Lee Loader

Has anyone tried tumbling dies (In particular,the die bodies) as a method of cleaning?

A bit of background...
I purchased a set of RCBS carbide dies in 38/357 for cheap but the bodies are a bit rusty. When I got them I soaked them down in WD-40, wiped them down, then oiled with a light oil. I broke them down today for a more thorough cleaning and the idea occurred to me if tossing them in my vibratory tumbler with crushed walnut for a few hours would help with the rust in the knurled areas. The bodies appear to be steel so I doubt the walnut would affect the threads or internal dimensions. I also have corncob media I could use if needed.

Has anyone else tried this? If so, what were your results? Thank you in advance.
David

I did and it beat up my bowl. I think it might have worked with a heavier duty model like an actual parts cleaner but my cheap Frankford Arsenal model just got beat up.

A wet tumbler should be able to stand the beating. They're originally made for tumbling rocks .

I haven't tried using a buzz bucket for dies. I have used steel wool and those green scrubbing pads and a product called Bar Keepers Friend, a Comet type cleaning scrubbing powder. The carbide ring won't rust so it should be only the die body and it's internals that would be affected. You might use a small rod and steel wool for the inside of the die. I use a product call EEZOX to prevent rusting. It's worked very well for the 4 years I've used it, but then again I live in Arizona and so humidity is very low here.

Whatever happened to the old pink jell stuff ... Naval Jelly (?). I remember using that stuff in pretty large volumes back in the 70's to de-rust pipe, tank steel, angle iron and other "well seasoned" iron/steel building materials we used on the farm. We only used it on things we wanted to have a nice looking paint job on, and I seem to remember it would take the rust off in very short time .... you just needed to prep it pretty quick with a paint thinner wash followed by a primer coat.


jd

It's still sold in body repair section in most auto parts stores.

It's small container but will definitely serve well in this case as long as you don't use it on any aluminum.

I've heard that Evapo-rust is good . Good to the point it will strip bluing to bare steel . They say it deoxydizes the rust ,in theory if it isn't lifted it is restored. It's been spoken of well enough by machinists to make me look for it on the shelves when I'm out .

Thanks for all the info guys. I think I may try removing the rust using some chemical means.