Polishing Lube/Sizer Dies

[Clay M]

I have a .459 H&I sizer die I would like to open up to .460 or .461 I know they are heat treated. Just wonder if there is an effective method of doing this with a drill press or hand tools?

[Guesser]

I used a ball hone to open up a .410. I have polished many hydraulic control valve bodies using this method, had the hones on hand and did it. Worked well. Slugged the bore of the die as I went and stopped when I got where I wanted to be.

[country gent]

You can lapp the die out or polish it out if you work slowly and carefully.
a lead slug on a rod turning slow with laping compound ironed into it can be used . Takes a few slugs ussually but makes for a very true surface in the die when done right.
A split rod and fine auto paper wrapped to size around it and turning slow will also work.
You want the slug or paper longer than the die by alsmost twice the length. Turn slow and feed so that the polish lines cross over each other never leaving the die body. Make a few passes clean and check for size. I would only turn slowly around 50-100 rpm in a drill motor or drill press. Hod the die by hand as this lets the lapp mandrell follow the originanl hole feed back and forth fairly fast you want to see a figure 8 Pattern in your polish lines. Work slow check often its easier to remove more metal than to add it back. I would use around 600 grit wet dry paper or lapping compound.

[Bent Ramrod]

To the best of my knowledge, Lyman/Ideal and RCBS boolit dies are not heat treated. You can use a reamer or a boring tool on them, which is the best way to enlarge them.

You can bring it up a thousandth or so with a split stick and a series of wet-and-dry sandpaper from 320 grit down to crocus. Center the die in your vise, put the stick in the chuck and keep going up and down with the quill at moderate speeds. I use WD-40 for such polishing. Count your up-and-down strokes and measure often. Once you are within a half thousandth with the 320, start going up in fineness numbers.

Too much of this will begin to ovalize the hole. so it wouldn't hurt to turn the die 90 degrees and reposition every now and then.

[Guesser]

Nice thing about the ball hones is that they are designed to do exactly what we are talking about. No out of round with them.

[zomby woof]

Apply Lapping compound to some boolits and push through until you get your desired dimension. Measure often

[Hawkeye45]

Question.
If you open up the die wouldn't you get lube leaking around the ram?.

Mr. Ed

[Guesser]

Not until you get more than .001 over size, depends largely on how much pressure you exert on the loob.

[Wayne Smith]

Question.
If you open up the die wouldn't you get lube leaking around the ram?.

Mr. Ed

Then you PM buckshot!

[462]

Then you PM buckshot!

Another Buckshot plug. Got another of his dies the other day. Quality stuff at a fair price.