Should I clean my dies

[CZbob9]

I guess I've never really thought of this and never done it. Should you ever clean the inside of your dies? I got to reading a thread on here about how dirty the decapping dies can get and that got me wondering. Does you guys clean the insides of your dies?

[MrWolf]

I don't, but I decap off my press with my Harvey deprimer. I saw how filthy the process is and didn't want it near my machine.

[Sig]

Usually before each session I'll do a quick clean of the sizer/decapper with a Q tip with rubbing alcohol. I'll also look at my seating die for any lube buildup & clean the same way. Mind you I'm not disassembling either die.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Every so often dies get cleaned, brake cleaner sprayed, maybe methanol(gas line anti-freeze) on Q-tip on most dies. Frequency based on usage, how dirty they look, whether bullet lube might build up... Just a judgement call. I also wipe down working areas of press, occasionally a drop of lube at wear points.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Absolutely! In fact, loading a lot of heavily lubed bullets will eventually gum up your dies with lube to the point that you almost can't continue without cleaning them. Like most metal parts, I clean with kerosene. They make little wire twist brushes similar to a bottle brush. I disassemble the dies and run the little brush in and out of the die's chamber and scrub the seater plug, etc. with a tooth brush. Not good to have gummy stuff in or on the dies as it can collect dirt and score the inside of the dies which will then forever after leave scratch marks on the brass. I don't do this every session, but will always do it as needed and before long term storage.

DG

[Winger Ed.]

I store dies with a real heavy coating of oil, so they get cleaned every time I set up.

For bottle neck cases, I clean the sizer dies every couple of hundred rounds or so.
Since I use old school lube, I do the same for seater dies when reloading with cast.

When done, they get cleaned and wet down well with oil.

[414gates]

Never needed to.

If I used lubed cast bullets, I would.

[CZbob9]

Absolutely! In fact, loading a lot of heavily lubed bullets will eventually gum up your dies with lube to the point that you almost can't continue without cleaning them. Like most metal parts, I clean with kerosene. They make little wire twist brushes similar to a bottle brush. I disassemble the dies and run the little brush in and out of the die's chamber and scrub the seater plug, etc. with a tooth brush. Not good to have gummy stuff in or on the dies as it can collect dirt and score the inside of the dies which will then forever after leave scratch marks on the brass. I don't do this every session, but will always do it as needed and before long term storage.

DG

DG you got any idea where to get those brushes? Never thought about Kerosene as a cleaner before

[Char-Gar]

Yes, I clean my dies on a regular basis, not after each use, but on a regular basis. I use rubbing alcohol.

[poppy42]

Definitely. Take them apart and clean them with brake cleaner and soap and water when they’re brand new to clean off any machining oils or anything else left on from the manufacturing process. Repeat the procedure whenever I deem it necessary. I pay Close attention to the seating die and especially the seating stem if I load a lot of tumble lubed bullets. I figured the last part out after I loaded quite a lot of Tumblr bullets and the next time I went to use the dyes I couldn’t get a consistent seating depth. Oh and absolutely no dirty brass touches any of my sizing dies. All the de-capping is done with the universal de-capping die. Then the brass is cleaned before it goes into the sizing die. All you need is one grain of sand to really screw up a sizing die

[pworley1]

I clean mine often. I use a about a 6 inch square of cotton cloth with Ed's Red to pull through as for as I can with the stem removed.

[mdi]

Dies are tools. All tools should be kept clean and stored properly if they will be needed anytime this century. I clean my dies just as frequently as I clean my presses, priming tools, case prep tools and my "mechanic's", general use tools. Cleaning dies is easy. I keep a container of my "soak" (mineral spirts, Kroil, Marvel's Mystery oil) on my bench and can just drop some dies in the container, allow to soak for a while, maybe a couple days or until I remember where they are. Then wipe dry and run a bore mop through a few times. I clean regularly, not after a specific task, but normal cleaning and putting the tools up after use, plus the occasional "deep" cleaning...

Rant over (I was taught to use an take care of my tools from the age of 10-12 and I still do today. I still have hand tools from my first real job after high school 1964)

[VariableRecall]

I think the most convenient method of cleaning my dies that I've found so far is using alcohol wipes. Lysol wipes are a close second, but they are not nearly as efficient at evaporating as the other kind.

As the gunk and oils stick to the cloth, and the alcohol evaporates quickly, leaving the surface ready to lubricate again. You can also cut the cloths into strips to get into the nooks and crannies. I've been able to find alcohol wipes in about the same size as bleach wipes online, but I've yet to find any large sized alcohol wipes at a grocery store.

It's kind of an odd choice for lubrication, but as a general die lubricant, I use Hornady's OneShot spray to spurt into the threads and small crannies. As far as I've seen with the lubricant, it doesn't gum up over time, and the spray on film appears to keep rust off the dies.

I'd say peek into your dies every 400 reloads or so to see if they are full of gunk, and if they are, make them sparkle again.

[megasupermagnum]

Very rarely. If I was into precision rifle shooting, I'd probably clean my sizing dies. They can gunk up over time. I don't care that much about it though, and only clean those out if I see something off, such as dents in a case. It has been a long time since I've cleaned a straight wall sizer. Seating dies are about the only thing that I clean often. Bullet lube can get into the seating stem and shorten your seating depth. How often really depends on how messy you are. Doing short runs of bullets, you shouldn't ever have bullet lube on a bullet nose. Usually when I get lube in a seating die is when I'm loading from lubed bullets I had sitting loose in a container for some time. One of them is bound to get some lube stuck to the nose.

[gwpercle]

I have picked up imbedded grit particles from time to time .
A quick patch , soaked in solvet or Ed's Red , pushed through the sizer and seater now and again doesn't hurt them .
No reason to get all complicated about it ... just a wipe will do it .
Gary

[Three44s]

Yup, clean them!

Three44s

[stubshaft]

With the exception of lube buildup in the seating die, I've NEVER bothered in over 55 years of reloading.

[Rich/WIS]

Spray mine out every now and then with brake cleaner, surprising how much gunk collects on a decapping rod and expander button. Maybe once a year a full tear down and spray/wipe out.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Seating dies and FL sizer dies get cleaned with Q-tip and Ed's Red for every batch of ammo. Anything else will get same treatment on a "as needed" basis, because I inspect the dies before each use and can see if cleaning is necessary.

The question I have is, do you inspect your dies before each use?

[jetinteriorguy]

I shine my streamlight in them and if they’re dirty I clean them. If they’re a little rusty (heaven forbid) I drop them in a mason jar with a strong solution of citric acid and water and they come out looking like new in a couple hours. I do keep desiccant packs in all my die boxes and my turrets storage containers so it’s been a long long time since any rust has appeared.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

DG you got any idea where to get those brushes? Never thought about Kerosene as a cleaner before

Sorry I didn't get back to this thread for awhile.

EZ answer, Bob -- try e-bay! Just type in "small bottle brushes" in the search box and you'll find hundreds of them! I put up a photo, below, of what I'm talking about. I've often snagged them out of the factory boxes of new pistols, especially foreign made pistols.
302210


There are also lots of cotton swabs you can use, but I like these brushes dipped in kerosene and then dry the bore of the die with a regular cleaning patch on a pistol rod.

As for using kerosene, I became aware of it's many uses when I spent a year in gunsmithing school. Every bench had a gallon jug cut in half lengthwise to make a tub, and it was full of kerosene. The uses are too many to list, and once you start using it more will occur to you. The pluses are that it doesn't harm metal at all, is much safer to use than gasoline, and will leave a very thin, protective surface on the metal which is easily removed. The jugs had a coarse screen in the bottom through which any particles or sediment descended to the bottom below the screen, much like a car parts washer, and the liquid above the screen remained relatively clean. It was much used for hand polishing of metal parts (I did several refinish jobs on pistols) using successively fine grits of wet & dry sandpaper, and as the paper fouled with tiny metal particles it was dipped into the kerosene and swished around to clean it off. The kerosene acts as a lubricant also, washing away some of the particles from the actual area of the work. I believe that a large portion of the original Hoppe's No. 9 solvent is kerosene.

DG

[LabGuy]

Clean them when new to get the manufacturing crud off, and after each use. I clean them with Ed’s Red, light coat of Rem-lube spray. Some Lee finishes are quite thin and the dies will rust. It might be 2 or 3 years before I use the dies again.

[greenjoytj]

Long stick Q-Tips (knock offs by the C.H.Ina Co.) the have larger dia. cotton heads.
Clean inside & out with Hoppe’s or G96 cleaner. Preserve them with anti rust EEZOX.
The dies can and do rust mostly where salty fingers have touched them on the outside.
Before use I swirls a dry Q-Tip up inside tI ensure there isn’t any bulky drips inside them.

[Kosh75287]

I PROBABLY don't clean dies as often as I SHOULD. When I feel the need, I let them set overnight in 50:50 ATF : Kerosene, rinse them off with brake cleaner in a can, and re-oil, if they're not going to be used immediately.

[375supermag]

Hi...
I spray my die sets out with Gun Scrubber about once a year.
I just walk out in the driveway, spray out the dies and then let them dry out. By the time I am done spraying out all my die sets they are generally dry and I give them a shot of One Shot and call it good.
Dies come out clean and never rust. My reloading room is climate controlled and the die sets are stored in their original boxes along with the appropriate shell holder.

[TNsailorman]

I clean my dies at about 2 times a year depending on how much I have used them in reloading. I clean the seating die after each session of lubed cast boolit loading. james

[robg]

With the exception of lube buildup in the seating die, I've NEVER bothered in over 55 years of reloading.

im the same .only clean if there is a problem

[Rapier]

I fix things before they break, it is the airborne way. You wait until it breaks and you get to meet the ground real quick. With a gun, it only fails when you need it. I clean dies and my guns after use.

[RCL]

Clean several times a year with alcohol and Q tips.

[Milky Duck]

got sick of wee dents in shoulder from build up of lube so dropped dies in an icecream container of 2stroke petrol (at current prices I would just about be better off using thinners!!) gave then a bit of a prod n poke in nooks n crannies, and put them back to work...cleaned them up very well.

[porthos]

my oldest set of dies is a lyman 30-06 set. bought in 1964. educated guess is 4000+ rounds thru them. only thing ever cleaned is ; removing the seating stem to remove a little bullet lube. dies are still perfect and the brass has no scratch marks. oh, i don't clean my brass either. to clean dies after every use ?????????????

[Liberty1776]

I bought an RCBS Small Base 300 AAC Blackout sizing die to form 300 Blackout from .223 brass. Tedious, but also kinda fun.

Anyway, I noted some very fine lines on the formed brass and figured the inside of the sizing die had been scratched.

To polish the inside walls, I bought a .410 shotgun wool mop. I squirted a dab of Flitz polishing compound onto the wool, chucked the mop into my cordless drill and polished the inside of the die.

Not sure how effective it was, but it certainly cleaned and smoothed the die. It really shines.

I've decided to be extra careful when I lube the cases from here on out to make sure no grit of any kind adheres to the brass before I force it into the die and actually reform the 223 into 300 BLK.

I also always decap on my Lee APP press, and wet tumble my brass before sizing. It's very clean before being pushed into any sizing die.

The idea of sizing dirty brass is really asking for trouble.

[lightman]

Yes, I clean my dies on a regular basis, not after each use, but on a regular basis. I use rubbing alcohol.

This is pretty much my strategy. I use either bore cleaner or brake cleaner followed by lightly oiling them. I always clean new dies before using them. I seldom get anything out of them but the few times that I did keeps me doing this. I use either a bore mop or the corner of a shop rag twisted into a point and screwed into the die.

I also use a wire "tooth brush" to clean the groove in my shell holders.

[recumbent]

I clean them once a year.