Cleaning mold before casting

[abunaitoo]

Did some casting the last few days.
I WD40 my molds before putting then away.
Need to degrease and clean before casting.
Normally use soap and not water with a tooth brush.
Don't know why I tried it, but I sprayed it with Windex glass cleaner before scrubbing with soap first.
Seemed to work really well.
I'm thinking the ammonia cut through the grime and WD40, while the soap helped washed it away.
Try it and see what you think.

[OS OK]

WD40 also on steel molds then kept in a screw top container, but a quick spray of brake cleaner and no scrubbing, preheat and they run.

[Beagle333]

I spray mine with RemOil and put in a ziplock bag for storing. Then if I see any excess oil on them when I mount em up, I hit them with toothbrush and Dawn. If I don't see any liquid oil, I skip the scrub and just start casting. I guess any residue just steams off during the first couple of pours.

[abunaitoo]

I've been looking for screw top containers large enough to hold molds with handles.
Can't seem to find any.
I use zip lock bags, but they don't seem to last long.
Everything here rust very fast.
All the salt air.

[mold maker]

Zip locks and other plastic bags containing hard sharp edges (molds) aren't moisture proof for very long. Once moisture is inside they retain it to cause the problem they're meant to avoid.
I remove the handles and spritz with any oil, before storing in an ammo can. The molds are then much easier to store in any waterproof container. Just remember to first remove any fingerprints and such.

[mozeppa]

a light shot of graphite spray after use protects them.

then just use them.

no greasing them....no de-greasing them.

i doesn't have to be that hard.

[Grmps]

a light shot of graphite spray after use protects them.

then just use them.

no greasing them....no de-greasing them.

i doesn't have to be that hard.

Doesn't the graphite spray build up over time?
do you coat the whole mold including sprue?
What graphite spray do you use?

[mozeppa]

i spray the whole thing LIGHTLY with 3m spray graphite.

casting with it in the cavities won't hurt anything.

i doubt it builds up....but then i cast only once a year, but continuously with the same mold until i'm done.
that may be 3 days of casting full time....then a different mold....and so on.

they get a detailed cleaning once a year....sprayed and put back into the rack i've made.

brand name is "3M" ​green can

[lightman]

I spray my molds with whatever kind of oil that I use on my guns. Usually some type of electrical grade penetrating oil, mostly because I always had this around. I'll spray them with some type of electrical contact cleaner or brake cleaner and give them a light scrubbing with a tooth brush before casting. I store them in 50 cal ammo cans. Arkansas is pretty humid and metal can rust quickly.

[Petrol & Powder]

I use Kroil for short term storage of molds and RIG for long term. Obviously both of those products must be removed prior to casting with the mold but that's the price I'm willing to pay to avoid rust.


I've used carb cleaner and brake cleaner to degrease molds but those products are expensive. The aerosol can makes them easier to use but the cost is high. Denatured alcohol and/or acetone will degrease a mold quite effectively and those products are very affordable.

[longbow]

If your moulds are iron the Windex shouldn't hurt them but I wouldn't be putting anything with ammonia on aluminum or brass moulds as it will remove the protective oxide layer and can etch the material and/or cause stress corrosion cracking.

Dish soap and water is safe as are solvents like mineral spirits and brake cleaner.

I oil all my moulds regardless of mould block material because they all have steel sprue plates and alignment pins. I hate rust! All I do is wipe them off with a paper towel or rag then pre-heat and cast. No problems.

Longbow

[Jtarm]

WD40 lube, remove with charcoal starter, acetone, O/C mineral spirits, whatever I have on hand.

[bruce drake]

Find a Rubbermaid tub with a sealing lid that you can place the mold and handles into completely and then drop a couple silica packets that can control the humidity in the box in-between uses. That should help you with the salt/humid air in Hawaii. Myself, I store my Non-LEE molds separate from their handles. Those handles exposed metal gets spray painted with high-temp engine paint to prevent any rusting and the molds get rubber-banded together and then stored in a sealed box with the silica packets to keep the humidity low. My LEE molds I'm not as worried as I can hit the handles and sprue plates with the high-temp engine paint without any worries about the aluminum mold exterior being affected.




I've been looking for screw top containers large enough to hold molds with handles.
Can't seem to find any.
I use zip lock bags, but they don't seem to last long.
Everything here rust very fast.
All the salt air.

[mdi]

I figger oil and water don't mix, so I clean my molds with brake clean (either chlorinated or unchlorinated). I've scrubbed with Dawn and a stiff brush, but for quick cleaning, just spray w/brake clean...

[Bob in St. Louis]

Pringles can?
Maybe with some grease around the inside of the lid to help seal and keep ambient air/moisture out?

[Ed_Shot]

WD40 also on steel molds then kept in a screw top container, but a quick spray of brake cleaner and no scrubbing, preheat and they run.

After each use I spray my Lyman molds with Liquid Wrench and store wrapped in a cloth in a sealed plastic container. A spray with W-mart brake cleaner and pre-heat yields perfect boolits on the first cast. Handles stored separately with a light coat of oil on the metal

[georgerkahn]

For me, Plano plastic boxes work super! I have a label pasted to each end of box, and they stack well. On eBay, a place called ZORO sells them quite cheaply, too. I complement the moulds, stored with handle attached and top punch, pins, spru-oil, allen wrench, and whatever for each mould in the one compartment the mould is stored in. I attached a photo, and as you can see each box nicely and safely stores four "big" moulds, while SC Lymans and the like can be doubled in each compartment, affording storage for eight.184201
BEST!
geo

[Soundguy]

I just wipe mine clean with a shop cloth and store. The iron molds I do put a light spray of silicone on.. and wipe dry..

[Teddy (punchie)]

Food service gallon containers ? Like dressings.



I've been looking for screw top containers large enough to hold molds with handles.
Can't seem to find any.
I use zip lock bags, but they don't seem to last long.
Everything here rust very fast.
All the salt air.

[6mm win lee]

How about these?

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/ball-half-gallon-wide-mouth-jar-64-oz-pack-of-6

[aap2]

I spray mine with whatever oil I have, rubber and the handles closed and store in a big 20mm ammo box. Before use I spray them with brake cleaner and compressed air (outside with eye protection) preheat and cast away. Works for iron,brass and aluminum and even in the salt air of Hawaii for 4 years.

[Green Frog]

I just wipe mine clean with a shop cloth and store. The iron molds I do put a light spray of silicone on.. and wipe dry..

I would NEVER spray any silicone-based product on a mould. A friend sprayed some on a 45-70 mould I loaned him and I like to never got it off! Too many good preservatives to fight with wrinkled bullets!

Froggie

[Soundguy]

I would NEVER spray any silicone-based product on a mould. A friend sprayed some on a 45-70 mould I loaned him and I like to never got it off! Too many good preservatives to fight with wrinkled bullets!

Froggie

You must have put it on way way heavy and dripping. I'm talking gun and reel silicone, spray cloth and wipe. Have yet to get a wrinkle on that Lyman iron mold.

[higgins]

Coat with Kroil and keep in an air conditioned/heated room. No rust except for when I left them in the garage over a humid summer and got some spots of light rust on outside of blocks, but none in the cavities that I had wiped thoroughly with a Kroil-soaked Q-tip. If I had used a heavier oil they may not have rusted in the garage, but no real damage done. That's the only time I've stored molds in a non climate controlled room-I got careless after a move.

Degrease with generous amounts of denatured alcohol; it's cheap enough to drizzle some over the mold before detailed degreasing of cavity nooks and crannies with a Q-tip. I'm sure most of us have solvents like acetone or mineral spirits on hand that would probably work equally well.

[John Boy]

Plano plastic boxes work super! What's the product number or specific name of the Plano's?

[Dadswickedammo]

New to casting but read every post I can.
Maybe to store your molds pollygunbag the bags off gas a type lube.

[John Boy]

I spray my molds with Eezox when they are stored in the box. When I take the mold from the box, it is not cleaned with anything else except the pins are dabbed with paraffin when the blocks are heated up

[1_Ogre]

When I'm done casting, I let the moulds cool completely, wipe down then spray with RemOil. Not the best oil in the world but I store my moulds in a 20mm Ammo Can. When ready to reuse, brake cleaner gets it all off quickly, dries with no film, and your ready to go again. Just my two cents

[gwpercle]

I clean my cool moulds after use and give them a coat , spray or Q-tip application , with Liquid Wrench Dry Lube . Next casting session just heat mould and cast...no need for cleaning, it doesn't contaminate and the stuff makes boolits jump out of the cavities. No rust and I reside in hot, humid , wet South Louisiana! Just try it !

[Soundguy]

Alcohol, propane, heptane, xylene, naptha, aluminum oxide..

That's pretty much liq wrench dry lube.

After flash off.. You pretty much have aluminum oxide left...

[Bob in St. Louis]

Well now... that sounds interesting.

[248dm]

New to casting but read every post I can.
Maybe to store your molds pollygunbag the bags off gas a type lube.

My other hobby is salt water aquarium keeping. Makes for two very competitive hobbies.