Cleaning Sizer Dies ?

[pt4u2nv]

What do you all do when you change your sizer dies. They are obviously really messy with lube all over them. Do you store them with the lube left on or do you clean them ? If you clean them up what is the best method?

[Wayne Smith]

Odorless mineral spirits or paint thinner and an old cat food can. Works well, the white stuff (paint thinner) takes a little while.

[RayinNH]

I just leave mine as is. The mess is on the outside. If you want to clean them a heat gun or blow drier is the easiest way...Ray

[jonk]

I just leave them. Melting the mess off makes more mess.

[cast-n-blast]

Lube will protect from rust also

[Mk42gunner]

I wipe them with a cloth, then store in an old pill bottle, ( I use FWFL).

I have some older sizing dies that have brownish/black lube on them, those I clean before putting in the sizer; once they come out and I know they have FWFL on them, they go into pill bottles too.

Robert

[462]

I scrape the lube off and save it for the next time the reservoir needs replenishing. Frugal? Yep, but isn't that one of the reasons why we cast and reload?

[kentuckycajun]

Odorless mineral spirits or paint thinner and an old cat food can. Works well, the white stuff (paint thinner) takes a little while.

Does the cat food help?;)

[Cherokee]

I just take then out of the sizer and put in a pill bottle. Only clean them when there is a problem to be chased down.

[Dframe]

I just use som gun oil and wipe all the lube off. Then store with a light coat of oil.

[Lonestar22]

I’ve been using the following for 25 years, but it may be more steps than most want to follow.
After removing the top punch and die, I push the center rod out of the die with a wooden dowel rod. I then place the two die parts, top punch and the die locking cap in a ZipLoc 2-cup storage container, and pour Odorless Mineral Spirits over the parts until they are completely covered. I put the cover on the container, and let the parts soak over night.
After a 24hr soak, the bullet lube is off the parts and at the bottom of the container. I wipe off all parts and use a pipe cleaner to clean out the holes in the die.
Once all parts are dry, I spray a very light coat of Birchwood Casey Sheath rust preventative on the top punch and the two parts of the sizing die. I found clear plastic storage boxes in the craft department at Wal-Mart that are perfect for the top punches and sizing dies.
The die locking cap is just replaced on the lube/sizer press with any Sheath applied.
For some this may be over-kill but it works for me.
Tim

[canyon-ghost]

Like these other guys, I push the center rod out, usually with a large punch turned upside down, and wipe them down and oil. I use whatever light oil I have, Kroil, Rem Oil, whatever. Generally, when I wipe them down, the rag goes straight in the waste basket anyway so, I sometimes cut a small section to do it with. If you use a fairly stiff lube like Carnuba Red, you end up doing it anyway because the lube gets stickier when it cools and hardens.

I found some acetylene torch tip containers at work that are big enough and square. I store the top punch along with the die, and if I need a particular top punch, I can find it in that certain caliber. I just have to look in the sizer boxes from that caliber.

Ron

[Shiloh]

The only time I clean them is when changing to a different lube. They can't rust with lube smeared all over them.

Shiloh

[mdi]

I don't like dirty tools! I've used hand tools for a livin' most of my life and I like to take care of them. I have a "soak" of mineral spirits and Marvel's Mystery Oil in a square (sandwich size) plastic container. When I'm done with a die I drop it in the soak and let it stand overnight (or until I remember it). Then I wipe it down lightly and store it in it's box. I used to add Kroil to my soak but once I forgot to and haven't noticed any diff. so I've left it out the last few times...

[strahd_zarovich]

I know this is an older post...


Odorless mineral spirits or paint thinner and an old cat food can. Works well, the white stuff (paint thinner) takes a little while.

I am about to switch lubes and was wondering if you remove the rubber rings from your dies before you sock them in mineral spirits? I didn't know if it would mess up the seals and all.

[1Shirt]

After they are really gunked up, and I want to clean them, I boil them in water for a couple of minutes in a tunafish can. Pulls all the lube off quickly. Skim the lube off the top of the water, drain off the water, or pull it out with tongs. Very lite coat of oil. Looks like it just came nue out of the package.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[FISH4BUGS]

I put them in a small toaster over set at 200 degrees. Put them on a paper towel folded over a number of times. When warm, pick them up and wipe them off. No muss no fuss....although they ARE a bit toasty warm. You MIGHT want to let them cool a bit.

[jmsj]

The only time I clean them is when changing to a different lube. They can't rust with lube smeared all over them.

Shiloh

+1
jmsj

[strahd_zarovich]

+1
jmsj

My quesion said I was about to change lubes and revolves around the effects of Miniral Spirits on the rubber seals.

[Echo]

Strahd, I don't believe mineral spirits will react with the neoprene O-rings. Carb cleaner, maybe, but MS, I think not.

[strahd_zarovich]

Strahd, I don't believe mineral spirits will react with the neoprene O-rings. Carb cleaner, maybe, but MS, I think not.

Thank you, I am already using MS to clean the press and wanted to use it for the dies too.

Time to clean this thing.

[cajun shooter]

The good MS will not harm any o rings. I sometimes use my heat gun which does a very fast job.

[Recluse]

Heat gun. Push the center punch out, heat-gun over the punch and sizer die, wipe down with a shop towel, set aside to cool, lightly spray with a silicone spray, then store in a pill bottle.

No rust, no degradation of the o-ring

:coffee:

[Von Gruff]

I have standardised my lube so have no need to change however I regularly change the dies and by just removing them from the press and storing them in a pill bottle the next die into the press has the lube fully into all the axcess holes so there is no pumping up pressure to get the lube feed started. I live in an area of low humidity so rust is not a concern. When seting a die into the press I usually use a heat gun for a few seconds to warm the hold down nut and any lube that is in that area so I put less stress on the fine threads and reduce the risk of stripping them.

Von Gruff.