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Please forgive me if this is the wrong place for this.
Yestrday I got tired of the dripping and plugging up of the Nozzle on my Lee Pot. It is a very old pot that I picked up in a yard sale. Following the directions here for cleaning the pot with Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide cleaned the pot so that it almost NEW. No more drips no more plugging. I use my pot to melt Pure Soft Lead for .490 r0und ball. I wnt to thank the person/people here for my new education.[smilie=s:
Yep sometimes you just have to clean them out. I have cleaned mine out at least 1 time. This is 2K
I will be adding a Lee 20# Bottom Pour pot next week. Yet another pot to keep clean. Gotta Love it when the Government Pays for Casting Equipment (stimulus Check):cbpour:
My Lee Pro 4-20 showed up in todays mail from Midway (they still have it listed as Out of Stock until June 2) . Time to get back in the Casting Business Empty the 10# furnace Clean it and put it on the Shelf (I will use it for my Hard Lead Conical Boolits).
Time to start looking into a PID setup.
Congrats! I’ll grow up and get a 20lb’r one day.
Put the PID on the top of your list of casting necessities.
You'll kick yourself for not getting one earlier. Nothing like turning the PID on, setting your decided temperature and forgetting about it [smilie=w::bigsmyl2:
I will have to study on a PID and get to where I feel comfortable tearing into a Brand new Furnace. Also money is an object at the moment.
I did get a bit of try it out time this evening. Learning how to adjust the Valve Rod to control the dripping. I really like that it only took around 25 minutes to melt 15# of soft lead and maintained it 700 degrees. I am going to have to add a shelf to my Casting bench for the new furnace so I can see the pour spout. I have a lot of practicing to do with the Mold Tray and being able to line up the Sprue hole with the spout, especially when I start using my 2 Cavity Round Ball mold. the 50cal conical Boolits I molded up were Shiny and wrinkle free Lube Grooves were perfect Bottom of Boolits were flat and not dimpled at all. I am very pleased with the new toy so far.
you can build a PID for a lot less than buying one made. research threads and youtube
I have to empty mine and clean it. It gets stopped up about a 1/4 of the lead from the top. I have to run a torch tip cleaner up the drain spout a few times to get it going again. Then about 10 cast later I have to do it again. I can not remember the last time I cleaned it. At least 5 years.
On the PID, you can build one with power in/power out. That is you put a receptacle on the PID and plug your pot into it. Just turn the know on pot to maximum and let the PID control the power to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2A-Jay
I elevate my Lee 20# pot to the point where I can see the bottom spout when seated but I'd like to get it high enough so I could cast while standing.
Now just never empty it again & it wont drip. I have a 10# & 20#, they have never dripped because I don't melt scrap in them nor empty them.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2A-Jay
Will the vinegar/peroxide solution clean out hard lead/dross slag crap that wont even scrape out?
I know what you mean 2A, My new Lee classic cast turret press and all the accessories was a gift from Uncle Sugar. First thing we picked up was several hundred dollars worth of meat for the freezer.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2A-Jay
Been thinking I should lay in a spare pot just to be covered incase mine gives up the ghost. Sometimes casting is a needed soul soothing activity.
PID , what PID ... we ain't got no PID's ...We don't NEED no stinking PID's to cast boolits !!!
Gary
I am currently using an Infra Red Digital Thermometer to verify lead temp. Works well enough for now.
I added a shelf/tool cubby to my casting bench today made of 1"X8" Pine. It is anchored on place to the wood backsplash of the Bench for stability. When seated at the bench I can see the bottom of the pour spout and the top of the Sprue plates of my molds. Then the rain started putting a damper on any molding for the day (personal choice I won't cast when it is raining and the humidity is High during the Rain). Hope for warm dry weather tomorrow. Hope for Pics tomorrow too.
Jay