Polishing resizing dies

[Mag_7s]

Does anyone polish the inside of their resizing dies?

 

[theddguide]

Would be easier, maybe faster to just buy a new die if it's that beat up.

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[Mag_7s]

The die is okay, leaves slight rub marks near the web of the case, but merely cosmetic. I'm just curious if anyone has tinkered with the subject to get a "smoother" resize.

 

[Muley Buck]

Post in thread 'Dies' https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/dies.191437/post-1964460

 

[sram9102]

Yep. Had some debris get inside and was marking up every piece of brass. Some fine steel wool wrapped around a properly sized wire bore brush in a drill cleans it right up.

 

[stealthgoat]

yes, following instructions that Muley Buck posted in that older thread helps a lot.
I'll also run a cleaning mop through die occasionally, it's surprising how much crud can build up

 

[Mag_7s]

I appreciate the info, ill give the steel wool a try. Can you guys think of any reason not to throw a die in a vibratory case cleaner? I'm thinking of experimenting with an old RCBS die just to see how it turns out.

 

[fraz01]

JB bore past on a swab -it bore mop works good to polish dies. Brass brush with a patch wrapped around it works good to. Spin it with a drill and it doesn't take long if the die isn't in to bad of shape.

 

[Mag_7s]

JB bore past on a swab -it bore mop works good to polish dies. Brass brush with a patch wrapped around it works good to. Spin it with a drill and it doesn't take long if the die isn't in to bad of shape.

I dont have JB bore paste on hand, but I wonder if the KG1 will serve as a similar abrasive. Then maybe finish with 0000 steel wool.

 

[cs1]

I’ve put a few dies through my tumbler before, but I don’t think you’ll get enough abrasion (is that the correct term?) to actually polish the inside. But it will polish the outsides pretty good.
I would imagine a properly sized brass brush or brush / steel wool combo will do the trick for an inside polish job.

 

[Mag_7s]

I’ve put a few dies through my tumbler before, but I don’t think you’ll get enough abrasion (is that the correct term?) to actually polish the inside. But it will polish the outsides pretty good.
I would imagine a properly sized brass brush or brush / steel wool combo will do the trick for an inside polish job.

I did end up putting the die in my media tumbler with some NU FINISH car wax. It brightened up the exterior, which looks nice but I believe you are correct in regards to the interior. I then put some KG 2 on a break mop, chuked that into my drill and ran that around for a while. Hopefully that will cure the scratches I'm getting on the case web. The next step will be steel wool if needed.

 

[fraz01]

Did the K2 work? Read where the K2 is 1200 to 1400 grit.

 

[Mag_7s]

Did the K2 work? Read where the K2 is 1200 to 1400 grit.

I'm not sure, I haven't actually resized any cases yet. I read on accurate shooter of guys using butches bore paste on a bore mop with good results. K2 was all I had on hand, and figured it would probably be similar.

 

[fraz01]

I'm thinking it's going to work, nice to have options.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I appreciate the info, ill give the steel wool a try. Can you guys think of any reason not to throw a die in a vibratory case cleaner? I'm thinking of experimenting with an old RCBS die just to see how it turns out.

Yep..when they are rusted...I got a package deal on some dies from a neighbor that gave up reloading..I took them apart and UT them with evapo rust...then some fine steel wool like above...they work fine and look waaay better now than the paper RCBS boxes thay came in.

 

[Andouille]

Decided to polish my brand new dies after reading this thread. They needed a cleaning and de-greasing anyways.

Blue Magic metal polish cream (available at NAPA, O'Reillys, etc.) on a shotgun barrel mop chucked in a drill worked wonders for my Hornady Custom dies. The inside of the dies is now mirror-finish and there should be no concern about removing material since the polishing cream contains a very fine abrasive. I also polished my L.E. Wilson neck sizing mandrel and the expander balls on my Hornady dies (though I don't use them). I finished by polishing the threads on the die bodies and adjusters and they now spin very smoothly. Overall, an hour or so of effort gave my inexpensive dies a more "custom" level of finish.

 

[Mag_7s]

Good info, thank you for sharing. I'll try this out.

 

[Ramem7mm]

A couple weeks ago I had a die that was a little rough when resizing brass. Used a little Dremel tool a wool buff and a little joulers rouge. 20-30 seconds of polishing the inside, cleaned it out with parts cleaner and a q tip. Put it back together and the feeling when running the press was so much smoother. Highly recommend if you are having any issues with your dies.

 

[Mtns2hunt]

I like the idea of polishing the inside of dies. A lot of crud builds up around a reloading bench.