Tool for bottom pour?

[Mike W1]

Anyone have any good ideas of what to use around the bottom of the valve rod to stir up what matter might be lurking there? Just cleaned out my pot and you sure as heck aren't going to be getting anything out of there with a spoon. Wasn't a lot there but don't need anything there either!

[country gent]

Possibly an ice pick with a small bent end to scrape and loosen it so cud can float to top to be removed. Dedending on rods angle a piece of banding bent into u shape on end with a shank could be slide down shaft to work area to free up bild up also.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

fill your pot up about 3/4 full of water turn it on let it boil for about 1/2 in hour or so add water when you need to swish the sides with a steel brush is all i do in my lee 4/20 pot

[chrisstophere]

fill your pot up about 3/4 full of water turn it on let it boil for about 1/2 in hour or so add water when you need to swish the sides with a steel brush is all i do in my lee 4/20 pot

I think OP meant when he's casting. I've been looking for something as well. So far I've been using the thermometer. Also, I'll only flux with a dab a teacup wax in the pot when I throw in some clean ingots. I used a pinch of sawdust before and instantly regretted it.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

I think OP meant when he's casting. I've been looking for something as well. So far I've been using the thermometer. Also, I'll only flux with a dab a teacup wax in the pot when I throw in some clean ingots. I used a pinch of sawdust before and instantly regretted it.

try a chopstick

[JWFilips]

Anyone have any good ideas of what to use around the bottom of the valve rod to stir up what matter might be lurking there? Just cleaned out my pot and you sure as heck aren't going to be getting anything out of there with a spoon. Wasn't a lot there but don't need anything there either!

I use two items: One is a tool I made from an old 6" stainless ruler: I also use an old piece of Hacksawblade shaped to scrape the edges of the pot especially around the spout. Scrape the bottom and lift up to the top on the sides to float the junk. take a bit of time but it is worth it! I DO NOT USE A WOODEN STICK ON THE BOTTOM OF A BOTTOM POUR POT!!!

[chrisstophere]

I use two items: One is a tool I made from an old 6" stainless ruler: I also use an old piece of Hacksawblade shaped to scrape the edges of the pot especially around the spout. Scrape the bottom and lift up to the top on the sides to float the junk. take a bit of time but it is worth it! I DO NOT USE A WOODEN STICK ON THE BOTTOM OF A BOTTOM POUR POT!!!

That's pretty inventive. I'm going to have to start being more creative like that.

[JWFilips]

Don't get too carried away with "wooden sticks" in the bottom pour pot. If you get carbon & crud under the float ( lead) the lead pressure will hold it there and cause it to move to the spout ....Then you get inclusions in your boolits. Do all your cleaning in the smelting! Then use only those clean ingots in your bottom pour. Don't add your sprues to top off the pot but if you are forced to: float them in small quantites on a spoon so the don't fall to the bottom and cause oxides to lodge below the heavy liquid lead.... Accept this and you will be on your way to clean pours with a bottom pour pot! Many folks can't understand the "pressure of the molten lead!" It will hold all junk to the sides and bottom of the pot unless heavily stirred in and coax to the top of the melt!

[chrisstophere]

Don't get too carried away with "wooden sticks" in the bottom pour pot. If you get carbon & crud under the float ( lead) the lead pressure will hold it there and cause it to move to the spout ....Then you get inclusions in your boolits. Do all your cleaning in the smelting! Then use only those clean ingots in your bottom pour. Don't add your sprues to top off the pot but if you are forced to: float them in small quantites on a spoon so the don't fall to the bottom and cause oxides to lodge below the heavy liquid lead.... Accept this and you will be on your way to clean pours with a bottom pour pot! Many folks can't understand the "pressure of the molten lead!" It will hold all junk to the sides and bottom of the pot unless heavily stirred in and coax to the top of the melt!

I didn't know about not putting the sprue back in. Granted I never put many back in at one time, but this is something I didn't know. Thanks.

[JWFilips]

Pleased to Help! You are learning from a guy that has gone thru the hard knocks... ( and Have it beat!)

[VHoward]

I received a lot of flack from people on this forum for telling them not to put sprues back into the pot. The sprues may have been poured from clean lead, but they take dirt with them when you pour them in. Dirt that may have been floating on the surface. But I shut up and let them struggle with crud in their bottom pours and continue to put all sprues into the smelting pot to be cleaned and cast into clean ingots with the next batch of scrap lead. Only clean lead into a bottom pour and keep it clean. Then you won't have the crud problem. Easier to keep it out than to try to clean it out.

[Mike W1]

I rarely flux my pouring pot anymore, just the feeder pot above. Have been using and liking NEI's flux up there and have tried beeswax just a couple times now. Jury hasn't come to a verdict on that yet. Last couple batches of alloy I used some stearine that was used on Telco lead. Came in sticks and just ground it fine with an old kitchen shredder and that seemed real good so I'll stick with that there I think. Fluxing tools this far have been stainless kitchen spoons with holes drilled in them and the tips ground down to fit the sides of the pot. Broomstick handles added.

Was kind of thinking of trying a small flat blade screwdriver to gently scrape around the valve rod bottom area. If I can keep that area clean think most of the problem won't become a problem. Might grind a small piece of rod down to a small rounded point too.

[JWFilips]

The biggest problem with sprues is they are oxidized by virtue of cooling in the open air. When you drop a cold sprue in a hot pot it wants to go right to the bottom. There it will break through the bottom "skin" of the lead in places...then it melts and some of the oxidation get trapped between the pot and the "skin" on the bottom of the lead and is trapped there by the weight on top of it. It quickly works it's way to the spout with the movement of the lead flowing from the nozzle. If one were to gently lower them into the pot until they get hot they will then float and the oxides stay on the top surface of the lead "skin" where they are easy to remove.
When you start thinking of molten lead as a "very heavy hard skinned bubble" that can trap things between itself and the vessel it is contained in; you will understand how crud gets into your boolits. Only through scraping and good agitation will the trapped dirt & oxides incorporate into the bubble of molten lead where they are then coaxed to the surface to be removed. Remember when you scrape the bottom and sides do it with a motion to to bring it off the bottom...up the sides and to the top! Not just round and round.

[paul h]

Empty your pot and when cooled fill with water. Plug in and let it come to a boil. Unplug and when cool dump out crud.

Only cast with clean ingots and you won't have problems with crud in the valve.

[jmsj]

I throw my sprues back in as I go but I have about 1/2"-3/4" of kitty litter/floor absorbent on top of my melt.
Before I started putting the kitty litter/floor absorbent on top of the melt, I did have inclusion issues when throwing the sprues back in the pot.

[Mike W1]

Empty your pot and when cooled fill with water. Plug in and let it come to a boil. Unplug and when cool dump out crud.

Only cast with clean ingots and you won't have problems with crud in the valve.

Did that very thing a week or so back. And down there where the valve rod goes there was some unmelted lead as you can't always get it all out. It looked a bit nasty so I popped it out and things looked fine. However I'd suspect any pot over time is gonna get a bit of **** down there and seems like a bit of stirring/scraping with some type tool would get it loose so the flux could get it to the top. It's been years since I'd cleaned that pot and it only gets fed pretty clean lead from the feeder pot. I sincerely doubt it's possible with our methods to ever get absolutely clean metal.

[Mike W1]

I use two items: One is a tool I made from an old 6" stainless ruler: I also use an old piece of Hacksawblade shaped to scrape the edges of the pot especially around the spout. Scrape the bottom and lift up to the top on the sides to float the junk. take a bit of time but it is worth it! I DO NOT USE A WOODEN STICK ON THE BOTTOM OF A BOTTOM POUR POT!!!

Also a picture of your hacksaw blade would be nice to see how the end is shaped on it.

[454gene]

I have been seeing a bark like appearance on the bullets I cast last time and a little frosting. could this be inclusions from adding sprues?

[JWFilips]

The hacksaw scraper blade has one corner radiused to match the radius on my Lee 20 LB pot The other corner is 90 degrees. The bottom part of the blade is ground flat. I then lightly sand both sides of the blade flat


I like to use this tool around the spout drain area Good for getting in between it at the pot wall were the bigger tool won't go

[JWFilips]

I have been seeing a bark like appearance on the bullets I cast last time and a little frosting. could this be inclusions from adding sprues?

Hard to tell without seeing a close up photo.
A good way to tell if you are casting with clean alloy is to flip your sprues over after you cut them. Inclusions will show pretty quick on the flat bottom surface of the sprues.
Oxides tend to move to the top of the sprues ( gray ash looking deposits on top)