Storing a cast iron mold against rust.

[Changeling]

I have some very heavy duty plastic cans with tops that seal absolutely air tight.

Can I just put a cast iron mold in there with a quart of motor oil for safe keeping from rust?

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

I will tell you that it is not a good idea for long term storage. The airtight container will condensate and the moisture will collect at the bottom of the container. I have dealt with a lot of machine rollerbearings that were stored that way and were useless when opened due to the rust that developed on the areas of the bearing closest to the bottom. I have seen bearings stored in this fashion that were suspended off the bottom and were in prefect shape, but the oil in the bottom of all these oil containers are always contaminated with water.

Regards
Everett

[testhop]

one thing i do is coat the mould with fluid flim . it is what the navy uses on deck to prevent rust in salt water so i know it works .
plus it is easy to clean.
after the coating of fluid flim put mould in a plastic bagieand store in a ammo can.

[Blammer]

I coat mine with break free, then put in a ziplock bag, then put in a plastic jar turn the lid on tight with some dissecants in it and put in an airtight ammo can.

so far so good. :)

[longbow]

I always coat iron blocks with oil and leave boolits in the cavities so the oil is retained against the surfaces of the mould. Usually, I use light oil like 3 in One, gun oil or automatic transmission oil mixed with WD 40.

Once oiled they go back in their box.

I have never had a mould rust and don't have any problems cleaning them for casting.

WD 40 alone does not work in my opinion as it eventually dries up, but it penetrates well and is a good carrier for other oils.

Works for me anyway.

Longbow

[RP]

Put some oil on them and store them in your safes with the guns not like they are going to take up alot of room just a thought and no it did not hurt when I had it.

[Edubya]

A cheap under counter 15W florescent light generates enough heat to keep a cabinet that is about 2'X4' dry enough to store all of my 13 casting moulds, #1 & #2 ladles, a 6 qt. Dutch Oven and four homemade ingot moulds dry in South/Central NC dry and rust free all year long.
EW

[Shiloh]

Coat with oil, put back in the little orange plastic box. No problems.

Shiloh

[desteve811]

spray it down with WD-40 and store it in a ziplock sandwhich bag

[fredj338]

I use mold release from Brownell's. Just squirt em down when cool & they go into a drawer w/ all my other molds in the garage.

[Recluse]

I use LLA everywhere but the cavities on steel and iron moulds. Once lightly coated (doesn't take much at all), I spray a pre-cut piece of old cotton t-shirt with G96 and loosely wrap it around the mould, then set it in a rubbermaid type of shoe box (with the other moulds) that has a handful of dessicants in it.

LLA is cheap, so is xlox from Lars45 (vendor at bottom of page), old t-shirts are plentiful and free, I always have at least two cans of G96 around, rubbermaid shoe boxes can be had at Walmart for around a dollar or so each (and will hold a lot of moulds) and our pharmacists saves all the dessicants and gives them to me.

Easy, cheap and quick storage with no rust.

:coffee:

[Changeling]

I use mold release from Brownell's. Just squirt em down when cool & they go into a drawer w/ all my other molds in the garage.

Hi Fred, If I sprayed them down with CLP Gun oil heavily and stored them in my basement in a non sealed box, you think that would be OK?
Fred is your garage heated?


Recluse- I don't know what LLA is

[fredj338]

Hi Fred, If I sprayed them down with CLP Gun oil heavily and stored them in my basement in a non sealed box, you think that would be OK?
Fred is your garage heated?


Recluse- I don't know what LLA is
I would think they would be fine. I store mine in a steel drawer w/ a desic pack under my casting area. My garage is not heated but again, it's SoCal, so there isn't a lot of moisture except during the rainy season.

[imashooter2]

Oil is a pain and all it does is provide a barrier to moisture. If the cans are air tight, place the mold in the can with a desiccant pack and be done. No moisture, no rust.

[45nut]

Kroil works for me.

[Changeling]

It is astonishing that there has been different answers from everyone. I guess the best way to read this is to just use a little logic and everything will be fine as Fred implied.

Something else I thought of today was the totally dissembled rear end from a Jeep from World War 2 that I saw being taken out of wooden storage box cleaned and being assembled. It was like brand new!

What was the magical coating, Cosmoline I think it was called, like grease. I don't even know if it is available anymore. But the parts were PERFECT.

I am just going to use CLP gun oil and store like I do my guns. When I want to use the mold I'll clean it with Hot soapy water in a 5 gal bucket or the kitchen sink, then heat it up in the mold pot like Veral Smith advised till I've burnt off all the oil in the metal pores and start casting.
Sounds like a plan.

[bruce381]

Use a good DRY oil motor oil will work iron needs water, mosture or AIR to rust oil will seal out air but it must STAY on the metal for the time you want protection, grease may also be a good choice, me I us hydraulic or motor oil and put molds back in original box
no problems.
bruce

[twotrees]

These are the people that made/make cosmoline. This Rust Veto is what we use at Ga Tech to protect machines, when there will be moisture caused by the testing.Rust Veto selector (http://www.industrialsupplyco.net/catalogs/Rust_Veto_Selector_Guide.pdf)

PS it comes off with kerosene.

[turbo1889]

No sense in reposting the same info so I will link:

http://forums.handloads.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=21862

[longbow]

Now then turbo1889 is a thinking man! That is a good idea!

While I really don't have trouble with the way I have been oiling (and I do believe in coating the iron moulds) this is an interesting idea and obviously works.

I may be slow sometimes but I can still be taught. I will try this next casting session.

Thanks,
Longbow

[Changeling]

No sense in reposting the same info so I will link:

http://forums.handloads.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=21862


Turbo1889, I don't use a propane burner. If the mold is covered with the turtle wax will just heating it up by putting an edge in the POT cook off the wax? I really like your idea and will definitely give it a go.

As for humidity, Maryland can get as humid as a darn jungle, trust me!

[turbo1889]

Turbo1889, I don't use a propane burner. If the mold is covered with the turtle wax will just heating it up by putting an edge in the POT cook off the wax? . . . .

Yes, but it takes longer then using a burner or even an electric hot-plate.

[Changeling]

Yes, but it takes longer then using a burner or even an electric hot-plate.

Well I'll look around at the flea markets and pick up a burner of some kind, I need one anyway for smelting this spring, I usually start getting the fishing bug bad in about a month (late January), now I can add Smelting to the list, LOL.

[Dollar Bill]

I coat mine in cosmoline because I've lived in high-humidity ares most of my life. One thing to keep in mind is the relative humidity in your area, as well as temperature variations. The reason a can full of motor oil may not work is because as temps change, if the container is not absolutely air-tight, condensation will form. When that happens, over time it combines or interacts with the oil and forms acids. That's why you molds will rust, even though they are covered with oil. This is commonly seen in light aircraft engines that are not started every 30 days and brought up to operating temp for 20 minutes to burn off the moisture. The same thing happens in automotive engines. I like the idea of using a wax! Great idea. I'll give a try also.

[canuck4570]

being casting for over 30 years
I put some break free CLP on them and just put them on the shelf
in 30 years + never lost one of them or even saw a spec of rust...
some of the mold haven't been used for years and A OK