Tool-and-die trivia for you: we built a custom sizing stage after pierce using a floating, polished post that’s 0.0003" over to burnish the hole on the downstroke. Is that properly called a ballizer, a sizing punch, or is there a more correct die-maker term for that feature?
I’d call it a sizing/burnish punch, not a ‘ballizer’ — ballizing uses a hard ball. At 0.0003" over I get the best finish by adding a 0.005 x 45° lead-in and a polished entry radius so the floating post doesn’t gall or bellmouth. What material and thickness are you running?
Sounds like a burnish/sizer post on the downstroke, not a ballizer. At 0.0003 over, keep the burnish land very short (about 0.25× stock thickness), light preload on the float, and put 0.0005–0.001 relief right behind it to dump fines — otherwise it bellmouths and galls, ; @ella2190’s lead‑in note helps too. What material and thickness are you sizing?
That’s a calibrating punch in die‑shop lingo; the station is calibration, not ballizing… Since you’re doing it after pierce on the downstroke, add a slight choke in the button (a couple tenths at entry) to keep wall pressure consistent and avoid streaking, and polish to about 4–6 µin Ra. Agree with @microdr on lube, but if you see pickup, TiN or DLC on the post lasts longer than chrome.
I’d call it a calibration punch/station; “ballizing” is when an actual ball does the work. To tune it, blue the post and add a small lead‑in radius with a very short land, then relief behind it so the contact band stays narrow; TiCN on the post helps if you’re getting pickup. @robert_eva49 what lube are you running there?