Cleaning dies

[Micro man]

Purchased some new die’s recently and know that I need to clean the oil from manufacturing off of them. I was wondering what works best for members .
Thank you for your help.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Acetone, cotton swaps, and a clean rag.

 

[Unclenick]

The only problems with acetone are the fumes and the fact it evaporates so fast you can get condensation of steel parts that later leads to rust.

I just soak in odorless mineral spirits. Leave it overnight. The mineral spirits have some slight lubricative properties, and if you add 10% ATF to it, you'll be left with a thin coating of rust-inhibiting lube that is too light to interfere with die operation.

 

[Nick_C_S]

I've always thoroughly sprayed them down with brake cleaner. Followed by a light coating of gun oil. Not sure if it's ideal, but it's what I've always done.

 

[rc]

I've never worried about removing oil from new reloading dies. I just wipe them with a rag, set them up and start loading. The sticky goes away pretty quickly with some use.

 

[Unclenick]

It depends on the die. RCBS, for example, says the small hole they put in the shoulder of their bottleneck case resizing dies to vent air caught there during resizing can become clogged during final polishing. So they not only want oil cleaned out, but they want you to be sure to check that the hole is open so you don't get indented shoulders. Based on that, while it may not be normal, it seems it is possible for more than just oil to be in a die, so cleaning is a good precaution.

 

[jpx2rk]

I've used Hoppe's #9 and wiped it down/out with a patch or 2, and started using. No issues.

 

[FrankenMauser]

The only problems with acetone are the fumes and the fact it evaporates so fast you can get condensation of steel parts that later leads to rust.

Enough to wet some cotton swabs doesn't produce much in the way of fumes or odor.

And I live in the desert. I don't have to worry about rust. So, it ends up being a secondary consideration.

 

[WmMunny]

Easiest/cheapest degreaser is a good slug of quality liquid dish washing detergent like Dawn in warm water. Use a small brush, Q-tips, .22 cal. slotted bore cleaning rod with patch, etc,

Wipe and dry quickly and completely to prevent rust-- ultra low temp in the oven, hair dryer, heat gun, fan, bright summer midday sunlight.

 

[higgite]

Hornady One Shot gun cleaner with an appropriately sized nylon bore brush and some patches.

 

[Shadow9mm]

Brake cleaner, paper towels, patches. Then i wipe it down, inside and out, with froglube paste. Put it in the oven at 175 for 10min. Wipe the dies with ar rag, done

 

[Micro man]

Thanks for the advice, now I have several good ideas to try.

 

[jimbo4]

I use Hornady cleaner wipe down done.