Or perhaps the original question was edited for clarity once responses started coming in…
Any tips to loosen knurled die rings?
- Thread starter stickhunter
- Start date
Or perhaps the original question was edited for clarity once responses started coming in…
6.5 shooter
CGN Regular
- Location
- Medicine Hat
If you bugger up the knurled nobs to bad you can buy replacement ones for cheap. Loosed the top nob first then the second one. I would advise against trying to turn the decapping pin, the slotted screw slot is VERY weak.
Ultrasonic cleaner is magic on carburetors
stickhunter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Victoria, B.C.
That's a good point --- I notice a lot of time it is the flat side of the nut that is stuck to the die body so getting the entire stem to turn likely would help. I had posted a while back about trying the double-nut trick to free a stuck stem on my 284 dies, and I ended up stretching the threads --- I think that had jaded me and I didn't even try to put nuts on this last set. As you said, it would be for circumstances where you were fortunate to have a bit of extra thread.
stickhunter, these are all good suggestions and most of them work most of the time.
I run into the same dilemma more often than I care to admit.
Aluminum is STICKY and it doesn't take a lot of friction for two flat surfaces to create a "friction weld"
I found that no matter how careful I was, or what method I used, including heat/cold, they were stuck together enough that they wouldn't break loose with usual methods.
Now, I don't even try messing around with pliers/vice grips/etc.
I clamp the small retaining nuts in "padded jaws" on my vice. I use old hockey pucks for jaws. These can be picked up for a buck apiece at Canadian Tire when they come on sale.
You can clamp those pucks around the nuts a very tightly, without causing any damage. This allows you to grasp or clamp onto the knurled part of the body with your hands or a soft jawed tool. This increases the torque you can deliver to those stuck nuts on the stem and remove them quite easily.
If the stem nuts spin while clamped, tighten the vice until they don't. This won't harm the nuts or cause them to distort.
Usually, once I've got those darn aluminum jack nuts off, I replace them with steel hex nuts, so I can use a wrench to tighten/loosen them for adjustment.
Another thing, I often don't tighten those nuts, depending on the quality of the cases.
I have several thousand Chinese surplus cases and some of them have the flash holes drilled off center. By allowing the stem to be a bit sloppy, broken pins are eliminated.
I've had them where the previous owner has tightened the seating stem to the point the knurling is wiped off. These should be replaced as well.
Steel hex head nuts are cheap and readily available.
I run into the same dilemma more often than I care to admit.
Aluminum is STICKY and it doesn't take a lot of friction for two flat surfaces to create a "friction weld"
I found that no matter how careful I was, or what method I used, including heat/cold, they were stuck together enough that they wouldn't break loose with usual methods.
Now, I don't even try messing around with pliers/vice grips/etc.
I clamp the small retaining nuts in "padded jaws" on my vice. I use old hockey pucks for jaws. These can be picked up for a buck apiece at Canadian Tire when they come on sale.
You can clamp those pucks around the nuts a very tightly, without causing any damage. This allows you to grasp or clamp onto the knurled part of the body with your hands or a soft jawed tool. This increases the torque you can deliver to those stuck nuts on the stem and remove them quite easily.
If the stem nuts spin while clamped, tighten the vice until they don't. This won't harm the nuts or cause them to distort.
Usually, once I've got those darn aluminum jack nuts off, I replace them with steel hex nuts, so I can use a wrench to tighten/loosen them for adjustment.
Another thing, I often don't tighten those nuts, depending on the quality of the cases.
I have several thousand Chinese surplus cases and some of them have the flash holes drilled off center. By allowing the stem to be a bit sloppy, broken pins are eliminated.
I've had them where the previous owner has tightened the seating stem to the point the knurling is wiped off. These should be replaced as well.
Steel hex head nuts are cheap and readily available.
I've come across a pile of stuck threads on the equipment and such I was working on back in the day.
Sometimes some heat, then spray on Fluid Film, WD40 or your choice of penetrant.
If you heat the outside layer, the heat draws in the fluid.
Let it cool and gifter a whirl.
It may take a couple goes but this should mend yer delima.
