Die / brass question

[tjen]

I am wondering if I have ruined my die from ruge from the lyman media that uses the stuff? This is with my 358win FL die that has worked fine untill I used the red media. Also it is with the third sizing of this brass so it could be work harding.

I have longitudinal scatches on the neck and case body. Prior to this batch also a third loading I washed the die out with brake clean but I still have the scratches. I also use Imperial sizing wax and graphite.

May be a reason to get new Reddington dies? Or just hard cases?

I quite useing the red media after that one use and picked up great walnut/treated and plain corn cob from Sinclair so I am set now.

 

[Mortis]

One thing you can do is send the die back to the manufactor and have them inspect and evaluate it. If repairable, they can do so, if not they will tell you what the problem is and cost of replacement.

I've even heard of some manufactors replacing dies free of charge.

Give them a call and find out their policy.

 

[PJGunner]

It depends on just how bad the scratches are in your die. Seems like no matter how careful one is, a die will get scratched. What I have done is take a dowel of the appropriate size, cut a slot in one end and cut a piece of crocus cloth folded over and placed in the slot in the dowel. I use an electric drill at slow speed and run the crocus cloth back and forth inside the die and polish the scratches out. If the scratch is very deep, then I'll use some of that black wet ot dry paper using the very finest grit with oil to start the process, then, clean out the oil and finish of with the crocus cloth. Usually either job won't take all tht long to do and if you're careful the dies will be just fine. Most likely, if you send the die back they'll do something very similar to what I just described. You'll need one size dowel to do the body of the die and a much smaller size to do the neck if it needs to be polished out.
Paul B.

 

[tjen]

These are very fine scratchs as close as the eye can see. It started up at 100% not a few here and there that added up. I heard too late that the rugue it that media keep mess up dies. If this is that don't use it. Walnut and Turbo-bright works great and I have the untread corn to clean cases after they are sized and preped. none of the other cartridges I reload for have done this. The hornet gets the LEE Collect neck die so is completly differnt.

I have loaded my 35rem/rem brass three times and I chuck they just to be safe do to loading them at +P pressures. These are the 358win/win brass and at normal pressures would hope to get 5-10 loadings. Both of these get partial sized with now a .010" shim added between the press and the locking coller of a normaly adjusted FL die.


I do like the reddington FL die set with a micrometer up garde to the seater die.

 

[Elkman]

I don't know if it will help or not but try polishing them with chunk (engineering term) of fine steel wool on a drill chuck. When I clean mine (now that you have reminded me) every 10 years or so, I also polish with the steel wool. Just a thought. I also wipe the cases down with a coarse cloth after tumbling.