Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

[Rover31]

Hi and Merry Christmas,
short version,
other than fine emery or silca sandpaper are there chemicals to remove brass from my full length dies?

Long version, I am learning that my SS media and tumbler is doing a great job on cleaning my brass. I have found that the SS media is cleaning too much and it also adds some steps. So I will still do it but maybe once a year for the brass. The super cleaning this does has caused some brass galling on my dies. Yes I did lube but not enough.
I have tried the silca paper it is working but takes a while so I was looking for a chemical to remove the brass. Will any of the bore cleaners do that?

Thanks
T

 

[427Cobra]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

Clean your dies with a good strong copper solvent, and change lubes or technique because brass shearing off inside dies is a classic sign of not enough or poorly applied.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

Maybe a harsh solvent like Butch's bore shine or the like might help. I heard that on here before.
In my experience brass galling comes from the expander ball mostly.
Question, how come you think the SS media is causing this?
I would think ss would get rid of loose stuff, not create it.

 

[DIBBS]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

Rover, if you cant get them clean yourself, you can send them back to the manufacturer for polishing. I got a set of dies with a used rifle, and they had brass imbedded on the surface of the sizing die. I sent it back to the manufacturer
for polishing, and the die came back as new.

 

[sinister]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

Stainless tumbling is cleaning your brass REALLY efficiently (including the inside of your necks).

Your cases may be galling because there's no lube on the INSIDE and they are dragging on the expander (on the way out). Try putting a smear of Imperial sizing die wax inside the neck with a Q-tip, or a quick turn in a silica powder prep.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

Not to minimize Dibbs suggestion, but you can chuck up a piece of dowel, anything round and wrap 0000 steel wool or scotchbrite around it in a drill and polish it yourself pretty easy.
Don't get carried away removing material.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: sinister</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Stainless tumbling is cleaning your brass REALLY efficiently (including the inside of your necks).

Your cases may be galling because there's no lube on the INSIDE and they are dragging on the expander (on the way out). Try putting a smear of Imperial sizing die wax inside the neck with a Q-tip, or a quick turn in a silica powder prep. </div></div>

My God,
There's actually someone who agrees with me on that!!
The best way to cure this is with new brass, put a good chamfer and deburring on new cases right away. A 3 way cutter in a trimmer is the easiest.

 

[sinister]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

The soot inside the neck works like graphite on the expander -- no soot, no lube.

This is Frankford's mica case neck lubricator set-up:

 

[Rover31]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

Thanks for the comments and suggestions keep em coming!
The issue I was having was the body of the case is getting "scratches" or "gouging" on the body of it. When I take the die apart I can see the brass "lines on the body of the die. I did take some 320 grit silca wet dry paper to them. It works I was just looking for an easier method and a method that potentially I won't be able to screw up! I was thinking chemical removal would on remove the brass. Whereas if I am having to "polish" the dies every now and then I may start to change the metal. Granted that would take a lot of time and effort but...

I did talk to the reps, they were happy to fix the dies, I didn't want to be without them for a week!

I did try the imperial, it didn't do what I thought it should, Have to try again.


Another thought I have had and others notice, the SS media method is causing the case mouth to have a "lip" on it that may be contributing to the issue. I may have to look at the 3-way cutter.

milo-2 which 3-way cutter are you using? Don't tell me the guiard to much $$$

Thanks
T

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

Rover,
I have an electric RCBS and 3 way.
The 320 grit paper, wet or not is too course. SHIT, I just sold all my woodtuning gear, or I'd mail you some micro mesh, it's perfect for this.
If you get the die clean, unscrew the decapper and put Imperial on the expander button, then every fifth case.
You also should size the case before trimming, a double edged sword!
This is why reloading gets pricey.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

Rover,
RCBS die?

 

[Rover31]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

I was just using the 320 initially then going to 400 then 600. Honestly the 320 was not doing much. The steel wool thing sounds good may try that if the bore cleaner doesn't work. Trying to find some of these things where I live is impossible. Just not available here in small town USA. Wouldn't trade it for anything!

I am sizing before trimming and that lip on the case mouth has me a bit concerned. It is not the problem with the body marks, I don't think.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

If your expander is pulling brass, it only has one place to go, down, eventually scratching the sides of brass. I wish I would have took pics of my fiasco, before I learned.

A Redding bushing die without expander is the way to go. Then for dinged or pushed in necks, you need a die with expander.

 

[Rover31]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

I still need a full length sizer for some of my brass
others I do use neck sizing, but then we do still full length after 3-4 firings.

 

[milo 2.0]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

Redding makes full length bushing dies. I have both, full and neck, kinda give up on neck sizing though.

 

[Rover31]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

yes true you are correct. I did look at those but running two brass types and two diff rifles I cheaped out and thus my issue.
I may have to change something.
Thanks

 

[Fuzzball]

Re: Brass galling on dies, how to remove?

I've never tried to remove galling with chemicals but it sounds doable with something like Sweet's maybe.

A split dowel rod chucked in a fast turning drill motor and wrapped with enough 320 grit black 'sand' paper (Walmart's Auto touch-up paint section) for a snug fit makes a good lap. Spinning it in the die will remove most galling in a few minutes. Lube the paper with a spritz of spay lube or gun oil and keep the lap slowly moving in and out as you work. You can then use a strip of the wife's 3M green pot scrubber pad stuff to finish up and leave a perfect matt finish in the die. Contrary to 'conventional wisdom', a matt finish die surface holds case lube better and works smoother than a mirror finish. But IF you do want a slicker looking finish wrap some 4/0 steel wool on your dowel and use that to burnish the surface.

You won't be lapping the die for hours so you need not worry about changing a steel sizer die's dimensions much(and not at all for carbide handgun sizers, that requires diamond dust). Sizers are case hardened harder than a file so it's not easy to remove much metal and the galled brass comes off much faster than the very hard steel!

The only prevention for galling is sufficent case lube and that's a bit more than a lot of people think, especially on the lower half of the cases where the worst of it occurs.