Cleaning Sizing Dies

[edmehlig]

Just curious as to what you guys use to clean/remove excess lube from along the sides of your sizing dies?

[Sonnypie]

I just use some solvent and a round bristle brush.
Takes a few seconds.
But I don't do it that often. I do pick the ring off and toss it back in the crock pot.
(Lee sizer die)

Also, Ed, you don't say what kind of sizer dies?

[dragonrider]

Cleaning the lube off your dies is a waste of time and lube, what harm does the lube do on your die. Store them in some kind of container and call it day.

[RayinNH]

Ed it's not really necessary to clean dies that get used often. However if you get used dies that have dried goo in the lube holes you can use solvents, a heat gun or hair drier or boil them in water. These three methods will also work if you really insist on cleaning them every use...Ray

[C.F.Plinker]

WD40 and a pipe cleaner to clean them. Store the ones I am not using in old pill bottles along with the allen wrench for the set screw and the top punches.

[atr]

I never clean them. but do keep them in a dust proof container.

[zomby woof]

mineral spirits

[stubshaft]

Plain old air.

[BulletFactory]

Hot water.

I parkerised one once to keep it distinct from the other .40 that I'll be picking up soon. I had to take some 000 steel wool on a bore brush, and spin it with a drill though, the park made the inside of the sizer kinda rough.

[Iowa Fox]

On the old dirty crusty ones with the stuck plunger I find at gun shows or other places- I put them on a small square of wax paper, then on a folded news paper. Then I hang a 100 w light bulb in a reflective hood about 6 inches over the die. In a half hour or so I just use a paper towel and wipe off the last bit of melted lube. They will be nice and clean.

When I pull them out of my sizers I don't clean them, I wrap them in saran wrap and then put them in a plastic organizing box with snap lid from Harbor Freight. I have 5 sizers and each one has a diffent lube in it. I never worry about the lube left on the outside of a die and in just a few bullets the lube grooves are running the right color for the lube I am using.

[3006guns]

WD40 and a pipe cleaner to clean them. Store the ones I am not using in old pill bottles along with the allen wrench for the set screw and the top punches.

I have to disagree.......the WD40 is o.k. but the pipe cleaner has a steel stem. Good way to scratch the inside wall without knowing it until your brass suddenly develops mysterious marks. Yeah, I know. That stem is awfully small but I have a CH sizer that I bought brand new and somehow it got a scratch that marks all of my cases now. Maybe just a bit of unseen dirt, but.......? Those die walls aren't THAT hard.

Not saying it's an incorrect method.....whatever you do that works for you is fine, but I'll never put anything in there harder than a piece of wood or soft rag.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I use a paper towel and my thumb nail, and wipe off the excess. If you clean all the goo off of them it is just inviting them to rust, especially if you don't use that die frequently.

Also it hurts absolutly nothing to just leave it on, except it does make it a little harder to put the die back in the machine when you need to.

Randy

[jmsj]

I rarely ever clean my sizing dies.
FWFL lube fiils all my needs so far so it is the only lube that gets on the sizing dies. I make most of my own sizing dies and they fit pretty well in the prescription pill bottles that my wife gets. If they are factory dies, I just put them back into the factory box.
Good luck, jmsj

[C.F.Plinker]

I have to disagree.......the WD40 is o.k. but the pipe cleaner has a steel stem. Good way to scratch the inside wall without knowing it until your brass suddenly develops mysterious marks. Yeah, I know. That stem is awfully small but I have a CH sizer that I bought brand new and somehow it got a scratch that marks all of my cases now. Maybe just a bit of unseen dirt, but.......? Those die walls aren't THAT hard.

Not saying it's an incorrect method.....whatever you do that works for you is fine, but I'll never put anything in there harder than a piece of wood or soft rag.

You brought up a good point. I interpreted the original post to be talking about the dies used in lubesizers. For those, I use the pipe cleaners for the holes the lube goes into. I use a half sheet of paper towel with WD40 on it for the I die hole.

I very seldom find it necessary to clean the carbide sizing die I use for brass. However, my boolit seating dies do accumulate some lube and I clean them using WD40 every 1500-2000 rounds. The bullet nose punch on those gets the WD40 applied with a Q-tip.

[MT Gianni]

I don't bother with it. I store them in a plactic container made for 12 gauge shells. Rarely do they get to fat to fit in one of the holes. It makes it easy to keep track of them when you start with the smallest at the left front and move to the largest at the right rear.

[odette]

I plan to powder coat and not lube the bullets, so need to clean up the sizing dies. Plan on heating them with a heat lamp and getting as much old lube off them as possible then gascheck and size powder coated bullets. Do they need a more thorough cleaning than that, or can I run a bunch of reject bullets until there is no more lube on the bullet.
Is there any difference between RCBS 2 and a Lyman? My inherited Lyman is a rusty anchor, so I got a RCBS 2 from ebay they looks new. The Lyman looks to have a sizing die still in it, not sure if I will suceed in getting it out. Can't tell make or size of the die

[reddog81]

odette, Starting a new thread will probably get much more relevant answers. Most people who come along will probably answer the question from the original post not realizing it is 5 years old, and will not notice your post.

Regarding the bullet sizing dies, (I'm assuming you aren't talking about case sizing dies like the original thread) I'd assume pushing through the powder coated bullets will scrap off any excessive lube and the bullets will be sized correctly. If you feel its necessary to remove all the lube any solvent should work.

Regarding the Lyman, I'd let it soak in a penetrating oil for a while and then go at it. WD-40, Ed's Red, Kroil, or any number of other similar items.

[lightman]

You can clean your case sizing dies like you clean a gun barrel. I usually squirt a shot of brake cleaner into the die and thread the corner of a shop towel into it. Then a shot of oil to keep if from rusting. If they are really dirty a bore brush and a bore mop work well.

If you are talking bullet sizing dies, I gently work the "O" ring off and heat it with a heat gun until the lube is soft enough to scratch off with a tooth pick. The pointy sticks like what comes with a corn dog work well. I only clean these when I buy a used one with a bunch of dirty lube in it.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I plan to powder coat and not lube the bullets, so need to clean up the sizing dies. Plan on heating them with a heat lamp and getting as much old lube off them as possible then gascheck and size powder coated bullets. Do they need a more thorough cleaning than that

...SNIP
Nope, that will clean them up just fine.



"Is there any difference between RCBS 2 and a Lyman? "
Yes and No.
They do the same thing, but the parts are not interchangeable...although the Dies are "usually" interchangeable.

[gwpercle]

I've used Ed's Red Bore Cleaner, kerosene, brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner, acetone, paint thinner , WD40, penetrating oil (any brand) and mineral spirits . My favorite is Ed's Red , but they all work for cleaning .
Gary