Brass scratched during sizeing

[rugerman]

Several of my dies are scratching my brass when sizeing, its happening with both straight wall & bottle neck dies. I use a vibrator to clean my brass before sizeing to clean off the crud but it doesn't seem to help. What is the best way to polish these dies to stop this from happening? The inside of the dies feels smooth but they still scratch the brass. Thanks in advance.

[SHOOTALL]

I want to hear the ansewer as I have one die that does the same thing . I have cleaned it several times .

[drdougrx]

Yep me too....a 480ruger resizer die.....

[rugerman]

I asked the same question to RCBS but haven't had a reply yet, I'll post their answer when I get it.

[Dee]

In the old days when you rolled you brass on a pad to lube them, this would happen with a dirty pad. Now days it usually means that either a die is scored, which seldom happens, or is dirty, or the brass is dirty.
I assume when you clean these dies the plugs whether they be re sizer dies, or seating dies are taken out. When I clean mine I usually use lacquer thinner as a solvent for dissolving lube in the die, but then wipe out with an lightly oiled cloth to prevent rust.

[YRUpunting?]

Try polishing the sizing die like a chamber.  Basically a barrel mop wrapped with a couple patches, a little Flitz and a cordless drill.  Spin a few minutes changing patches several times.


http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,103479.msg1098284834.html#msg1098284834

[mechanic]

Tumbler media too fine to feel will cause this when trapped in the "high pressure" of sizing.  Clean the dies, then wipe down a few pieces of brass, lube an size to see if it still scores the case....
 
Ben

[JeffG]

Clean the die with methyl ethyl ketone. Use enough to flood all inpuities from the die. Re evaluate your lubing process, make sure its not contaminated.  It's unlikely the die is scored.

[rugerman]

Thanks for the replies. I just got a email back from RCBS, they didn't offer a home remedy but they said that I should send the die(s) back to them with 3 sample cases and a check for $5 for each die with a note explaining the problem and my name, address and phone #. First I'm going to try polishing the die, and if all else fails I'll send the die to RCBS.

[fast*eddie]

I punch out the primers while sizing the brass and then tumble the brass . What is the advantage of tumbling before sizing ?
I had a problem with one Lee die . I took it apart , cleaned it like I would a rifle chamber and problem was eliminated .

[JeffG]

Primer residue is very fine and very abrasive. Once it gets in the die with lube it is hard to get out. Best not to lube a case that hasn't been cleaned sparkling clean.

[wncchester]

"Scratching" a sizer is much harder than some seem to think.  Steel sizers are case hardened as hard as a file; try scraching a file with primer grit or tumbling media and see what that gets you.  Carbide sizers make steel sizers seem soft.
 
You probably have bits of case brass galled to the die as firmly as if welded.  I usually remove it with a lap made with a proper size split dowel and medium or fine (220 - 320 grit) carborundum paper from Walmart's auto touch-up paint supplies.  Saw a slot in the end of the dowel and wrap the  paper until it's a snug fit, chuck it in an electric drill and turn a few minutes while slowiy moving the lap in and out.  Clean and test for smooth sizing; repeat until it's clean.  (Don't sweat changing the sizers dimensions too much, remember how hard a file is!) 
 
You can polish the cleaned die surface by wrapping a snug cloth pad on the dowel and using white or green metal rouge but I've found a soft matt finish holds case lube better than a mirror surface.  That makes sizing effort easier. 
 
Ammonia attacks and dissolves copper and its alloys like brass, that's why it's part of most really effective copper fouling bore cleaners.  I've been toying with the idea of putting my next scratchy sizer in a glass jar of household ammonia and letting it soak a week or so to see if that won't do the job just as well and much easier.  (Putting a lid on the jar so fumes can't get to my stuff and damage cases.)
 
Galling is directly caused by insufficent lubrication.  Quite a few of us really don't put enough lube on the lower portion of our cases and that's where it's really needed.
 

[theratdog]

you might try coating one case with metal polish and working it up and down in your press.  then clean real good.if that doesn't work try a real fine piece of emery cloth on the end of a wood dowel the turned with your drill.good luck.

[Lloyd Smale]

like was said i doubt its rcbs's fault unless it happened the first time you tried the die new. Most likely you got some crud in it and scratched your die. real fine scratches dont hurt anything though. If its actually shaving brass then you should get yourself a new die. I dont throughly clean my dies after each use but do hose them out with some break cleaner after im done using them and usually do it again before i use them. that takes care of the problem for the most part. If the dies truely scatched it can take alot of work to fix. Personaly im not going to spend 2 hours farting wtih a die i can replace for less then 20 bucks.

[SHOOTALL]

Over the weekend I cleanned my die that was scratching cases and it went away    used carb cleaner .

[JeffG]

Good job!

[theratdog]

yep i have been using carb cleaner and starting fluid to clean guns out too. works good but do it out side my wife uses starting fluid on oily stains on my shirts  good handy stuff to have around.

[Bubber]

I once had a die that did that, no visable blemish inside could be seen. Soaked it in acetone and blew it out several times to no avail. After a lot of screwing around figured out where in the  die it was happening. i stuck an exacto knife in there and scratched at it and some very small brass particles came out. Apperently there was a spot of brass that had transfered to the die from friction and more or less plated itself to steel.
 
I soaked the inside of the die generously with a copper solvent and worked it over with a bore brush repeatedly over a week or so time. That die hasn't scratched a case since.

[tobster]

The first thing I do when I get a new set of dies is take them apart and clean them. I have never had a problem, even when buying used dies. My time isn't worth a lot, but if I ever have trouble and RCBS will take care of it for 5 bucks I know what I will do!