Saeco bottom pour Blocked

[lts70]

I got my saeco bottom pour going but no luck with the pour spout. I went ahead and got all the lead out but still am unsure of how to unclog it.I would think I could just run a drill bit through but wanted to double check here before I ruin something.

[Bret4207]

DId you try heating it up with a propane torch? Sometime the the spout doesn't get as hot as the rest of the pot. Beyond that, yes a drill will work if you go undersized and are careful. It could be rust which obviously won't melt out. Might take a pin punch and try tapping up from the nottom.

[ku4hx]

Propane torch to heat the spout and a nail held by needle nosed pliers to clear out the hole. You may not need the nail, but I usually use it anyway.

[snuffy]

I got my saeco bottom pour going but no luck with the pour spout. I went ahead and got all the lead out but still am unsure of how to unclog it.I would think I could just run a drill bit through but wanted to double check here before I ruin something.

Not a lot of info there to figure out what's clogged, or if it's just a factor of not enough heat.

New pot? How hot was the lead? Old pot with unknown lead already in it? We need clues to help you figure this one out.

[Iron Mike Golf]

I have an old SAECO 24 and here's what I do.

Remove the nut and screw at the end of the spout valve arm where it attaches to the pot. If you can't remove the valve stem, either take a torch to the spout or turn on the pot and let it heat up until you can remove it.

Use a nail or allen wrench from underneath to unclog. Let things cool down. Now you can scrape the inside of the spout to remove any caked on residue. I use a long, flat blade screwdriver as a scraper. And old .45 cal borebrush follows that.

Clean off the valve stem, especially the bottom half inch or so where it narrows down. Whenever I am this far, I go ahead and use a drill with wire cup to scrub the pot.

You may notice a bunch of residue at the front next to where the valve stem goes. When I flux, I take care to minimze sawdust getting between the stem and the pot wall.

[lts70]

I got it used with lead already in it. Here is a picture of what it looked like when I got it. I had it all the way maxed out on heat trying to make it go with no luck. I tried putting a small drill bit up the pour spout from the bottom but it didn’t do anything. I wasn’t quite sure how the inside of the spout is configured (new to this) so I didn’t want to get too carried away. I got all of the lead out and there was quite a bit of rust in between the lead and the pot walls. I think the lead has been in there for 15+ years from what the gentleman I got it from said. I have the pour stop removed and the walls scraped. Can I just drill through the spout hole with my drill?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_192784e2a3dba32228.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1533)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_192784e2a3f319834a.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1534)

[oneokie]

If you have the pour rod and handle removed, use a torch to heat the spout and use a piece of 14 gauge wire to try and clear the spout. If you get the spout cleared, you can use a 1/16" drill bit in a hand powered drill to finish cleaning.

It will be a good idea to clean the spout well on the inside of the pot. Crud can and will stick there.

[Iron Mike Golf]

You may have a flake of rust or some carbon+oxidized alloy wedged in there. What's in there may not melt easily. I recommend an allen wrench and use that as a drift to break it loose while the pot is hot. With the pot hot, what's clogging it may get softer. I'd drill as a last resort and drift it from outside.

[williamwaco]

Propane torch to heat the spout and a nail held by needle nosed pliers to clear out the hole. You may not need the nail, but I usually use it anyway.



This is the way I do it. But first I melt about half a pot of wheel weights and let it "cook" for 20-30 minutes before trying the nail. A straightened out paper clip also works well.

You will probably find it is clogged up with dirt, slag, and rust frozen together with solidified lead. I have never found it necessary to use a drill.

Be sure you hold the pliers so that they are pointed downward toward the spout and your hand is ABOVE THE SPOUT. Melted lead runs downhill.

[lts70]

I have the pot completely cleaned out of lead at this time. Can I turn it on and try to work out the spout with a paperclip on an empty tank or do I need to put more lead back in?

[Echo]

Sure. No need for lead, but you will need to put lead in to finish the job. Scrape it out with a paper clip, and follow it with an old bore brush of practically any old caliber to clean up. Once you are satisfied that you have gotten out all you can, and have the spout clean as a whistle, load a half pot of lead and check out the stream when it goes into a ingot mold. Should be round, fast, and consistant, no burbles.

[lts70]

Is this what the spout would look like in cut veiw?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/192784e9470e27df9b.bmp (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=2389)

If so do I use the paper clip to clean out the small portion of the hole and a bore brush for the large portion?

[mroliver77]

Like you imagined a small drill bit will be fine if you have the valve rod out. It will insure that hole is clean and round.
Yep, bore brush or whatever it takes to get it clean. I sandblasted mine after using it to smelt. After it was very clean I put some valve lapping compound on the rod and lapped the seat. When reassembled pot worked like a charm and the dripping went away. I keep it clean now and have little problem with drips.

While it is apart check for loose screws etc. Any pivots on the linkage etc can be deburred and upgraded or tweeked before reassembling.

[lts70]

Would it be alright to sandblast this pot inside and out?

[Iron Mike Golf]

Sure. If you do that to the inside of the spout, I'd lap the valve stem for a good seal.

[dragonrider]

Would it be alright to sandblast this pot inside and out?


I would suggest that after you have gotten the spout unclogged and then lap in the valve rod as mentioned above.

[W.R.Buchanan]

just take a mini torch and heat the spout. this happens all the time to my RCBS unit. I have a small crack pipe torch right by the furnace just to handle this issue. You can also use it for heating up HP pins that won't drop bullets off.

No need to drill anything. If it is still clogged after you heat the spout then maybe you'll need to push a nail or something up thru the spout.

I'd hesitate using the drill as it might cause more problems than you've got already. If you already have the pot empty then turn it over and heat the spout. As soon as the lead melts any pieces of foreign matter should just fall out.

Randy

[Suo Gan]

I got it used with lead already in it. Here is a picture of what it looked like when I got it. I had it all the way maxed out on heat trying to make it go with no luck. I tried putting a small drill bit up the pour spout from the bottom but it didn’t do anything. I wasn’t quite sure how the inside of the spout is configured (new to this) so I didn’t want to get too carried away. I got all of the lead out and there was quite a bit of rust in between the lead and the pot walls. I think the lead has been in there for 15+ years from what the gentleman I got it from said. I have the pour stop removed and the walls scraped. Can I just drill through the spout hole with my drill?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_192784e2a3dba32228.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1533)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_192784e2a3f319834a.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=1534)

Go buy a little propane torch because you will not want to be drilling it out every time this happens especially when it is full of liquid alloy, kind of a pain and you will wish you spent the 8 bucks.

[lts70]

I got the pot sand blasted inside and out. It had a ton of rust between the lead and side wall. I went ahead and painted the outside of the pot with High Temp Black paint, hopefully it will hold up to the heat and not just burn off.

My question is... The sides inside the pot are now rust free but are very rough. Should I try to find a hone to smooth out the walls? Would that help in keeping the pot clean and during fluxing?

[mroliver77]

Don't worry about it! More surface area to transfer heat into the melt ;)
Did you get spout cleaned out? Did you lap the valve seat?
We want pics of it when back together!
Remember, now is the time to do any fixing it needs!
Jay

[lts70]

I got it all back together and it is looking really nice. I still need to find some lapping compound to get the stem seated. The spout cleaned out nicely once I got the chunk of rust junk knocked loose. I just hope my high temp paint holds up to the heat on the exterior body of the pot.

When I try to load pictures to says

"You have exceeded the number of files allowed to you"

Is there a way to delete my old uploaded pics to I can do new ones or a way to get around this?

[montana_charlie]

Is there a way to delete my old uploaded pics to I can do new ones or a way to get around this?
Scroll to the top of the forum page and click on User CP.
In the screen that opens, scroll down and click on Attachments, in the left sidebar.
Delete any 'attachments' that you no longer want displayed.

CM

[MT Gianni]

Maybe I am tough or stupid but a bic lighter or a long nose camp lighter fixes my spout freezes. You do have to move your hand quick but vigilance is the price of casting.

[Char-Gar]

What happened is a condition known as "cold spout". This happens sometimes where alloy is left in the pot and left to go cold. When it is heated again, the alloy is the spout doesn't get hot enough to run.

I have had this happen several times and now I make it a habit to run any unused alloy into ingots to be reused. I don't store the pot with alloy in it.

[mpmarty]

My bp pot never passes lead until it reaches 700 degrees it just takes longer to melt whats in the tip of the spout. Yes a propane torch helps but I cast at 700 anyway so no problem.