Clogged Pot

[sw20strike]

Well after my first session using my new lee pot it clogged pretty bad. Usually I just ran a wire up in it to unclog the pot but now I think some wire actually got stuck up in the spout itself. I've never had a issue unclogging it with wire before until this happened. I spent a little over an hour trying to unclog the thing. The troubleshooting piece said to use a paper clip with pliers, tried it to no avail. Any suggestions would help. Trying to get more casting in this weekend but I didn't even get to make one tonight. It's a lee 20lb pot, thanks in advance

[Recluse]

Welcome to the world of Lee bottom pour pots. If they're not leaking, they're clogging.

I've had that happen way too many times to me. Ladle out your molten alloy into your ingot molds, then put on some gloves, unplug your pot, and physically pour out the remaining alloy.

Now you can fiddle around and try to see what the problem is other than a urine-poor design.

Best advice is get you a ladle, leave the thing plugged up and ladle cast. You'll actually make consistently better boolits because you won't have to be fiddle-farting around with the furnace.

Also, folks think that ladle casting is slower. I haven't found that to be the case. I've found messing with a poor-performing bottom-pour furnace to be much slower than ladle-casting. I also get the added benefit of FAR FAR FEWER rejects that go back into the furnace.

:coffee:

[stubshaft]

When I used to use it as a bottom pour I drilled a 3/16" hole in the base directly under the spout. Periodically I would drain the pot and use a long 1/8" bit to clean the spout.

Finally fixed the problem permanantly. I changed the pot into one with no spout and ladle cast.

[a.squibload]

Don't you guys know ladle-casting is out of style?...:kidding:

I never afflicted myself with an electric pot, ladle works just fine.
BUT if you're gonna use the bottom-pour for a ladle pot,
might be a good idea to put an old baking pan under it
in case it starts flowing again!

Think I read about some guys here removed the valve rod and
put a screw in the spout, no more drippin'.

[Dan Cash]

[QUOTE=a.squibload; ......
Think I read about some guys here removed the valve rod and
put a screw in the spout, no more drippin'.[/QUOTE]

Some years ago, I had a Lee 20# bottom pour. Thought it would be the hot set up but spen all my time fighting with the clogged or leaking spout. I removed the valve rod and ran a sheet metal screw in the hole and fixed it. Then I gave it to some lad on this forum who was getting started. Now, for me, it is an 80# heavy cast iron pot on propane burner. Ladle away and have not looked back.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

You need to use clean alloy.

you'll need to empty the pot, and clean it out,
then start again with clean alloy. If you maintain the pot,
you will not likely have all the problems as prescribed in
the previous posts...Most members here use the Lee bottom
pour pots fairly successfully, and YES, there are those here that
have problems...The lee pot is a inexpensive, dare I say cheap, tool
it works, if you work it...you do get what you pay for.

Myself, I have had very few problems with
my Lee pot. I bought it new 2 years ago, used
it for about 40 or 50 casting sessions. once in a while,
right after adding a couple ingots, the temp drops and
the spout freezes...that is a pain, but it is what it is.
when you say your pot is clogged, are you sure the temp
hasn't dropped for this type of reason and the spout is
just frose ?

Here is a pretty good thread on Lee pots
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=138610&highlight=drip
Jon

[3006guns]

If it will make you feel any better, they ALL do it to some extent. I have a SAECO bottom pour pot that is my pride and joy, but even it has had some issues. It started dripping some years ago, so I poured all my alloy out into an ingot mold and disassembled it. Over the years the rod point had become slightly scored allowing lead to get by. I retrued the point in my lathe and used automotive valve lapping compound to lap the rod into its seat. End of dripping problem although I still keep an ingot mold under the spout "just in case". I also ladle cast from this same pot.

As for clogging, a temperature drop will freeze the alloy or a bit of unseen crud will block it. The only remedy is to empty the pot, clean and check everything. If the Lee pot uses a steel rod it might be a good time to consider the lapping idea.

[Char-Gar]

I think all pots can have an occasional bout of frozen or crud clogged spout. I use a small drill bit in a pair of vise grips. You can rotate the bit and get the stuff out. Much better than a wire.

[dragonrider]

Use only well fluxed and clean lead in your casting pot and more importantly keep the temp up. Do not put cold or even mildly warm ingots in your casting pot, I use two pots one mounted above the other in order to add 700 degree lead to my casting pot. In this way I get no temp drops that cause clogged spouts. And my casting pot stays very clean, I seldom flux in my casting pot but when smelting flux heavily with sawdust several times during each batch. Yes my Lee 20 lb casting pot leaks a bit, one time recently it leaked a whole lot, emptied it out, but that just told me that it was past time to clean it. My thought is that you can't get clean lead from a dirty pot.

[R.M.]

dragonrider, do you get splash when you empty the 10 pounder intp the 20 pounder?

[snuffy]

Crimminy guys, the man asked how to get his pot unplugged, not whether to start ladle casting.:evil:

sw20, get the lead out by melting, then ladle or pout it out. The you'll have to remove the valve rod to try to see whats blocking the spout. A propane torch should help with any lead that doesn't pour out. Push something through the port to clear it out.

[geargnasher]

Empty pot, remove valve pintle. Apply propane torch to spout, followed by compressed air gun. Point in safe direction, obviously.

I'll never figure out why so many people cuss the bottom pour pots, especially the Lee 20-pounders. The Lee ten-pounders with the angled valve rod I can see, but I've never once had to rod-out the spout on my 20 pounder, and it hasn't dripped one single time in over a year since I learned to quit scraping the bottom with my wood stick and stopped adding sprues back in while I cast. Oh, and I did lap the valve pintle and peen the spout hole smaller about that same time which helped immensely. Mine is reliable, consistent, and a joy to use. It meters 675 degree wheel weight metal with boring precision and zero mess, which is what a BP pot's supposed to do, right? It also does it at about 20% of the cost of one of those "other" jobbies with colored paint on them.

Clean alloy and comfortable ambient temps around the pot keep the spout from clogging or freezing.

Gear

[bfuller14]

+2 Snuffy

[a.squibload]

I guess it's like anything else, learn how to use it and treat it right.
I will say the few times I've used a bottom-pour (someone else's) it worked
pretty good. Makes casting easy, you can do at least 2 molds at a time,
'specially if it's 2 guys with one mold each.
If I wasn't so cheap I would probably have one like Gear has by now!

[snuffy]

I just bought my second pro-20 lee pot. Why? Because the first needs a new inner liner and valve spout. After drilling 2 holes in the liner to install thermocouples for the PID, it leaks around the last one I put in. It's 5 years old and the spout throws the lead off at an angle. I attempted to drill the spout, now it's too big,(the metering hole that is)! Even after lapping it with abrasive paste, it drips pretty bad.

The new pot is a dream to work with. It has yet to leak a drop. I went with a normal TC, the 6" one from Auber. It works just fine and isn't in the way like I thought it would be.

Just for S&G, I tried to use the lee heat control while watching the Lyman thermometer. Same story as the old one BEFORE installing the PID. Temp swings 25 degrees while casting with a full pot, then climbs steadily as it gets past half way down. With the PID, I'm +- 1 or sometimes 2 degrees.

[sw20strike]

wow thanks for all the replies everyone. I managed to get it unclogged after searching a bit more and heating it with a torch. Funny thing was that it clogged with very little lead in the pot to begin with, i should've just poured everything out instead but live and learn i guess. Going to start casting for 9mm tonight instead of the regular 45 I cast for. Thanks for all the replies

[blikseme300]

I think all pots can have an occasional bout of frozen or crud clogged spout. I use a small drill bit in a pair of vise grips. You can rotate the bit and get the stuff out. Much better than a wire.

Depends on the pot. The commercial pots may have this problem but my own built ones never have. 70 lbs of alloy when full and hardly any change in temperature when the sprues are dropped in or 1lb ingots are added.

If the alloy is clean and the pot has sufficient heat energy then the spout should never freeze. The lack of Watts in the commercial pots are the cause of too many problems, IMHO.

Bliksem

[Colorado4wheel]

Use only well fluxed and clean lead in your casting pot and more importantly keep the temp up. Do not put cold or even mildly warm ingots in your casting pot, I use two pots one mounted above the other in order to add 700 degree lead to my casting pot. In this way I get no temp drops that cause clogged spouts. And my casting pot stays very clean, I seldom flux in my casting pot but when smelting flux heavily with sawdust several times during each batch. Yes my Lee 20 lb casting pot leaks a bit, one time recently it leaked a whole lot, emptied it out, but that just told me that it was past time to clean it. My thought is that you can't get clean lead from a dirty pot.

I use two pots as well. But I always flux in both. First pot pre heats the lead and keeps it ready for when the second is 1/2 full. Then empty the second into the first. I just wear heavy welding gloves. It pours in nice and easy. Never fill the second one more then 60% full and your fine. It's easy.

[supe47]

I also use two pots with a small piece of 3/4" steel pipe for lead transfer. An old Lyman as primary and 20# Lee to preheat and flux. Love it. If the pipe freezes, a trip to the Lee pot will melt it right out. My set up has to be mobile otherwise I'd mount the pots for direct pour. I can marathon cast without interruption 'til my butts sore.

[sw20strike]

I casted for a decent amount tonight(4 hours give or take). I know it isn't that long, but time managing for reloading/casting is below school and homework. I started making some 9mm tonight instead of the 45's. Also managed to sort some brass. The pot didn't really clog on me tonight which is good. When i did it was when from when I refilling the pot because I wasn't keeping track of how much was in there, but the whole little torch the spout seemed to work no issue tonight.

[dragonrider]

dragonrider, do you get splash when you empty the 10 pounder intp the 20 pounder?


No none at all, I have it mounted so that the top pot spout is over the 20 lb pot, just open the valve and it flows in nicely, no splash.

[beagle]

I keep a small lump of beeswax on the bench and occasionally, I'll touch it to the bottom of the spout. Naturally, it melts and seems like some gets sucked up the spout and cleans things out a bit.

Let it sit a few seconds and run out a dollop about as big as a half dollar and you'll see all kinds of **** on top when it cools.

Not a cure all for a clogged pot but it does seem to keep things flowing smoother./beagle

[R.M.]

I keep a small lump of beeswax on the bench and occasionally, I'll touch it to the bottom of the spout. Naturally, it melts and seems like some gets sucked up the spout and cleans things out a bit.

Let it sit a few seconds and run out a dollop about as big as a half dollar and you'll see all kinds of **** on top when it cools.

Not a cure all for a clogged pot but it does seem to keep things flowing smoother./beagle

Never heard of doing that. I will certainly give it a try next time I cast for sure.