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  1. #11
    User 414gates's Avatar
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    Quote Originally Posted by Ds J View Post
    Is there a particular burnishing compound one should either use, or stay clear from?
    Burnishing compound is the same for metal or paint. What you do not want is valve grinding paste.

    Any burnishing compound can only polish steel, it's not rough enough to remove material.

  2. #12
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    Thanks!

  3. #13
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    414 gives good advice here, only thing I do different is I use a drill press not a hand held drill, less wobble etc
    I have found that the dies sometimes scratch again real quick.

    My latest is to use copper remover, even Ammonia extensively, I coat inside of die overnight, clean, burnish, copper remover again and burnish again. I got the impression that sometimes some brass was just polished ultra smooth in the case and then galled up again after a few cases.

    Let us know how yours turns out a few cases later.

  4. #14
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    So here's the interesting part: I have run approx 100 well-lubed clean cases through the polished die, keeping an eye on the neck finish.

    Slowly but surely, very fine abrasion has started progressively creeping in, in exactly the same area as previously posted pic.

  5. #15
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    Quote Originally Posted by StanCT View Post
    So here's the interesting part: I have run approx 100 well-lubed clean cases through the polished die, keeping an eye on the neck finish.

    Slowly but surely, very fine abrasion has started progressively creeping in, in exactly the same area as previously posted pic.
    *
    *****
    Try again, perhaps even a brass brush of that caliber in the die then, decopper then brush, then decopper.
    Use peroxide and white vinegar, then brush then peroxide citric acid mix, brush then polish.
    I may use 5/6 different brands and same amount of different mild acids and alkaline when faced with a problem like this because I do not really know what the problems composition is.

    I have only had a success rate of perhaps 1 in 3 with dies that do this thing, I really can not figure it out.
    I know its the old design dies that are more prone and more difficult to fix. The newer dies work a charm using my method.
    I believe it may be a actual breakdown of the surface material used for the dies in the early days.
    Random guess reason could be that the case hardening on the old dies wears away ?
    Could be some kind of oxidation thats set in?
    Perhaps the die was stored dirty and a process started reaction is happening ??
    I am not a scientist, so its all bushman detective work.

    The new era dies do how ever polish and clean out as per above.

  6. #16
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    Quote Originally Posted by StanCT View Post
    So here's the interesting part: I have run approx 100 well-lubed clean cases through the polished die, keeping an eye on the neck finish.

    Slowly but surely, very fine abrasion has started progressively creeping in, in exactly the same area as previously posted pic.
    I think you need to be a a lot more aggressive with your polishing.
    Being a blackout, it was probably previously use to convert cases which means brass shavings are now probably fused to the die.
    Your polishing is probably just smoothing the surface of the brass deposits and stopping the problem until they become rough enough to start sticking to the brass case again.

  7. #17
    User 414gates's Avatar
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    Quote Originally Posted by StanCT View Post
    So here's the interesting part: I have run approx 100 well-lubed clean cases through the polished die, keeping an eye on the neck finish.

    Slowly but surely, very fine abrasion has started progressively creeping in, in exactly the same area as previously posted pic.
    There is still brass deposit in the die.

    If you have a copper solvent to remove copper from your barrel, use it on the neck area of the die.

    A borescope can show the extent of the brass deposit and when it's finally clean.

    I had this problem with handgun brass after sizing without tumbling or cleaning it first.

  8. #18
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    Thanks gents, I'll continue with this and report back.

  9. #19
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    Quote Originally Posted by StanCT View Post
    Yes - there appears to have been damage to the inside sizing ball as well, which I have also managed to polish out.
    Be careful of polishing the Lee sizing ball. They are right on the edge of being undersized and with polishing (I needed to polish one of mine as it left the same internal case neck marks as yours), what ended up happening was that the mandrel was now probably 100th or so too small, and would shave my bullets ever so slightly.

    Best thing I did was just chuck both sets of lee dies, and move over to Redding Delux Dies.

  10. #20
    User 414gates's Avatar
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    Default Re: TALK TO ME ABOUT POLISHING A SIZING DIE

    Quote Originally Posted by Stevin View Post
    Be careful of polishing the Lee sizing ball. They are right on the edge of being undersized and with polishing (I needed to polish one of mine as it left the same internal case neck marks as yours), what ended up happening was that the mandrel was now probably 100th or so too small, and would shave my bullets ever so slightly.

    Best thing I did was just chuck both sets of lee dies, and move over to Redding Delux Dies.
    Nothing wrong with Lee dies, if anything they are sold too cheaply. They are produced to the tightest tolerance.

    The biggest POS die I have is a Forster Competition Sizing die. I replaced it with a Lee.

    The newer Lee dies have a changed decapping pin design, it's not a ball anymore, the decapping rod has a taper machined into it, so the neck sizing takes place closer to the top of the die, not at the bottom. They are cheap to replace.

    I have a Redding body die that can't size certain brass back down to size. I bought some once fired, and had that problem - after sizing, they still would not chamber in my rifle.

    Again, a Lee sizer sorted that out.

    I have compared the seating depth consistency between a Forster Micrometer seater, and a Lee bullet seater. If both are setup correctly, and there is no measurable difference.

    I have one particular Hornady sizing die that should not have a decapping rod - it can't align to the flashhole and I've broken two decapping rods in it already. All the other Hornady sizers do their job, just not this one. Again , Lee to the rescue - I use it without the decapping rod, and follow it up with a Lee collet neck sizer.
    Last edited by 414gates; 10-11-2020 at 10:40. Reason: addendum

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