Hi:
I'm new to reloading and I ordered the Lee Classic plus collet dies and pacesetter dies for use with my .270 and .35. I got some of the dies last night, and while opening the boxes to get the documentation I noticed that the paper was fairly oily as well as the dies themselves. I seem to remember reading in some forum that you need to clean and remove the oil from new dies before using them. Is that true, and do you use a solvent or simply a rag? What about inside the die? Thanks.:confused:

I don't know what Lee puts on their dies, but it's likely a better anti-corrosion agent than a lubricant. I'd clean out the sizer die with solvent and lube it with case sizing lube before using it. You don't need a stuck case right off the bat. The collet die probably needs lube too, but I'm not familiar with it.

Bye
Jack

I clean all of mine when new by taking them apart and using acetone, a blue shop towel, a q-tip, and an old toothbrush. You could also use alcohol, mineral spirits, or some household cleaner, but the acetone cuts the oil better. I clean the exterior threads too. I don;t oil any of the dies, including the collet neck sizing die. All are used clean and dry. That's not to say I'm not doing it wrong, but so far the results have been excellent. :)

When putting the full-length sizing die back together, just make sure that when the decapping pin collet is tight, the end of the decapper is about flush with the top of the collet nut. I clean this die after every use, because sizing lubricant gets gunked up inside there.

The first few cases in the full-length sizing die should have a nice roll of sizing lubricant completely around the inside circumference of the case mouth (in addition to the lubricant on the outside of the cases body and neck). This lubes the sizing mandrel well. The rest of the cases will do fine with just a scrape of lube on the inside of the case mouth - it doesn;t have to coat the entire inside circumference. But, of course, the exterior neck and case body always need a nice, thin film of lube. Again, each to his own, but I would recommend cleaning the full-length sizer after each session.

Yupp. Need to clean them up before first use. Just like a new firearm. Most any good solvet is fine. Alcohol or gasoline would work. Blow dry with compressed air and/or soft cotton cleaning patches.

I figure you already know this, but... Beware of flamable liquids around open flame or spark producing sources.

Cheezywan

Different people clean dies and store them in different ways that work fine for them. That means how we do it isn't critical so long as we keep them clean and protected from rust.

The Lee collet die needs lubrication between the collet and the cup that closes it.

Andy

I like to take all that stuff apart and clean it in odorless mineral spirits or naptha. I used to use acetone, but it is miscible with water, so it is not free of moisture content and evaporates so fast it cools the metal and causes condensation to form on it. It is also explosively flammable. Having the patience to let the mineral spirits dry pays off.

These days, being lazy, I then let the die parts soak for three days in Sprinco's Plate+ Silver. It is a permanent lube that bonds to the metal. Then I wipe off the excess and all parts but the expander or the collet die mandrel get a thin layer of Imperial sizing wax on them. The combination makes everything work smoothly.

Thanks to all. I guess I a cleaning job to do!:D