Pot Maintenance

[hoppy]

I have used my pot for about five months now. It was brand new when I got it. When I am done casting I fill the pot with lead and flux the melt before letting it cool down. The pot is left full so the next session I can just heat it up and start casting. I have read that the pot should be cleaned out occasionally. I use very clean lead and have noticed nothing wrong or dirty about the pot or my boolits. When you do clean the pot do you just scrape the sides and bottom and what is it that you re cleaning? Thanks.

[MikeS]

How are you fluxing your lead? I too usually leave my pot full, but even so, every once in a while (usually when changing alloy) I'll completely empty it, and clean it out. If you're not having any problems, and using the same alloy, there's no reason to clean the pot, just to be cleaning the pot. If you start noticing inclusions in your boolits, or the pot starts dripping (if it's a bottom pour) more than can be stopped by adjusting the valve, then it's time to clean. Having said that, everytime I've cleaned my pot, I've been surprised by all the crud that accumulates in the bottom of the pot!

[GP100man]

The yellow scaley or powdery stuff that builds on the sides & impurities that sink instead of float during fluxing is a reason to clean it comepletely.
Try not to inhale any dust or smoke while cleaning, some clean by boiling water in the pot .
I wet mine with wd-40 then use a brass brush , then flush it all out & give a wipe over .

When emptying the pot I pay particular attention to clearing the spout.
I do this when changing alloy or every 5th pot .

[runfiverun]

it's been over 20 years since i bought my lee pot.
i origionally bought it to melt ww's in to make shot from the lead.
the only time i have cleaned it was when i started using it to cast with.

[hoppy]

To MikeS: I flux the melt with dry sawdust or a paint stirrer. It seems to work nicely. I buy my lead already alloyed and it is very clean. The pot has no visible crud accumulated on the sides. Everything seems to be looking good. I was just wondering about some preventative maintenance.

To GP100Man: Thanks for the advice regarding the fumes. When I cast I wear a special type of disposable air filter that is designed for indusrial use like lead. They cost $7 when I bought them and are good for 150 hours. This may be an overkill but I am paranoid about working with the stuff.

To RunFiverun: Thanks for the tip.

Thanks to all for the advice it has been very helpful.

[Lefty SRH]

To MikeS: I flux the melt with dry sawdust or a paint stirrer. It seems to work nicely. I buy my lead already alloyed and it is very clean. The pot has no visible crud accumulated on the sides. Everything seems to be looking good. I was just wondering about some preventative maintenance.

To GP100Man: Thanks for the advice regarding the fumes. When I cast I wear a special type of disposable air filter that is designed for indusrial use like lead. They cost $7 when I bought them and are good for 150 hours. This may be an overkill but I am paranoid about working with the stuff.

To RunFiverun: Thanks for the tip.

Thanks to all for the advice it has been very helpful.

Where did you get that mask?

[stubshaft]

IIRC - I cleaned my pot back in '96.

[hoppy]

To Lefty SRH: I ordered the masks in August of 2011. I ordered them from:
Library Dust Consulting LLC
964 N Adams Rd 5
Birmingham, Mi. 48009

The masks are: 3M 8233. They are N-100 type respirator. The 3M respirator guide can be found at www.3M.com/occsafety or you can call 1-800-243-4630. The prices may have changed since I ordered them. Hope this helps…………………………………………Paul