mold storage?

[danski26]

I just got my first mold and am wondering what is a good way to store it between uses? Also what do you use to get it cleaned up and ready to cast?

[Dale53]

A new mold needs to be degreased. I normally use brake cleaner a couple of times. Use it outside and keep it off your skin (it can be absorbed through the skin and is carcinogenic).

Others use hot soap and water and a toothbrush (it is considered bad form to use your better half's toothbrush for this purpose), then rinse thoroughly and dry immediately. It will start to rust almost immediately after being wet (if iron or steel) so only do this JUST before you cast.

A custom bullet mould maker told me of a rather unique way to clean a mould. He gets his bullet metal up to heat and then, mould closed) puts the bottom of the mould (iron or steel) in the molten metal for up to five minutes. Then, while still VERY hot, he takes a fine bristled brass brush and scrubs the mould interior. I tried it and it worked quite well. However, you must wait for the mould to cool down a bit before casting. The mould is molten metal temperature and that will keep the bullet molten for longer than you expect. That can coat the mould with lead - not good.

I would not keep an aluminum mould in the lead for longer than 30 seconds or so.

I much prefer to generally use a solvent, then heat the mould (iron or steel 2 minutes - aluminum 30 seconds) then start casting. The first casts should be good to go.

After casting, allow the mould to cool off until you can touch it. One good way is to store it in a sealed ammo can with moisture absorbing material. Another is to wrap the mould in VPI paper. Either of these ways allow you just to remove the mould from the box and start casting. No clean up will be necessary.

Dale53

[454PB]

What is the mould made of? If it's aluminum, you don't have to worry about rust. If it's steel, and you live in a humid climate, wrap it in an oily cloth. You can also coat it with rust preventative oil, but then it has to be thoroughly cleaned before use.

Where I live with low humidity, I don't worry about rust. I leave the last boolits in the mould and store them in an area where no wet vehicles are parked. If you use a garage to store them, the moisture brought in with the vehicles will cause steel moulds to rust quickly.

I use Gun Scrubber to degrease a new mold, but others say brake cleaner or even hot soapy water works well. Whatever you use, make sure it doesn't leave any petroleum residue behind.

[Blackwater]

I live in the southeastern coastal plain of Georgia, near Savannah. Humidity here is typically high - sometimes in summer I think it actually reaches 120%! However, my house is all electric, and pretty dry inside. I'd NEVER store an iron mould outside. Come to think of it, I wouldn't leave an aluminum one outside either, since the sprue plate and screws are ferrous. I just keep them inside, and IF they don't already have any rust on them, I've found no problem in leaving them unlubed for storage. However, a few moulds I've bought used, already had a bit of rust on them, and these I have to keep lubed after use, lest the embedded rust spread like a plague on that mould. After using these, I try to spray with Breakfree while still good and warm from casting. Then, if it's the humid & hot season (summer) I'll sometimes wipe some Lee NRA lube on it. Darn good rustproofing stuff. Of course I have to clean and degrease these before casting the next run.

Rust is mostly about humidity and/or condensation. Anything I leave outside in the garage or the utility shed gets condensation in the wee morning hours, and it'll rust quickly and often badly. Keep it inside the low humidity house, where the temps don't change quick enough to cause condensation, and there's rarely been a problem, and never a serious one.

That's what works for me, at least.

[Bass Ackward]

I like to simplify things as much as possible.

For my molds, regardless of material, I use Pledge Furniture Polish. Same stuff I use on my guns. Just spray it on heavy and let soak for a couple of minutes before you wipe it off.

The stuff cleans and degreases. Won't attract moisture like oils and actually repells it. (Great cast bullet bore cleaner for powder fouling only) (Fastest handgun cleaner ever invented.) And the wax coating prevents rust just like lube in a bore for those steel molds. And because it is wax, it doesn't have to be cleaned out of the mold cavities prior to casting. It does nothing to cut bullet diameter. The wax can also act as a lubricant on the pins while you are heating up the mold before you apply what ever lube you are using for that purpose.

And .... I no longer need to smoke any of my molds. Although I can't say that this benifit comes from the Pledge or if they are all just broken in now. Works, cheap, doesn't smell and it won't irritate your skin and helps prevent first shot fliers. Wonder Polish!

[Chargar]

I stick my mold blocks under the hot water tap and scrub them with a soft toothbrush and laundry soap. I rinse by pourinb boiling water over them and then use a blow dryer (hair) to make certain they are 100% dry.

After use, I oil the blocks with Breakfree, wrap this in food wrap and put them up. They will keep for at leat 10 years this way without rust, maybe longer.

[fourarmed]

When mine are cool enough after use to handle, I wrap them in a dry paper towel and vacuum seal them in a Foodsaver bag. I haven't been doing this long enough to testify to the effectiveness of it, but the humidity inside that bag has to be very low.

[danski26]

Thanks for all the sugestions. I think they will get me on the right track.

[mooman76]

They make a warming element for gun safes to keep the condensation down in humid climates. That should work in the container of what you keep your moulds in!

[Four Fingers of Death]

I use kraft (brown) paper with Outers gun grease rubbed into it. Probably no more effective, but old fashioned and sure looks the part.

[redneckdan]

I soak all my molds with WD-40 then spray with carb cleaner right before casting, after 3 pours, the boolits are perfect.

[Bret4207]

My moulds are stored in my damp, sometimes wet, garage. My single and 2 bangers are in Lyman boxes (buy them in lots of 10 from Midway, etc for about $1.00 each) my Lee 6 Bangers have to stay loose. All are stored in 20MM ammo cans with a dessicant box from Brownells in there with them. The lid is snapped down and I now have NO rust issues.

[Shepherd2]

I wrap all my moulds in VPI paper from Brownells. The small moulds I keep in the Lyman plastic boxes. Everything goes in ammo cans that have a good gasket. I don't use any oils or sprays and the only cleaning I do after use is wiping the mould with a clean cloth. I don't have any problems with rust.

[BruceB]

The electrical department at the mine where I work gets a LOT of parts shipments which contain dessicant bags. Many of these bags are about 4"x6", and just the right size to fit into cheapo Walmart plastic storage boxes ... the ones with integral lids that snap shut.

I know these lids aren't really airtight, but they work well enough. The boxes come in various sizes, but the biggest ones are maybe 6"x12" and four inches deep. With a dessicant bag on top of maybe a dozen moulds, everything stays rust-free and ready to start casting right off the bat. The extra dessicant bags are sealed in a big ziploc bag to keep them fresh and dry, and the electricians try to save me a few of the bags every couple of weeks......making them FREE, which is a great boon to my miserly tendencies..

[fatelvis]

Im with Fourarmed, I vacuum seal them in bags after use.

[rmb721]

I do the same as redneckdan. WD-40, store in a plastic snack bag, then a degreaser right before using.

[imashooter2]

Ammo cans with desiccant for me too.

[willwork4ww]

I keep mine in one of my gunsafes with a golden rod installed. No oiling required and I've never had one rust. That's in the Pacific NW so it's plenty humid. I just pull 'em out and go to casting. If the golden rod keeps the guns rust free, it ought to suffice for moulds too, I figure.

[FISH4BUGS]

I soak all my molds with WD-40 then spray with carb cleaner right before casting, after 3 pours, the boolits are perfect.
That is exactly what I do also. I also occasionally go through all my moulds and respray them with WD40.
When I am ready to start casting, and as the pot is heating up, I take the ones to use out, and after spraying them with carb cleaner, I wipe them down with a rag, and Qtip the mould cavities clean. Then preheat the moulds and cast away.
When all done, after they cool off, I spray them with WD40 again, then wrap them in a plastic shopping bag (handles and all) and put a rubber band around the bag and put them on the shelf. I usually cast two or three times a week (or one LONG Sunday), and manage to go through all my moulds about every two or three months. So far so good...........
If I have to put some away for some time, my understanding is to dip the mould in Automatic Trasmission Fluid then put them into a zip lock bag, minus handles. Then put them into an ammo can. That should work.