tightgroup tiger
Member
That Alox is a mess just waiting to happen. I use it too.
That Alox is a mess just waiting to happen. I use it too.
Reload “too long”??? Must be a typo.
The oil isn't going to hurt any more than the lube from lubed cast bullets. Both are sticky. No lube for any dies close to powder. Like the expander die on my Dillon powder measure. For anything metal I don't like to strip it dry and not protect it with something afterwards.
Thanks for the comments. I am a bit weary using SS pins with my dies. Some of these surfaces are mirror smooth, so I'm not sure if SS pins are a good idea, but I don't have any supporting facts, just a gut feel.A year ago I asked the same question. And one of my 4 choices was to put the die in the dishwasher.
man, did I get killed for that one!!!
i’ve opted for tumbling in my tumbler with hot water, Dawn, and SS pins.
What about pistol carbide dies without any lube?Not really, they seem to get plenty of lube during sizing.
A bit of carb cleaner sprayed inside to remove crud from seating dies when needed and an application of some sort of teflon lube sprayed on in a thin layer after. If things are really messed up I put the peices in the wet tumbler with SS pins just like I clean my brass, then dry and lube with teflon spray lube to prevent rust. This has worked for years.
Sorry, I have zero experience with carbide dies.What about pistol carbide dies without any lube?
Pins in my die doesn’t sound good to me, my luck some little pin would foal up the works.Thanks for the tips. Using the carb cleaner makes sense to me. I don't have any teflon spray lube, but maybe I'll get some to try.
You are the second one using wet tumble with SS pins. I'm just nit sure what the SS pins will do to some of those polished surfaces.
Sorry, I have zero experience with carbide dies.
Thanks again for your advise. I should probably try OneShot, especially in my 45acp dies. It seems they are the most sticky dies I have.Carbide dies are advertised as not needing lube but a spray of One Shot sure makes things run a lot smoother. One Shot, sprayed and allowed to dry a few minutes, runs pretty clean through my dies.
Pins in my die doesn’t sound good to me, my luck some little pin would foal up the works.
Carb or brake cleaner and a shot of air is all I need..
I wouldn't tumble my high dollar dies in pins. Carb cleaner is pretty harsh stuff. Not a fan of teflon spray lube.
I clean them like I clean my barrels but I only use nylon brushes. I'll run a little Hoppe's or just some denatured alcohol, depending on what die I'm dealing with. Steel dies get a little One Shot on a mop brush, carbides are left clean.
I run them through a ultrasonic cleaner with Eds Red then wipe down with a lint free rag I've been using for years. I started leaving out the acetone after someone here suggested it was just evaporating. I run them through 4 cycles then leave on a rack to drain a little before wiping down
They will make you abandon regular steel dies. I use them exclusively for pistol and the only time I use spray lube is with 44 mag cases. That is to make it easier on my shoulder. I even made a shorter lever for my single stage press because I didn't need the leverage of the factory lever on the smaller cases and the short one eliminated wasted motion which my shoulder also appreciates. No case lube equals no die cleaning.
Dillon says alcohol so thats what i use.