Wire Brush for Smelting

[leadmonkey]

Having just finished smelting my first batch of wheel weights, I found out just how much crud sticks to the inside of the steel smelting pot. I scraped as well as I could, and the ingots turned out pretty well, but once the pot was empty, I was surprised at how much black crud was still sticking to the inside of the pot.

So, after fluxing the melt, would a (all metal) wire brush get this crud off of the inside of the pot better than just scraping? Maybe attach a longer handle to a plumber's wire brush and use it during smelting. Anybody tried it?

[williamwaco]

Usually, fluxing prevents that crud from sticking to the sides of the pot and it is scraped off the top of the melt.

What are you using for flux?

I get a steady coating of rust and oxides on the inside of the pot but it is very thin and scrapes off easily with my spoon.

About once or twice a season, I empty the pot completely and scrub it down with a rotary wore brush in my electric drill. This produces about a teaspoon of very fine brown dust.

[merlin101]

I had the same problem, I started cleaning the pot up with a piece of 80grit sandpaper (by hand) when cool then wiping it down with an oil rag. I also picked up a nice piece of hardwood (oak?) and cut it into strips about 1"x2"x30 and use one to stir and scrape while smelting and use pine shavings to flux. Problem solved.

[lightman]

I use a cup brush on my hand grinder. A dust mask is probably a good idea when doing it this way! Lightman

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use a charred Oak stick to stir the alloy during fluxing a smelt.
I always rub/scrape the sides and bottom of the pot during that.
My stainless steel soup pot, that I use for smelting is always
fairly clean when the alloy is removed.
Good Luck,
Jon

[pworley1]

I don't worry about cleaning mine. I use a 6 qt cast iron pot and it seldom has much gunk left ion it.

[lwknight]

Great caution should be used when cleaning up the pot and , most especially with power tools.
There will be a lot of powder lead oxides stirred up that can be breathed in easily.
And btw: a dust mask is NOT adequate protection. You really need a full face respirator.
Most of us do not have such so at the very least soak it with PB Blaster or wd40 or something to prevent dust.

[dikman]

I don't worry about it. The next time it's used the stirring and fluxing helps get rid of it.

[Bigslug]

Not having melted a lot of wheel weights, I'm gonna take a guess with lessons learned from being married to Little Miss Food Network.

The black coating on properly seasoned cast iron cookware is generated by smearing the pot with lard or other cooking oil, and baking it until it totally breaks down into a hard layer of carbon. I would guess your black crud is nothing more than road grease off the wheel weights that's carbonized through the same kind of process. Other than maybe reducing your pot capacity over time, it's not going to hurt anything, and will float right to the top if it breaks off during a smelt. Scrape off what you can easily and don't lose any sleep over the rest. I certainly would NOT scrub it down with brushes or anything else that would turn it to dust - lead oxides and brake dust are NOT high in vitamin C!

[leadmonkey]

Here's what I'm talking about.
95506

[D Crockett]

leadmonkey I would not worry about that little bit of stuff in the bottom of the smelting pot but if you want to get your pot cleaned up take a hack saw blade one with good teeth on it . heat the last 1.5 of it to red hot and bend a 9odeg. cool it down by sticking it in some moter oil used is ok to do this with and scrape the sides and bottom with that hope this helps D Crockett

[lwknight]

You just have a little tinning in the pot. It don't hurt a thing to leave it and just keep on trucking.

[leadmonkey]

You just have a little tinning in the pot. It don't hurt a thing to leave it and just keep on trucking.

Ten-four. Thanks to everyone for the advice.

[yman]

I been using the same cast iron pot for yrs now. Never worried about crud left in the pot, if it stuck to the pot its not in your mold. Pour on, I say.

[waynem34]

Scrape the sides this the spoon carefuly and always becareful.Use kinled dried wood also.Got to be super dry.

[Bogone]

My old cast iron pot always has a layer of sooty looking carbon on the bottom also.. I just scrape it off with my spoon and go at it...