Cleaning up old moulds

[Bryan527]

My dad bought a bunch of moulds at an auction, including two Lyman 358156s, Lyman 35863 4 cavity, two Lyman 429244s, a Lyman 358477, an Ideal 313445, and a Herter's 32154. Yeah, it was a pretty good haul. It more than makes up for the usual crap he buys and drags over here. I can use all of them except the 313445 and the Herter's. I can't find anything about either of them. Can one of you fill me in?

A couple of them have some rust on the blocks. What's the best way to get the rust cleaned off?

[Harter66]

The Herters is probably a 32-154 that's how my 25-80 is marked . It is likely for 32s like the Win Special or Rem and too small except for new 8mm .

Don't know about the 313446 but I have 313226 it's a 93 gr bullet for 32 ACP , short , or long . It does make a nice squirrel slayer in a 30-30 bolt gun .

[45workhorse]

https://www.amazon.com/Evapo-Rust-Original.
Have not used it on a mold, but it made an old axe head look like new.
YMMV.

[dale2242]

Evapo-Rust is the ticket.
I have used it on molds and it does a wonderful job.
I salvaged a few rusty loading dies for a friend with it.
Good stuff...dale

[John Boy]

A couple of them have some rust on the blocks. What's the best way to get the rust cleaned off?
A 50:50 mix 0f ATF & Acetone - rub with a toothbrush

[ShooterAZ]

Evaporust works pretty well, I have used it. I inherited a bunch of molds from a guy who gave up casting, many had varying degrees of rust. I experimented with several different ways of removal. One of which was a toothbrush and toothpaste, surprisingly it worked quite well on the ones with light rust. On some of the more heavily rusted molds I tried a toothbrush with Comet, that worked too. In the end if I had to do it again, I would use Evaporust.

[Dragonheart]

I would ditto using EvapoRust, a quart off Amazon runs under $8 delivered. I have used it on molds and it removes rust and does no damage. If you have an ultrasonic cleaner you can put the mold in a glass or plastic container and cover the mold with evaporust then set the container into a water filled sonic cleaner. In about 10 minutes the rust will be gone as it really speeds up the process.

The thing that is important is the bullet cavities, a sharpened #2 pencil lead works well at cleaning them out and depositing a thin coat of graphite, which aids greatly in bullet release. It also tend to smooth out slight imperfections or roughness. A sharp pencil point will clean out vent lines and coloring the block and sprue faces with graphite will help keep lead from sticking

[ShooterAZ]

Please, don't make offers to buy or sell on this thread!

[Mk42gunner]

The 313445 is an early SWC-ish design meant for the .32 S&W Long. It has been a few years since I used mine but it should weigh in the neighborhood of 95-98 grains. I believe it was designed by Ashley Haines.

My single cavity is the only mold I have that needs to be pressure filled from a bottom pour pot, (venting issue I think). I was about ready to sell it since it didn't shoot any better than several other molds from my Ruger SSM or a few different .30-.31 cal rifles. Then I acquired my first S&W I frame in .32 S&W Long, it really works in that gun so the mold stayed here.

Robert

[Green Frog]

Before my previous post was censored I had identified your 313445 as being intended for 32 revolvers such as the 32 S&W Long. It is not quite a wadcutter in the normal style, but the stubby nose is not quite long enough to make it a normal semi-wadcutter either. It is neither fish nor fowl. I mentioned that the long front band is loaded outside of the the case, giving a longer than expected COAL. This gives very good accuracy in some revolvers, even if it does look a little strange. I've only shot it in I-, J- and K-frame Smiths, but they all seem to like it.

In addition, somebody got the bright idea that this little bullet would look good in the front of a 30-30 for casual plinking. A friend of mine had a 30-30 barrel for his Contender and used to shoot this combination in it. I'm not sure who had the initial idea, but it had at least some small level of popularity.

Neither use was popular enough, however and the mould was discontinued quite a while ago. I've only seen it in single and double cavity moulds, but it may have come in gang moulds... if so, it would be very rare.

Green Frog

[brassrat]

I hope the Evaporust has not been "improved" cause it hasnt done much the last couple trys

[No_1]

Before my previous post was censored.......

Go easy how you portray the action as we don’t censor post - your posts (2 in this thread) were deleted because they openly encouraged the OP to sell outside of S&S. Usually we issue infractions for such actions but being a long time member got you a break. Why didn’t you just send him a PM offering to buy the mould?

[45workhorse]

I hope the Evaporust has not been "improved" cause it hasnt done much the last couple trys

Just place the mould in a plastic container pour the liquid in till the mould is covered, put a lid on it, come back in day or two, to check on it. Pull out when the rust is gone, oil it up. Done.
It has worked that easy with two axe heads and a sledgehammer! That is what worked for us, hopefully it will do the same for you. But, YMMV.

[Dragonheart]

Just place the mould in a plastic container pour the liquid in till the mould is covered, put a lid on it, come back in day or two, to check on it. Pull out when the rust is gone, oil it up. Done.
It has worked that easy with two axe heads and a sledgehammer! That is what worked for us, hopefully it will do the same for you. But, YMMV.

I recommended Evaporust, but as stated in my post, I use it in an ultrasonic cleaner and it works in minutes not days.

[Petander]

I experimented with several different ways of removal. One of which was a toothbrush and toothpaste, surprisingly it worked quite well on the ones with light rust.

I have updated to an electric toothbrush. Nice and gentle.

A slightly rusted mold is often a better buy than a cleaned one.

[Dragonheart]

I have updated to an electric toothbrush. Nice and gentle.

A slightly rusted mold is often a better buy than a cleaned one.

Yeah, but I hate that taste the next morning!

[lightman]

I've cleaned reloading dies with EvapoRust and it worked great. Just remember that it also removes any blueing that may be present. A good brushing with a tooth brush using Dawn and hot water works well for mild rust or crud. A toothbrush and Kroil work well too. Bamboo skewers work well for cleaning crud out of vent lines. If you have a steady hand and are careful a metal scribe works well on vent lines. Also remember that EvapoRust removes the rust but it won't remove the damage (pitting) that was caused by the rust.

[Phlier]

I would ditto using EvapoRust, a quart off Amazon runs under $8 delivered. I have used it on molds and it removes rust and does no damage. If you have an ultrasonic cleaner you can put the mold in a glass or plastic container and cover the mold with evaporust then set the container into a water filled sonic cleaner. In about 10 minutes the rust will be gone as it really speeds up the process.

The thing that is important is the bullet cavities, a sharpened #2 pencil lead works well at cleaning them out and depositing a thin coat of graphite, which aids greatly in bullet release. It also tend to smooth out slight imperfections or roughness. A sharp pencil point will clean out vent lines and coloring the block and sprue faces with graphite will help keep lead from sticking
I used the glass container in a sonic cleaner full of water method that you suggested to clean up a CZ 82 we just bought and it worked great. Huge thanks for that. If you guys think Ed's Red is a great cleaner, you should try it in a sonic cleaner with Dragonheart's method. Wow.

I also used your lead pencil method for cleaning out the vent lines on a really old mold with great results. I really appreciate all the great morsels of information you provide on these forums, Dragonheart, thank you very much.

Yeah, but I hate that taste the next morning!
A small price to pay for great boolits! :D

[Dragonheart]

When I mix Ed's Red I add the optional Lanolin and omit the acetone as the acetone will attack paint and some plastics. It will take the paint off sights, don't ask!

The lanolin will add a thin lubricating film of wax that will keep firearms rust free when stored in a safe for years. I ultrasonic clean my handguns with Simple Green or Sam's Club Blue Degreaser & water. When they come out out of the bath they are completely clean so they need something. I dip parts in Ed's Red let drip dry, wipe down and re-assemble, then a little oil on the bearing surfaces. They are now ready to shoot or to store.

[Dragonheart]

Another ultrasonic time saving trick if you have been shooting lead bullets is putting your stainless gun barrels in a glass, plastic or metal container filled with 50/50 white vinegar and household 3% hydrogen peroxide. Put in the water bath, it will dissolve the lead in short order. The mix is also good to remove those pesky small spots of lead stuck to your molds, but it is a super oxidizer so tread lightly if using it on steel. For safety wear rubber gloves and eye protection since lead will be dissolved in the mix.

[Phlier]

When I mix Ed's Red I add the optional Lanolin and omit the acetone as the acetone will attack paint and some plastics. It will take the paint off sights, don't ask!

The lanolin will add a thin lubricating film of wax that will keep firearms rust free when stored in a safe for years. I ultrasonic clean my handguns with Simple Green or Sam's Club Blue Degreaser & water. When they come out out of the bath they are completely clean so they need something. I dip parts in Ed's Red let drip dry, wipe down and re-assemble, then a little oil on the bearing surfaces. They are now ready to shoot or to store.


Another ultrasonic time saving trick if you have been shooting lead bullets is putting your stainless gun barrels in a glass, plastic or metal container filled with 50/50 white vinegar and household 3% hydrogen peroxide. Put in the water bath, it will dissolve the lead in short order. The mix is also good to remove those pesky small spots of lead stuck to your molds, but it is a super oxidizer so tread lightly if using it on steel. For safety wear rubber gloves and eye protection since lead will be dissolved in the mix.

More great stuff, thank you!

Now that I've more or less shot out the factory barrel of my S&W C.O.R.E 9L, I have an excuse to replace it with a stainless steel barrel... easier cleaning! ;)

[Dragonheart]

More great stuff, thank you!

Now that I've more or less shot out the factory barrel of my S&W C.O.R.E 9L, I have an excuse to replace it with a stainless steel barrel... easier cleaning! ;)

That is a lot of shooting! I know club members that have over 50K rounds through some of their handguns and they are still going strong. But any reason for a new barrel is a good one. I bought a Glock barrel just to shoot lead bullets, then I got into PC so I now have another barrel I will never wear out.

[sgms18]

For the rust, get the blocks hot. I like to float them in my casting pot. Then scrub em down with a copper brush. The rust comes right off. Then spray em w/wd40 or the like while it's still smoking hot. Kinda oil blues them. I did this on about 25 rusty nasty molds I inherited, works like a champ. If there's any lead smears they wipe right off w/a wet rag while hot too.

[Hickory]

There is a lot of good information here, this thread might be a candidate for a sticky.
Keep the suggestion coming!
I have a mould that has burned in oil. The original owner never cleaned it, just started casting until he got 'good' bullets! Which have rounded bands. I've never been able to get the burn in crud out!

[Hickory]

Boy, this thread went dead.

[Dragonheart]

There is a lot of good information here, this thread might be a candidate for a sticky.
Keep the suggestion coming!
I have a mould that has burned in oil. The original owner never cleaned it, just started casting until he got 'good' bullets! Which have rounded bands. I've never been able to get the burn in crud out!

I would soake the blocks for 24 hours in "Oil Eater" to soften the debris or maybe "Kroil Oil" would be better to get under it or do both. Use the sharpened point of a hard lead pencil and keep digging at it; pencil lead won't scar the mold, but you might be surprised at what it will remove. Color the cavities & block faces with a #2 pencil to aid in release.