Rust On Shell Holders

[vtech26]

You can also try submerging them in white vinegar overnight. White vinegar will eat rust. I use it all the time to clean rusty parts.

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[georgerkahn]

Good question, Boolit Bub! I am partial to an aerosol spray product called G96, which I learned of from a Garand/carbine guru who used it to de-rust M1 carbine magazines. (The stuff seems incredible at this task; spray it on, wait a minute, and then rub it off; only takes rust)
I wish to add a wee bit of OCD trivia re your (rust removal) mission. To wit, for kicks and giggles, check out the Competition Shell Holder kits purveyed by Redding -- just as an educational endeavor. [Reference: https://www.redding-reloading.com/on...ellholder-sets ] From this, you can see one does not have to wire brush, sand, or grind too very much from a shell holder to change its affect on your loaded cartridge!
You did not indicate HOW rusty the shell holders you have are -- but, in any case -- regardless of the method you elect to choose -- you may wish to keep in mind the fact that a shell holder does in fact do more than "just" hold the case.
BEST!
geo

[1hole]

You can also try submerging them in white vinegar overnight. White vinegar will eat rust. I use it all the time to clean rusty parts.

Ditto. And it's cheep and easy to find too!

[Petrol & Powder]

Actually, you can replace what was lost. Check out spray welding (thermal spraying) or laser welding. Both methods work. There are videos on the net showing both methods.

That's adding new metal from an external source back to the part.
Once metal is lost to rust, it's gone. Replacing that lost metal with metal from another source, such as welding wire, does not reverse the rusting process.

I stand by what I said.

===========================================

"What do you have there"?
"It's the hatchet used by George Washington to cut down the Cherry tree"
"Is it original"?
"Well mostly, the head has been replaced twice and the handle has been replaced three times........."

[abunaitoo]

Stainless pin tumbler?????
Shells come out like new.

[onelight]

A rusted shell holder would have to be for an antique for me to spend much time trying to salvage something I can buy for $5.00 , and I am a tightwad.

[Petrol & Powder]

A rusted shell holder would have to be for an antique for me to spend much time trying to salvage something I can buy for $5.00 , and I am a tightwad.

I'm with you !!

[lightman]

I've been happy with the results from using EvapoRust. Like the others have said, it will remove rust but if the base metal is pitted the pits will still be there.

[hollywood63]

I tried citric acid and a ultra sonic cleaner and it was amazing how fats it took the rust off a couple dies

[ReloaderFred]

There are some shell holders that are worth the effort. For instance, I have two Hollywood Senior presses that I still use on occasion. Shell holders for those presses are expensive, and are getting harder to find. I've got over two dozen of them and I'll put in the effort to clean those up when I come across them.

Besides that, I'm just plain frugal, which is another way of saying cheap. I hate to throw out a useful item when I can restore it. I've used EvapoRust, citric acid and white vinegar, along with the tumbler, and they all work. It sometimes just depends on what I have on hand at the time.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Baltimoreed]

The last thing I want on my shellholder is penetrating oil. That puts oil way too close to your primers and to your reloading process. Doesn’t take much to kill a primer. Clean or tumble them and wax but no oil.