Ammo cans with desicant for molds

[Buzzard II]

I have several old .50 cal. ammo cans with good rubber seals that I want to store molds in. I plan to use old jelly jars filled with rice as a desicant. Punch many small holes in the metal lids to allow in air. I plan on painting the cans a uniform color and using oak tags taped to the outside with a list of the contents and the date the desicant was put into the cans. Yes it's humid here in Jersey. Comments? Thanks.
Bob

[zarrinvz24]

Order some VCI paper and wrap the dry molds in that. Put in the ammo can and walk away for years without worry. I have lived 15 miles from the coast in humid South Carolina for 4 years and my corrosion issues stopped when I went to VCI wrap instead of oil.

[oley55]

Order some VCI paper and wrap the dry molds in that. Put in the ammo can and walk away for years without worry. I have lived 15 miles from the coast in humid South Carolina for 4 years and my corrosion issues stopped when I went to VCI wrap instead of oil.

based on your post I did a search and found: https://www.armorvci.com/products/vci-paper/

[Buzzard II]

Hey guys,
Thanks a lot for this info! I will check into purchasing some.
Bob

[zarrinvz24]

Brownells sells it as well. Last time I ordered it from McMaster Carr and it was 100 sheets for around $30. I cut the sheets in half diagonally and use the resulting triangle to wrap my moulds. Also wrap blued firearms in them as well. I wasn’t a believer in this type of stuff until I saw M1’s that had been overhauled in the 60’s, put away dry in VCI paper and wrapped in a Mylar bag. 50 years later rip open the bag and it comes out literally brand new. The US Govt pretty much went exclusively to VCI after Korea.

[zarrinvz24]

Corrosion-Inhibiting Wrap, Paper, 12" Wide x 1 Foot Long, Mil-Prf-3420 Class 2

https://www.mcmaster.com/7889T45

[BamaNapper]

Good knowledge here. I would have opted for oxygen absorbers, but I think the VCI paper makes more sense. I see even amazon carries it by the roll or as bags.

I've received parts wrapped in this stuff, but didn't know what it was. Thanks.

[zarrinvz24]

Another option is to browse the bags at polygunbag.com. I have not used their magazine bags but the 50 pack is cheap enough I’m thinking about it. I do have firsthand experience with their rifle bags. They were as advertised, tough bags that worked well.

[Buzzard II]

This is great info guys, thanks very much! VCI paper and poly bags seems the way to go. Molds are not cheap.

[kevin c]

I guess the ZeeRust plastic tabs I use are pretty much the same idea as VCI paper. A small tab goes into a heavy duty ZipLok freezer bag with what I want to protect. The bag goes into an ammo can along with a silica gel dessicant pack. It's working so far.

[Buzzard II]

More good info. Thanks.
Bob

[zarrinvz24]

I guess the ZeeRust plastic tabs I use are pretty much the same idea as VCI paper. A small tab goes into a heavy duty ZipLok freezer bag with what I want to protect. The bag goes into an ammo can along with a silica gel dessicant pack. It's working so far.

Yep, same technology. The only way you could improve on that is to order some small mylar bags from amazon. VCI emits from the tabs and paper constantly. Eventually it will be depleted, and this is where the bag comes into play. Normal plastic bags like ziplocs are permeable. Mylar is not. So if you put an item in VCI wrap and then place inside a sealed mylar bag it has an indefinite shelf life.

Most VCI paper has the date it was produced clearly marked on it. I just make sure that if I unwrap a mold I look at the paper, and if its older than 5 years I replace it.

I also cut it into little squares and lay it over all my reloading dies as well. In the garage it keeps my assorted punch and chisel collection free of corrosion.

It works fine for bare steel and aluminum, but be careful because it can react to some materials (like nickle firearms).

[Buzzard II]

More great info. Thanks!
Bob



I think I will be ordering some poly gun bags for magazines come Monday. The magazine size bags look good and should be just right for molds. Their description looks good for my purpose. Thanks so much to all!
Bob

[JimB..]

I didn’t know that vci for steel would react with nickel.

I put pieces of zeerust tabs in die boxes and also in polyethylene bags with molds. No idea if the bags are permeable or not, should look into it for sure.

[imashooter2]

If rice truly absorbed water from the air, wouldn’t it cook itself in the box?

Stop by a shoe store. About every pair of shoes ships with a silica gel desiccant pack in it these days. They will have plenty of them in the trash. Perfectly sized for a handful to slide into the empty spaces around your molds too.

[kevin c]

Zarrinvz24: will the VCI off gassing from the paper or tabs get past an ammo can seal? The ZeeRust instructions say the tabs last two years from when you start using them (after taking them out of the nondescript poly looking bag they come in), protecting items inside closed but unsealed containers like tool boxes and storage cabinet drawers. I figured holding the VCI agent in a sealed container would make it last longer, and you're confirming that idea, at least with Mylar. Well, I was hoping that the can's seal and the parts bagging in poly would not only keep moisture out, but also keep the VCI in. I did both because I'm hoping the redundancy helps a little more (and it scratches my OC itch ;^]).

[jsizemore]

I get the small silica packs from new boxes with light fixtures, ceiling fans , prescription meds, etc. 15 seconds in the microwave dehydrates them. Work real good in ammo cans. I still spray down the molds with WD40 before they go in the can.

[JimB..]

Zarrinvz24: will the VCI off gassing from the paper or tabs get past an ammo can seal? The ZeeRust instructions say the tabs last two years from when you start using them (after taking them out of the nondescript poly looking bag they come in), protecting items inside closed but unsealed containers like tool boxes and storage cabinet drawers. I figured holding the VCI agent in a sealed container would make it last longer, and you're confirming that idea, at least with Mylar. Well, I was hoping that the can's seal and the parts bagging in poly would not only keep moisture out, but also keep the VCI in. I did both because I'm hoping the redundancy helps a little more (and it scratches my OC itch ;^]).
I assume that the VCI stuff evaporates until it reaches a certain concentration in the atmosphere. I use the the tabs, each is good for something like 10 cubic feet for 2 years. In an ammo can that I don’t open I figure good forever. Add an O2 absorber, wipe the seal with silicone, and close it up during winter when the humidity is naturally really low, it’ll be good until the can rusts through from the outside.

VCI works on the surface of the metal, so if you cover the metal in oil or grease it really doesn’t do anything. Insurance for spots you might have missed. I also use them to store vintage woodworking tools in 5 gal buckets.

[avogunner]

Just noticed this post today and I'll also recommend the zerust tabs. I also store my molds in 50 cal ammo cans and used to spray them down with ballistol (or some other oil) after use. That worked fine but then I would have to boil them or scrub with acetone before using again (PIA). It's humid here in VA but those tabs have worked great for me for a few years now, no rust or corrosion whatsoever.

https://www.amazon.com/Curve-Screen-Protector-Samsung-S9-YO197/dp/B00V8VY07Y/ref=sr_1_5?crid=343V12TC6G3M&dchild=1&keywords=zrust+prevention+tabs&qid=1629976248&sprefix=zrust%2Caps%2C277&sr=8-5

Semper Fi

[zarrinvz24]

I thought you guys would appreciate this snip. I found it in the Lyman 3rd Cast Bullet handbook from the early 80’s. They knew my secret of preserving iron molds before I was even born ;)

[Rickf1985]

I was looking at the Armor CF33 emitters and thinking wouldn't these be good for the gun safe? Has anyone done this? And has anyone purchased from them? I do not see a price list anywhere and when I asked for a download of the product info it would not give it to me without a business name in addition to my name. I used my old auto business name but some do not have this option.

[wddodge]

I was looking at the Armor CF33 emitters and thinking wouldn't these be good for the gun safe? Has anyone done this? And has anyone purchased from them? I do not see a price list anywhere and when I asked for a download of the product info it would not give it to me without a business name in addition to my name. I used my old auto business name but some do not have this option.

Amazon has 4 of them for $78 and change. I read they are good for 2 years and then throw them away. That seems a bit on the expensive side to me.

Denny

[uscra112]

Little tip from an old-school prepper - wash out the jars that Smuckers Natural peanut butter comes in. They seal up so tight that even acetone doesn't escape. I started using them for long-term storing of salt, but then dumped a quantity of Ed's Red into some a few years back. The acetone is still there. Place a few moulds (or whatever) in one with a tab of VCI paper and close it down tight.

[Buzzard II]

uscra112,
Thanks for that bit of info!
Bob

[ascast]

I do this with desiccant bags. I never oiul molds and have not had any rust issues in 45 years. I don't have to unwrap to find the mold I want.

[megasupermagnum]

I store all my molds in this exact manner. I've got 3 ammo cans, one rifle, one pistol, and one shotgun. I'm getting to where I should probably add a 4th. When I'm done casting, and the mold cools down, I give a quick spray with whatever lubricant is handy, PB blaster, or whatever, makes no difference. Just a quick spritz on the sprue plate and alignment pins, as most of my mold blocks are aluminum. A lot of them I remove the handles, some I don't, then stack in the ammo can. Each can has a small bag of desiccant. The desiccant is from a special absorbent kitty litter, not the normal chalky stuff. It was like $5 for a 5 pound bag. I then pour a little into a small mesh bag, which I remember finding in the jewelry section of all places for dirt cheap. I don't even recall the price, it was very low for 100 pack. Maybe $5.

[Mwilson0173]

I get the small silica packs from new boxes with light fixtures, ceiling fans , prescription meds, etc. 15 seconds in the microwave dehydrates them. Work real good in ammo cans. I still spray down the molds with WD40 before they go in the can.

This is exactly what I do. Learned this from my dad and I havent had an issue yet from storing anything. Have you had any issue?

[dannyd]

Charcoal and pantyhose hose work great to.

[GregLaROCHE]

Rice may work, but silica gel desiccant packs can e found cheap. If you are storing for an extended period of time, maybe you want to wrap them in something. Otherwise, spray them down with a light oil and keep in an airtight container with desiccant packs.

[uscra112]

One negative to rice is that you may get the dread meal moth. I've had it happen in a gamma-sealed bucket that had never been opened after the original filling.