die set cleaning / polishing

skippy1001

Well-Known Member
hi all, a strange question - is it ok to place my die sets into a case cleaning tumbler (corn cob dry media) to remove any residue / filth / crap etc that may have accumulated on them?

am i right in thinking i need to clean the cases twice? once after i have accumulated enough old cases that have been fired (nock the primers out)?

and once after i have resized the cases to clean off any resizing lube?

i have never cleaned cases before! (alarmingly):-|



Hope some one can help guide me a little.

thanks

skipp.
 
I usually use this method, fired cases go in the tumbler, this removes any crud picked up from the field or the range, when clean, pick out cases knocking out the media from inside as you go,throw into an old clean towel, juggle a little , this removes any dust from the cases, stand cases upside down in a little rack I made , spray cases with Lyman case lube, run all cases through full length die, (unless fired once in my rifles) neck size without lube, if already fired once in mine, as once fired come out of the press wipe with clean cloth & stand ready for o/all check cut, de burr case mouth, clean primer pocket with steel brush, reprime & load, all the way through you can visully check for cracks etc. you may wish to clean instead with an ultrasound bath.
 
For what it is worth I clean my dies with Eezox. This is marketed as a rust preventative, gun cleaning solvent and lubricant and it goes on wet and soon dries so their is no oily film left behind. I suspect these are somewhat over inflated claims but it seems to work excellent at keeping rust at bay and I suspect the active part is suspended in an organic solvent which would also have some cleaning effect on guns, though far from the effect of specialised copper solvents or the like. For me it has enough cleaning effect for my dies and being an organic solvent is good at removing oil, grease and old case lube. The lubricating side of Eezox is again, I suspect, a side effect of whatever way it works to prevent rust. However, things do slide easier when coated with it and as it is a dry lube you don't even know it is there. It is also great to know that your dies have some protection against rust. So all told it seems excellent for cleaning dies as when it dries it keeps the rust away and adds a bit of lube as well. I think you can get it from midwayuk and probably elsewhere. I find it useful for other things as well.
 
Back
Top