Honeing a die out
- Thread starter eric32
- Start date
How'd you decide that honing was appropriate? What dimension do you want your neck to be?
For about $75 can likely get a bushing die from Redding and a bushing; if you're looking for an under .365 neck diameter.
Wilson does bushing sizers too if you want an arbor die.
Might try a bore mop wrapped with a patch or strip of flannel using some valve lap compound. Fine lap compound is a pretty good polish. Simplex polishing creme is also good. You probably have JB bore wax or whatever it's called? That stuff should polish pretty nicely too.
Of course, all sizing dies are hardened like hell. Heat your die to cherry red with a propane torch and let it air cool to remove the temper before you attempt "honing". Wikipedia has a chart of tap & drill sizes. Might consult that to see if a number or alphabet drill is made in the size you need. Wiki also lists metric drill sizes, but they are fairly hard to find except in most common sizes.
The bushing sizer enables lots of variations. Pretty easy to make your own bushings from 1/2" round stock to fit Wilson or Redding dies. Forster uses another diameter for their bushing stock. I would go with a bushing sizer unless you are hoping to improve a custom die that bushing sizer isn't made. I had a .308win AI chambered rifle at one time. I bored the neck cavity on a Redding FL S die in .243win AI to with an alphabet drill, after removing the temper. The enlarged neck cavity allowed the correct decapping ball to transit the die. The .243 AI die would likely have worked fine w/o mods were I using it for .264rem AI or 7mm-08AI. I did have a table-top lathe and tool holder to enable doing the work with precision. Without a boring tool, "honing" even .001" is a pretty long and tedious job...
For about $75 can likely get a bushing die from Redding and a bushing; if you're looking for an under .365 neck diameter.
Wilson does bushing sizers too if you want an arbor die.
Might try a bore mop wrapped with a patch or strip of flannel using some valve lap compound. Fine lap compound is a pretty good polish. Simplex polishing creme is also good. You probably have JB bore wax or whatever it's called? That stuff should polish pretty nicely too.
Of course, all sizing dies are hardened like hell. Heat your die to cherry red with a propane torch and let it air cool to remove the temper before you attempt "honing". Wikipedia has a chart of tap & drill sizes. Might consult that to see if a number or alphabet drill is made in the size you need. Wiki also lists metric drill sizes, but they are fairly hard to find except in most common sizes.
The bushing sizer enables lots of variations. Pretty easy to make your own bushings from 1/2" round stock to fit Wilson or Redding dies. Forster uses another diameter for their bushing stock. I would go with a bushing sizer unless you are hoping to improve a custom die that bushing sizer isn't made. I had a .308win AI chambered rifle at one time. I bored the neck cavity on a Redding FL S die in .243win AI to with an alphabet drill, after removing the temper. The enlarged neck cavity allowed the correct decapping ball to transit the die. The .243 AI die would likely have worked fine w/o mods were I using it for .264rem AI or 7mm-08AI. I did have a table-top lathe and tool holder to enable doing the work with precision. Without a boring tool, "honing" even .001" is a pretty long and tedious job...
Please do not attempt this, you will ruin the die.
A Sunnen rigid hone is the only acceptable method.
If done correctly, the bore will be as round, straight, and concentric as the original.
swd
Silver $$ Contributor
WTF I have never seen a thread with so much crap over getting a die honed to the size a guy wants. This ain't rocket science, it just takes the right tool. A Sunnen or similar hone will easily get the job done.
I'm starting to think Hogan and FGuffy are one and the same.
I'm starting to think Hogan and FGuffy are one and the same.
Agree. Neck with a given thickness spread will have half that much bullet centering off bore center on rimless bottleneck cases. If you want .001" max bullet runout, you'll get along fine with .002" thick neck wall spread.
Anyone measure how much the case neck inside center moves pulling an expander ball up through sized down necks with .001" wall thickness spread?
Have access to a Sunnen hone and the diamond stones in the sizes I need, it'll go right thru that 'too hard' bushing or die no problem. A std stone takes more time but also works, the diamond or CBN work better, faster, and last forever.
Its not a problem to take out .0005", .005" or whatever is needed. Forster doesn't sell bushings in every .001" step like Redding does so honing a .230" is your only option for something like a .233" in Forster land.
Its not a problem to take out .0005", .005" or whatever is needed. Forster doesn't sell bushings in every .001" step like Redding does so honing a .230" is your only option for something like a .233" in Forster land.
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