How to clean up dies i got from pif

[Jadkins87]

Hey guys i know its Probably a dumb question. I got this set of dies from another member here from the PIF section and I just got them today and they have some rust on them. It was not seen in the pictures he had posted.. So i didn't know and it appears to be lifting up the finish (chrome) i believe. What would you guys recommend on cleaning them up and not destroying all the finish..


Pic don't look to bad but in person its roughish..

Thank you And God Bless

JDAS

[country gent]

on the outside its more cosmetic than a problem. I would soak them in solvent and work over with a brass brush.If the chrome is lifted you wont restore it. I would just work over to clean up and if needed remove the loosened chrome. As it flakes of its a very sharp edge. The other that works very well is a bench grinder with a fine wire brush. Use a light touch with a good grip. Wear a face shield as the wire brush will shed wires.
If you have it kroil and the hand brush will make short work of that.

[jsizemore]

Kroil and a brass brush works more better. I don't try to get it all right now. I let the kroil do it's thing.

[sureYnot]

I've cleaned up many, in worse condition, with wd40 and one of them green scratchy pads for dishes. It's more effort than what's already been said. But, most folks have that on hand.
They'll never look new. But they'll do the job like they are.

[Brassmonkey]

I use a mounted motor 1750 rpm with a baby fine wire wheel on it. Rinse off with parts cleaner. Apply light oil.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I would use denin and oil.
if there is some stubborn areas, then use 0000 steel wool. Do not go too aggressive, it is easy to screw up the dies.
I would worry about the insides more so than outsides...but of course you want the nuts to move feeling on the threads also.

[Bluefink4895]

I was given a cigar box of abused and neglected steel pistol dies a while back. Old lymans w/chrome finish like the ones pictured. Combination of surface rust and accumulated spooge. Lots of crud & spooge (wax, lube, etc), that had hardened within the die.

They were unbelievably bad. Should be against the law to treat tools and equipment like that...but that's how some people live I guess.

Full disassembly and extended soak in a metal container full of homemade Ed's Red. Let the solvent do its work. Then hand cleaning, piece by piece...part by part. Tooth brush, super-fine steel wool and even a dental pick (used carefully). I had to use JB paste to clean up/polish inside and fine emery cloth on seater plugs, expanders, etc. Luckily the inside of the sizers weren't to badly galled and scratched. So everything was salvageable.

A ride in the tumbler with corn cob also helped after worst was gone.

Couldn't do much about the exterior chrome flaking. But that only effected exterior aesthetics, not function. End result were salvaged but fully serviceable 38 and 45 auto dies, which were then gifted to a new (and poor) shooter just getting into reloading.

[jetinteriorguy]

Get some citric acid from the canning dept in Walmart or any hardware store, put 3 tbsp in a quart jar, fill it with warm water, mix it up good, put the dies in and watch the rust disappear. As light as yours are rusted shouldn’t take more than an hour or two. Then just rinse them off and thoroughly dry them off with a towel. It also helps to add small dessicant packs to the die box to prevent further problems. You can often scrounge these from various products that come with them or order them on Amazon.

[timboslice]

I had a similar question and got many responses. Here is a link to the discussion for some more info if you are interested.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?466896-Rusted-Sizing-Dies

[MrWolf]

Those green scotch Brite type pads work great for cleaning up rust and such to see what you are working with. I have used them on cast iron tools, etc along with Kroil, evaporust, etc. I would worry how the insides measure and not so much the exterior appearance. Good luck.

[Jadkins87]

Thank you everyone for your input and help..

Thank you and God Bless

JDAS

[imashooter2]

Electrolytic rust removal is king.

http://schoepp.hylands.net/electrolyticrust.html

A quick and easy set up I have used several times:

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-out.jpg

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-in.jpg

Results:

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/rustydies-600.jpghttp://imashooter2.com/pictures/cleandies-600.jpg[/QUOTE]

[Bazoo]

I'd attack it with the wire wheel first, then I'd kroil, and then wire wheel again after a few days. The inside I'd go at with some bronze or stainless bore brushes. I have a handful of double tuff brushes from brownells that are too stiff to push through the bore with the puny rod's I have, those are great for getting the internal threads.

[kywoodwrkr]

I have used 'copper' wire wheels from China to clean dies and other machined parts/tools.
The 'copper' wheels are really brass and not brass coated steel and can be used on a bench grinder.
I have found them to be especially useful with small threads.
I also soak items in brake fluid, just monitor it.
ymmv

[Bazoo]

One trick a person can use; take a scotchbright pad and cut it square, taking 2 or more of them, and stacking them together. Cut an X in the centeres individually, then you can put them on a bolt with a large fender washer on either side and a nut; then chuck them in a drill.

[country gent]

Look into the dremil accessories you want a straight nylon brush 3/4" - 1" dia. run this in your dremil with the barkeepers helper or a fine polishing compound like your bar keepers helper, flitz or simichrome. I have used my foredom flex shaft and the goats hair brushes. Wear a face shield the crud and compound will go everywhere. With the brush parallel to the threads you can work down into the vee of the threads or the knurls if needed. The brass or steel wheels are more aggressive than the nylon. The cupped wheels will work but have to be held at an angle.

Cleaning the threads is the roughest area as you have to work down into the vees.

[WILCO]

Honestly, keep the cleanup simple.
Hit the O.D. with wire wheel on a bench grinder.
Soak in any type oil and follow up with tuffy pad and wooden dowel.
Everything else will fall into place.

Just my 2 cents. :)

[Patrick L]

Convert the rust by boiling it, then hit it with a carding wheel. Exactly the same process as rust bluing. Convert red rust to black rust, then carding turns it into a finish. Then oil with non detergent motor oil,used (burnt up) motor oil, or kerosene to help cure the finish.