How to keep from scratching brass

[josebd]

When I reload brass that has already been loaded and shot,I clean in corn media,then clean inside and outside neck with 0000 steel wool,then anneal,resize using rcbs lube with pad,I’ve had the pad a few years.
Do I need to wash my brass before resizing with hot water and dawn dish detergent then let dry?

I know I need to clean my dies more often,carburetor cleaner,hot water and dawn dish detergent?

 

[josebd]

I mainly target shoot,not competition

 

[Shooter13]

Brakleen is good for cleaning dies (use outdoors!!), make sure they are dry before using. If they are scratching your brass use your 0000 steel wool to clean.

 

[josebd]

I tried 0000 steel wool on my dies,didn’t help,going to send in to get them polished.

 

[josebd]

Brakleen is good for cleaning dies (use outdoors!!), make sure they are dry before using. If they are scratching your brass use your 0000 steel wool to clean.

You talking about on the dies or brass?

 

[BenPerfected]

Try some One Shot spray lube on the brass and inside the die.
Bb

 

[Uncle Ed]

Your lube pad can pick up grit that ends up stuck inside your sizing dies and scratches your cases. If the cases hit the ground they can also pick up grit that sticks to the brass and become embedded in the die scratching the brass.

Polish the inside of your sizing with a snug fitting shotgun cleaning mop chucked in a drill using J&B Bore paste, automotive rubbing compound, Flitz, Mothers Mag & Wheel polish, etc.

You can also disassemble the sizing die and place the die body in a vibratory tumbler with treated walnut media. Let the die tumble overnight and it will come out looking better than new. You will need to clean and remove the red polishing compound from inside the die.

 

[jepp2]

going to send in to get them polished.

Not sure who you plan to use. I polish all my new dies (it significantly reduces the sizing effort), or anytime a die picks up some brass (like sizing after annealing) similar to how UncleEd mentioned. I use a brass rod, and cut a paper towel to fit the chamber, tight. I use Flitz first, then follow with Mothers. Here is what a die looks like after polishing.

 

[Pawnee Bill]

"resize using rcbs lube with pad,I’ve had the pad a few years." Throw the lube & pad away. Your pad has grit on it that is transferring to the case and die. Use a loading block with spray lube.

 

[Uncle Ed]

Below is a bushing that has embedded grit and then brass started sticking to the grit and building up. The image is after the poster tried polishing the die and what you see is the results of his efforts and the remaining brass in the bushing that was scratching his case necks. Meaning the bushing was still scratching his brass and what "YOU" need to look for before giving the bushing or die a clean bill of health.

And above you can also see how the grit left vertical scratches in the bushing. And the scratches will also need to be removed with polishing.

So I suggest "FIRST" cleaning the die with a strong copper bore cleaner to remove the brass before polishing. And when I say a strong bore cleaner I mean one that curls your nose hairs and makes your eyes water when you sniff the bottle.

After removing the brass with the bore cleaner, then polish the die to remove the embedded grit. I prefer using a snug fitting shotgun cleaning mop and any polishing type compound you have around the house. At one time Midway sold J&B bore paste and Kroil together as a unit for cleaning your bore to use if you do not have anything to polish your die at home.

 

[Webster]

When I reload brass that has already been loaded and shot,I clean in corn media,then clean inside and outside neck with 0000 steel wool,then anneal,resize using rcbs lube with pad,I’ve had the pad a few years.
Do I need to wash my brass before resizing with hot water and dawn dish detergent then let dry?

I know I need to clean my dies more often,carburetor cleaner,hot water and dawn dish detergent?

i don't want water in my dies. I use brake cleaner. Been rolling on a pad since 1970, never had a problem. You can get a piece of cloth and wrap it around the pad to get a new clean surface. I only did it once in 50 years.

 

[K22]

If its an RCBS die, they will refurbish it free of charge - you just have to ship it to them - least that's what they did for me.

Couple of things I learned:

1. With new cases, I use to size (zero cam) as a first step case prep to smooth out any imperfections and uniform necks. New brass can have an slight edge at the end of the case neck. Sometimes minute brass particles can be shredded from the neck become embedded in the neck of the die. Sizing from that point forward will scratch the case necks. As far as I can determined, those scratches do not affect the function of the cartridge. After RCBS refurnished my sizing die I started chamfering new cases as a first step case prep before sizing. Haven't had a scratched neck since.

2. Cleaning Cases in a tumbler before sizing and routine cleaning of the die also prevents grit accumulating in the die.

3. If you are polishing necks before sizing (I do the same thing w/ 0000 steel wool) make sure you remove all steel wool particles from the case before sizing including inside the neck that may have become trapped while polishing the outside of the necks.