Master Caster Issue

[LAH]

The orifice is quite small on the MasterCaster, just crank the heat up. Any zinc contamination will clog it pretty fast. I run mine pretty much @ 700-725 for range scrap to clip ww. I add clean alloy so don't always flux per say, but stir often w/ a wood stick.

I do much the same only 725-750. And I use a stick also.

[kayak1]

My orifice plate is now plugged. I was down to 50% speed for about a week and now I am without any lead flow.

I am running my pot at 750 pushing a paperclip into the orifice (like I do with my lee) didn't help.

I unbolted my pot and attempted to remove the orifice plate and wasn't able to. It looks like they should be allen heads but they are round without a place for the wrench to grab.

This video makes it seem like I should be running a drill though it:
http://www.magmaengineering.com/videos/#ClearOrifice

But with it being clear for the paper clip do I have a different issue?

I would really like to get this running! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[ProfGAB101]

I cast on the cool side also (about 700-710F) and I would have the front port freeze up if;

• I used the squirrel cage fan.
• I slowed my pace down too much.

I would just move the mold forward to just where it was contacting the 'opener' rails then put a small ladle under the plate and fill the ladle. Usually one ladle full moves enough BTU's through the plate to heat it back up to near pot temp and it clears its self. I've had my MC for a good 20+ years and have never needed to remove the plate for cleaning.

I do clean up all my lead and make lead muffins or 4lb lead ingots to feed the MC. Nothing goes into the MC pot that I have not purified before.

I do all the ingot work in the warm times of the year out doors and have my MC setup on its own stand and do the bullet casting in the winter months (in the garage). The clean lead never smokes and I only rarely need to flux the pot, maybe 1 in 5 casting sessions ( I tend to cast 6-14hrs at a time, hate wasting all that warm up time.)

BTW I know my MC is 20+ because I did about 150,000 around the time the d@mned Brady Bill passed.

[kayak1]

I don't think that it's frozen, hitting it with a propane torch didn't help.

I smelt/flux my range scrap on the turkey fryer. I then remelt and flux it in my lee 20# pot, I attempt to keep the lead in the master caster clean ( I guess not clean enough). I picked up the MC from a member on the forum, so I am at least the 2nd owner.

[bstone5]

I have had mine plug up fron the burnt wood from the stick used to stir and flux the lead in the pot.

I finally got it to flow with wire in the spout hole ad letting a lot of lead flow.

[kayak1]

I was able dismount the pot and get the two 10-24 x 3/8" screws out. I then had to heat the pot up to get the nozzle detached. With the nozzle detached I drained the lead (on to a long section of angle iron).

I heated scraped the top and bottom clean and the mating surface on the pot clean. I then drilled the two holes out again and used two new stainless cap screws to put it back together. After getting everything back together, adding new lead everything is working great! The nozzles are pouring and life is great.

[HATCH]

I hope you put anti-seeze on the stainless.

[kayak1]

I hope you put anti-seeze on the stainless.

I didn't. Will the anti-seeze be ok with the heat? I have a jar of the silver-grey anit-seeze is that what I need or do they have a high heat version?

[HATCH]

The permatix copper is rated to 1800f. I would make sure you put stuff rated to at least 800f.
The silver gray loctite a stuff is good to 1000f.

[LAH]

I use nothing on the 10-24X3/8 bolts, only snug them in the pot enough to stop any leakage between the pot & orifice plate.

[HATCH]

But do you use stainless or carbon steel?

[LAH]

Carbon the factory bolts.