Reloading Die Storage & Rust Prevention

[93LXRag]

How do you guys store your dies? When I pulled out my .41 Mag dies that had been stored for 15 years I was treated to the sight of rust that looks like has ruined the dies. Same thing on some non carbide .30-30 dies from cira 1982.

I guess that it was the conditions of the crawl space workshop that took its toll. Now I have all my dies stored in their original boxes stacked in my glass front bookcase where I keep my other supplies in my bonus room / loading room. However, I have over a dozen and since I might go a year or more now before I pull a particular set out, I want to make sure they stay rust free.

I prep all my new dies by cleaning them with some Hoppes to remove the protective grease from the factory. Then using a cotton swab I apply a light coat of imperial sizing lube on them. Other than that, I clean my sizing dies periodically but I really dont lube or oil them up when I put them up for storage.

How do y'all prepare and store your reloading dies? Is there anyway to remove the rust build up that looks like it has etched or eaten into the metal on the couple dies that were stored for so long?

 

[Walkalong]

Lightly lube them before storage. A bronze brush on a drill, followed by Flitz on a bore mop may save the interior of the die. It depends on if it is just surface rust or pitting has started.

 

[243winxb]

Break Free CLP for storage.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I put a set of dies away 3 years ago for a caliber I no longer own. I gave them a spray of Remington gun oil and put them in a plastic bag. They still look like new right now. Break Free, G96 or any of the other rust inhibitors on the market will do just as well.

 

[soloban]

Hornady One Shot works good too. I squirt some on an old tshirt and wipe down my equipment with it.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I have had some of my dies for 20 years. I don't put any thing on them to prevent rust. Of course, I don't store them in a swamp, either.

 

[HOWARD J]

I have dies I have not used in 26 years--sprayed with lite coat of Barricade rust stop &
stored in a air tight plastic food container---NO RUST

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[ranger335v]

" I apply a light coat of imperial sizing lube on them."

Imperial is a wax, good to lube for sizing but it's not a rust protector....as you have learned. For long-term storage put a coat of a heavy oil on them. I've found that any outboard motor 2-cycle oil works fine.

 

[Siggie]

I disassemble then and clean them with brake cleaner (think it is called goo-off in the US).
Then I have some machine oil i apply to them and will store them in their box with
a machine oil soaked piece of cardboard. I think synthetic oil will stick very well to the metal surface as well.

When I use them again, I clean them with brake cleaner again and apply a little Ballistol against surface corrosion on the outside (inside will get the caselube by running the cases through the dies).

 

[LiveLife]

OK, did a another die clean up job for a friend in the tumbler. These are badly rusted Lee 9mm/40S&W/45ACP dies.

Tumbler used was Cabela's 400 (actually Berry's 400) vibratory tumbler with new walnut (fine) media and NuFinish car polish. Walnut media was initially prepped with 2 capfuls of polish and let tumble for about 10 minutes or until clumps were gone (clumped polish will make media stick to parts and won't polish/remove rust).


Here's a before picture:

After 2 hours. I added another capful of polish and tumbled without dies until clumps were gone.

 

[LiveLife]

I used some dental picks bought from Harbor Freight to help scrape off some really bad crusting of rust and to clean out the threads (just imagine you are scraping off plaque!).

After 10 hours (I stopped half way and added another capful of polish and let tumble until clumps were gone).

 

[LiveLife]

Here are close ups of shell holders before/after.

 

[LiveLife]

And close up of dies on the working ends. Now, time for some finishing touches with a wire brush, solvents and coating with oil.

 

[MtnCreek]

bds,
Someone out there has a great friend! Thanks for the info.

 

[Krogen]

Try some of these rust-inhibiting chips. They're probably the same as the cardboard-like discs RCBS used to put in their die boxes.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=154282

 

[dudlee]

WD40/cotton cloth/ziploc bag

I've been wrapping my Lee Carbide dies in a cotton cloth and shooting it with WD40 and putting them in a ziploc bag. I'm wondering what affect this will have on the rubber O-rings in the dies and bushings. All my stuff is new so have no way to tell what long term storage will do.