Master Caster Issue

[mktacop]

Ran into an issue with my Master Caster this weekend. The orifice plate kept clogging up, always the front orifice first, then eventually the rear orifice. I had fluxed the lead when I melted it down (mixture of wheel weights, monotype, and old cast bullets a friend gave me). The WWs were hand sorted by me and the lead was triple fluxed before being poured into ingots. I always flux again once the lead has melted in the pot.

I cleaned the orifice plates (I have a couple) as per Magma’s instructions and even drained and completely cleaned the pot and the problem came right back after about 20-25 casts. I was casting with the lead at 700 degrees (pot is PID controlled). I was using the same lead in my RCBS Pro-Melt and was casting at 680 with no issues at all. I finally upped the temp on the Master Caster to 750 and was able to keep the lead flowing......mostly.

I’m perplexed by what could be causing the issue and am hoping someone might have some insight.

[wymanwinn]

happens to me on the odd occasion....WW at 700F....i use a large paper clip to clean the pour spouts....i generally will clean one and the lead drips out of the other when i insert the paper clip...i repeat on the other and then back and forth...a couple of times...seems to clear the problem...

i cast in my reload room where there is no breeze across the pour spout....how about you...

wyman

[HATCH]

I have never ran across this problem.
I use foundry lead that is 100% clean with no trash in it.
I cast at 750 also.

[ReloaderFred]

The orifice is getting too cool for the alloy to flow. I keep a portable propane torch nearby, and when this happens when casting at low temperatures, I just hit the orifice for a few seconds with the torch and I'm back in business. It helps to turn the fan off when aiming the torch, too.

I made a tool for cleaning the orifice spouts from a file handle and a length of piano wire just a hair smaller than the orifice. It's bent at a 90 degree angle and cleans the spouts in about a second if they start spewing at an angle, or slowing down. I heated the end of the piano wire that goes into the plastic file handle and formed a tight loop on it so it wouldn't turn after being epoxied into the handle. I took an 1/8" pop rivet, removed the nail, and slipped the pop rivet on the piano wire to form a bushing to center the wire in the open end of the handle. I epoxied the wire into the handle to give me something to hold onto, and it works like a charm.

I'd tried the bent wire routine, but I've gotten more ham fisted as I've gotten older, and the file handle gave me something substantial to hold onto.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[mktacop]

happens to me on the odd occasion....WW at 700F....i use a large paper clip to clean the pour spouts....i generally will clean one and the lead drips out of the other when i insert the paper clip...i repeat on the other and then back and forth...a couple of times...seems to clear the problem...

i cast in my reload room where there is no breeze across the pour spout....how about you...

wyman

I cast in my garage. The only breeze would have been from the cooling fan mounted on the Master Caster. I tried cleaning with a paper clip, but that only worked for a cast or 3. Never seen anything like this with it before. :(

[mktacop]

The orifice is getting too cool for the alloy to flow. I keep a portable propane torch nearby, and when this happens when casting at low temperatures, I just hit the orifice for a few seconds with the torch and I'm back in business. It helps to turn the fan off when aiming the torch, too.

I made a tool for cleaning the orifice spouts from a file handle and a length of piano wire just a hair smaller than the orifice. It's bent at a 90 degree angle and cleans the spouts in about a second if they start spewing at an angle, or slowing down. I heated the end of the piano wire that goes into the plastic file handle and formed a tight loop on it so it wouldn't turn after being epoxied into the handle. I took an 1/8" pop rivet, removed the nail, and slipped the pop rivet on the piano wire to form a bushing to center the wire in the open end of the handle. I epoxied the wire into the handle to give me something to hold onto, and it works like a charm.

I'd tried the bent wire routine, but I've gotten more ham fisted as I've gotten older, and the file handle gave me something substantial to hold onto.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Thanks Fred, could the cooling fan itself be causing the problem?

[bstone5]

I have the same problem if I let the lead get too cool.

If the pot level gets low and I add lead the problem will happen.

The added lead lowers the temperature as the lead is melted.

When lead is added I wait until the temperature is back up before continuing casting.

I use one of the scribes that has the 90 degree bend to clean out the hole on the nozzle, I got the scribe at Home Depot.

The nozzle will get too low of a temperature and cause the lead not to flow. Let everything heat up and all usually works fine.

[mktacop]

I have the same problem if I let the lead get too cool.

If the pot level gets low and I add lead the problem will happen.

The added lead lowers the temperature as the lead is melted.

When lead is added I wait until the temperature is back up before continuing casting.

I use one of the scribes that has the 90 degree bend to clean out the hole on the nozzle, I got the scribe at Home Depot.

The nozzle will get too low of a temperature and cause the lead not to flow. Let everything heat up and all usually works fine.

Copy all. No lead was being added. The pot was full, and temp was stable. Started casting and within 15-20 casts, the flow started slowing down until the front orifice wasn't pouring hardly any lead.

[GabbyM]

750F is what I'd expect to run my caster at with WW. Probalby even hotter. inspect the boolits to see how hot they were poored.

Never hurts to remove the pour spouts two cap screws to clean it out.

[ReloaderFred]

I cast by an open window in my garage, with a fan pulling the smoke out. The ambient temperature this time of year in my garage is right around 58*, so if I'm not running the pot pretty warm, the combination of the cooling fan and the air temperature can cool the orifice down pretty quickly. The propane torch only takes a few seconds to get the orifice heated back up, and the continued flow of alloy keeps it there.

The orifice doesn't have a heat source of it's own, so to a certain extent it depends on the alloy flow to keep the temperature up. If the alloy temperature isn't enough to overcome the ambient temperature and the cool air flow, it freezes up. It drove me crazy until I figured out the torch was the way to solve the problem, other than just running the alloy hotter.

I smelt my alloy into 10 pound ingots for the Master Caster, so when the level gets down to where I'm going to be needing to add to it, I'll place an ingot on the back edge of the pot and let it warm up. By the time I need to add it in, it's hot enough that you need thick leather gloves to touch it.

By the way, don't go have lunch and leave an ingot on top of the pot. It makes a mess by the time you get back...............

Hope this helps.

Fred

[mktacop]

Well, I believe I got a hold of some contaminated lead.......not sure WHAT it might be contaminated with though.

I put some of the lead I had taken out of the Master Caster in my Pro-melt and it started plugging up too. So, I've drained and cleaned both pots, and that lead is all in a pile in the corner of my garage.

It has been an extremely frustrating evening to say the least.

[LAH]

Casting doesn't always go smoothly even with the best of equipment.


It helps to turn the fan off when aiming the torch, too.

Amen.

[HATCH]

Well, I believe I got a hold of some contaminated lead..

That's why i use foundry lead know alloy and no trash

[mktacop]

That's why i use foundry lead know alloy and no trash

You can be sure that nothing but "the good stuff" will go in the Master Caster from now on. Learned my lesson there.

[Powersgt]

I have run into the same problem in my Auto casters, usually on cool damp days. One thing I do is flux the living snot out of it while the caster is running. I alternate between old bullet lube or paraffin and saw dust. The carbonized sawdust will push (flux) the Tin and antimony in where as the lube will pull the trash out (usually the sawdust I put in.)

If the pots emptying quickly, I will do it every few bars or so. I use foundry lead mostly but will use other pre-cleaned materials if available.

V/R

Jeff

[shootinfox2]

Had the same problem Tuesday. Raised the heat from 700 to 755, cleared right up. The alloy that I amusing has COWW added so I had to raise the temp. Is that bad lead from the range lead or somewhere else?

Fox

[mktacop]

Had the same problem Tuesday. Raised the heat from 700 to 755, cleared right up. The alloy that I amusing has COWW added so I had to raise the temp. Is that bad lead from the range lead or somewhere else?

Fox

It was lead I got from somewhere else. I had zero issues with what I got from you.

[shootinfox2]

Good to know. I had some bullets that came out of the moldand crumbled, grainy, I turned up the heat and the problem went away.

[finishman2000]

i use one of those long butane fireplace lighters. just hit the clogged hole with the flame and good to go. it seems to happen when I stop to do something.

[fredj338]

The orifice is quite small on the MasterCaster, just crank the heat up. Any zinc contamination will clog it pretty fast. I run mine pretty much @ 700-725 for range scrap to clip ww. I add clean alloy so don't always flux per say, but stir often w/ a wood stick.

[LAH]

The orifice is quite small on the MasterCaster, just crank the heat up. Any zinc contamination will clog it pretty fast. I run mine pretty much @ 700-725 for range scrap to clip ww. I add clean alloy so don't always flux per say, but stir often w/ a wood stick.

I do much the same only 725-750. And I use a stick also.

[kayak1]

My orifice plate is now plugged. I was down to 50% speed for about a week and now I am without any lead flow.

I am running my pot at 750 pushing a paperclip into the orifice (like I do with my lee) didn't help.

I unbolted my pot and attempted to remove the orifice plate and wasn't able to. It looks like they should be allen heads but they are round without a place for the wrench to grab.

This video makes it seem like I should be running a drill though it:
http://www.magmaengineering.com/videos/#ClearOrifice

But with it being clear for the paper clip do I have a different issue?

I would really like to get this running! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[ProfGAB101]

I cast on the cool side also (about 700-710F) and I would have the front port freeze up if;
I used the squirrel cage fan. I slowed my pace down too much.

I would just move the mold forward to just where it was contacting the 'opener' rails then put a small ladle under the plate and fill the ladle. Usually one ladle full moves enough BTU's through the plate to heat it back up to near pot temp and it clears its self. I've had my MC for a good 20+ years and have never needed to remove the plate for cleaning.

I do clean up all my lead and make lead muffins or 4lb lead ingots to feed the MC. Nothing goes into the MC pot that I have not purified before.

I do all the ingot work in the warm times of the year out doors and have my MC setup on its own stand and do the bullet casting in the winter months (in the garage). The clean lead never smokes and I only rarely need to flux the pot, maybe 1 in 5 casting sessions ( I tend to cast 6-14hrs at a time, hate wasting all that warm up time.)

BTW I know my MC is 20+ because I did about 150,000 around the time the d@mned Brady Bill passed.

[kayak1]

I don't think that it's frozen, hitting it with a propane torch didn't help.

I smelt/flux my range scrap on the turkey fryer. I then remelt and flux it in my lee 20# pot, I attempt to keep the lead in the master caster clean ( I guess not clean enough). I picked up the MC from a member on the forum, so I am at least the 2nd owner.

[bstone5]

I have had mine plug up fron the burnt wood from the stick used to stir and flux the lead in the pot.

I finally got it to flow with wire in the spout hole ad letting a lot of lead flow.

[kayak1]

I was able dismount the pot and get the two 10-24 x 3/8" screws out. I then had to heat the pot up to get the nozzle detached. With the nozzle detached I drained the lead (on to a long section of angle iron).

I heated scraped the top and bottom clean and the mating surface on the pot clean. I then drilled the two holes out again and used two new stainless cap screws to put it back together. After getting everything back together, adding new lead everything is working great! The nozzles are pouring and life is great.

[HATCH]

I hope you put anti-seeze on the stainless.

[kayak1]

I hope you put anti-seeze on the stainless.

I didn't. Will the anti-seeze be ok with the heat? I have a jar of the silver-grey anit-seeze is that what I need or do they have a high heat version?

[HATCH]

The permatix copper is rated to 1800f. I would make sure you put stuff rated to at least 800f.
The silver gray loctite a stuff is good to 1000f.

[LAH]

I use nothing on the 10-24X3/8 bolts, only snug them in the pot enough to stop any leakage between the pot & orifice plate.

[HATCH]

But do you use stainless or carbon steel?

[LAH]

Carbon the factory bolts.