Storage of sizing dies

[VA Shooter]

When you take out your sizing dies out of the sizer and put another one in do you clean the one that is not being used or just leave the lube in it and store in package?

[LUCKYDAWG13]

i just wipe mine off and store in its case with top punch

[captaint]

I leave the lube in mine and keep them in pill bottles. Works for me. Mike

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I leave the lube on them and store them in a
plastic ammo box (for 12 ga)
Jon

[T-Bird]

I leave lube in and store in pill bottles too T-Bird

[adrians]

I leave the lube in mine and keep them in pill bottles. Works for me. Mike

SAME HERE:twisted::coffee::evil:

[quack1]

I leave the lube in and store them in the plastic bottles diabetes test strips come in. They are a perfect fit, almost seems like they were made to fit sizing dies. I use a sharpie to mark the top with the diameter sized to, have to use a piece of tape on the top of the black ones.

[ku4hx]

I cleaned a couple of mine once; that was around 1970. After cleaning a couple I decided storing a bit of lube in the dies was actually a good practice.

[Guesser]

Lube intact and pill bottles here, also.

[Shepherd2]

I wipe most of the lube off and put them in an MTM 12 gauge ammo box. Perfect fit.

[mpmarty]

I've got one of those multi drawer storage boxes that hold mine.

[Mal Paso]

You can tell the age group by the number of empty pill bottles and yes I have an good supply Too. :bigsmyl2:

[1Shirt]

Lube intact, store in plastic box with a number of compartments. Only time this is a problem is when I want to change lubes for some reason or another. Then I boil out the die in a tin can on the stove, and start over with a like new die.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[DLCTEX]

Wipe the outside and store in pill bottles. The ones I get are a push fit for the O-ring so I put them in top first so I can grasp the body of the die and pull it out. There is room for the top punch also. Write the size on the bottle with a sharpie.

[smoked turkey]

I use 35 mm film cannisters. I prefer the clear ones but can't always get them. I usually ask at wally world and they give me a few. I also use a sharpie to label them. I store my top punches in a pill bottle along with the allen wrench.

[Leadlum]

I just take mine out, and put them in a empty pill bottle with any top punches also. Works for me.

[abunaitoo]

I use Lee sizing dies.
To big for pill bottles.
Store them in CCI .22 mini mag boxes I get out of the range trash cans.
They stack nicely too.
Yes, I'm a trash can scrounger, and proud of it.

[Recluse]

I use 35 mm film cannisters. I prefer the clear ones

I keep some old cardboard bases that hold beer six-packs (I do believe in recycling :)) and I'll put the sizer in it, then take the heat gun to it. After the lube is warmed and then wiped off, I spray the sizer down with some silicone and then store it in a clear 35mm film canister with a label on it.

:coffee:

[dragonrider]

I store my Star dies in pill bottles along with a sample boolit for that die and the punch for that boolit. I do not clean off the lube, why waste it.

[Mk42gunner]

I have done the pillbottle thing, now I use an MTM 12 ga box. When I peull the sizing die from the sizer I wipe it off enough to read the size stamped on the die, then it does into the box.

Top punches go into an empty spot in the box. I am going to have to set up another way of storing them, maybe comething like pegboard?

Robert

[220swiftfn]

Funny, I just store 'em in the sizer...... (I've got three of them on the bench now..... guess I'm just lazy.....)


Dan

[NHGrumpyGramps]

I also use old pill bottles with size written on the lid to store dies. Store them with the lube in them as I don't want to waste lube by having to refill the dies everytime I use them, and the lube doesn't go bad. The only problem is that these get put in a draw loose so I have to search through the drawer to find the size I need. Mk42's idea on using 12 ga shell box struck me as the ideal storage. I went downstairs and found a 12 ga shell box and dies are a perfect fit. 25 dies all in one place and sorted by size I now have my new storage method.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I guess I went a little overboard on this one.

I actually wipe the excess off the outside of the dies as it makes them easier to install in the Lyman 450 the next time.

As far as the storage boxes I bought these boxes at Office Depot and made the trays out of scrap aluminum. I use them for mould storage as well.

As long as you are taking care of your tools its fine. I see nothing wrong with pill bottles and a Cigar box to put them all in. They are protected well and and kept together.

Main thing is to not loose them.

Randy

[Mk42gunner]

I also use old pill bottles with size written on the lid to store dies. Store them with the lube in them as I don't want to waste lube by having to refill the dies everytime I use them, and the lube doesn't go bad. The only problem is that these get put in a draw loose so I have to search through the drawer to find the size I need. Mk42's idea on using 12 ga shell box struck me as the ideal storage. I went downstairs and found a 12 ga shell box and dies are a perfect fit. 25 dies all in one place and sorted by size I now have my new storage method.
NHGrumpyGramps,

Thanks,

But that idea didn't originate with me, I picked it up from someone on this board-- I think it was Bullshop.


I guess I went a little overboard on this one.

I actually wipe the excess off the outside of the dies as it makes them easier to install in the Lyman 450 the next time.

As far as the storage boxes I bought these boxes at Office Depot and made the trays out of scrap aluminum. I use them for mould storage as well.

As long as you are taking care of your tools its fine. I see nothing wrong with pill bottles and a Cigar box to put them all in. They are protected well and and kept together.

Main thing is to not loose them.

Randy

Randy,

You are right, taking care of your tools is important. I will not argue with anyones method, as long as it works for them.

If someone asks for advice or ideas, I try to help.

Robert

[paul edward]

Commercial lube comes in clear plastic tubes that can be shortened to make good sizer storage containers. If left long enough, you can include a top punch or two.

No, I don't clean dies after removal.

[Blackwater]

I never clean mine. Always thought the lube protected them from rust. I use one of the clear plastic lure boxes like fishermen use in those cloth tackle bags. Keeps them all in one place on my shelf, and there's room in other sections for top punches. I think I've got about 15 H dies now? About 25 top punches. Works for me.

[MtGun44]

Berrys 12 ga ammo box for 25 rds works perfectly for my kinda wiped off slightly dies.

Bill

[ColColt]

I quit going to the Coumadin Clinic about six months ago since Medicare will pay you to do it at home so, I got one of the fancy PT/INR meters and test strips and the plastic containers for the strips are tall enough to hold one size die and a couple of top punches...works out great and it's air tight.

[Yance]

Large flip top multi compartment flat tackle box from Bass Pro, Grand Opening special, about $3.00. Dies with lube left on in the top 3 rows, top punches in the lower tows, usually with the boolits they match.

These boxes also work great for single and double cavity moulds without handles.

[Lizard333]

I use 35 mm film cannisters. I prefer the clear ones but can't always get them. I usually ask at wally world and they give me a few. I also use a sharpie to label them. I store my top punches in a pill bottle along with the allen wrench.

What are "35 mm film canisters"?
Now you know how old I am :kidding:

I store mine with lube on in a plastic bin my wife got from a craft store. It has all of the sizing dies and top punches. Kind of like a tackle box. No pill boxes to speak of......