Rust on molds

[CPTCUFFS]

I have a chance to purchase some molds and a few have a fair amount of surface rust. Anyone ever tried or succeeded in cleaning any up to usable condition?

[d4xycrq]

Evaporust worked for me. Just cleaned up a Lyman mound set bought cheep off eBay as it was rusty.

Ray

[Mk42gunner]

Evaporust will take care of the majority of the mold. It might need a little more attention to detail, but it does the job.

Robert

[rustyshooter]

In the past I have used Kroil to help de-rust molds. I was actually getting on here to ask if anyone has had luck using PB Blaster to break down rust on a mold as Kroil is expensive.

[uscra112]

Evaporust, (citric acid), naval jelly & CocaCola, (phosphoric acid), muriatic (hydrochloric) acid, even dilute battery acid....they all work. I just had to clean up a mould that had been in storage 20 years. VPI paper all dried out, even rust in the cavities. After using naval jelly and hand brushing with a bronze brush it cast OK, although there were small patches of roughness on the ogive. Before I packed it away again I lapped it a bit to smooth that out.

[uscra112]

Kroil or equivalents will not completely remove rust. Only acids or electrolysis will do that.

[CPTCUFFS]

Thank you all for the information.

[zarrinvz24]

I was somewhat leery of evap-o-rust. It seemed almost too good to be true, but the hype is well deserved. Highest recommendation.

[farmbif]

I got an old one I think its a winchester mold, its 32-165 I think anyway got it cleaned up with kroil and assortment of brass brushes
justmanbrushes is your friend for all different sizes and shapes of brass brushes

[gwpercle]

Evaporust is like magic rust remover on steel moulds !
Gary

[imashooter2]

I’m a big fan of electrolytic rust removal.

http://schoepp.hylands.net/electrolyticrust.html

A quick and easy set up I have used many times:

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-out.jpg

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-in.jpg

Results:

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/rustydies-600.jpghttp://imashooter2.com/pictures/cleandies-600.jpg

[rustyshooter]

I’m a big fan of electrolytic rust removal.

http://schoepp.hylands.net/electrolyticrust.html

A quick and easy set up I have used many times:

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-out.jpg

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-in.jpg

Results:

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/rustydies-600.jpghttp://imashooter2.com/pictures/cleandies-600.jpg

Can the piece to be cleaned rest on the bottom of the bucket or does it need to be suspended in the solution?

[Madisonian]

I’m a big fan of electrolytic rust removal.

http://schoepp.hylands.net/electrolyticrust.html

A quick and easy set up I have used many times:

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-out.jpg

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/ERR-in.jpg

Results:

http://imashooter2.com/pictures/rustydies-600.jpghttp://imashooter2.com/pictures/cleandies-600.jpg

Is there supposed to be a picture here? I don't see one.

[imashooter2]

Can the piece to be cleaned rest on the bottom of the bucket or does it need to be suspended in the solution?

To get best results you should suspend it, but you don’t have to. You do need to get exposure to the anode(s) as it works best line of sight. On my setup, the steel strap anode is bent into a U shape to increase exposure.

[imashooter2]

Is there supposed to be a picture here? I don't see one.

Yes, 4 pictures linked from my web site. The links are good and they show in your quote.

[oldcanadice]

You guys that use evaporust: Do you soak the molds in it or wipe-on wipe off. How do you rinse the molds and handles so the residue comes off?

[Bobbers]

I had to clean a bunch of my mould the rusted after the flood of 2016. Reloading equipment does not float. I also had some other items to clean. I build an electrolysis tank and that did a great job. I have used a product called Metal Rescue which worked ok on some metals.

[Conditor22]

You guys that use evaporust: Do you soak the molds in it or wipe-on wipe off. How do you rinse the molds and handles so the residue comes off?

I put the mold/item in a container a little larger than the mold/item.

Pour evaporust until it covers the item then lift and lower the item to make sure all sides are coated

IF the rust is bad I'll hit them with a brush after they have soaked for a while

When done, I return the evaporust to the original container pouring it through a couple of filters.

[John Boy]

Take the molds apart and put ina rotary tumbler with burnishing solution … media … and a 2 second squirt of Dawn
Had 3 parts boxes with rust that were in a flood. A hour later, all rust was gone. Reblued and looked like new. I do the same with rusted nuts, bolts and screws

For a brick of Win 209 primers, I’ll find the before/after pictures and post them

[blackthorn]

An overnight bath in water with some citric acid added will remove rust from steel/iron/cat-iron very well. One thing though, it also removes any residual bluing the rust has not gotten yet.

[45DUDE]

I use a bead blaster with glass or sugar sand for rust.

[Buzzard II]

Evaporust works well. A typewriter eraser will also clean up small rust spots. You can still get them on line. They look like a pencil with a brush on the end. Faber-Castell pencil with brush 3 pack.

[Buzzard II]

You guys that use evaporust: Do you soak the molds in it or wipe-on wipe off. How do you rinse the molds and handles so the residue comes off?

Soak the part in evaporust, as per directions, take it apart, wash off the part with water, dry with air hose or canned air spray for computers, apply light oil-I use Kano-Kroil. Light gun oil works good too. Use brake cleaner to wash off mold and smoke them before use. Works for me.

[Buzzard II]

I just finished cleaning up a mold I bought from flea bay. It looked OK in the pictures, but it had a fair amount of rust and crud on it when it arrived. I let it sit in Evapo Rust, completely apart, for a couple of hours, brushed off a lot of rust with an acid brush, washed it off with hot water, dried it with computer compressed air, and then took a type writer eraser to it and cleaned it up pretty good. I used a Faber-Castell perfection #7058B eraser made in Germany. I oiled it prior to re- assembly. Looks pretty good.

[Stephen Cohen]

If rust is light boiling and polishing with fine steel wool and oil works, I have also cast a couple of bullets with the mould and used that to lap out cavity. I have also used some of the other methods it all depends on how rusty and where it is. Regards Stephen

[brassrat]

My first mold was given to me in a box of stuff. I knew nothing and it took CB to tell me it looked like a HG. It was pretty rusty in and out. I went easy and cleaned up the old .38 WC mold with Evaporust. Its really nice but the cavities are pitted. It still works great anyways.