Removing Redding imperial sizing die wax

ronco

Beginner
Oct 2, 2004
107
73
I just bought a Reloading technologies belted magnum collet resizing die and they recommended using Imperial wax. First time I've ever used it, I've only used the RCBS lube with the pad since 1975. What have you found was the best way to remove the wax from the die/collet and brass? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Link http://www.larrywillis.com/
 
I clean my dies with Hoppes No. 9. Wrap a cleaning cloth around a wooden dowel to clean the die and wipe the brass with a blue shop towel. I have not found it necessary to tumble the brass or to wash it; a wipe is sufficient to clean away the sizing wax.
 
I have been using imperial for decades, and have only cleaned my dies a few times. I have never had an issue that I know of. I do wipe my cases down with a coarse cloth, and am very careful to not overuse the sizing wax. A little goes a long ways.
 
For years I used an old T-shirt to wipe off the sizing wax. Now I've graduated to paper towels folded in 1/4s.

I saw a post on another site that said Imperial Sizing Die Wax is proof that god loves us & wants us to be happy.

If they ever need it, I clean my dies with either spray carb cleaner or brake cleaner & compressed air.
 
Love the ISW, I've always used a soft cloth to wipe off my cases. At times i've just used a twisted up wad of TP to wipe my dies out. If it was in a tight spot, run them under hot water, let dry. But I also just wipe enough on my cases to work. I never, ever cared for RCBS Lube, good as it is, just too messy.
 
DrMike":lqabxzwf said:
I clean my dies with Hoppes No. 9. Wrap a cleaning cloth around a wooden dowel to clean the die and wipe the brass with a blue shop towel. I have not found it necessary to tumble the brass or to wash it; a wipe is sufficient to clean away the sizing wax.

Same here, well, to be fair, Mike passed many of his tricks to me years ago. But I like the way the Imperial Sizing Wax leaves a nice barrier on the brass, even when it's wiped down.
 
I use meths it's brilliant! It's cheap & works.
I also use it in my rifle bore on a patch before shooting.
 
I chuck my brass in a Lee trimmer shell holder and spin it with a cheap Harbor Freight drill.
Using a blue paper shop cloth I put just a dab of brass polish in one corner of the rag (I bought the little bottle of polish from Midway in 1994 and have been using it ever since. I just keep adding rubbing alcohol to it so it doesn’t take much).
Just a quick dab of the brass into the polish and then spin it in the rag.

Whole process only takes a few seconds and gets the brass nice and shiny while cleaning off any residue on the neck as well.

I can then use the Lee trimmer to trim and chamfer tool to chamfer the brass while it is still chucked in the drill.


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I have started cleaning my dies with a boresnake. A little alcohol for the die (and me) and it cleans right up.

A 45 caliber snake works really well on a lot of rifle dies.
 
"I have started cleaning my dies with a boresnake. A little alcohol for the die (and me) and it cleans right up."

I like this post.

Kevin
 
For my dies I just use a cotton chamber mop soaked in denatured alcohol on a pistol cleaning rod..Generally just give brass a quick wipe with a rag. If I'm not in a hurry I'll toss the brass in the tumbler for a few minutes.
 
I just bought a Reloading technologies belted magnum collet resizing die and they recommended using Imperial wax. First time I've ever used it, I've only used the RCBS lube with the pad since 1975. What have you found was the best way to remove the wax from the die/collet and brass? Thanks in advance for any advice.
Link http://www.larrywillis.com/
Ronco,
I use spray on brake cleaner from the auto parts store. I spray it on a cloth then wipe each case. It really cuts through the grease. I then put the cases in the media vibrator afterwards. To clean the dies I spray out the dies, wipe off with a rag, use long Q-tips to reach inside.

Don
 
For my dies, I spray them out with Hornady One Shot cleaner or RCBS die cleaner, then swab them with a patch on a pistol cleaning rod. My brass I wipe down with a microfiber towel, then throw them in a quart can with acetone or VM&P naphtha. After a few minutes I let them air dry on the bench.
 
New dies get taken apart and sprayed good with carb cleaner, then usually blown out with the air compressor. I've discovered tiny bits of metal left in new dies already, and they are usually pretty heavy oiled to prevent corrosion. Any cleaning of dies after that I use a wooden dowel rod and a soft cloth with some rubbing alcohol like was mentioned above.

Brass after sizing gets wiped with a piece of folded over paper towel moistened with alcohol.
 
ISW is the greatest thing since sliced bread (I'm old). RCBS lube was a real pain for me. I usually wipe off the cases with cloth or paper towel but occasionally throw in tumbler for a few minutes. as for dies I take apart and wipe them out. Imperial is so thin and covers so well that as stated a little goes along way and cleanup is easy. Dan.
 
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