Project Appleseed

Just discovered by me anyway - they rust.  My previous reloading experience was with Pacific dies (Hornady) and they never rusted on me in the 7 or 8 years I actively used them.  I used a couple sets of RCBS pistol dies for a couple years and they didn't rust either.

This afternoon I took a few minutes to go down to my "reloading office" and try to do a little organizing.  I happened to look over at my Lee 30.06 sizer/deprimer die that was in the press and noticed it was dirty looking.  I screwed it out of the die and tried to wipe it off.  When it didn't wipe off I got my glasses and saw it was rust/corrosion.  I tried to clean it up as good as I could with WD40 and 000 steel wool and got most of it off the outside of the die. The inside (decapper pin) threads and the collet were also looking pretty bad and got the same steel wool and WD40 treatment.  I put it all back together and put in the case.

Now that i know they rust I'll keep WD40 on them when not in use.

FYI folks.

Ya need to use something with a rust inhibtor, WD40 is
a clearner and moisture displacer.   Break Free or Break
Free Collector will do more for you.

M1A4ME,

I have had surface rust from handling on RCBS, Lyman, Lee and Herters dies.  Usually, in the case of the Lyman and RCBS in the knurling area where what I guess is plating doesn't seen to take as well.

Never used a set of Hornady/Pacific but I think they are advertised as being coated with Titanium Nitride?

Buckshot

Yep used and have the same dies as you have including
some Herter and the old 310 nutcraker and dies.  Living
two miles from the Ocean with probably some salt in the air
requires some type of protection for all.   WD doesn't have
those qualities.
   Outside rust looks bad, but interior is a disaster, that if bad
enough, renders them throw aways.   Have not tried all and
stopped with what worked.  Loaders in my area claim that
One Shot case lube leaves enought wax coating to protect
the interior.   Don't know, but just started using it last year.
My thought on the speed of rust may be due to the amount
of chrome in the steel and hardness, with the plating as slow
down.   I know the chome metal in this country requires a
protective layer of something or goes down hill rapidly

Started reloading several years ago (well alot of years ago).     Had a nice setup that I could be proud of on my limited income. Lost my wife in a divorce and boxed it all up, didn't touch in for years while I found another and got back on my feet again. 
When I got a place to reload got it out and some stuff was unuseable becouse of rust, some stuff had some rust on the outside but was still useable, and some stuff wasn't even touched. Still had to replace some and repair parts of others, and some I figured a way around till I can replace other parts.    ::

Not to much that gets loaded, as still have a problem with money.
But think some of the grease used prevented some of the rust. I can't prove it but it seems so, by obsrvation.

Rob

rgrosz, for those dies you need to replace, many depending
on mood, have a lifetime warrenty.   Had some badly sarached
FL RCBS dies they sent a new one and a case trimmer without
a handle were replaced free of charge.   If you don't do a huge
volume of loading,  Lee dies are most affordable.   I always
order the collet delux for anything not semi auto or that I own
several rifles in that caliber.   In that case, unless kept separ-
ate, most likely you will need a FL size die in that caliber.   So
many plus things for accuracy that the last four sets of dies
have been Lee.    long term storage of dies requires cleaning
and some type of long term protective coating of your choice.

If you have reloading equipment that you are not using why not let another member of the apple seed program use it for awhile or let them lease it from you with instructions that it is to be returned in the condition that they received it in or better. That way it won't develop rust from not being used anf if it leased to them for a small fee them you will have money for reloading components when you get it back from them!!  And if you do like S O M and Grin and I did back in mid summer and make a trip to wideners (or another placelike that) you can save shipping costs, haz mat fees and is a little easier to explain to the other half that is was a group buy and that to get the discount you really did have to buy the 2500 tracer projectiles!!!!  (Getting the tracer component out of them for regular ammo is the fun part and worth to cost of the projectiles, just explain to the neighbor kids that it really isn't fireworks!!!)