lee 357 sizer die scratching brass.can it be polished out ??

[glaizinman]

I know Lee dies are considered cheap dies but they have worked for me for years. I know a lot of people like them. Anyway my sizing die in 357 is scratching the brass all the way around the case. I took the die apart cleaned it really good it didn't help. I'm thinking maybe polishing it. Maybe the scratches are too deep I don't know. Maybe it's time for a new set of dies. All I own is the Lee dies maybe time to try something different. Any suggestions? By the way I load with a Dillion 550
Thanks guys

 

[ray15]

You can buy the sizing die separately, but it costs about half as much as the entire 4-day carbide set. I'd probably contact Lee, they might send you a new one for the shipping.

There are those that swear by Redding or RCBS dies, but I've yet to see the need for anything more expensive than the Lee carbide sets. Maybe it's an ignorance is bliss situation, but bliss it has been to this point.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree, contact Lee and see what they will do.

Just a note, while I use mostly Lee handgun dies and RCBS rifle dies I really like the Nitride insert used in Hornady sizing dies. It makes sizing cases feel effortless and very smooth. I bought one for sizing several cartridge and use them along with my Lee die sets just replacing the sizing dies.

 

[kcofohio]

I know Lee dies are considered cheap dies but they have worked for me for years. I know a lot of people like them. Anyway my sizing die in 357 is scratching the brass all the way around the case. I took the die apart cleaned it really good it didn't help. I'm thinking maybe polishing it. Maybe the scratches are too deep I don't know. Maybe it's time for a new set of dies. All I own is the Lee dies maybe time to try something different. Any suggestions? By the way I load with a Dillion 550
Thanks guys

Is your die the non-carbide?

 

[Blue68f100]

Look for brass that may be imbedded into it. This is what normally scratches brass. If this is it, once removed it will be good again. If carbide sizer, yes you can polish it out. May try some 0000 steel wool first to remove any brass build up. You can use some 600 grit and finer to polish the carbide. Need a way to spin it, wood dowel slotted to hold the paper, connected to a drill.

 

[cfullgraf]

I suspect some material has gotten embedded in the die, dirt/sand/brass particles or the such. I'd try wrapping some fine wet/dry sandpaper or emory cloth around a stick and spin it in the die to remove the material and polish the die. Start with 320 or 400 grit then polish it out with 600 or 800 grit.

You can do this by hand or put a piece of dowel in a drill with a cut in the end to hold the sand paper and spin the sandpaper with the drill.

Don't get too aggressive until you have a feel for what is going on. Try sizing a case, if the scratches are still there but reduced, repeat the process.

I have polished out scratch making things frequently in steel sizing dies. Not so much with carbide sizing dies but once in a great while.

If you cannot polish out whatever is making the scratches, you are no worse off than before and will then need to replace the die.

 

[glaizinman]

Is your die the non-carbide?

It's a carbide die. I think the scratches happened when I sized nickel cases. Is that even possible?

 

[FROGO207]

Ya know that you can polish up that die. It is probably not scratched and OK but just has brass galled to the hardened surfaces. Get a wood dowel that will fit inside it. Cut it about 3' long then cut a narrow 1/4" deep notch or slit in one end. Then get some 600 grit sandpaper, cut a 1/4 inch by 3 inch piece out center the paper and slide it in the notch. Wrap the flap around the dowel. Insert the other end in a power drill and use it inside the die to polish the walls or carbide insert. That sand paper will not hurt the die as it is hardened steel at a minimum. Clean die well and try on a piece of brass. It should not take a lot of polishing to remedy the problem. I have even used some steel wool wrapped around an old cleaning brush to remove minor galling.
ETA I type slow.

 

[glaizinman]

Look for brass that may be imbedded into it. This is what normally scratches brass. If this is it, once removed it will be good again. If carbide sizer, yes you can polish it out. May try some 0000 steel wool first to remove any brass build up. You can use some 600 grit and finer to polish the carbide. Need a way to spin it, wood dowel slotted to hold the paper, connected to a drill.

I didn't know you could scratch carbide. I tried cleaning it with hoppes & Q tip. I will try the steel wool tomorrow. Thanks

 

[Walkalong]

Look for brass that may be imbedded into it. This is what normally scratches brass. If this is it, once removed it will be good again. If carbide sizer, yes you can polish it out. May try some 0000 steel wool first to remove any brass build up. You can use some 600 grit and finer to polish the carbide. Need a way to spin it, wood dowel slotted to hold the paper, connected to a drill.

This is the first step.

 

[hdwhit]

glaizinman wrote:
I didn't know you could scratch carbide.

Carbide can be scratched; that's how it gets machined into various shapes.

But what the other posters are talking about here is not the carbide insert being scratched, but having material embedded in it or adhering to it. Although people naturally assume that a hard substance like carbide must be smooth, it has a degree of porosity so that it is possible for material to embed or adhere to it. The suggestions made by FROGO207 and others is a sound approach for removing that material if it is indeed the cause.

 

[hdwhit]

glaizinman wrote:
I know Lee dies are considered cheap dies...

There is a difference between "inexpensive" and "cheap".

I have Lee dies for 38 Special, 45 ACP and 9mm. The 38 Special and 45 ACP dies have served me for decades without a single hi-cup. After fiddling with it for several months, I was unable to get the expander on the 9mm set to adjust to where it expanded the case mouth enough without making it look like a pilgim's blunderbuss. I replaced that die set with one from RCBS and it has been fine.

Each manufacturer takes a little bit different approach to certain aspects of the reloading process and adjusting dies. In some cases the Lee approach (the collet secured decapping pin, for example) is superior. In other cases it is not. As far as I am concerned, a $10 or $20 price difference for a tool you will use for the rest of your life should be the decision point for one brand over another. Pick what works best even if it costs you an additional 35 cents per year. To do otherwise is false economy.

 

[wild willy]

Look the carbide ring over closely make sure it not cracked.

 

[glaizinman]

Ya know that you can polish up that die. It is probably not scratched and OK but just has brass galled to the hardened surfaces. Get a wood dowel that will fit inside it. Cut it about 3' long then cut a narrow 1/4" deep notch or slit in one end. Then get some 600 grit sandpaper, cut a 1/4 inch by 3 inch piece out center the paper and slide it in the notch. Wrap the flap around the dowel. Insert the other end in a power drill and use it inside the die to polish the walls or carbide insert. That sand paper will not hurt the die as it is hardened steel at a minimum. Clean die well and try on a piece of brass. It should not take a lot of polishing to remedy the problem. I have even used some steel wool wrapped around an old cleaning brush to remove minor galling.
ETA I type slow.

Thank you for the info. I first used a bore brush with solvent. Tried it it still was scratching the brass then I used 300 wet sandpaper with one shot did it by hand. It took a awhile but it worked. Just want to say thanks guys for all your help not with just this problem but with the others I have had

 

[Walkalong]

But what the other posters are talking about here is not the carbide insert being scratched, but having material embedded in it or adhering to it.

Yep.

 

[Walkalong]

As far as I am concerned, a $10 or $20 price difference for a tool you will use for the rest of your life should be the decision point for one brand over another.

You meant, should not be, I assume? And I agree. No need to spend extra if you don't have to either, and I assume from your postings over the years you would agree with that as well. ?

 

[splattergun]

In your OP it is not clear whether your die has been scratching your brass from day 1 or if it is a recently developed issue for you.
As for Lee dies considered 'cheap', yeah, some folks think of them that way. Other folks swear by them as economically reliable.

 

[kcofohio]

Look the carbide ring over closely make sure it not cracked.

That is one thing to check for, definitely. Or a chipped carbide.

 

[kcofohio]

It's a carbide die. I think the scratches happened when I sized nickel cases. Is that even possible?

Highly unlikely. As wild willy posted, check for cracks. I would take a 1/4" dowel rod and wrap an abrasive (I use scotch brite pad) around it to scour the I.D. of die. A clean carbide will help in finding the flaw.

 

[glaizinman]

In your OP it is not clear whether your die has been scratching your brass from day 1 or if it is a recently developed issue for you.
As for Lee dies considered 'cheap', yeah, some folks think of them that way. Other folks swear by them as economically reliable.

The die started scratching the brass after loading nickel cases. After using 300 sandpaper with one shot problem solved. Lee dies have treated me well. Lee dies is all I own. I went low cost when I started out and they are still working for me.

 

[GooseGestapo]

The scratches start first by sizing dirty brass with grit on them. The grit is silicon dioxide (sand) and scratches the carbide. Then the scratch transfers to the brass.

Follow previous directions on polishing die. Secondly, polish/clean/ your brass before sizing in future.

 

[kcofohio]

You're not going to scratch carbide unless bit(s) of diamond, or the likes, is introduced into the resizing process. And normal abrasives will not remove any measurable amount of carbide. Diamond abrasives is the common for polishing or grinding on carbide.
The scratching from a carbide die, if not cracked, would be that another material has adhered to the carbide by pressure and/or gunk.

 

[lindy]

Cons of nickle plated Brass:

• More expensive than regular brass
• More brittle so may neck split/crack after fewer reloads
• Different metal properties may require modification of reloading dies (check length and crimp)
• Plating may flake and get into dies where it can scratch die and future rounds.

Good Shooting

Lindy

 

[Mk VII]

Remember that Lee will recondition or replace any current product to as new if you send them 50% of the current retail price. I did this with a die some years ago and they sent a new one.

 

[Walkalong]

Nickle plated brass of 40/50 years ago got the rep for flaking, you rarely see it today. I have never adjusted my dies any differently for it. I does seem to have a few more neck cracks than plain brass in its lifetime. YMMV.