Older molds and proper storage

All

A friend brought several of his molds for my use and keeping in our 2 man club... (I'm retired and he aint). Several were stored in old pickle and mayo jars in a desiccant. They seem ok but I may have to break the jars to get them out.

Others were loose of attached to handles. they all have a lead bullet with sprue attached inside the molds. Some are aluminum, others steel or brass (Lyman, RCBS, MOE, MP, SAECO, others). The steel ones have a rust layer on the surface of the blocks (thin).

MY QUESTION: Should I try to open the molds now and clean then? I have heard that many soak their stored molds in KROIL as a rust prevention... What say ye???

moose

Don't open, just immerse in Kroil as they are and store in ZipLok bags.

There are a few different ways to successfully store molds and if the method you have chosen is working then that is ok. I have not used dessicants, but have preferred to use a product called "Clenzoil" which is a hydrocarbon based substance. It also is used as a cleaning agent for rifles, pistols and shotguns. It also has rust preventing qualities. I have used it for many decades; placed the molds then in a sealable plastic bag and then in small jar or a GI ammo can. Never had a rust problem. However the mold when it has to be used must be cleaned/de-oiled with a solvent such as acetone or mineral spirits (nasty to work with so do so with good ventilation around) and Q-tips, then dry with a hair dryer and pre-heat as you would normally do. All my molds are iron including H&G, Lyman, RCBS and Saeco. Product can be found on the net. LLS

thanks

As far as cleaning the light rust off the mould both inside and out I bought some Naval Jelly made by Lock Tite at Wally World for about $5 and after letting it sit on my Lyman single cavity for NO MORE than 10 min the mould was completely rust free. After that I washed the mould with very hot water to get the cleaner off, dried it WELL and then sprayed it down with Rem Oil and wrapped it in a cloth and put in plastic bag.