rusting dies

idek · July 21, 2012, 03:29 PM

I'm fairly new to reloading, and bought a set of Lee Carbide Dies about a month ago. I don't think I've ever seen anything rust so fast in my life.

Is there some preferred method of storage to help prevent this?

wncchester · July 21, 2012, 03:31 PM

Clean, bare steel exposed to dampness rusts if it's a die or not. Oil it.

delta tide · July 21, 2012, 03:36 PM

I had the same thing happen to my new RCBS dies a few months back. It was just surface rust from my fingers where I was handling them. The inside of the dies were fine. I took some "0000" steel wool to them to get the rust off. Then used some Birchwood Casey Barricade on them and stored them inside. Just clean the oil off before use.

Gdawgs · July 21, 2012, 05:57 PM

Yeah the Lee sizing dies rust very quickly after being touched(salts on your hands). I wipe mine down with a little WD40 after use and that fixes it.

FiveInADime · July 21, 2012, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gdawgs

Yeah the Lee sizing dies rust very quickly after being touched(salts on your hands). I wipe mine down with a little WD40 after use and that fixes it.

Same here. And when mine rusted the first time, I did the same as an above poster and wiped the rust off with 0000 steel wool.

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tkglazie · July 21, 2012, 10:46 PM

I was not aware that this was a problem. So far I have not seen any rust but I will keep an eye out. I typically use break-free CLP on my dies and press equipment.

I needed a good excuse to give my dies a good cleaning anyway. The range isnt open until 1 tomorrow, might as well spend the morning cleaning the oiling dies.

dacaur · July 21, 2012, 10:50 PM

When I get a new set of dies, the first thing I do is wipe them down with some lanolin. (lano-lube is the brand name) It doesnt evaporate or wipe off like some other things can.... I use it on my tools at work, so figured I might as well use it on my tools at home too

cryogenic419 · July 22, 2012, 09:05 AM

I live in a high humidity area and my house in particular seems to be really bad. I use Eezox on everything metal that I'm worried about rusting and it has not let me down yet. I don't care what they say about it as a lubricant, I only use it as a rust preventitive. If you have a chance give it a whirl.

**Unclenick** · July 22, 2012, 02:52 PM

Tkglazie,

The problem is of different magnitude for different folks. Some people are "rusters", having more salty or lower pH skin oils and moisture than average. You can spot them in large tool shops, where you'll see a lot of tools out on different work tables, but one or two guy's have tools that are almost solid rust brown where most others are not. So the intensity of the problem is somewhat individual.

Gdawgs · July 22, 2012, 05:09 PM

Unclenick is exactly right. I am one of those guys with ruster hands. My hands seem like they are always sweaty. Anytime I touch a black gun, I always wipe it down before putting it away. If I don't, it will have some surface rust on it after a short while. Same thing with the Lee resizing dies. If I touch them and don't wipe them down when I'm done, they'll be rusty in a matter of a few days.

mrawesome22 · July 22, 2012, 06:30 PM

I've resorted to latex gloves.

Even brass I touch tarnishes in short order. I drink my share of beer and I've come to the conclusion it's caused from all the salt.

Sent from HenseMod6.

BDS-THR · July 22, 2012, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by idek

bought a set of Lee Carbide Dies about a month ago. I don't think I've ever seen anything rust so fast in my life.

Is there some preferred method of storage to help prevent this?

I tumble my Lee dies in walnut media treated with NuFinish polish. It removes surface rust and leaves residual polish on the surface to prevent rusting. If your dies are clean already, you could try polishing the surface with NuFinish only.

Here's a particularly badly rusted set of Lee dies I cleaned/polished for a friend and it is still shiny after a year - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=586563

Before:

After cleaning/polishing:

tkglazie · July 22, 2012, 08:22 PM

wow, I learned something here alright. I had no idea the individual handler could contribute to rusting due to their particular chemistry.

Gdawgs · July 22, 2012, 09:08 PM

I never thought of tumbling them. Those turned out really nice!

July 21, 2012, 03:29 PM	#1
idek Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2009 Posts: 903	rusting dies I'm fairly new to reloading, and bought a set of Lee Carbide Dies about a month ago. I don't think I've ever seen anything rust so fast in my life. Is there some preferred method of storage to help prevent this?

July 21, 2012, 03:36 PM	#3
delta tide Member Join Date: June 9, 2012 Posts: 35	I had the same thing happen to my new RCBS dies a few months back. It was just surface rust from my fingers where I was handling them. The inside of the dies were fine. I took some "0000" steel wool to them to get the rust off. Then used some Birchwood Casey Barricade on them and stored them inside. Just clean the oil off before use. __________________ "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." - George Bernard Shaw Last edited by delta tide; July 21, 2012 at 05:53 PM.

July 22, 2012, 02:52 PM	#9
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,060	Tkglazie, The problem is of different magnitude for different folks. Some people are "rusters", having more salty or lower pH skin oils and moisture than average. You can spot them in large tool shops, where you'll see a lot of tools out on different work tables, but one or two guy's have tools that are almost solid rust brown where most others are not. So the intensity of the problem is somewhat individual. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

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July 21, 2012, 03:31 PM	#2
wncchester Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2002 Posts: 2,832	Clean, bare steel exposed to dampness rusts if it's a die or not. Oil it.

July 21, 2012, 05:57 PM	#4
Gdawgs Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2009 Location: MN Posts: 656	Yeah the Lee sizing dies rust very quickly after being touched(salts on your hands). I wipe mine down with a little WD40 after use and that fixes it.

July 21, 2012, 10:46 PM	#6
tkglazie Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 2011 Posts: 558	I was not aware that this was a problem. So far I have not seen any rust but I will keep an eye out. I typically use break-free CLP on my dies and press equipment. I needed a good excuse to give my dies a good cleaning anyway. The range isnt open until 1 tomorrow, might as well spend the morning cleaning the oiling dies.

July 21, 2012, 10:50 PM	#7
dacaur Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2010 Posts: 733	When I get a new set of dies, the first thing I do is wipe them down with some lanolin. (lano-lube is the brand name) It doesnt evaporate or wipe off like some other things can.... I use it on my tools at work, so figured I might as well use it on my tools at home too

July 22, 2012, 09:05 AM	#8
cryogenic419 Senior Member Join Date: March 29, 2009 Location: NW Ohio Posts: 569	I live in a high humidity area and my house in particular seems to be really bad. I use Eezox on everything metal that I'm worried about rusting and it has not let me down yet. I don't care what they say about it as a lubricant, I only use it as a rust preventitive. If you have a chance give it a whirl.

July 22, 2012, 05:09 PM	#10
Gdawgs Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2009 Location: MN Posts: 656	Unclenick is exactly right. I am one of those guys with ruster hands. My hands seem like they are always sweaty. Anytime I touch a black gun, I always wipe it down before putting it away. If I don't, it will have some surface rust on it after a short while. Same thing with the Lee resizing dies. If I touch them and don't wipe them down when I'm done, they'll be rusty in a matter of a few days.

July 22, 2012, 06:30 PM	#11
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	I've resorted to latex gloves. Even brass I touch tarnishes in short order. I drink my share of beer and I've come to the conclusion it's caused from all the salt. Sent from HenseMod6.

July 22, 2012, 08:22 PM	#13
tkglazie Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 2011 Posts: 558	wow, I learned something here alright. I had no idea the individual handler could contribute to rusting due to their particular chemistry.

July 22, 2012, 09:08 PM	#14
Gdawgs Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2009 Location: MN Posts: 656	I never thought of tumbling them. Those turned out really nice!