Storing handles?

[Bonnie Campbell]

I know this is way OT. With the LOML passing away, I need to store his reloading equipment, possibly long term. The handles on his bullet moulds are wood and metal. Should I give them all a spraying of WD-40 and store in plastic bags? I know the metal definitely needs the oiling, but not sure how the wood will hold up to it. Figure since y'all deal with chisels and such, someone will know the best route to go.

[Gene Howe]

Bonnie, first I want to express my sympathy for your loss.

I don't think WD40 will harm the handles. You might want to throw in the bag a few desiccant packs. Especially for long term storage.

Gene

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
First off - -my heartfelt condolences.
Oil the metal, leave the wood alone. Oil or anything else will cause the wood to swell.

If you must coat the wood, a light coat of wax is all that's needed.
Bag the metal and wood parts separately since long term storage may produce gasses from the oil/solvent that will affect the wood.

The reloading dies are the most critical parts. Make sure those are packed in cosmolene.
Also - don't store any unused primers in with anything else.
Primers will defiantly give off corrosive gases long term - despite being called "non corrosive".

FWIW - I've gone through two different ten year periods now where i just lost interest in both shooting and reloading. The majority of my stuff has been put up for going on al little over 8 years now.


Don't - I repeat don't use WD40.
WD40 will turn to a gummy sticky goo after a couple of years of sitting.

[Bonnie Campbell]

Thanks Gene and Rich.

Where could I find cosmolene? This is kind of a one horse town that has lost it's horse, if you know what I mean. Now ya got me thinking on the dies! :eek:

I most likely won't be storing the stuff for over a year. But either way, I already soaked the moulds in WD-40. I can clean them up with break cleaner, right?

And I've got 'unknown' powder to dispose of also. What is the safest way?

[Steff Pace]

Find a local range or gun shop and give or sell it to them, or to maybe someone you know that shoots or reloads. Barring that, the local PD should be able to take it off your hands. If it's dry and in good shape, and you have a lot of it, someone who reloads should be interested in taking it, preferably buying it. Guns, primers, bullets and powder have been a hot commodity since November, but I think things are slowing down a little now. Get some advise before you get rid of anything else, my husband was in our local gun shop a week ago and the owner was bragging about the $400 he gave a widow for her husband's guns that were worth over $3000. Predators are everywhere. My condolences and God bless.

Steff

[Terry Achey]

Hi Bonnie,

So very sorry for your loss. Rick provided sound advice in terms of waxing the wooden parts and keeping the primers isolated. Cosmolene can be difficult to acquire. But, I would suggest that you can apply a liberal coating of a product called BreakFree CLP. It can be found on-line or most likley at a local sporting arms shop, or at a Gander, Bass Pro or Cabela store if you lucky enough to be close to one. I suggest the small bottle rather than the aerosol. Assuming the dies and other metal objects will be stored in a decent location, the BreakFree CLP should prevent rusting for the year of storage. I would guard against storing any of the metal components in plastic bags. Place them in a box or paper bag instead and adding dessicant wouldn't hurt, too.

As for the safe disposal of the powder, you could either ask around to give it away to another reloader, or see if you can donate it to a local gunclub. Or, if it's a small amount (less than a quart or so) it wouldn't harm anything to flush it down the toilet.

Terry

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Powder can be easily disposed of by simply tossing it around in the yard and/or garden.
It's pretty much just a nitrogen fertilizer if it's smokless powder - which it probably is.
If it's Black Powder, it's just nitorgen, charcoal and sulpher.

I rather doubt it's Black Powder since few people reload shotgun shells or metallic cartridges with BP.

(Don't flush it as it's bad for the sewage systems to put too much nitrogen into the works. Doubly so if you have a septic system)

If it's only a year or so you're talking about, there's no reason to go with cosmolene.
Pick up a small container of Breakfree CLP, as Terry mentioned, and just wipe off the WD40 with a dry cloth and recoat the metal with the CLP.
A light wipe of CLP on the dies, inside and out, will protect them for a few years. Same with the metal handles.

Ditto the paper bag suggestion instead of plastic.

If the powder is in an unmarked can and is truely "unknown", please don't give it away or sell it.
Dispose of it instead.
Using 20 grains of a "fast burning" powder such as Bullesye, instead of 20 grains of a "slow burning", such as 2400 will create an extreme overpressure condition.
My concern here would be what Steph mentioned above - powder, primers, etc. have become "hot" items in the last few months. A lot of people have taken up reloading w/out having the most basic idea of how to do it. It's like WW'ing in many repects. It's 100% safe, as long as you understand what you're doing.

[Bonnie Campbell]

Okay, I'll try finding the Breakfree locally first. Not much luck with that though, I'm sure lol I'll get some ordered online if nothing else. You suggest waxing the handles.... Would something like Johnson's paste wax work for that?

Other than the dies LOML had been using before passing, I think he kept them oiled (with something). They're all in their boxes.

Yeah, that was my problem with giving away the 'not sure of' powder. There's about 1/2 a gallon milk jug that has Bullseye written on it. It probably is Bullseye since hubby was very careful with his powders. But there are two powder hoppers with powder. And I don't know what he had been reloading last, so no idea on them two powders. Guess I'll just spread them in the yard before a rain. As for the cans of powder, I'm slowly selling it. Selling the primers also. I just don't want to deal with the hazardous shipping fees to move them to Oregon eventually.

Thank you all for the help and suggestions. It's so nice having a place I can go and get real answers to my questions!

And Steff I know exactly what you're talking about. I have had more people say 'Oh I know pricing on that stuff, I'll buy it all if you let me look at it'. Ain't going to happen. I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday! I was offered $10 a can for the gun powders. Sure, when it sells (in well supplied days) for $20+ a can. I've been selling it for $25 a can. Figure that's fair since the reloader isn't having much luck finding it available elsewhere. Primers I'm doing the same thing.

Just a bit of a rant and possibly a wake up to some that haven't thought of this. Just because I'm a widow does NOT mean I'm rich. I'm selling stuff as my way of paying some bills, my support. When I hear people that say they got such a great deal because a widow sold something she didn't realize the value of, I could strangle them!This isn't something that bothered me just since I've become a widow, it's been forever. Fine get a break on the price of what you're buying, but that widow might be (most likely is) selling things so she can just survive financially. So yeah, in her widows fog you might get a fantastic deal telling her that what she's selling is only worth 10% of it's actual value, but I hope ones that have done this can live with themselves afterward. Sorry, this stuff has been going on for 6 months for me now, the vultures descending, and Steff's comment made me comment. I know we all want to find good deals on items we want, but being fair will help you sleep better (and might pay the widows electric bill for that month).

[Mike Cutler]

Bonnie

First, my deepest condolences.

Cosmoline would be great for really long term storage no doubts, but for the short term I would put the dies/molds in a tupperware container and coat them with vasoline, engine lube, wheel bearing grease, etc. Even a light machine oil would be fine toput them in.
Your husband probably just kept them coated with bullet lube, or white lithium grease. My dies are stored in a Fishing Tackle box so they don't bang around together. I haven't used them in over a decade and they are still fine.

It's definitely sounds like you "didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday".

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I am so sorry to learn of this Bonnie.

If the search for cosmoline is burdensome you can just use Vaseline (it is heavy molecular weight mineral oil)
or
any oil ( not vegetable) and pack 'em any vessel with a good lid that will do fine for many years of storage.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Yes - Johnson's paste wax will work fine.
If you don't have any, then plain old Ivory soap - shaved into small thin slices will work also.

Kind of OT and a bit of useless trivia - but - soap is the oldest known coating used on wood. The ancients (think stone age & before) used it on everything they made out of wood.