Coating molds for storage

[AJC1]

What do you put on your steel molds to store them? I'm thinking mineral oil but if that's stupid I'm open to ideas.

 

[FROGO207]

I use the generic spray on cooking oil from the dollar store. Clean well and use. The non ferrous molds are much easier though.

 

[kerreckt]

I use CLP on my steel moulds.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Mine get coated with Renaissance wax before use.

 

[AJC1]

I use CLP on my steel moulds.

I have this on hand. How bad is starting up after use

 

[Bazoo]

I use mineral oil applied with an artists brush. I've used remoil but it doesn't protect against rust for long term and I found rust in my cavities, thankfully before it was too late.

The mineral oil seems to do very well and is easily removed. I wipe it out with a rag and lube the sprue cutter and block tops as well as alignment pins with graphite from a pencil, then clean with a douse of lighter fluid before using.

 

[AJC1]

I w

I use mineral oil applied with an artists brush. I've used remoil but it doesn't protect against rust for long term and I found rust in my cavities, thankfully before it was too late.

The mineral oil seems to do very well and is easily removed. I wipe it out with a rag and lube the sprue cutter and block tops as well as alignment pins with graphite from a pencil, then clean with a douse of lighter fluid before using.

I was planning on cleaning with mineral spirits and store in mineral oil. I have gallons of spirits as I clean everything with it. Guns dies everthing.

 

[Bazoo]

I've found the easiest way to remove oil from cavities is squirting lighter fluid in the hot cavities. If I am having issues or working with a new to me mould, or if I forget to wipe it clean before I start, the lighter fluid is just the ticket.

When the mould is preheated to just below casting temperature, open the cutter and spritz lighter fluid into the cavities, filling them. The fluid will boil and really scrub the oil out. It doesn't burst into flames like you're reckon it would. Course you make sure it all evaporates before you put your mould into lead again.

 

[Bazoo]

I ain't ever tried mineral spirits for cleaning. I know it's an ingredient in eds red though and I plan on mixing a batch up to try sometime.

 

[AJC1]

I ain't ever tried mineral spirits for cleaning. I know it's an ingredient in eds red though and I plan on mixing a batch up to try sometime.

It's the base solvent in most gun cleaners. It's the biggest part of hoppies and I got educated by gunblue490 on YouTube. Following his sage advice has never done me wrong.

 

[243winxb]

Breakfree CLP for storage of iron or aluminum molds.

To clean before casting- Use a stencil brush & Dawn with hot tap water to clean mold. The Dawn has 5% ethonal in it. Rinse well with the hot tap water. Dry.

Preheat on top of Lee 10 lb pot. Then use maximum alloy, pot & mold heat to start. No lubing iron mold needed. Lube just makes wrinkled bullets. LEES aluminum needs a tiny amount of lube.

 

[Slamfire]

There are lots of long term storage sprays on the market. WD40 makes a long term corrosion inhibitor that is not regular WD40. Got mine from Home Depot. Marine Boating stores have a wide collection of rust inhibitors. I think I coated my molds with RIG grease, and wrapped them in wax paper and bagged them in snack bags. To reduce evaporation.

The thing is, plain mineral oils, even CLP, have very few additives to prevent oxygen migration. Plain mineral does not have additives of any kind, it is just oil. These are not long term corrosion preventives, and the light oils will evaporate and then there is no protective layer.

I think cooking oils are a bad idea for long term storage. Cooking oils are meant for cooking. I looked up the MSDS, cooking oils are vegetable oils or peanut oils, but clearly, not something made to prevent corrosion, and they will go rancid.

 

[35 Whelen]

I don't put anything on them and have no problems. I think a solution better than oil would be to store them in ammo cans with desiccant.

FWIW a gunsmith not far from me stated that he hates CLP on firearms because it's so difficult to remove prior to bluing.

35W

 

[AJC1]

If I was doing a long term storage like years I would just spray them with motorcycle chain wax. That's what we spray on lathe and mill ways for long term sitting. I'm looking at a short term option maybe a few months inside my house in the ac. Im sure I could do almost nothing, but a little oil with easy cleaning and restoring to use is the goal.

 

[res45]

USP Mineral Oil is fine for coating steel molds or steel parts on molds, Ed Harris recommended it to me many years ago. It's non-toxic, burns off clean when the mold is heated and leaves no residue.

 

[Targa]

Like 35 Whelen, I put them in a ammo can with desiccant and call it good.

 

[whughett]

Ballistol.