Thoughts on filling the pot at the end of a casting session

[Walter Laich]

As I finished my casting today and refilled and skimmed the junk off before turning it off I realized I might be doing this somewhat differently than others:
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Once I'm done casting I return all the spur to the pot along with enough ingots to fill it. I give it a change to heat up to melt all the added lead and I remove all the trash and such.
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This way it's one homogeneous mass and there is no water trapped inside that could explode when the pot is reheated down the road.
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It takes a bit longer for the pot to cool off but it's all ready to go for the next casting session

[JSnover]

Not a thing wrong with that, for exactly the reasons you described. It wouldn't be practical for people who use more than one alloy but it works well for me.

[Vann]

I use three separate pots, one for soft alloys, one for hard alloys, and the third for mixing. I usually try to keep an inch or so in the bottom, just because I think that it helps to get the next batch melted faster when I start my next casting session.

[1Shirt]

I use two pots, one for hard (dipper only), and a 20 lb lee for soft to med hard.
1Shirt!

[williamwaco]

+1 on the inch or so.

[Beagle333]

I leave a couple of inches, to half. I would leave it full, but I gotta carry it in and out before/after using.

[Sticky]

I do as Beagle, unless I am going to change up alloys (only have one pot ) and then I pour off the remainder after finishing the casting session into an ingot mold and pack em away for next time around. Gives me a chance to clean the pot once in a while too..

I also return my sprue and some scraps as I find them as I cast. I am old.. need a break on occasion, let the melt get back up to full temp and the mold to cool a bit.. and me to cool a bit.. LOL

[country gent]

One other trick Ive done in the past is after the full pot has solidified and is still warm run a wax candle or stick of beeswax around seam of pot and lead. This provides a seal between the two and acts as a moisture barrier also. dossnt take alot of wax but the additional seal may help in very humid conditions.

[Sticky]

I do this as well, since I use beeswax almost exclusively in my casting pot, I add a little at the end when the pot is cooling pretty well down to coat the surface of the remaining alloy and it helps keep the rusting down on the walls of the pot too in humid summer conditions around here (I keep the pot indoors, but cast in the garage).

[bhn22]

Since I am using scrap metals for casting, I mix each pot up to match the needs of my next anticipated batch. Then I cast that batch until it's almost used up. Then I mix a new batch and start the process all over again. My range scrap varies in it's hardness, as do wheelweights anymore, so this is the approach I finally took. I keep all lot numbers separated and marked, of course.

[Walter Laich]

understand the weight issue--mine is on a rolling table so it comes out of the garage when casting. I think the 'right' way is whatever the caster does, short of pouring water on the molten metal.

[blikseme300]

I always refill, flux & clean prior to turning off at the end of the casting session. Being the OCD type I have 3 pots ready to go anytime with different alloys depending on the need. Yes, the full pots when cool do weigh a bunch but I am fortunate to still be in good health and can carry them around.

[1_Ogre]

I always keep my cool pots at least 1/2 to 3/4 full when I'm done. All the sprue goes back into the pot, remelted, skimmed, then I turn off the pot. When it's cooled enough so you can hardly touch the pot without being burned, I take some of the excess boolit lube from the luber and put it on top of the cooling lead. This seals it from moisture, but most importantly it keeps the oxygen away from the lead in the pot thus really slowing down the oxidation of the lead mix

[Down South]

I usually fill the pot back up unless I'm planning on giving the pot a good cleaning at the end of a casting session. After I clean the pot, I fill er back up.

[fredj338]

I don't fill it per say, but I never let it get more than half empty. So sometimes it gets shut down that way or a bit more. Faster start up if it is only half full.

[cajun shooter]

I started casting in 1970 and my mentor at that time taught me to refill the pot when your casting session is over. I live in Louisiana and have never had one single problem with moisture on my next start up. If it's going to happen, I would have seen it here in the land of 100% humidity days.
When you fill the pot up at the end, it makes your next session easy to start. Later David

[borg]

heating a cold, full pot would give any moisture time to remove itself

[Old Scribe]

I use 2 pots, one for soft lead for m/l round balls and the other pot for hard boolits. I fill the pots when I'm done casting, let the lead start to cool, then sprinkle saw dust on top. I leave the ash on top and store the pot

[montanamike]

When casting I throw the sprue back in, let them melt and keep going. When I'm done I'll unplug the pot and throw the pile of sprue in to cool it down faster and keep the pot primed for next time.

[MediumCore358]

I like to keep it all together as well, pot stays fluid why not put all the same alloy scraps back in!