Cleaning your dies?

[Warners]

I have been reloading for almost a year now, with great success and substantial savings. I have the Lee Classic Turret press and find that once all the dies are set up, I'm able to load 250 rounds an hour pretty easily, if not distracted. So I've loaded several thousand rounds of 9x18, 9x19, .38 Special, and .45 ACP.
I got to thinking though....what should I be doing (if anything) to clean the dies? They are all 4 carbide die sets (except the 9x18, which only comes in a 3 piece die set). Help from you experienced guys is greatly appreciated....


Thanks much,

Warner

 

[ReloaderFred]

Just clean them like you do your guns. The same materials work on the dies, such as patches, cleaning rods, brushes and solvents.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Warners]

Just clean them like you do your guns. The same materials work on the dies, such as patches, cleaning rods, brushes and solvents.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Wait....you're supposed to CLEAN guns? Just kidding...thanks.....

Warner

 

[45lcshooter]

Yep clean them just like guns. That's the easiest way to do it.
Or stick them in when you do laundry. Lol

 

[gamestalker]

Yep, same stuff you clean your guns with works just fine. The only thing I do different is I wipe the inside down with an acetone soaked patch to get all the solvent out. Solvent has a way of making spray on lube not work, and I don't want any solvent residue to be left in the first few cases after resizing.
GS

 

[rcmodel]

I have a 1/2" nylon bottle brush hanging over the reloading bench.

It knocks any primer residue and other crap out with a couple of swipes.

The only thing needing more cleaning then that is seating dies used with cast bullets.

You may need to take the seating stem out occasionally and clean out excess bullet lube build-up in it & the die body.

IMO: Once sizing dies are "seasoned" with case sizing lube, you do more harm then good cleaning them with bore solvent!

rc

 

[MAG-63]

I use a nylon bottle brush and Hoppe's #9 for cleaning. After that, a light coating of Rem Oil, wipe dry, and back in action.

 

[GT1]

Clean new dies, thouroughly. I don't load cast yet so no reason to clean dies for me. I looked up in them just now, can't see anything in them.
I like spraying a dry lube on them for storing, though.

 

[rdhood]

disassemble the dies and tumble them.

 

[jcwit]

I have a couple of clean paint pint cans filled with MEK. Toss them in for overnite, by morning they're clean. No muss, no fuss.

 

[dragon813gt]

disassemble the dies and tumble them.

This is what I do. Put in some NuFinish and the dies get a protective coating as well


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[splattergun]

I put on a pair of latex gloves and safety glasses, take my dies outside and spray them with brake cleaner. Let 'em dry for a little while then a light spray fo Ballistol inside and out. A short blast of canned air inside removes any excess oil.
No muss no fuss, no rust.

 

[jediagh]

Same here my mentor and old grumpy guy told me a can of brake cleaner is all i need. Spraythe inside and if real messy take them apart and spray again.

 

[Strongbad]

Take them apart and hose them with brake cleaner. Reassemble and lightly lubricate.

 

[fguffey]

I clean my dies with a towel in a dowel. Back in the old days there was the cross hatch guys, they just had to have honed cylinders, they just had to use the the glaze braking deglazing tool, me? If the cylinder was round, straight and smooth it did not get better. Dies? Same thing, I do not like starting over ever day, once my dies start running smoothly and flawlessly I apply the leaver policy, I leave them alone. But if one of my dies developed a wheel seal leak that resulted in brake shoes getting soaked with grease brake shoe degreaser would be my first choice.

My dies are smooth inside, then I have a ton + of case iron everything, like skillets etc., same thing, once they are seasoned apply the leaver policy. What looks like dirt to one is non-stick to the other.

F. Guffey

 

[tcj]

I spray mine with Hornady 1-shot tool & gun cleaner...works great for me.

 

[mayassa]

You guy are crazy! everyone know to rub on two coats of good wax.

 

[matworz]

Don't use mek or brake spray if you have any rubber O-rings (Lee) or gaskets (Hornady) in your dies.

 

[lightman]

I clean new dies with some type of solvent. Carb cleaner, brake cleaner, electrical contact cleaner, ect. Then apply a light coat of oil. New dies can have leftover junk in them from machining. I don't worry about them after that, unless something gets in them and starts scratching my cases. Then a rag or bore mop with some solvent is used. If bullet lube builds up in my pistol dies, a bore brush and solvent will get them clean. If the dies are prone to rusting, they get a light coat of oil. Lightman

Edit to add, Matworz is right about using any kind of solvent if you have 'o' rings or any rubber in your dies.

 

[blarby]

disassemble the dies and tumble them.

Just like my brass.

Spirits to clean, Nufinish to seal and protect.

Works pretty well

 

[hueyville]

So if I don't clean my guns, I don't have to clean my dies? That is good. Saves time.