Crud in Pot

[WineMan]

Just started casting on a budget.

After smelting down WW into ingots and then using the ingots to cast from, there seems to be quite a bit of hard, black, non metallic crust on both the inside of the RCBS pot and ladle. I was using paraffin as the flux and casting at ~750 F over a Coleman stove. Some of the stick-on weights (smelted and held separately) had quite a bit of smoky, sticky residue

Is this normal and should it bother me and need to be cleaned or can it just ride? I tried some oven cleaner on the ladle and some of it did come off. Maybe a different flux?

Thanks in advance

WM

[IcerUSA]

You might want to try some bees wax candles or saw dust for flux, maybe some old motor oil as long as you do it outside, most of what I have read here goes away from paraffin, so many other good fluxes out there to try and you did say budget :)



Keith

[tommag]

I soak the stick-ons in gas to dissolve the tape for a day or two. Diesel fuel might work and be a lot safer. If you do this, use lots of caution.

[454PB]

There is no flux that I've ever tried that will keep the pot and/or ladle clean. What we look for in a flux is clean ALLOY. Smelting WW's with double sided tape on them is always a nasty, smoky mess. You either have to accept that and do it outside, or take the trouble to clean off the tape before hand.

One of the things that helps clean the pot is to get it very, very hot while it's empty, then let it cool down and scrape it with a steel brush. The same process works for dippers, but they are a little harder to brush internally. The small tooth brush size stainless steel brushes sold at hardware stores works the best for them.

[WineMan]

Thanks for the advice!

Wineman

[Typecaster]

I'll concur that smelting stink-ons is something to do once a year—when you have a head cold.

As far as cleaning the pot, my big smelting pot (vintage cast iron, holds about 120 lb.) was outside in a surprise rain and rusted. That was the good news—once it dried out, the loose rust seemed to be under the crap. A light wire-brushing made the pot cleaner than before. I can live with an orange pot...it's easy to find.