Do you clean your reloading equipment?

[BumbleBug]

I sat down to load some ammo today & realized that my RCBS single-stage press was a bit stiff. A few drops of oil remedied the situation. Then when I got to thinking, I can't remember when I last took my press apart & gave it a good cleaning & lube job. With a SS press my job isn't too tough, but what about you progressive guys out there? How often & how much do you clean your reloading equipment?

...bug

 

[MJFlores]

I lightly oil my trimmer and press a few times per years. I never take then all apart to clean etc though. Just a little oil to keep them operating smoothly.

 

[rclark]

Well, there isn't much to my Single Stage Press. I just oil the ram when it needs it, and all has been well over the years. I do, of course, wipe down around the ram and keep the press generally clean after every use.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Sure. Wipe down the ram, re-oil. Oil the joints. Dies, I run a bore mop on a drill every now and then.

 

[thump_rrr]

I make sure all my reloading equipment gets cleaned and lubricated frequently.

The Hornady LnL AP Progressive gets the ram cleaned and all grease zerks lubricated. The rest of the press gets a cleaning with Hornady one shot gun cleaner and dry lube.

All dies get put away with a coating of Boeshield T-9.

 

[BigJimP]

Yes, using a Dillon 650 progressive with a case feeder....when I break the press down to change calibers ( usually after I've loaded about 60 boxes of one caliber ) so call it 3,000 rds....I clean and lube the press....

clean the area under the case holder../ remove the primer feed system ( take it apart ) and clean inside the feed tube and the parts that rotate and feed the primers ....//// lube the main shaft of the press and the friction points for the handle - and grease the case feeder mechanism in station one...... //// ...clean the feed tube for the case feeder and inside the case feeder - the plate and the hopper... //// ..... I also clean the dies in the toolhead for that caliber ( seating die, powder measure die, etc...) and then put that toolhead on a shelf so its ready to go next time.

and then the press is ready to go for another 3,000 rds of some other caliber....
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When I reload a caliber...I don't usually sit down and just load for 5 or 6 hours....I might go downstairs for an hour ....then case gague and box everything up / -- come back the next day or evening and run another 800 rds ... and stack the finished boxes on top of my safe to draw from as inventory. At 700 or 800 rds an hour ...it doesn't take too many sessions to get 50 or 60 boxes.../ and that's when I take an hour or so to break the press down and clean everything....

then when I'm down to less than 10 boxes in one caliber....I'll set up the press for the next caliber...
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Visiting my son about 3 hours away this past weekend....and I dropped off a dozen boxes of 9mm, a dozen boxes of .357 mag and half a dozen boxes of .38 spl ....at his place on sat..../ makes it easy to do since I always have inventory ( and he's raising 2 of my grandkids )...

and I like having the press clean and ready to go for the next caliber....

 

[mikld]

I've been a life long machinist/mechanic and learned 50+ years ago to take care of my tools. Yes, I clean my presses, my dies, and any other tools I may use for reloading (mebbe that's why one of my presses, made in the '60, is still producing safe, accurate ammo). Same goes for the tools I use when I work on my truck, fix something in my house, or cut the shrubs. I have a couple tools that are at least 40 years old and a combo wrench set that is 30 years old with 26 years as a full time Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic/Electrician...

 

[FrankenMauser]

Clean and lube, as needed.
Full tear down and deep-clean every 12-18 months.

Clean and happy tools make for a clean and happy operator.

 

[m&p45acp10+1]

I wipe the ram down with a clean cloth, then wipe with a lightly oiled patch. I lube the friction points about twice a year. I clean my FL rifle dies after each use, then give a light coat of oil. I run a dry patch through before a loading session. Other than that I fight a loosing battle to be able to see the top of my bench there is so much stuff that accumulates there.

 

[serf 'rett]

Wipe down the Rockchoker when needed. CLP on the bare metal and a little oil on the friction points about every 3-6 months. I cannot tolerate rust on equipment.

 

[jersurf101]

I have two single stages that I clean pretty regularly. wiping down the ran and the grime that decapping gets all over the press.

 

[Clark]

I put sizer dies in the lathe, spin them, and poke a Q tip with Flitz on it, up in side, ala Varmint Al.

I put CLP on the press ram and pivots.

 

[Sierra280]

Kudos to mikid, as a mechanic I always keep my tools clean. Wiping down the reloading bench/tools with a damp cloth, then applying oil to necessary parts. I use damp cloth because I am paranoid and worry about primer dust collecting, as for the equipment, dies are expensive, I don't even deprime on the press to keep everything super clean, only clean brass and components get near expensive equipment.

 

[WESHOOT2]

No.

I lubricate.

 

[hodaka]

A Shop Vac to clean up the lose powder and pieces of primer that escape and a drop of oil on the pivot points every few months. Every now and then I clean out the seating dies that I use with cast bullets. Everything stays pretty clean. I rarely use my trimmer except to make 9mm Mak out of 9mm Luger. It always makes a mess and needs lubrication. I mostly trim with the Lee cutters.

 

[schmellba99]

A good wipe down with some degreaser and then re-oil my single stage pretty much once a year. The LnL AP gets a good wipe down and re-grease once a year, with the occasional shot of grease in the zerks here and there (no specific interval, just when I think it is time).

I am always wiping/brushing down my presses because I simply cannot stand them to be dirty (they are inside, which helps), and my dies get a good cleaning at least once a year - usually before I start loading up that particular caliber for the first time in a while. Again, no specific schedule, but they do get cleaned.

Dies such as my .45 ACP, 9mm and .45-70, which see a lot of cast lead projectiles, get cleaned more often than that.

 

[fshfindr]

Lee 1000, I blow it out frequently, mostly it's gunpowder. I take it down about once a year, CLP on the ram. Blow out the dies and use Q Tips inside. I must be doin OK since it has been working for over 20 years. Had to replace a nylon gear once. Lee makes em to last.

 

[skizzums]

i have the cheap lee breech lock, it's tolerences aren't as tight as the nice ones, so i frequently need break down the press and clean the grit out of it. and it gets really dirty in the deprime slot on the press. and afterwards i put the press in the down position and drip rem-oil all around the base, when i lift it up, the oil get evenly dispersed down the whole rod.

 

[jmorris]

I have an air compressor in my reloading room (it's out of a dentist office so my wife doesn't get tired of the noise) that I blow debris off and keep them oiled and/or greased regularly.

 

[ritepath]

In my business a clean machine is a happy machine. Every mechanical device requires PM time scheduled in between fun times.