A BUNCH to hone on a 65 rh hardened die

[DrB]

So, I've honed a thousandth or two off a die before, but I have a concentric seating die I need to take about eight thousandths off of. Its hardened to about 65rh.

I'm planning on doing this by hand using a steel rod wrapped with 320 grit sand paper.

Any suggestions for how to make this easier from the masters out there?

[462]

Not a master at anything, but I've enlarged a few lube/sizing dies, and sliding sleeves in Lyman and Hornady seating dies. My only suggestion is have a good stock of time, patience, and paper.

[timbuck]

Hi,
.008 is a lot to hone out with sandpaper on a stick, let alone to do it accurately. Do you know anybody in a machine or tool shop equipped with a Sunnen Power hone. It will go easier on that.

[DrB]

No power hone, unfortunately. Know an old t&d maker, but he's not set up with that kind of equipment in his personal shop.

I'll be using a steel rod, and checking fit as I go on the bullet. I do expect it to open up on the outside edges of the hole more than the middle... don't know what I can do about it though.

Is this just a bad idea? Anyone ever try this much on a hardened die?

[lmcollins]

Look for someone with a lathe.

Put in the lathe chuck wrapped in a bit of papaer towel, oil it up with some thin oil, and hone it out with a piece of bar stock held in a boring bar holder. You want to make the holder parralel to the axis of the spindle. Put some paper around the bar shank. Feed it into the die with the carriage, and then into the side of the die with the cross slide. I'd run it slow and start with something like 400 grit paper. Move the carraige back-and-forth a bit to get an even cut. You can always go coarser and faster, but you cannot put metal back in your hole.

I'd try a speed of about 250 Rpm max to start. Be gentile and just touch it. Measure often. This way you have a good chance of having a straight, and parrallel hole.
If you do the same and use a drill press run it at the lowest speed, and run the die up and down.