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.

[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.



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. 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 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.