G'day to all who read this.
I am placing this information up to help myself and others get some answers.
About a year ago, I was given a LEE 10 pound bottom pour pot; a LEE 20 pound bottom pour pot; 400 kilos of Linotype; 5 boolit molds of different calibres; an almost full container of 'MARVELLUX' and the accessories. The cost to me is a session at the pot to cast one or two hundred .454" round ball when he needs some, which is about every 18 months.
The person who was getting out of casting due to time constraints spoke highly of the 'MARVELLUX' flux as the best around. I have never used it before.
The issues arose when I went to cast the first installment of the required .454" RB. As I had received the pots with metal already in them, I went to the task.
When the metal was fluid I fluxed using 'MARVELLUX' and removed a lot of dross from the pot. During the session, the pouring spout started to drip faster eventually, it started to flow and could not be shut off. I emptied the pot and discovered the sides were heavily caked in dross and rust.
Obviously, it is possile the previous owner had not cleaned the pots in a long time or that having sat unused for a period of time, moisture crept in between the sides of the pot and lead and caused the rust.
I have not yet checked the 20 pound pot to see what the condition of the sides are.
My questions to the members;
Has anyone here used 'MARVELLUX' as a flux and to what results?
I have searched the forum but not found any cleaning tips for LEE pots (I know there is a thread here)?
Could the period between uses of the pot contributed to this condition? (I have not had this problem with my LEE but I don't use 'MARVELLUX' in them).
The second problem in this saga arose yesterday. To complete the required quota of Round Ball, I set up the gas ring and pot. With the double cavity LEE .454" Round Ball mold, I started casting using the RCBS dipper.
The round ball were dropping from the mold with fins on the sides (at the joint line of course.). This did not happen when I used the Bottom pour pot.
There is no sign of anything keeping the mold halves apart but I will go over it with a magnifer today. The amount of fin varied.
Any tips or hints.
I must close now,
John
Oops! I forgot; my metal on the gas ring was running at about 800+ F and I have no control over it.