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?
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?
Evaporust worked for me. Just cleaned up a Lyman mound set bought cheep off eBay as it was rusty.
Ray
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
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.
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.
Cognitive Dissident
Kroil or equivalents will not completely remove rust. Only acids or electrolysis will do that.
Cognitive Dissident
Thank you all for the information.
I was somewhat leery of evap-o-rust. It seemed almost too good to be true, but the hype is well deserved. Highest recommendation.
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
Evaporust is like magic rust remover on steel moulds !
Gary
Certified Cajun
Proud Member of The Basket of Deplorables
" Let's Go Brandon !"
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:
Results:
”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn
My Straight Shooters thread:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter
The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks
”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn
My Straight Shooters thread:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter
The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks
”We know they are lying, they know they are lying, they know we know they are lying, we know they know we know they are lying, yet they are still lying.” –Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn
My Straight Shooters thread:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...raight-shooter
The Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-and-hallmarks
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 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.
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.
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
Regards
John
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.
R.D.M.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |