Reloading room rust

Amps 13

Amps 13

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I have my reloading setup in my garage which is not climate controlled. I have started putting most of my dies that I am not using into ziplock bags with desiccants but did leave my 9mm dies in the press. I noticed they have just a little of surface rust and a few of the minor rods (primer) also have a little.
should I just keep all dies in the bags? I did oil up the rods.
what you all doing ? Better practices?
 
Amps 13 said:
I have my reloading setup in my garage which is not climate controlled. I have started putting most of my dies that I am not using into ziplock bags with desiccants but did leave my 9mm dies in the press. I noticed they have just a little of surface rust and a few of the minor rods (primer) also have a little.
should I just keep all dies in the bags? I did oil up the rods.
what you all doing ? Better practices?
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Maybe buy some silica gel packets & toss 'em in the bags?

Ok, I'm an idiot. You are doing that already.

Maybe I'll regale you with more of my wisdom if I ever find any.
 
Last edited:
Windini said:
Maybe buy some silica gel packets & toss 'em in the bags?

Ok, I'm an idiot. You are doing that already.

Maybe I'll regale you with more of my wisdom if I ever find any.
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You must of gone to the same high school as I did cause I do that stuff all the time. 😂
 
When I’m setting up dies, or handling clean brass, I wear latex gloves. Doesn’t take much oil from your finger to make a mess
 
Reloading in the garage blows. I know it isn’t always feasible, but get indoors if at all possible.

When we moved to our 1bd apt in Charlotte, I cut down an old Walmart bookshelf and bolted it to the wall in the living room. Super compact reloading setup.
 
Burt Gummer said:
When I’m setting up dies, or handling clean brass, I wear latex gloves. Doesn’t take much oil from your finger to make a mess
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Wish I'D done that 22-23 years ago, when I was apprenticing with a reloader in KY, and screwed up my fingernails (infection) reloading some 40K of ammo for Y2K. :oops:
 
I did all my loading for the last 10 years in an outside metal building. Nice building but certainly nowhere near humidity proof. Just moved all my equipment to a spare room inside my house. Pleasantly surprised that dies I rarely use had zero rust. A few of the decapping pins had a little speck or two, but they aren’t plated. I don’t know how to act now that I can load no matter the weather
 
Super damp basement here, even with dehumidifier. I clean degrease and paint a lot of things that come bare metal. I also tolerate surface rust if I'm too lazy. Internal/critical dimensions seem to get enough rust preventative from case lube.
 
My garage is sealed up pretty well but not perfectly, and a dehumidifier did the trick for me. I began noticing some surface rust on some hand tools and some reloading equipment during the summer, and that has all gone away by keeping humidity under 60%.
 
Thanks for the responses. A few has said a dehumidifier so I might try that and see if that works.
 
While it will not take out all “fumes” a dehumidifier will cut that musty smell from a garage being shut up for most of the time. I would guess I only open the door a couple hours a week beside normal in and outs and a dehumidifier does help a lot.
 
Same problem here, even though my garage has a mini split heat pump. I saw my dies and my press handles getting a light coat of rust, so put the dies back in their original boxes after cleaning them, coated with oil. If you use steel wool to clean them, and don’t get rid of the steel wool fines, they will rust regardless. Carb cleaner works well to remove the wool fines.
Every time I fire up one of the presses, I wipe down the exposed handles and steel parts like the primer tubes with an old oily sock. Constant vigilance is the only thing keeping exposed steel from rusting. It is a PITA.
 
If you get a humidifier check to make sure it’s not on the recall list for units catching fire. I have a Frigidaire 70 or one to handle my 1100 square foot basement. Took several days this summer to get humidity to the 45-55 % level but is maintaining it fine and shutting down when it reaches set point. I also hooked mine up to a condensate pump so I don’t have to dump the container 3 or 4 times a day. Really pulls the moisture out.
 
Get Vapor Corrosion Inhibiters,or VCI's at Brownells. Emits a vapor that will not allow rust to form. Best to use inside a cabinet
Had good luck with them for 30+ years....
 
NCFubar said:
While it will not take out all “fumes” a dehumidifier will cut that musty smell from a garage being shut up for most of the time. I would guess I only open the door a couple hours a week beside normal in and outs and a dehumidifier does help a lot.
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Same here.
I liken a dehumidifier to a crappy air conditioner. It cuts the humidity which makes it feel more comfortable but it doesn’t actually get much if any cooler.
 
Jerzsubbie said:
Same here.
I liken a dehumidifier to a crappy air conditioner. It cuts the humidity which makes it feel more comfortable but it doesn’t actually get much if any cooler.
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Honestly, it should actually warm it up. I've used one in my old shop in conjunction with AC. The AC didn't cut the humidity because the shop was in a warehouse. The humidifier helped immensely, but made the shop warmer.
 
Folks hate on WD-40 but this is what it's for - spray a bit inside the baggie and it fogs the water vapor out.
Roll up the bag to squish out most of the air and seal.

WD = Water Displacement formula. Same effect as the paper VCI
 
I have a small window AC in my reloading shack. Whenever it is warm enough for it to run, it keeps the humidity down, but it has to be hot enough outside for it to run. When that isn't the case, I have a small dehumidifier that will kick in when the humidity is > 50%.

A very small window AC running constantly does a great job keeping humidity down, and will cool the garage in the process.
 
Get som Eezox gun cleaner/lubricant. You can coat your dies and it dries . No gummy residue Will protect them from any rust.
 
CorrosionX is another good inhibitor to spray or wipe. Been using that for tools and hobby stuff in the garage for several years now. No residue. Has really good surfactants so I wear gloves when putting it on.
 
sprayed a bunch down with Hornady one shot and put the rest of the dies in plastic ziplock bags with desiccants after they were sprayed down too. Was thinking of getting a dehumidifier but also was thinking about how hard would it be to cut a hole on outside wall of garage to accommodate a portable A/C unit exhaust hose for when I want to cool things down so I can work in there. Way too hot Right now.
 
Just carry out what you’re going to load that session, when you’re done carry them back into the house along with your powder, primers and reloads.
 
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