How clean is good enough for ingot mold/cast iron pots

[340six]

I am getting 3 used ingets and a smaller pot Short of sand blasting and starting off as new{white metal}
whats the best way to start?
How to care for them?Also oil them after use?
Spray some pam and then pour?
Do not worry use as is pour lead in them...
http://i.ebayimg.com/13/!BgMose!CGk~$(KGrHqQH-CgEsJzPJ,dhBLEYZbeGo!~~_35.JPG

[imashooter2]

Use as is and pour. Store indoors on a shelf after use. Your great grandchildren will still be able to use the stuff.

[Mk42gunner]

I'd scrape the loose stuff out, then pour. If there is any rust it will help the ingots fall out.

Robert

[340six]

I'd scrape the loose stuff out, then pour. If there is any rust it will help the ingots fall out.

Robert
What about the pot? I am sure it is ok as is for ingets but what about as is with a dipper for moulds?

[Mk42gunner]

I had to go back and look at the picture again, if you are going to cast bullets with that pot it wouldn't hurt to hit it with a wire brush in an electric drill, then flux as normal to get clean metal.

I have a ladle that looks an awful lot like your big one, it has a divider across the bowl with piercings to allow bottom pouring from it. Too bad it is just too large for casting bullets.

Robert

[WHITETAIL]

If it is clean and no flakes in it.
Go for it!:castmine:

[340six]

Was going to just wire brush them clean coat with some oil and bake/heat like you season a pot you cook with? Is that ok in the BBQ pit outside{gas grille} close lid and heat or do not use the grille since I also cook food in it.
Was thinking it would kinda be non stick? Worried the bricks wil stay in and not come out?
[b]Also what to do with the bricks? Will they fit in a lee 4 pot or to large?
Want easy useable sized ingets[b]

[lwknight]

Cast a few ingots that are not so thick. These will be your starter ingots. Kinda like saving some bacon grease to cook bacon faster in the morning.

[rob45]

Was going to just wire brush them clean coat with some oil and bake/heat like you season a pot you cook with? Is that ok in the BBQ pit outside{gas grille} close lid and heat or do not use the grille since I also cook food in it.
Was thinking it would kinda be non stick? Worried the bricks wil stay in and not come out?
[b]Also what to do with the bricks? Will they fit in a lee 4 pot or to large?
Want easy useable sized ingets[b]

Do not waste your time seasoning the cast iron like you do with cooking. The seasoned coating quickly degrades and comes off at the temperatures required for melting lead.
Also, the seasoned nonstick coating is actually detrimental to fast melting. It effectively serves as a mild insulating barrier between the iron and material to which you want to transfer heat (lead in this case).
It's not that you can't use seasoned cast iron for melted lead, because you indeed can. It's simply the fact that it is of more detriment than benefit.

For your ingot molds, simply brush/scrape any heavy corrosion that may flake off. Don't worry about light surface rust as that seems to act as a natural release agent, as mentioned by others above.

Concerning your pot and ladle: The pot in the picture is more suitable to ladle casting your bullets; it's too small for suitable production with the ingot molds pictured. So I would hope that your questions regarding the pot are with the intent of using it for actually casting bullets, and my response will be based upon that assumption.
My poor eyesight does not allow me to see how cruddy the pot in the picture already is. The junk that collects on the sides of the pot is not only rust; it is also all of the other various oxides that form during the melting process. This is the junk that we try to keep out of the bullet mold, and the most effective way of dealing with that is to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot during the fluxing process. The scraping allows us to dislodge the trash from the pot and it then floats to the top of the molten lead for easy fluxing and removal.

If the buildup on your pot and ladle is considerable, then try this: Soak it in white vinegar for a couple of hours, then scour with a common scrub pad while rinsing under the water faucet. The vinegar will take it down to bare metal, and the light scrubbing very easily removes anything the vinegar did not. It is very important to rinse the pot with water, as the vinegar is nothing more than diluted acetic acid. If left unrinsed, the vinegar will continue to eat into the metal itself. By rinsing the pot, you stop the reaction of the vinegar. Plus you don't have to contend with a nasty vinegar smell when you're trying to make bullets.;) The same process can be done with your ladle.
After the water rinse, the metal will immediately start to surface rust. That's OK, because light surface rust is not detrimental to your intended use. Remember, the heavy, scaly, flaky buildup is what you need to remove.

Hope this helps.
Good Luck.

[JSnover]

What about the pot? I am sure it is ok as is for ingets but what about as is with a dipper for moulds?

Unless you empty and clean the pot between pours (I always leave a bit in the bottom) you'd rather use seperate pots for ingots and boolits.

[Recluse]

Rob45 nailed it.

:coffee:

[340six]

I was going to use the small pot to cast with and the laddle. And get a larger cast iron pot to cast ingets from wal mart or harbor frieght
Thanks for the responces

[340six]

I got a new one from harbor frighr and the wife wants it, since it has a lid.
So I am going to use the old one she cooked with that has no lid.
Any conserns since the old one is seasoned?

[Edubya]

Concern? No. Just do what Rob45 said, clean it with vinegar.
If you do any power brushing on a kettle or moulds that have had cast lead in them, wear a mask... lead dust is not healthy.
EW