how often do you clean your press?

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par0thead151

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title says it all... how often do you clean up your press?
I have to admit, ilet it get a little dirty at times, but thats because i will pump out 2000-3000 cases(im in a resizing and trimming and reaming binge right now, at 15K strong) and i get the crushed walnut on my press as it is hard to get it all out of the cases even with the dillon media separator.
what say you? dirty, clean or moderate cleanliness for in and around the press area?
pictures of both extremes are always good too:D
 
I run two Dillon 550B's and I wipe them down after each use, brush off any loose powder or primer fragments and keep them both covered when not in use. I clean a little more intensely when changing shell plates and do a strip down cleaning and lube once a year. Both are close to twenty years old now and both run like a swiss watch. :)
 
When I see it getting dirty; the area around the ram always needs cleaning when depriming, I did it three times yesterday alone. I spray the dies out with brake cleaner before putting them away each summer, (and if I notice a lot of goop coming out on the brass) and shoot a little one shot on the first case that goes into them (for the carbides; obviously all the cases are sprayed with one shot for non-carbides.)
 
Like the others have said every time I am done reloading. I have a Hornady AP and a RCBS Rock Chucker that is 30 years old and still looks like new. When I finish a reloading session I clean presses down with WD40 and wipe them dry then cover them up with a towel to keep the dust out. I use an old tooth brush to clean around the ram on the RCBS where the old primer dust collects and on the Hornady I use RCBS Case Lube on the shell plates. So far neither press shows any rust. Take care of your equipment and it will take care of you.
 
My 550b, Lyman Spar-T, and Lee Challenger get a blast of compressed air to clear media and powder when needed, but that's about it. I do oil them pretty regular. The steel parts have a coat of rust that only affects the cosmetics. But that is normal for stuff like this that lives in a Houston garage.
 
When it looks to dirty, or feels like it is not running nice and smoooooth.
 
I clean my press after each usage, also~! :scrutiny: ;)
Click to expand...
Not me Dan, I wait for it to get dirty enough. I am a nut about clean brass and clean dies, but the press is allowed to get dirty. ;)
 
roughly every 10k rnds

i don't wipe it down or anything after every use
 
I treat my Dillon XL-650 just like any other piece of machinery. I do maintenance on it regularly cleaning and lubing every day I use it. I run thousands of rounds of 9mm and .223 over a week long session. The ram gets oil every day and all grease points get a touch of grease from a small grease gun (chain saw type). All the dirt, powder particles, and any media that has accumulated is cleaned off after each case of primers (1,000). A complete clean and lube at the end of the "run".

Most stoppages and breakage seem to come from lack of maintenance. Clean and lubed keeps the machine running.
 
My baby (Dillon 550B) gets cleaned every time I use it then covered when not in use. My single stage I think would fall apart if I cleaned it. I do it one or twice a year or as needed.
 
I lube it and wipe it as I go, and clean a little more when I change caliber. I load 50 here and 100 there, and my press is in a low-traffic room in my house, so it doesn't really get as dirty as it would in a garage. My Dillon 450 (Circa '84) still runs like a champ.
 
with my lee turret press, I clean when ever I change dies, I take the turret with dies out, and clean it, then the press, its easier with the dies out of the way, I keep it lubercated with gun oil.
 
Whenever I change calibers I clean it thoroughly. Otherwise, just wipe away crud & powder as it builds up in use. I spray all the moving parts and the ram with silicon spray to keep everything slickery. I made a primer catcher for my Pro-1K so I empty that when it looks full, it also catches most of the media from the primer pockets.

First case of a new caliber from a die change gets some silicon spray up the carbide sizer die.

I clean out the seater die every 500 rounds or so if I am loading lead projos or else the lube will build up in the seater and my OAL starts getting shorter and shorter...

I keep a big heavy plastic bag on top of it when not in use. Also keeps the kids away. Dies stay loaded in turrets and go into the Lee round cups in the big tub all my reload stuff stays in.
 
I do a quick wipe down of my press after evert reloading session and also perform more detailed preventative maintenance on a quarterly basis.
 
A quick wipe down and then it gets covered Dillon 550.

That being said I have never broke it down for a complete cleaning.
 
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