Cleaning the "potty"?

[RBak]

When your casting pot gets to look like the one on the left, what's the best way to clean it....short of throwing it in the dumpster?



Russ...

[Bret4207]

If you flux with a hard wood stick during casting and scrape the pots sides and bottom as you go they won't end up looking like that. What you have there is alloy sticking to rust in the pot. IMO that's where a lot of dross comes from. When I switch to a stainless steel pot i got rid of at least 50% of my dross.

[James C. Snodgrass]

I've used a wire wheel on my drill and also a wire cup to clean like new . I also clean the tip of the rod with 600 grit paper every now and then . James

[GabbyM]

Flux with some Armour white lard now and then. Check that it's a salt free brand of lard. Use some wood sticks as mentioned above.
That pot looks like it needs wire brushing with a die grinder. but if the spout isn't dripping I'd leave it alone. Lard or corn oil make good flux. Crisco works too if that's what you have in the kitchen. Lard is the best pot grease and the smokiest of the bunch.

[anachronism]

Remove the bottom pour stuff & have the pot bead blasted. I used to boil water in the pots but it was a little messy in some of them so I stopped.

[SteelyNirvana]

Soak it in white vinegar for a week. It works.

[John Guedry]

Man that pot ain't dirty.

[Murphy]

I guess we all have our own way of cleaning our pots, so here's mine.

WARNING: This is just my way of doing it, try it at your own risk. (Although I've yet to have a problem with it).

Plug the pot up and once everything in it is melted, unplug it. You may want to pick up a couple of cheap bronze brushes at Wally World or a local hardware store. Use them to scrub the walls of the pot as it's cooling down. Turn it upside down and tap the bottom to help any loose crud fall out.

Now for the part that may frighten some, but it's never been a problem in my experience.

Once the pot is cool enough to touch with your bare hand, carry it outside and place it on a surface you're not too worried about getting nasty. Fill the pot with water to almost full, plug it in and let it boil it out.

Works for me,

Thanks,

Murphy

[Flinchrock]

Man that pot ain't dirty.

That's what I thought!

[RBak]

Many good replies, lots of "new stuff" to this old feller.

I think the main reason for any potty getting this way is that dadburn flux we get from Brownells, ie Marvellux.

That pot is maybe 20 / 25 years old, and the only flux that was used in it was the Marvellux. (?sp) It took that long to use a full can of that stuff!

Once I get it cleaned up, I think I will only use the "stick method" or NRA 50/50 for fluxing.

The newer pot, on the right, although cleaned up right nice, has been used.
I don't rightly know how many times it was used, perhaps ten or twelve, perhaps a bit less, but the only flux that has been used in it is small pinches of NRA 50/50...the lube stick looks like a squirrel has been nibbling on the end of it, so it hasn't been used all that much.

I guess my main reason for asking is because I simply don't want to toss it, and it appears the consenus is it can be cleaned up and used again. I honestly didn't realize it is as bad as it is...until I dug it out.
Kinda funny how one can get a sort of "attachment" to an old tool or piece of equipment, but that's where me and my old dirty pot stand.

And, I certainly appreciate John Guedry, and Flinchrock being nice.

Russ...

[docone31]

I have found, when it is hot, and full of melt, scrapeing the sides does a lot!
I fashioned a long screwdriver to just get in the pot and scrape. I drag it along the bottom, scrape the sides, and stir. The crud floats up and gets scooped out.
Merely fluxing will not get crud that is attracted to rust flakes, small pieces of crud that somehow sticks to the pot walls. From there crud grows.
I also scrape around the pour spout in the inside. It tends to grow in the corners of the pour spout, and pot walls. A good scrapeing and the crud floats up.
Not a total solution, however, melting down in a seperate container goes a long way in keeping excess crud from entering the melt. There will always be oxide buildup with lead. It reacts very strongly with oxygen. Keeping charcoal, or something combustable on top helps to keep the oxide layer on the top.
Ain't pots fun?

[HeavyMetal]

That is why I stopped using Mavelux!

I had twice that amount of crud on it the first time it quite melting. Now I regulate Marvelux to the smelting pot and use sawdust and a stick to flux with.

I also picked up a flux from a lead dealer here in LA that works real nice and no corrsion.

Heat that baby up pour out anything that's in it let it cool and then get after it with a wire brush and a cordless drill.

Where a good dust mask of course!

[captaint]

I like to scrape with wood (very dry) and keep kitty litter on top. As mentioned,, you can scrape right through the kitty stuff and at the end of session, just pull out the litter and all else comes with it. Done!!! Mike

[Flinchrock]

That is why I stopped using Mavelux!

I had twice that amount of crud on it the first time it quite melting. Now I regulate Marvelux to the smelting pot and use sawdust and a stick to flux with.

I also picked up a flux from a lead dealer here in LA that works real nice and no corrsion.

Heat that baby up pour out anything that's in it let it cool and then get after it with a wire brush and a cordless drill.

Where a good dust mask of course!

Don't much care for marvelux,,,

[stubshaft]

Man that pot ain't dirty.

+1 on that!

Where I come from we call that "discolored".