keeping moulds from rusting

[southernSpaw]

I have been reading excellent post and advice for about a month
and felt that I should jump in and contribute.

I'm new in your midst but have been pouring " Lead " since 1968
in one form or another.

My mother taught me a novel method of keeping moulds from rusting
in storage with out having to resort to lubricants for their protection.
a pain to remove when I want to cast.

Mom had a shiny set of silver ware that she never seemed to clean
I asked her how she accomplished it.

Oh!"You just take a piece of Camphor and put it in with the Silverware
and it keep it from tarnishing."

Well gents off I went to a drug store and purchased a block of
of Camphor and been using the stuff ever since.

I recycle Pringle cans ( potato chip type) these are fairly airtight
cut a piece of Camphor and drop it the mould /handles and all
in the can and replace the plastic cover.

The Camphor lasts for years, keeps the mould rust free without resorting
to lubricants. Mould ready for use at a moments notice.

Ingredients: HUMCO Camphor gum block
Pringle or other tubular container, mailing tube will work
these come in different sizes and diameters.

S/SP

[357maximum]

southernspaw

Welcome to the board, you'll find a ton of useful hints here. Take your first post for instance, I found it very useful. Thank You

[Bucks Owin]

Great tip!

Thanks and welcome to the asylum!

Dennis

[carpetman]

SouthernSpaw--Welcome and gosh who knows you may become a legend from your first post. For examples--just say felix and people think of lube. Say Beagle it and people know just add a piece of tape between the mold to enlarge it. Say Wasksupi and well I can't tell you what they think(Btw are you familar with the source of wool and lanolin?) Some day adding camphor may be known as Southernspawing it. Are you left handed?

[carpetman]

Southernspaw---You didnt mention that you have no meplat problems urr uhh afterall camphor is good for keeping noses unstopped.

[NVcurmudgeon]

CarpetRay, you forgot Waksupi is the source for the Montana "flux with a stick" technique. Good to see your posts again!

[carpetman]

Well thank you NV Bill. Waksupi may be known for flux stix but his swan song is well don't want to say (lanolin and wool ring a bell?)

[StarMetal]

Dag nab it!!!! Carpetman RAY! How could you forget "think of one ragged hole" and people think StarMetal? :Fire:

Joe

[kodiak1]

southernspaw hello from western Canada. That was a damn good post, you should thank your momma everytime you go and use one of them rust free moulds.
Thanks Ken

[carpetman]

Starmetal---I didn't forget--I did debate whether to include the one hole but figured somedays it was a touchy subject---wasn't sure which part of your cycle you were in.

[BruceB]

Man, I like Pringles', but it would take a LOT of munching to house all my moulds in the tubes! Heck of a good idea, though.

My moulds are kept in plastic boxes with hinged tops, about 14" long and 6" high and deep. They come from Walmart for a couple bucks each. Even 4-cavity Lymans on their handles will fit. I have a lot more moulds than I do handles, so most are stored without handles.

Using colored plastic electrical tape, I tape my mould blocks together before storage and usually write the number in big characters on the tape with a felt marker....makes it easier for my old peepers to identify the one I want, next time around. With a bunch of moulds in the box, I lay a couple of big (about 4" square) dessicant packs on top of them. These are obtained from the mine's electrical department, which finds them in most electrical/electronic components they receive.

My moulds stay rust-free, and are ready to use with no cleaning or other effort needed.

[BruceB]

".....hello from western Canada....."

Ken, what part of Alberta do you call home? Just curious, because we have some pretty deep roots in that Province.

[southernSpaw]

Than you all for the warm welcome.

I am pleased to have joined the Asylum of Alchemy where Lead is
not turned into gold just better Lead.

If Camphor equalizes the BC of my shnoz we might have discovered
a cure for my allergies.

The Italians think I am sinister, but I'm just left handed.

Lanolin is good stuff use it to water proof all manners of riding
gear. keeps sheep waterproofed. how do you use it in Casting
or is it used in lube?

S/SP

[waksupi]

Lanolin is used in Felix Lube. do a search, and you will find much discussion, and the formula. Developed by board member, Felix robbins. Carpeman can supply you with all the lanolin you may need. He just screapes it off the front of his "wooly chaps".
Bruce, I think you may be lost! Colorado, dude, Colorado!

[alamogunr]

To get back to the camphor solution to rust, what effect, if any, would camphor have on those plastic disposable (?) refrigerator containers?

John

[kodiak1]

BruceB I live close to Rimbey Northwest of Red Deer.
The line you put in there about alot of pringles tubes I would have to agree with you. I think I would try a couple of five gallon buckets that have removable lids.
Ken

[Boomer Mikey]

I store my moulds and seldom used dies in rubbermaid containers from wal-mart with or without the handles and toss a couple of the desicant (selica gel) packets that come in electronics products boxes in the container to dry the air inside. Save all the selica gel packs and toss them into an open container in the gunsafe to help dry the air inside. Once a year or so - bake the packets in the oven for a couple of hours on the warm setting to dry-out the accumulated moisture to make them good as new. I also store all my cast bullets, gaschecks, lube, bulk brass, patches, solvents, etc. in containers. Everything stays clean and lubed bullets don't collect abrasive dust. The containers stack nicely and it's easy to see when I'm running low on items. I write notes on the container with a sharpie; a little bore solvent, kerosene, or WD40 on a patch will remove the markings. :Fire:

Boomer :castmine:

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Great idear, I store my most used molds w/ handels attached in military ammo boxes. They have a rubber gasket that will act even in a flood.
Leave the last cast bullet in the mold, another seal. Then silica gel is included as last step.
Welcome to the group.

[floodgate]

Boom Boom:

"Leave the last cast bullet in the mold, another seal."

...and, DON'T crack the mould after casting that last bullet, to preserve the seal.

floodgate

[grumpy one]

Boom Boom:

"Leave the last cast bullet in the mold, another seal."

...and, DON'T crack the mould after casting that last bullet, to preserve the seal.

floodgate

I've never been confident about leaving a bullet in the mould, because solidification shrinkage necessarily means there is an air gap around the bullet even if the mould hasn't been opened, and then you can get a capillary action dragging moisture into that very narrow gap.

Having said all that, I haven't either done or read about any properly controlled tests on the subject.

Geoff

[floodgate]

Geoff:

Whadd'ya know - you're right! I checked the "rubber bible" and lead and lead/tin alloys have a thermal expansion(/contraction) coefficient about twice that of steel. I guess that in a really soggy environment, capillary action could draw water into the gap; but I've never seen it happen in my moulds.

Doug

[AZ-Stew]

I don't worry about it. I live in Arizona. (It's a dry heat. (Regional humor. :mrgreen: ))

Regards,

Stew

[threett1]

For my steel molds that don't have boxes, I use j bullet boxes, the plastic ones that certain Sierras come in. Think Speer might have some too. They are a lot like the Lyman plastic boxes. A patch wet with Kroil on the bottom of the box and they are good for however long before I open them again.:castmine:

[Explorer1]

Have tried many things, most succussfully. Started with white lithum grease, too much work to remove when need to use 'em.

Here in the desert of WA its not a big concern, but do like collodial graphic suspended in alcohol. Leaves a layer which I do not remove when I put the mould back in use. Its used in the nuclear industry as a special use lubricant and sold by some as a mould prep solution.

The desicant idea as too obvious!