Brass in dies

[colonyfirearms]

I started to load some 357 sig and the cases were coming out with scratches
Inspected the sizing die and it had brass imbeded in the sides.
My son loaded some and I don't think he used any lub.
I took a knife and scrapped most of the brass out.
Used fine grade diamond lapping compound and shined the die. Sized another case. Measured it and I did not make the die any bigger.
But I still had a few fine scratches in the case.
Looked at the inside of the die with an eye loop and there was still some brass.
How can I get this remaining brass out of the sizing die???

[skeet]

Not saying it can't be done but the die is probably ruined. If the brass is imbedded in the die sides then they are scratched. Polishing may work as long as you don't go too far. Bore brush really well first with a copper solution. May work. Sure it is brass?? Brass won't usually scratch reloading dies....well normally it won't. Dirt?? Luck to ya..

[Adam Helmer]

colonyfirearms,

Welcome to the Forum. Are you cleaning your empty cases of all grit and sand, etc., before you resize them. Tell your son to use lube, unless you use carbo dies.

I would use fine steel wool to clean up the dies. Hope this helps.

Adam

[Rocky Raab]

Ouch. But first, ditto on the welcome!

Now then...

Are the dies steel (requiring lube) or carbide? Were the cases your son sized brass or nickel-plated?

If they are steel dies, and he sized nickel cases, it's almost sure that the dies are ruined. I've experienced those tiny nickel flakes in a die myself, and it is impossible to get them out.

Carbide dies are normally too hard to have anything actually imbedded in the carbide ring (which is only about an eighth-inch tall) so some delicate buffing might help. But chances are, you're still out a sizing die.

It is a lesson for your son to learn -- more so if he foots the bill for the new dies!

[Dan Morris]

Welcome to the group. As Rocky says, get some carbide dies, clean brass and chunk the old dies. I've been there too.
Dan

[BILLY D.]

You might try using and old shotgun bore brush that will fit tightly inside te die. Chuck it in a drill, turn the drill on and see what affect it has on the brass. It might remove it and it might not. if the die has deep scratches the brass is embeded in the scratches and prolly can not be removed.

I could say something here about brasso, but I'd probably get blowtorched.

If you can remove the brass, use your eye loupe again and if the scratches aren't to deep you might be able to polish the scratches out. Use a tight bore mop with a liberal, damn I hate that word, amount of lapping compound embeded in it and use the ol' drill again.

Now if this don't work you can figure X amount of labor time plus supplies and you come up with the, darn, I could have bought a set of dies for that.

But you had some fun and learned something.

Forgot to add, those dies are harder than woodpecker lips, so dont baby them.

Best wishes, Bill

[colonyfirearms]

I got all of the brass out.
Did I spend more time and effort on it than the die was worth. YES
It became a challenge. And I learned some thing along the way.
The die is steel.
To remove imbedded brass
Scrape all the brass out that you can with a knife.
Put brasso on a shotgun bore swab.
Use a lathe or drill and work wet swab back and forth in die. Keep wet don't let it dry out.
The brasso is reactive with the brass and will remove the small amount left.
Use a new swab with metal polish. and rework the inside of die.
I used diamond paste.
This will polish the die, mine now looks chrome plated.
I checked and the diameter is still on size.
It appears to me that I should polish all new dies before using.
Is this a good idea?

Thanks for all of your help and suggestion. I could not have made it without your help

[Rocky Raab]

Actually, I do polish new dies. I use Flitz on a bore mop or patches wrapped around an old worn brush. (I keep old brushes just for that reason.)

You can also use JB Paste or jeweler's rouge, but I'd avoid anything more aggressive like lapping compound or auto rubbing compound.

Give them a good squirt of brake cleaner to remove all the paste and then a very thin wipe of rust preventative. Allow to dry before you use them.

[skb2706]

Because a .357 Sig is a bottleneck cartridge it is doubtful you can locate a carbide size die. Clean your cases and lube with Imperial...instruct your son in the "how tos". Inside of the die must be scratched from dirt or nickle plating neither of which is good. If you can polish it out I would...It won't hurt to try.

[Rocky Raab]

Nuts. I missed that little "sig" in the first post, and only saw the .357 part. SKB is correct, you won't find carbide dies for that cartridge.

He's also right about the Imperial Sizing Die Wax and the helpful hints to anybody who uses your dies.

[skb2706]

Just a thought and I don't want to hijack the thread but I have a question. Not being at all familiar with a .357 sig, my question is....would it be possible to 'neck size the cases' with a carbide .357 mag size die ?
Back in the day when I loaded tons of .357 mag cases I would only size the portion of the case that the bullet actually fit in anyway. As opposed to the whole length of the case.

ooops forgot.....welcome colonyfirearms

I left my manners the same place I left my winning lottery ticket !

[Rocky Raab]

I doubt it, skb. If you didn't size the body of that .357 Sig case, it might not chamber. Worse, it might jam itself partway in under slide impulse, thus tying up the gun completely.