How often do you clean your pot?

[crabo]

How often do you clean your casting, (not smelting) pot and why?

Thanks,

[Chill Wills]

Thankfully never. My wife handles that one.:groner:

[rockrat]

Clean?? Unknown vocabulary

[Pigslayer]

Clean?? Please don't utter that word.

[DLCTEX]

When/if it gets dirty, which doesn't happen much since I quit smelting in it. I scrape the bottom and sides with a hardwood stick, which fluxes the melt, and also with a large spoon as I stir the melt.

[1Shirt]

Never even considered it!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[williamwaco]

I clean it when the spout gets crudded up enough to impede the flow of the alloy.



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[geargnasher]

I clean my Lee Pro4-20 these days about as often as I change alloy, every three to five casting sessions. Usually, cleaning is only a matter of scraping the sides and bottom of the empty pot with a paint mixing stick or similar while it's still hot, then giving the spout a quick blast with an air blower to clear the valve of any leftovers. When I add alloy or flux during a session, I "wipe" the mouth and sides of the pot with a wooden stir stick, and it's like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for cleaning any sort of powdery buildup or alloy slop/scum right off of the surfaces. My pot is very clean, except for all the splatters and drips on the control box and the base.

Since I quit adding sprues and culls back in as I cast and learned never to scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden stick when fluxing the melt, dirt and oxide scum just doesn't get on the bottom any more, my boolits stay clean, and my spout doesn't drip AT ALL. I mean ZERO drips from the spout in as long as I can remember.

[462]

I have two pots and cast with three different alloys, so whenever I change an alloy, the pot gets cleaned.

[mpmarty]

Never. Why on earth would I?

[AndyC]

I lick mine clean; as soon as my tongue heals, I lick it again :)

[stubshaft]

The word never comes to mind here.

[kbstenberg]

I try about every 3rd fill up. Kevin

[btroj]

As soon as I do the first time I will calculate the frequency and get back to you

[mroliver77]

I use clean alloy. I scrape sides with a wooden stick and bottom mostly with steel spoon. This is after using 1/2 or so pot. I remelt sprues and add enough alloy to top off pot.

I cannot say I never get drips but very few. Spout clogging issues are a thing of the past.

[waksupi]

I'm not sure I understand the question? Clean?

[Mk42gunner]

These cle..clea...cleaning questions always amazed me. I use clean alloy and flux as needed. I never cleaned my 4-20 since I got it, (4-5 years I think) I figured the fluxing took care of it.

A few weeks ago I stumbled onto an RCBS Promelt cheap, so i finally drained the Lee. The pot is clean, not burnished with a wire wheel clean, but there is not any loose stuff in it either.

I think that as long as you don't smelt in the pot, normal fluxing will take care of it. If I have problems, I'll revisit this decision.

Robert

[kelbro]

Never had a need to. My alloy is cleaned when I smelt it. I scrape the sides with a paint stirrer while casting.

[Beau Cassidy]

I clean it when the spout gets crudded up enough to impede the flow of the alloy.



.

Same here which isn't very often. Maybe every year or 3.

[dragonrider]

After reading the responses above I have to say that I am utterly suprised that most do not clean their pots. You don't get clean lead from a dirty pot, at least in my experience. I do all I can to not get my pot cruddy. All of my fluxing is done in the smelting pot, if I flux my casting pot at all I flux only with sawdust, It has never seen a drop of anything else, no oil, no grease, no wax. I won't even drop a lubed boolit back into my pot. And my pot stays clean because of this. Even so I will clean it out once a year.

[crabo]

In a momentary lapse of reason, I considered it, but couldn't really come to a good reason to do it. I haven't cleaned my Promelt in 5 years, but when I empty it down to change alloys, it always looks pretty good.

[462]

Clairification: Like everyone else, I flux and scrape when smelting and casting. However, when I change the alloy, I'll wipe down the walls, and remove the valve and clean it and the spout. During the last casting session, the Lee 20-pounder never dripped -- not once. The Lee 10-pounder is almost drip-free. I attribute this to their occasional cleanings. Obsessive? Perhaps, but it works.

[mdi]

I haven't cleaned any pot since my college days. (sorry, I couldn't resist). Twice in 6 years I've cleaned my Lee 4-20. I emptied it, used a small wire brush to knock any scale from the sides and bottom, wiped interior with rag to remove any scale/dust and lubed the valve riser and valve seat with Bull Plate (may burn off quickly, but in my mind it works!). Durindg regular use, I'll use sawdust for flux and scrape the botton and sides with a stick. Seems to work for me...

[Reload3006]

Clean lead seems to me as much an Oxymoron as a "Non Toxic" bullet. LOL

[ku4hx]

Whenever the accumulated crud begins to negatively affect smooth and efficient operation. The pot don't mind being dirty; never heard the first complaint.

[KCSO]

Well it was clean in 1954 when it was new. I just scrape out any crud and that's it.

[fredj338]

Never, unless it becomes zinc contaminated. I found the best bet is never let the pot get more than half empty. It seems to keep all the crud from getting into the spout. If yo udon't want the Lee BP pots to drip, never run them dry. They are cheap enpugh to get more than one for diff alloys.

[Mk42gunner]

Never, unless it becomes zinc contaminated. I found the best bet is never let the pot get more than half empty. It seems to keep all the crud from getting into the spout. If yo udon't want the Lee BP pots to drip, never run them dry. They are cheap enpugh to get more than one for diff alloys.

That's what I always try to do. It is one of the best reasons for using long angle iron ingot molds, IMO. You can set them across the top of the pot to preheat with the wasted heat that is rising, then set them in at an angle and as the lead melts it just sort of eases/ self feeds into the pot. At least it does with the 4-20, I think it will work the same on the Promelt too.

Robert

[45 2.1]

I'm not sure I understand the question? Clean? Best response I ever saw Ric post. My only question is whats this bottom pour everyones talking about. Real men cast in a cast iron pot with a ladle............:bigsmyl2:


Well it was clean in 1954 when it was new. I just scrape out any crud and that's it. Now thats a great response...............:mrgreen:

[Sonnypie]

Clean lead seems to me as much an Oxymoron as a "Non Toxic" bullet. LOL

Well, it's the speed that kills. Not the composition. :lol:

Clean the pot???
Never. That's women's work. [smilie=1:

Mostly I just flux like all git out, use clean alloy, and all goes well.
Once I did scrape down the sides and bottom when changing alloy's.
Can't say as I gained anything by doin it. :roll: