Scratches

[trixter]

My Star .451 sizer die has developed some scratches (very tiny, but being as anal as I am I want to have shiny sided boolits).
My question is what grit cloth do I need to use to polish out the scratches without enlarging the die size?

[largom]

If you polish out the scratches you will enlarge the die size.

Larry

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

Yes, don't polish the inside of the die. You may have a bur on the edge of one of the lube holes, clean the die well, and try, GENTLY, reaming the inside edge of the hole, from the outside of the die.

[runfiverun]

i have had the hard shot i use protrude into the die causing scratches in my boolits.
if it's just a scratch in the die itself you really can't do much if it's in the sizing area if it's in the tapered lead in area you could buff it out.

if it isn't affecting the boolit i wouldn't bother.

[wv109323]

+1 on what runfiverun said. I too had the shot in the blocked lube holes to scratch my boolits during sizing.

[Doc Highwall]

Making sure you flux the hell out of your alloy to remove the silicates that cause scratches and lap your gun's bore too.

This is why I have a seperate smelter and alloying set up, then cast in a LEE pot.

[fc60]

Greetings,

You should be able to remove the tiny burrs inside the die with 600 grit wet/dry paper and use some Kerosene as a cutting agent. If no Kerosene, Windex also works as a cutting solution. Roll some abrasive paper around a wood dowel and slip it into the die. Now roll the die back and forth on the table, like a wheel and axle, with gentle pressure. Clean the inside of the die with a rag and test again to see if the little burrs have gone away.

Cheers,

Dave

[MT Chambers]

Those scratches are usually made by the user when he tries to remove the shot blocking certain holes, whether using a drill bit or a small pic of some kind. I know because I am guilty of it.

[KohlerK91]

I thought the "Star" dies were heat treated pretty hard? That would take alot to scatch one wouldn't it?

[trixter]

Greetings,

You should be able to remove the tiny burrs inside the die with 600 grit wet/dry paper and use some Kerosene as a cutting agent. If no Kerosene, Windex also works as a cutting solution. Roll some abrasive paper around a wood dowel and slip it into the die. Now roll the die back and forth on the table, like a wheel and axle, with gentle pressure. Clean the inside of the die with a rag and test again to see if the little burrs have gone away.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks I'll give it try.

[VHoward]

I thought the "Star" dies were heat treated pretty hard? That would take alot to scatch one wouldn't it?
Lathesmiths dies are harder. It could be something as simple as a hard bit of debris stuck in a lube hole. So I would check that possibility out before I would take any abrasives to it.