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Brass on mandrel/expander -> lubing necks?

memilanuk

Gold $$ Contributor
Hello there,

Been noticing more brass build-up on certain parts, such as the expander mandrel I use for opening case necks up for neck turning, or my Lee Collet die, or even the polished expander balls I use in my Redding or Forster bushing dies.

On the expander mandrel (K&M), I generally *do* use a small amount of lube (Imperial sizing die wax or some equivalent thereof - currently Hornady) around the lip of the mouth and/or on the mandrel itself, but I still get a 'ring' of build-up right at where the taper transits to the main body diameter.

On the mandrel of my Lee Collet die, I've been getting build-up mainly around the area under the collet. This was most noticeable when expanding the mouths on a bunch of very mangled virgin Winchester .308 brass. Generally I *don't* use lube with this die, as it normally doesn't seem to need any otherwise.

On the Redding and Forster bushing dies... I've started seeing some build-up of brass on the expander balls when re-sizing cases that have been cleaned either ultrasonically or via stainless steel media i.e. with very clean i.e. bare metal, necks.

Some sort of additional lube seems like the obvious answer, but the question is 'what', along with 'how' and 'how do I get it *off*'? I've tried using lubes like Imperial die wax in the necks in the past, but it makes powder kernels stick and plug the neck unless I clean the cases *again*. Neco moly/BBs works, but is messy as all heck especially in conjunction with any *external* sizing lube. Any other ideas or suggestions?

TIA,

Monte
 
How about Hornady One-Shot dry lube. Spray it on, let it dry and don't worry about buildup or cleaning up afterwards.

http://www.hornady.com/store/One-Shot-Spray-Case-Lube/
 
Might consider getting a small jar of Imperial Dry Neck Lube (graphite powder) and just dip the necks of your casings into the jar before running the cases into the Mandrel Die. Once done, just wipe off the necks and you are ready to go. Been doing that for about a year now and there is no buildup of anything and I use a piece of 0000 steel wool on the mandrel after each session of reloading to keep the mandrel clean. Works for me much better than all those other methods or ideas.
 
Shynloco,

That Imperial dry neck lube looks very similar to what I have in the NECO kit. Just graphite w/ ceramic balls vs. moly w/ steel BBs. I'll admit I haven't used that stuff specifically with the expander mandrel for the neck turner; might have to try that. Do you use it with regular neck/bushing sizing dies? That was where I was talking about it making a mess... didn't know if others might have a less messy way of using it.

gmorganal,

Carbide isn't a panacea... I get brass build-up on the floating carbide expander ball on my Redding Type 'S' F/L bushing die just like any of the other ones I mentioned. It is *significantly* harder to get the stuff off there, given that it is such a tiny object/surface and tough to hold onto.
 
This is material which is galled on to the steel parts. What you need to do is to take it off without significantly changing the dimensions of the dies. The best material I have found is No7 (this is the company) Rubbing Compound. This is basically a very fine metal polish which will remove the galling safely.

In fact, this is an excellent compound to gently polish all of the mandrels you are using again without significantly changing their dimensions. It is very cheap, a 10 oz can cost me $1.99 at Ace Hardware many years ago, probably more now but likely still very cheap.
 
Have used Hornady lube and also Imperial. After whack it in the US or SSM to clean up every thing.
 
Monte,
Here is what works for me. Some friends have taken up my methods as well with good results. When prepping new brass, I use Imperial Sizing Wax inside my new case mouth before running it through the expander mandrel. I take my finger tip and apply a tiny bit in spots around the mouth before expanding. Most of the wax ends up at the top of the mandrel after a few cases so I know it is not all going into the case.

I then trim the case on the Forster and any residual lube inside the neck helps lubricate the trimmer button. I put a drop of Mobil One oil on the shaft of the neck turning mandrel, chuck the case in a cordless 1/2" drill and neck turn the case. A double ended cotton swab or Q-tip is used to clean the inside of the shoulder and case mouth. Very rarely does a powder kernal stick after this routine. But occasionally I have to wash my hands because everything I touch has something slippery on it....

I have given up on thoroughly cleaning cases with sonic or tumbling. I think for match brass that is carefully handled, it is a waste of time. I wipe off the cases and especially the carbon on the necks with Ballistol after firing. If the carbon hardens before it get to it, Ballistol wiped on with a paper towel followed by a swipe with a Scotch-Brite pad gets is sparkly. Case neck brush in and out one pass and then I clean some carbon from the primer pocket.

I believe the carbon and small amount of residue left inside the case necks helps the sizing exapander as well as lubes the new bullet in seating. Cleaning the inside of the neck until it is shiny takes this lube away.

I don't use the collet dies so I don't have a suggestion there. I do use a tiny swipe of wax on necks when resizing. I use Ballistol on full length sizing until effort gets hard, then I will wax up the next brass. The sizing wax seems to have to residual hang time inside the die.

My wife shakes her head when she checks on me while reloading. Paper towel sprayed with Ballistol on one leg, clean towel for wiping cases on the other. Q-tips scattered about jsut in case.

Good luck,
Scott
 
Another way to get brass off reloading parts is to put the parts in a jar, squirt in some KG12 copper solvent, put the lid on and gently roll the parts around. That stuff is hell on brass.
 

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