How do you get unused lead out of your pot?

[Stopsign32v]

I will be using a lead dipper so my pot is solid with no spout at the bottom.

How do you guys with this setup empty the pot when you are done if there is some lead left in?

[bmortell]

write what it is on the lead, unscrew the screws to take the pot out, repeatedly drop it gently upside down on something hard you don't like, don't breath the dust you'll die and stuff.

[rking22]

Depends on the pot, and how much lead. I pick it up and dump into an ingot mold, let it cool and dump it out as a solid, or leave it for the next melt. Generally just leave it, I don’t change my allow very much and tend to not make it any more complicated than necessary.I have two dipper pots one straight sided and a cast iron mini bean pot.

[Gatch]

I'm only running 1 alloy atm, so it just sits until I have another casting session.

[GhostHawk]

I don't, period. Like Gatch I am mostly running one blend, roughly 50% COWW and 50% range scrap with 1% pewter or tin added.

If I want rifle boolits that can take more pressure I water drop them. Everything else gets air cooled.

Once I am done with a session I turn off the pot, drop in an ingot or 2 to bring level back up and walk away.

My pot is a 20 lb Magnum Melter by Lee and I love the bejebus out of it. All dipper work.

[RED BEAR]

When i swap allows i just dump it in a mold to.

[country gent]

I will clip vise grips to my pot and pour into ingot moulds or, since my pots bottom is concave and the sides short I set a bolt in the center with a washer on it and let cool. then with pliers lift the lead slug out. I can bump it out on a short length of 2 x 4 if I need to the block keeps an edge up so It can be gotten ahold of easily. Look at your set up and think a little on what will work for you. The bolt I use is a 1/4" 20 flat head 3" long

[lightman]

I drain as much as I can then pick it up and pour the remaining lead into an ingot mold. I wear a good pair of gloves for this.

[WHITETAIL]

I get as much as I can with 2 dippers.
Then I just let the remains cool,
then when cold I turn the pot over.
And let the cold lead fall out.
Then I put it in with the dirty lead till
the next smelting.

[Arkansas Paul]

I don't change alloys. I use wheel weights.
So, I don't worry about what's left in the pot. It gets left there until the next casting session.

[kevin c]

Like the others above I use one casting alloy, so my RCBS casting pot doesn't get emptied unless I want to clean it or melt pewter. My half propane tank pot gets used for scrap processing as well as alloy mixing, so I do empty it. There may be ten or so pounds left in the curved bottom that I can't ladle out, so vise grips on the lip allow me to lift and pour into a mold (the pot has a spout). The ounce or so that adheres to the sides gets scraped down and once cooled goes into my can of dross, which when full, gets processed in turn.

ETA: country gent, that bolt is a great idea! I guess galvanized screws wouldn't be the best choice though?

[country gent]

I mostly use black iron screws and bolts I don't care got the galvanized or newer cadmium plated bolts unless they are really needed for a project. The bolt works well and is easy, one taller than the pots depth makes it easier to get a hold of. also if you tip the pot so the lead is in a corner and put the bolt in it gives room to lift it out when cool

[Land Owner]

[SARCASM=ON]

I have heard, but do not recommend, that if you heat that lead up real hot and then drop a little water in the pot, the lead will take itself right out pronto. Like I said, I don't recommend that.

[SARCASM=OFF]

[Gtek]

My melting pot I leave 1/2"-1" or so and bend up a wire and set down in melt so loop is above surface. When it cools pick it up, write on top what it is and on shelf it goes. Set back in for the next round of that mix and it really speeds up the whole stacked on top of it melt down.

[bmortell]

hmm, I have a lyman big dipper pot and the ingots kinda stick in place too much for the lift it out method, It would lift the whole thing up. hence I take the pot out and drop it upside down outside.

[gwpercle]

I have a Lee Magnum Melter , open top , dipper pot . When I want to empty it , after dipping out most of the metal , I unplug the pot , put on the big gloves , pick it up the pot and pour the remaining metal into the ingot moulds (mini-muffin pan) let them all cool before handling .
Gary

[MGnoob]

Just run your pot near empty (which is sometime not advisable) and then add your new alloy.... if your pot has any actual volume it won’t matter.... but unless you exercise good practices .. you might regret doing it my way...:Small pots can be tricky and finicky.while on Larger pots a plugged orifice can give you a larger problem....It’s all about experience and what you’re doing and what your goals are... it’s all also equipment specific coupled with experience

[lightman]

[SARCASM=ON]

I have heard, but do not recommend, that if you heat that lead up real hot and then drop a little water in the pot, the lead will take itself right out pronto. Like I said, I don't recommend that.

[SARCASM=OFF]

Nah, ya gotta get the water under the lead to do this!

[country gent]

By setting the pot on an angle the left over lead isn't in full contact and has room to lift out. One of the features of the older pots were sides with draft on them or an angled side that got bigger towards the top. This allowed cooled led to drop out since as it moved towards the top it got more clearance. By setting the front of the stand on a block and angling the pot so that the lead isn't full contact you give this clearance also. My old gas fired plumbers pot is close to an inch bigger at the top than it is at the concave bottom. This feature allowed lead to be cooled and dumped out with just a bump.

With the newer straight sided pots the cooled slug drags the full length. But the days of the tapered sides and concave bottoms are getting fewer since it cheaper to manufacture flat bottoms and straight sides. In my eye the concave bottom has another plus. On my big pot ( made from a 25# propane cylinder) with a lyman or rcbs ladle I can pour good bullets down to about 3 -5 lbs of lead, with out adjusting the pots angle or other tricks. The concave base makes getting more lead out easier. The concave base makes the screw work easily also. once it loosens it lifts right out

A simple 1" or 1 1/2" block set under the front of the stand on the lyman and or lees angles it to where more lead can be ladled out and one edge free.

[fredj338]

I don't. I never drain any of my casting pots unless forced to. That is how you introduce crud into the spout. IF changing alloys, I just reduce the pot to about 2# worth then start adding to blend the new alloy. I have two Lee pots, they never drip. My MAgma has only been emptied once when I dropped a 15# block of zinc contaminated alloy into it.