but it'll go. Put some stank on that lever! My Lee .357 casts .360/.361 (125gr. rfn) and I got them thru. Now if them boolits is hard hard hard lead...it might take a puddy good shove! :) I recently ran .457's thru a .452 Lee sizing die. Audie...the Oldfart...


OldFart,

The problem I had was I wasn't even able to cycle the handle completely down. It got stuck half way down on the first boolit. I took the die off and heated the stuck boolit out. Once I got the boolit out, I reinstalled the sizing die and cycled the handle on the empty press with no problem. So I knew it wasn't an issue with the press operation. Then I took a boolit and hand smeared 50/50 Beeswax / Alox 350 lube I had for pan lubing on a boolit. I tried sizing and it went through with a little effort but did not get stuck. I proceeded to do more boolits the same way with no problem. So it appears to me it was all in the use of the WD40 that I had been advised to use. So I concur with the popular opinions that WD40 is a terrible lubricant.

[oldfart1956]

Windy glad you worked it out. I've never tried sizing with WD 40 though I do use it for a lot of other things. Love the beeswax based lubes! After sizing will you re-lube? I ask because sizing generally cleans all the lube off the area that is bearing on the bore. I've shot with/without re-lubing and haven't had any leading issues yet but I mebbe just got lucky. Lately I've been re-lubing but mebbe I'm just being anal about it. Congrats! Audie...the Oldfart...