Lyman furnace problem

[Shuz]

Folks--I have an older 10 lb capacity Lyman bottom pour furnace that either plugs up continually or drips continually. I have tried drilling out the crud and polishing the shaft/seat all to no avail.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Ray

[Maven]

Ray, Buckshot solved the problem on a Lee furnace by cleaning, lapping, polishing, AND adding weight (a large Vise Grip)to the operating rod. Others have added a spring + washers to the Lee rod, but I don't know if it would be so easy on a Lyman. Hope all is well with you.

Paul

[oneokie]

By "older", do you mean a Lyman 63 pot? If it is, what is the shape of the end of the metering rod on the end that seats in the orfice? Is it tapered or a square flat perpendicular to the axis of the rod?

A tapered end gives more surface area for crud to be trapped between the rod and seat.

[Molly]

I have an old Lyman pot (circa 1963) that used to drip terribly. It drove me nuts until I taped a lead ingot to the handle about a year ago. That did the job beautifully: It can be used for hours without more than one or two drips.

[Shuz]

By "older", do you mean a Lyman 63 pot? If it is, what is the shape of the end of the metering rod on the end that seats in the orfice? Is it tapered or a square flat perpendicular to the axis of the rod?

A tapered end gives more surface area for crud to be trapped between the rod and seat.

Mine is a Model 61. The metering rod is about 1/2 diameter and tapers near the bottom and then there is a smaller little pin that sticks out at the very bottom.

It seems mine has more of a "won't pour" problem than a dripping problem. That's why I have been slowly trying to drill out the spout from the bottom. I just don't wanna go "too big". any ideas as to how big the hole in the spout can be?

[leftiye]

Hammer the vertical rod into the spout (carefully), make it have a "seat." Get a better flux so the spout doesn't become obstructed with crud. Best I've found is "Buck Beaver Reloader's Flux" (not sure that's exactly correct, it's close enough) sold on eVil bAy. Do you get inclusions in your boolits? If you do, you've got crud (heavy oxides) in your pot. Try covering the molten metal with crushed charcoal, stir with a stick when you flux, and maybe even use a lid (I do).

[Shuz]

Hammer the vertical rod into the spout (carefully), make it have a "seat." Get a better flux so the spout doesn't become obstructed with crud. Best I've found is "Buck Beaver Reloader's Flux" (not sure that's exactly correct, it's close enough) sold on eVil bAy. Do you get inclusions in your boolits? If you do, you've got crud (heavy oxides) in your pot. Try covering the molten metal with crushed charcoal, stir with a stick when you flux, and maybe even use a lid (I do).

Pot appears fairly clean, and I don't have inclusions in my boolits. I use Marvelux as a flux and have for years. This pot was not new to me and I think you are right that there was a lot of crud in it before I started using the Marvelux in it. First I gotta get this pot to start flowing again freely and then I'm gonna try your suggestion about hammering the rod and see what happens. I just hope I don't jar the pot's electrical element(s) to the point where they fail!

[leftiye]

Marvelux itself covers (coats) your pot with Borax crystals. I've got a 5 lb can of it that was used just a few times and then retired 25 years ago or more. Also it does not return tin and antimony oxides to the melt (does not reduce oxides), but it does trap them and when you skim, you lose your tin and antimony. Use a carbon based flux (charcoal works fine, stearic acid, bullet lube, sawdust, parraffin, etc.) and stir with a stick.

Clean out the pot first! Probly plugged up with Borax. Sorry if you like the Marvelux, but ...........

If you're worrying about jarring the wiring etc, then remove the pot from the stand, and place the spout on a piece of hardwood before "educating it."

[Shuz]

leftiye--I drilled out the bottom spout with a 7/64" bit and then "educated" the rod as you suggested. Pot works fine now and does not drip. Thanks for the tips!

I do like Marvelux, and have, in fact, offered my self up as an "environmentally friendly depository" for those who don't like the stuff. Seems to work very well for me and I swear it keeps the sides of my pots clean. I have a Mag 20 (older model), and another Model 61 and they work fine. I do cover my melt with new kitty litter to prevent the oxidation that you are referrring to.

For those wondering why three pots: one has pure lead, one has 3:1 alloy(ww:lino) and the other has ww+1% tin. When I'm done casting each time, I keep each pot about half full. That is supposed to be easier on start-up and thus prolonging the life of the pots.

[williamwaco]

I don't know if I can describe this fix or not - but here goes:

Both Lyman and Saeco pots of this design frequently ( not always ) have a valve rod ( the vertical rod ) that is too short to close the valve at the top of the downspout.

Notice that the handle that extends from the valve rod to the right, then bends down to form the valve handle rests on the top of the pot when the valve is supposed to be closed.

If you see this, the handle is holding the tip of the valve rod up and away from the completely closed position. This mandates leaking and invites sludge to accumulate in the valve.

I have owned three of these pots. One made in the 60's, one in the '70's and one in the '80s, Two Saeco's and one Lyman. All three suffered from this problem. This is obviously a long time problem. Not with the design but with the implementation.

Fortunately it is easy to fix. Using a marker of some sort, mark a spot on the valve handle where it touches the top of the pot. Then remove it and grind it away. Continue this grinding until the handle no longer touches the top of the pot when it is in closed position. When this is done, you will have a 1/16 inch ( more or less ) cutout about one inch in length, in the handle where it no longer touches the top of the pot.

[mold maker]

Glad to know there is someone who likes Marvelux. I've got 3 cans less 2 table spoons that are 16-18 yr old. I'm sure they have drawn moisture, and aren't safe to stir into molten lead.
I couldn't stand the mess it created in my pot.
I've tried about everything, but always return to SAW DUST. My pots are clean and so is my melt.
Each of the above cleaning methods work, and if ya keep crud out of the top of the pot, it wont accumulate in the valve.
I do have a spout freeze problem ,with Lyman below 700*, so I stay above that, and keep a propane torch handy.