How do you store your molds?

[Dahak]

Handles on? Coating (ballistol or other)? In box?

With my Lee aluminum molds, I never worried, but I just got my first brass mold, so I'm wondering if I should be doing something other than put on a shelf once cooled.

Bonus question: handles for each mold, or rotate handles between molds?

Thanks!

[Misery-Whip]

I only own 3 sets of handles, and they stay on til i want a different mold.

I coat them in kroil for storage. And brake clean to remove it before preheating.

[dale2242]

Handles on when done casting.
Iron moulds get a spray of oil in my high humidity area.

[Targa]

I have mine in ammo cans, seems to work pretty well but I am also in Colorado so humidity isn’t a big concern.

[lightman]

I spray mine down with whatever aerosol gun oil that I have around after they cool off. Then I wrap them in an oily rag and store them in a large Plano dry box. I used an ammo can before the number of molds exceeded the ammo cans capacity. I have a set of handles for each mold. An extra cost for sure but also a time saver.
Brass shouldn't need anything that you don't do for your aluminum molds. Just remember the sprue plate and the screws are probably steel and may need some protection.

[Winger Ed.]

After I had a iron mold rust and get ruined- for long term storage, i put the blocks in a jar full of motor oil.

For short term, (less than a year) I spray them down with motor cycle chain oil.
It doesn't evaporate, and sticks like poop on a baby blanket.

Coming out of storage, they get a bath in gasoline and scrubbed with a tooth brush.
Then a rinse in carburetor cleaner.

[imashooter2]

Handles on in a dry box with desiccant packs and VCI paper.

Oiling a clean mold makes no sense to me at all.

[BorderBrewer]

I store mine similar to imashooter, but inside my loading bench drawers. I live in a semi-arid climate and have no issues with rusting.
305110

[wilecoyote]

Handles on? Coating (ballistol or other)? ....I just got my first brass mold, so I'm wondering if I should be doing something other than put on a shelf once cooled...
Thanks!

no ballistol on brass or copper_

[Dahak]

Summary so far, switching handles around is personal preference and not a best practice thing, storage for the molds is do what is necessary to prevent rust. I have an extra metal ammo can and a ton of desiccant packs, so I'll make that change instead of storing on an open shelf (unconditioned garage).

Thanks for all the help!

[OS OK]

Here in our high desert type weather in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, rust is a rare thing to see but I still coat my steel moulds with a liberal coating of Mineral Oil USP. I keep a little artist brush inside the jar.
It cleans off very easy with the brake cleaner spray and anything you might miss inside a cavity gets burned off in preheat.

https://i.imgur.com/95EJ6Fb.jpg

I only clean the inside faces and cavities & the top and under the sprue plate, the outside forms a kind of protective patina.

[georgerkahn]

Handles on? Coating (ballistol or other)? In box?

With my Lee aluminum molds, I never worried, but I just got my first brass mold, so I'm wondering if I should be doing something other than put on a shelf once cooled.

Bonus question: handles for each mold, or rotate handles between molds?

Thanks!

Ok -- lonnng answers for short question. I purport (which may be superstitious?) that a set of handles which will work great with, say, "mould 'a'". will not do so well with "mould 'b'" -- even if same brand, number of cavities, et cetera. So, for the great, great majority of my moulds I acquire a set of handles, and this set STAYS on the mould.
Re post-casting, I generally put on a light spray of a product called G96; and then put said mould back into its Plano box. I have more than five dozen of these boxes -- you can see a photo of just a very few;). 305115 I have that vapour-paper atop the moulds, and am OCD enough to always have a teaspoon-full or so of rice (generally Jasmine) in each compartment.
Most of the moulds I employ nowadays are made of brass (a lot of MP moulds) and I spray handles iron parts with the G96, too. Also -- 'specially for these, I apply a damp Q-tip cotton which has been saturated with Stihl 2-cycle oil to the hinges.
Bion, I store my moulds in a damp, unheated basement and have yet (knock wood) to discern even a speck of rust on them.
Interestingly (perhaps) I used to keep the cavities FILLED with the cast bullets -- last fill -- for storage, but this seems unnecessary when using brass moulds.
BEST!
geo

[Mal Paso]

There are times when I've had a pair of handles for every mold, then I would buy more molds..... It's a Hot Dogs to Buns thing, will never be right so don't worry about it. Looks like I need another cheap tool chest too.

Molds stay in an insulated shop so no oil or special treatment.

[MT Gianni]

With 50+ molds the handles are on the ones that were used last. I store mine in an environment that they will not rust in. For me that is set in a drawer. I may put some synthetic 2 cycle on the sprue plate.

[ascast]

With over 400 molds I take handles off and put them in steel ammo cans with some desiccant. That's upstate NY and several years n Alabama, both very humid. Never had any trouble in 50 years. Lees or others w/ attached handles get wrapped up in plastic when cool with desiccant. No problems.
ps I NEVER oil them, just makes more work. I mount handles as needed and remove them for mold storage.

[metricmonkeywrench]

All my moulds are stored in a medium (double wide briefcase) pelican case in the house to keep the Virginia humidity away. 1&2 cavity Moulds not in the original box are in the yellow and black bullet boxes. The larger 4 cavities have a slot in the foam to keep them from rattling around. The handles are all stored in a second case.

Moulds staged on standby for use out in the garage where the pot is goes in a re-purposed waterproof first aid kit

[GregLaROCHE]

I spray mine with Ballistol and then put them in a couple of Tupperware type boxes. I’ll leave the handles on unless I’m going to use a mold that needs a pair of handles.

When going to use one, I first spray them down with carb cleaner and then scrub them with dish detergent and hot water.

I never heard not to use Ballistol on brass. What’s that all about?

[Ed_Shot]

For IRON (Lyman and RCBS) molds, after they cool from casting, I disassemble and spray blocks, screws and spru plate with Mr. Wrench Penetrating Oil then reassemble, wrap with a cotton cloth rag, and store individually in plastic lunch meat containers with snap on lids. I wipe the exposed metal of the handles with the same oil and store separately (few handles and many molds). Prior to casting with an iron mold I disassemble it and spray the block and spru plate with W-mart brake-cleaner and assemble the mold onto the handles and pre-heat.

For ALUMINUM molds (NOE, Accurate, Arsenal, Lee) ,after they cool, I just store wrapped in cloth in plastic lunch meat containers. Again, handles stored separately, as needed. Never had rust on a spru plate using Bull Plate lube.

[gwpercle]

For about thirty-five years I had many Lyman moulds and only one set of handles . Moulds were expensive and the danged handles cost as much as a mould ... being dirtpoor , I could buy the mould but not the handles ... so we kept taking them off and moving them around

Then Lee came out with Affordable 1-2 cavity moulds with the handles attached to each mould [smilie=w: and that spoiled me ... I LIKED having handles attached to each mould .
When Lee started selling the 6 cavity Mould Handles for $12.00 a set ... I would order three sets of Lee mould handles every time I placed an order with Titan or Midway or Midsouth and install them on my Lyman moulds ... So now we got handles on just about all of them .

For storage I have a med-large plastic tool box , moulds get sprayed with Dry Lube , wrapped with a rag for protection , some lay in the bottom and some lay in the Tray ...
Closed tight and double latched and stacked on a shelf .
Nothing Fancy
Gary

[justindad]

I store my brass mold in my shed with the sprue plate removed. The heat cycling will help build patina.
*
I wet my iron molds with Rem Oil on a q-tip and store indoors - clean with isopropyl alcohol on a q-tip before use (optional, but good to not breathe burnt PTFE). This might not be adequate for everyone.

[725]

I spray with some kind of oiled rack e'm away. handles on / off as needed.

[rmark]

I use some Mirro cake pans with snap on metal covers, they’re long enough to hold molds with handles. I don’t oil any molds but my climate is relatively dry.

[35 Rem]

I never take the blocks off the handles once they are mounted. Always buy new handles with every mold unless it's Lee where they are included. I just store my Lee's in the box they came in. Still have boxes from the 1970's. For RCBS, Lyman, Noe and Accurate molds I put them in a big box with the blocks down and handles leaned against the outer top rim of the box. No preservatives or anything. Never had trouble with rust. I'm very careful not to bump or hit them against each other or anything else plus always careful to not slap the blocks together when retrieving one from the box.

[rmark]

I use 9x13 metal cake panes with snap on metal lids, long enough to hold molds with handles installed. I don’t oil the molds but have used VCI chips in the past. North central Oklahoma is pretty dry so I’m not sure the VCI chips made any difference.