Issues with Lee's hot pot

[Joel Chavez]

I think something is causing my bullets, oops, I mean boolits to look like they are dirty when I pour from the bottom. However, they look awesome when I use a laddle and dip from the top. Have any of you guys ever had this happen? I just can't figure it out. It can't be the mould, because it happens with any mould I use. The problem disappears when I dip from the top. Any ideas? Thanks guys. Oh, by the way, this thing drips like crazy. How do you stop this?:castmine:

[Dale53]

Use the search function and you will find numerous posts on the subject. Here is one that covers most of the info:

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=11320&highlight=Clean+bottom+pour+pot

Good luck!

Dale53

[Buckshot]

...............The bad dripping problem and the dirty looking boolits both mean it's time to clean the ole pot. Even though everything you put in the pot is lighter then the lead it doesn't mean it's ALL going to come to the top. I'm not a scientist, nor do I know how to explain how it happens other then to say the crud gets trapped between the melt and the pot. It's like the lead has a surface tension on it or something.

Anyway, you have crud in there and it does seem to work it's way down to the bottom. From there the flow of lead will pull some of it along as it exits the pot. There you go. Dirty looking boolits and the grit holds the valve stem up and so it doesn't seat.

..................Buckshot

[Joel Chavez]

Buckshot, I'd agree with ya, but it is brand new. I started having the problems from the first time the pot was used (dirty looking boolits/dripping faucet). Is that normal? Thanks for the info. Any more you may have is greatly appreciated.:castmine:

[Uncle Grinch]

Joel,

Like Buckshot said... you have sediment or debris that needs to be fluxed out.

Try stiring you pot with a hardwood dowel then skim the stuff that comes to the topp. It may take some extra fluxing to rid the alloy of any crud that may be sticking to the sides or bottom of the pot.

[buck1]

I had some little speck of something in mine a wile back. A 17 cal bore brush on a old cleanong rod and a slow hand drill solved the drip.
as for dirty looking , If its black crud on the boolits then your lead had crud in it.pour out the led ,clean the pot and flux the HE77 out of it. FWIW.......Buck

[Joel Chavez]

I do remeber when I cleaned out the pot last night I saw what appeared to be yellowish to orange powder on the inside of the pot. The boolits are slightly rough on the surface when I bottom pour, but look great and smooth when I skim from the top. I've read about "fluxing", but what does it actually do? What should I use? Remember, I don't have any reloading shops around here and I hate to wait:groner: I'm going home after work and try again. Wish me luck.:castmine:

[leftiye]

Well, if you didn't/ don't flux, you can/will/do have any number of various flavors of crud in your lead. As the Grinch said, stir the melt with a (hard)wood dowel or stick, scratch everything you can off of the pot. I like boolit lube as a flux. I'd put a little on top while stirring. Smokes like h@!!, (not indoors!)

Fluxing fixes oxygen (provides carbon) and prevents your lead/tin/antimony from turning to oxide. Probably the reason your boolits made from lead skimmed from the surface were so shiny was that that was where all of your tin was. Fluxing also puts the metals back into solution (alloy). Lots and lots of oxides are formed at the initial melting of the lead, so you should flux before you start casting. Also flux periodically during the session- especially after adding metal to the pot. Don't give up on the bottom pour because of this experience. A clean pot full of clean alloy will most likely solve this problem.

[Lloyd Smale]

are you sure your not just getting frosted bullets. The lead in your pot is hotter on the bottom then on the top and the extra heat may be causing you to get frosted bullets. As long as there filled out well it wont hurt a thing but if you dont like it try turning you pot down a touch or going slower.

[OLPDon]

I think something is causing my bullets, oops, I mean boolits to look like they are dirty when I pour from the bottom. However, they look awesome when I use a laddle and dip from the top. Have any of you guys ever had this happen? I just can't figure it out. It can't be the mould, because it happens with any mould I use. The problem disappears when I dip from the top. Any ideas? Thanks guys. Oh, by the way, this thing drips like crazy. How do you stop this?:castmine:

JC:
What are you using for flux? I tend to stay away from the types you buy at store's. Old bullet lube wax or even engine oil work for me. I use a bottom pour RCBS and after I Flux I keep the clay type kitty litter on top of mix. A wooden dowel works well also I even used a small piece of potato. Ifen I were you I would give the pot a once over pour out the mix and give it a good cleaning start from there. And never smelt or put a aloy in your pot that you wouldn't want in your casts. Make sure when you smelt that your ingots are as good as your boolits should be and never smelt in your casting pot. Keep your smelting as meticulus as your casting. The pots for casting are much like computers Garbage in Garbage out.

Don

[44man]

Scrape, flux, scrape more, dump the pot every time there is a problem, fish wire and all manner of stuff into the hole, ream with brushes, put pans under the pot, and fool with the temperatures. There are a million posts about problems with bottom pouring, not withstanding all the guys that say it is great but they all do all of the above to keep a pot working. Nothing worse then getting through half a pot and have to stop and dump it to clean the hole out or fish wire into the hole while molten lead is pouring out.
Since the ladle is making good boolits, why not just use it?
Since I was in grade school, I have always understood that heat rises! There are no heating elements in the bottom of the pot, they are wrapped around the sides only and that little spout is COLDER then the rest of the pot. Maybe big production pots have coils on the bottom but all the small ones I have pulled apart do not.
There is a lot of crap that will not float no matter how much a pot is fluxed and stirred. Dump the lead from any pot and you will find it on the bottom.
It is a strange situation, like one guy loves the 30-06 but another says the 270 is better. Never the twain shall meet! It is the same with bottom pour and the ladle. Some swear by one and some swear by the other and they will fight tooth and nail to prove one is better.
My theory is, use what works for you.

[OLPDon]

44man:
Couldn't agree more if it works don't fix it. Don't know what it is about the RCBS Pro I have (2) of them one for just soft lead and the other for aloy. Never had the drips yet ( nor has my RCBS) I think it is because I have (SAFE CASTING) Don't mess with that unknown type's I sure will pickup a stray wheel Weight off the street corner but that is were it ends.

Casting is in the eye of shooter.
Don

[Dale53]

I have cleaned my RCBS pots a total of once....

However, the pot occasionally drips. I just whack (technical term[smilie=1:) with the mould rapper from time to time and that seems to re-seat the plunger and the drips stop. Doesn't even slow me down. Some have suggested to clamp a small Chinese Vise Grip (Chinese because it is inexpensive) onto the Lee plunger and the extra weight seems to help. In fact, I will be trying it out on my RCBS pots, "just in case".

I keep an ingot mould under the spout and have since I started using a bottom pour pot fifty years ago. When the "drips" fill up a couple of ingots full, I just plop (technical term [smilie=1:)them back in the pot.

Dale53

[cohutt]

I have cleaned my RCBS pots a total of once....


I keep an ingot mould under the spout and have since I started using a bottom pour pot fifty years ago. When the "drips" fill up a couple of ingots full, I just plop (technical term [smilie=1:)them back in the pot.

Dale53

Now why the heck didn't i think of that? I was putting aluminum foil folded at an angle unde rit to keep splatter to a minimum. Walls of ingot mold would accomplish this and it suire would be easier (and safer) to remove and remelt.

[DLCTEX]

I have had fewer drip problems since I quit smelting in my Lee pot, and making sure nothing but clean alloy or lead goes in. Flux and scrape often , the scrapings float to the top with flux. Dipping is an exercise in frustration for me , trying to keep floating flux and dross out . I think that starting out casting with a bottom pour prejudiced me some, but I keep trying the dipper. Dale

[Joel Chavez]

Well, got home after work and went over the pot again. After careful inspection, I saw quite a bit of crud on the bottom of the pot. Yellow/orange powder was baked on the sides of the pot. I scraped as much as I possibly could with sandpaper. It looks rather clean now. I guess I need to flux my alloy better. I'll have time this weekend to flux the alloy again. The only pain is that I have over 100lbs of ingots to do. :violin: Thanks for all the insight guys. This forum has been great. Hope you folks have a great weekend.:-D

[Buckshot]

I'll have time this weekend to flux the alloy again. The only pain is that I have over 100lbs of ingots to do. :violin: Thanks for all the insight guys. This forum has been great. Hope you folks have a great weekend.:-D

"...............Ingots to do." ?? You don't mean you're rendering WW's into ingots in your casting pot, are ya? :-) That's be a major zumbo, ha!

..................Buckshot

[leftiye]

Buckshot means that if you have a coleman stove or a turkey cooker stove and a large dutch oven it would be better to "smelt " your wheelweights in that into ingots. That way you keep your casting pot clean. Most of the dirt, crud, and etc comes off in the ingot making phase. DO FLUX when smelting! Most of the problem you started this thread about was most likely the result of smelting in your casting pot. Things'll get much easier if you use this method!

[Joel Chavez]

Yes, I do have a turkey burner with a 3qt. cast iron pot I use to smelt. I guess I didn't do the "fluxing" correctly. Come to think of it, I don't rememeber doing it in the first place. I'll give it a go tomorrow and see what happens. For now, the drip-o-matic is clean and ready to receive a load of clean alloy.