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Old September 27, 2012, 04:51 PM   #1
Wyoredman
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Dies are scratching cases - What happened?

I was going along sizing .270 Win brass last night, when after about 30 pieces my die started scratching the cases pretty badly. I removed the die, seaterplug, and cleaned the die with alcohol. When I shine a light in the die, I can see two small scratches on the side of the die. What caused this? All the cases had been tumbled clean and lubed with One Shot. Nothing stuck in the die. Nothing but brass has ever been in the die. I can't figure how they got sctratched or how to fix them. Any ideas?
Thanks.
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Old September 27, 2012, 05:04 PM   #2
FrankenMauser
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Sounds like you had a case with some debris on it, or embedded in the case walls. I see it frequently with brass that has been stepped on, on concrete or gravel; or ejected onto crushed gravel.


If the scratches are not too deep, you may be able to polish them out. But, it may take a bit of work, and will increase the internal dimensions in the die.

The better choice would be to contact the manufacturer, and see if they'll replace it.
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Old September 27, 2012, 05:40 PM   #3
Jim Watson
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You undoubtedly picked up a couple of grains of sand and scored the die.
The die can be polished, the maker will do a nice job of it or you can try a fine emery cloth flap followed by a cleaning mop loaded with JB or fine compound.
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Old September 27, 2012, 05:41 PM   #4
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Quote:
how to fix them
I use Flitz to polish the inside of my FL rifle dies. It significantly reduces the sizing effort.

I have used Flitz to clean carbide pistol dies when I notice they have picked up brass and don't burnish the brass as well as they did. You might try polishing the inside of the die to see if will remove whatever is imbedded in the die that is scratching your cases. I'm not saying it will work, but it will not hurt anything trying it.

The dies are VERY hard. You could even use some very fine sandpaper (grit of 1000 or finer) and try polishing it out. Unless you used very high speed or polished for a very long time, you wouldn't alter the interior dimensions of the die, based on my experience.
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Old September 28, 2012, 07:09 AM   #5
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Flitz or sometrhing similar on a bore mop thats a tightish fit in the die, works wonders. (Especialy if you chuck it in a power drill.)
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Old September 28, 2012, 07:38 AM   #6
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Are you sure the die is scratched? I've had trouble a couple of times with brass galling onto the interior of a sizing die, which results in scratches on brass sized thereafter. The brass galled onto the interior of the die looks a lot like a scratch when you look in there. The Flitz treatment will do a good job of removing it, if that's the problem.
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Old September 28, 2012, 08:03 AM   #7
moxie
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Sand. This is why I wash brass in a bit of sop and a lot of water and let dry before tumbling. Removes the sand.
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Old September 28, 2012, 08:17 AM   #8
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Are you SURE those are scratches you are seeing? Or are those deposits of some kind, for example, brass. A die contaminated with a brass deposit can and will scratch a cartridge case. I suggest polishing that die really good and see if it will fix the problem.
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Old September 28, 2012, 08:38 AM   #9
William T. Watts
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I've used flitz and a bore mop on several of my sizing dies, it's a quick fix and works.. William

Last edited by William T. Watts; September 28, 2012 at 08:43 AM.
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Old September 28, 2012, 09:19 AM   #10
Wyoredman
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I think you guys are on to something. I can't see how a steel die was scratched, so I am now thinking it is brass galling. I tried to scrape it with my pocket knife, but no luck. I think the Flitz treatment is next. Thanks.
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Old September 28, 2012, 09:36 AM   #11
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Closely examine the vent hole in side of die, clear it with a fine wire, and polish the inside area. Even a cotton tipped swab with fine steel wool wrapped around tip might do.
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Old September 28, 2012, 10:22 AM   #12
Miata Mike
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I have this happen when I try to size nickel cases. Crap from those cases seem to more often than not, hang on my dies. Usually removing the decapping pin and running a wire brush with some Hoppes through the die gets me back in business.

As a rule now, I don't do nickel plated brass any more.
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Old September 28, 2012, 11:13 AM   #13
wogpotter
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Quote:
I have this happen when I try to size nickel cases.
^^^^^
This.
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Old October 8, 2012, 04:50 PM   #14
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Been off hunting, so this is a bit late. The dies were galled with brass, not scratched. Used some copper solvent and my pocket knife to remove the brass galling and now the dies are scratch free. Thanks.
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Old October 9, 2012, 06:36 PM   #15
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"The dies were galled with brass, not scratched. Used some copper solvent and my pocket knife to remove the brass galling and now the dies are scratch free."

There you go!

Amazing how quickly it's supposed to be "sand", etc, imbedding into a case hardened steel die you can't mark with a file isn't it?
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